If the release of Colonial Marines has had one positive effect it's that it gave me incentive to re-watch the movies recently. Both Alien and Aliens are regarded as a couple of the most important films in both the sci-fi and horror genres, and generally seem to be considered roughly equal in terms of quality despite their differing focuses. My question is, which do you prefer and why?
I lean more towards Alien, myself. A big part of the reason is just that it looks so good. From beginning to end, every shot is incredibly well presented and the effects hold up almost flawlessly to this day. Between the excellent aesthetic, the deliberate pacing and the believable performances and dialogue, it's a tense and atmosphetic film that's really easy to get sucked into.
The sequel, while a great movie, didn't quite draw me in the same way. The characters are more over the top, the effects are more obvious (particularly when cgi gets involved,) and the overall look just didn't grab me like the first's did.