Alien had a better captain and crew

I mean, they just rated the thing as an R, they could put more realism and maturity in it. OK, I need to relax. ; )

Janek is not the only unprofessional crew member. Holloway puts his feet on a control console during landing. He later selfishly removes his helmet, putting the entire crew at risk should he be infected upon returning to the ship. Milburn plays Goo Goo Ga Ga with a cute cobra. Shaw goes after a shrunken head in 80 mph winds. David examines a volatile black serum in an open, unsecured room in the ship. An android with 10x the brain power a human lab technician never heard of a vacuum hood? Maybe my topic should be, "Alien had a better crew".

@Juxtapose I know, I know...I just need to relax. ; )

Well I see this is developing as an issue of nationality... But I think xemu is right in one completely different sense: even in today airlines, there are very strict protocols about the management of the command cabin, mainly at takeoff and landing. That´s called Crew Resource Management ([url=http://www.gofir.com/general/crm/index.htm]CRM[/url]) and is actually a pretty developed discipline in the world of safety issues. It´s really unthinkable that a professional pilot would be so informal when landing in an unknown world with a unvaluable bird at a historical mission.

@xemu, "Alien had a better crew". [2] ; )

Captain Dallas rules. And this is not a dig against Elba. It is just stating the simple fact that Dallas was da man. Even if he did screw up. Dallas was just such a great character; that whole Nostromo gang was. Theron and Co may be prettier but no one is gonna match that cast or those characters. But I'd wager Elba will be good.

you do realize hes one of the finest british actors in the world, the fact he can pull off sounding like a convincing blue collar texan showcases his talent. That maybe why ridley keeps using him in films (check him out in american gangster). Dallas was ok, but a bit one dimensional in fact so weak that as the captain he was overshadowed by Ripley as the dominant force in Alien.

...ok...so a captain of a ship should be stiff and rather say....what?....everyone is getting so nit picky...nobody said u have to like the character....it gets kinda boring if all the characters are too likable...at least u can look forward to his death then!..;)

[url]http://youtu.be/cXCMz340CRg[/url] classic idras in a classic ridley movie.

[url]http://youtu.be/cXCMz340CRg[/url] classic idras in a classic ridley movie.

.....if it's part of the script....then what else is he supposed to say?.....i don't get how people complain about accents...it's so insignificant....plus not every one of the characters are necessarily from the same town!

Well, the critique (which one may or may not agree upon) is addressed to the captain character, not to Elba.

@ Centrosphere....i get what you saying...but it's only a movie....they never get everything right!

But ok, this is only a movie, I know, I know. ; )

Hm. You're going to determine one fictional Space Captain was better than another fictional Space Captain - [i]based on one line?[/i] And talk about him being, "unprofessional"?... OK. If I recall, [i]Dallas[/i] took off while Nostromo wasn't fully flight ready. And it was [i]Dallas,[/i] that made every effort to bully his way back on Nostromo, in knowing breach of quarantine - an act that cost the lives the entire crew - but, your hero, Dallas was cool?.. What are you [i]really[/i] trying to say - and start - here?...

Serious, realistic sci-fi is a rare treat these days. Ridley delivered two of the best, despite them being his only two. Although we only have a few clips, the level of immaturity seen so far worries me.

@xemu Uh-huh...

I said what I said. Dallas, as a human being, tried to save another human being. Janek, while landing a multi-million dollar ship, with many lives at stake, acts as if the bridge is a hip-hop discoteka. You are comparing apples to oranges.

@ allinamberclad yeah that's right!! What you said!! What is it with people nowadays they're so desperate to compare this movie with the first one! This thing hasn't even come out on theatres yet and we got people already on line ready to put the damn thing down by any means necessary. Give this movie a chance for Christ sake!! If you like the first one so damn much go watch it on Blu-ray ( preferred choice) a million more times and don't tell me that you won't buy a ticket for Prometheus when it comes out Because it's captain is so unprofessional because despite all the nagging you will be there I bet.

As much as I hate to say it, Allinamber makes some very good points. But those very things are what make Dallas a great character. Now, as to better captain. Based on solely the movie and not the screenplay (in which Dallas absolutely proves himself to be an excellent captain based on scenes written and not filmed), I would say Dallas lets his humanity get in the way of making the right choice regarding Kane getting onboard. Without doubt, he was dealing with something extraordinary so some slack has to be given. But at that moment, Ripley was the acting captain and even tells Dallas he would do the same thing if they were in opposite places. So I will not take his ability away from him based on that scene. Ripley clearly respects Dallas (more than respects in the script!), and would not say this if it weren't so. And, angry or not, Dallas is forced to accept her decision. It is Ash and solely Ash who gets Kane onboard. And he certainly makes the right decision in attempting to get the facehugger off (something Ash tries to convince him not to do), even if it fails, taking full responsibility. Now, his decision to not freeze him is a poor one, though not without some argument and taking off without being fully repaired shows a captain who is starting to lose it. There is just no doubt in my mind, Dallas is losing his ability to command. But then he makes one of the most important decisions in the movie--to go into the vents himself. Something no captain should do according to the rulebook. But here, imo, he still makes the right choice, even if it ends in his death. Sometimes one has to break the rules, and Dallas is accepting his part in this nightmare and not asking anyone, especially Ripley, not to do anything he wouldn't. A tragic character, but in the end, a once great captain.