Paul WS Anderson's Top 10 Monster Movies

The Resident Evil and Three Musketeers director on his favorite creature features...

By Sam AshurstMar 7th 2012
1

Alien (1979)

I saw Alien when I was at school, though I probably shouldn’t have done.

It left an indelible impression on me. I’m not sure which had a bigger impact; the monster or Sigourney Weaver’s underwear in that closet.

Obviously I went on to make Alien Vs Predator, which was a real treat to work on two of the greatest extra terrestrials.

I think Ridley’s approach to shooting a monster movie was really inspiring. I think his kind of less is more approach was a real kind of object lesson on how to shoot creatures for filmmakers.

He had a numerous set of disadvantages that he actually made work in his favour. Because it was really a guy in a rubber suit, who ultimately, if you let the camera linger on him, didn’t look that good.

It forced Ridley to show very little of the creature. And when he did he showed it very creatively and what it did was really built the myth of the alien and that’s why you can watch that movie now and it hasn’t really dated.

Whereas there are movies made more recently where you use cutting edge CG to show a lot of the creature and it’s not as scary cause you see so much of it.

Nothing dates faster than cutting edge CG, you’ll look at your movie three years later and go, ‘Oh God that looks terrible.’

I think he’s kind of less is more approach was really, an object lesson.

In Resident Evil Retribution for example we have monsters, these creatures called the lickers and they’re computer generated, that’s how you do monsters nowadays – but we’re framing them and shooting them as if they’re guys in suits.

Like Alien, and we’re constantly referring back to Alien, just because we have the ability to show the creature, full frame, sitting there picking its nose, having a cappuccino, you know you can do anything with a computer created creature, doesn’t necessarily mean you can do it, you should do it.

So my instructions to the animators is just kind of frame it like its Alien, frame it just over the Alien, just behind it, big close up of it, cut away from it fast, user strobe lights.

That kind of less is more approach. Hopefully, cutting edge CG, matched with this kind of ‘man in the suit’ approach will make a very, very powerful image in the cinema. 

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Comments

    • ASmileSoDevious

      Mar 7th 2012, 7:17

      Wasn't it Palmer (David Clennon) who says that line in 'The Thing'?

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    • deedeedragons

      Mar 7th 2012, 7:45

      He gets MANY extra points for number 8!

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    • Jeffbiscuits

      Mar 7th 2012, 9:10

      Behind the refrigerator?

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    • Jeffbiscuits

      Mar 7th 2012, 9:34

      good grief

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    • mattjones

      Mar 7th 2012, 10:30

      Please don't give this hack any more publicity. He took on fantastic possibilities and turned out some of the most shallow, poorly executed tripe out there. How he ever got to make the films he did, I will never know. It was like taking Shakepeare and handing its legacy to the worst tabloid journalist.

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    • ChrisWootton

      Mar 7th 2012, 11:24

      It was indeed Palmer who says the line: You've gotta be f*****g kidding.. You should've one a list of 10 worst Paul WS Anderson movies.. and then listed all of his films except Event Horizon.

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    • WombatAttack

      Mar 7th 2012, 11:27

      Totally wasn't Kurt Russell who stated that "you've gotta be kidding" line.

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    • WombatAttack

      Mar 7th 2012, 11:27

      Still an awesome flick though.

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    • MikeyRix

      Mar 7th 2012, 12:14

      "probably one of the few people who you’d talk to who actually enjoyed the remake of Clash of The Titans than the original" Goodbye, whatever shred of credibilty you had.

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    • apo1978

      Mar 7th 2012, 13:40

      Yeah, I despise Paul "W*nk Stain" Anderson as a director. I hate that he directed Death Race, as that's a guilty pleasure of mine....

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    • Lagedor

      Mar 7th 2012, 14:51

      Didn't "w****rson" even direct russell in soldier? U'd think he'd get a clue. Stil like event horizon though

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    • QuietLife

      Mar 7th 2012, 15:14

      Oh god did he do Soldier as well?? What the hell happened on the set of Event Horizon??? Did someone else direct it unknowingly? It is literally the only decent movie to his name!

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    • Hadouken76

      Mar 7th 2012, 16:25

      I feel sorry for other Paul Anderson, the one that makes classic epic movies that define convention. Sharing a name with a talentless tool, must be like finding out your long lost brother is a half-beached mantee ...with the sh*ts,

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    • JohnJDuffy

      Mar 7th 2012, 17:02

      Hello my name is Paul W Anderson. I saw Alien when I was at school, though I probably shouldn’t have done. It left an indelible impression on me. Such an impression that I took, it raped it, multiple times, killed it, p****d on it and raped it one more time for good luck, therefore completely ruining it's legacy by turning them into a kind of lame version of themselves. Also at the same time I took an equally iconic monster repeated my progress by turning the predator into Teddy Rukspin. I can't wait to my hands on that popular video game series and turn that into CGI mess where my wife runs around on wires doing flips and running up walls killing face-less corporation militia. And if your not too busy take a look at the list of other monsters that I would also like to dig up, sodomise, mutilate it, burn it, and place on screen in front of a green sheet and call it Pinhead vs The Smurfs vs The Thing; After-Apocolyptic Nightmare Revolations Nine Bye Bye now I'm off for tea over at Uwe Boll's house and play lets be directors

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    • Lagedor

      Mar 7th 2012, 20:17

      Im wit thekingofcinema as regards to how harsh we are on "W.S.", until we make a film equal 2 r better than "EVENT", we cant giv d guy 2 much cr@p. But in relation 2 d 2 Andersons, 2 quote caddyshack : "the world needs ditchdiggers too"

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    • marc96

      Mar 7th 2012, 20:31

      dont get me wrong i enjoyed resident evil, its silly but fun, but what he did to the Alien & Predator franchise is something no so called fan should do, i read that he wrote the script as well, and if this is true then this pile of dung movie is his fault only... not slagging him off as a director but leave the scripts alone please

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    • FBSSloss

      Mar 8th 2012, 9:05

      GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND! Hah, please! That's an alternate title for GODZILLA VS. GIGAN. What he's talking about is DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Fool.

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    • Seedorf

      Mar 8th 2012, 11:31

      Anderson speaks of comedy and horror, being a difficult combination to pull off, when talking about American Werewolf in London. Just like his directorial skill is a very difficult thing to pull off, which he has managed only once. One trick pony, springs to mind.

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    • mrfixit426

      Mar 9th 2012, 14:17

      has this been written by a six year old?

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    • Hadouken76

      Mar 9th 2012, 19:51

      No, the six year old is busy writing Andersons latest plopbuster.

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    • DanielMcA

      Mar 10th 2012, 23:05

      Sam, it's spelled favourite not favorite, you lazy t**t. Take your American spell checker off.

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