I want to be clear that this is for the alien from Alien, not Aliens, and yes, to me there is a difference. While both films are good I thought the alien in the first film was far scarier and far more ominous than in the second film. The screen grab I used above is from what I consider one of the scariest scenes of all time as Dallas is patroling the pipes only to find himself face to face with death brought to life.
The other thing that makes the alien from this film so great is that it is practical effects. That is a puppet you see above and that thing was scary as shit. On top of that, will any of us ever forget the first time we saw a chest burster? Let’s create one more memory and visit it again below.
One thing that makes a truly great villain is the ability to be terrifying without going out of your way to really scare your enemy. Of course my #10 choice of The Joker is an exception to the rule, but when people are bad just because they are bad is far scarier and Darth Vader is a prime example.
Let’s forget that the prequel films were ever made for a second and that Hayden Christensen didn’t ruin our impression of one of the most daunting figures in cinematic history. Remember when Vader choked that poor sap for speaking against the Force? How about when he was ready to toss his own son into the carbonite chamber? Or, if we are talking Luke, how about when he cut off his hand? This guy is a friend of no one.
Of course he was softened up in Return of the Jedi, but he is the exact reason people love Empire Strikes Back the most out of the entire Star Wars saga, and there is no contesting that.
I really feel like typing anything after looking deep into those eyes is a waste of time. Lecter is a fucking madman, and while I should pay him some respect by offering up a few words I will just advise you to roll the footage below. The performance says more than anything I could possibly type would.
Hans Gruber certainly belongs on this list, but the real question is where and is #2 too high? I have a feeling several people will look at this and say he should definitely be at #2, if not #1. However I am sure there are other camps that feel he shouldn’t even be on the list.
The people in that final group are obviously drinking far too much, because this guy is not only a thief, but he is a cold blooded killer and Alan Rickman plays him absolutely flawlessly. Hell, I almost added the Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves because Rickman is so good.
If you don’t think Hans deserves the #2 spot just take a peek at the clip below and then tell me what you think.
