At the same time however, though it had the capacity to invoke that horror onto the audience as well, it chose not to. The characters are simple, they are not so much changed or scarred by the events of it (at least the survivors). The tone feels more light hearted, touching on the subject of human ingenuity and triumph over the seemingly impossible.
On the other hand Alien approaches fear in a much more down to earth and sinister angle. The people we follow are -not- trained elite commandos, but instead scientists. Sure they -are- smarter than most in the audience, but the way they are presented they appear to be just another work force group of people, albeit on the higher IQ spectrum. The movie takes its time to draw the audience in its universe and mood. A combination of the slow pace and relatable actions the characters do in the first quarter of the film makes the audiences relate to the characters more and see themselves in their shoes, so when horror strikes in the form of the Alien, you do not just see a bunch of people being killed off willy nilly, but in a sense, you see yourself in -that- situation as well.
Another thing that is worth being said is that the protagonists of those two movies feel vastly different. Sure they both are the ones killing off the big bad Alien, but the way they manage it is worth mentioning in the argument.
In Predator, Arnold's character does not grow from the experience. He just shifts his already known tactics to match his foe and boom there you have it. Nothing else is known about him, we know -very- little about Arnold, and he seems to be more like your standard two dimensional action hero than a person you can relate to. Unless you -are- Arnold I guess
On Alien however, Ripley is just your average working scientist. She has her quirks, she can be irritating or annoying, she has a personality, she likes some of her co-workers more than others and that shows. Sure, she is a very intelligent person, but she is still a person you can easily see yourself meeting in a party or ending up hanging up with. When she takes down the Alien it is not some heroic badass tactical move, it is literally a desperate attempt to survive. Ripley has no training for this, she and her team just improvise and try to do what they can to survive. Unlike Arnie, Ripley's character is affected from this, and she grows as a person. It comes to no surprise how she ends up being THE Ripley, bane of Aliens in the later films, but that is another argument
The Results
Both movies are superb films worth watching for any fan of good cinematography. PERIOD.
If I have to rate them however, I will have to say it depends on what you are looking for.
Predator is the most fun to watch among the two. Regardless of your tastes, Predator will -GUARANTEE- you enjoy the time watching it. It has enough layers to appease any viewer, from ones seeking a simple mindless action film to pass the time, to someone who is looking for a more philosophical aspect to it, Predator has something for everyone.
Alien however, is a -good- film. Where Predator might offer something for everyone, but it is not -AMAZING- quality for every tastes. Alien is more narrow on its focus, true, but it takes one look at the roof and blows it open at the things it delivers. That said however, it is also not a movie I would recommend to anyone that is not a fan of horror, or just wants to watch a film to relax at the end of the day.
