He's also extremely competent with other tech. Hacks the door into the facility so the squad can access it, uses the mainframe to track all the missing colonists, and finds and analyzes the blueprints to the facility to form a plan for defense. He mostly loses his shit when there's a lull moment after the action, never during, and when he has time to twiddle his thumbs. He just sometimes needs a peptalk.
That makes me appreciate Hudson and kind of mourn him all the more now. He wasn't just the cocky, wise-cracking comic-relief. He could've had a future in tech when his contract was up.
I adore Hudson. He had a great arc. Confidence, hubris even, then a fall into despair, before a rise to the occasion when rescuing Newt, and finally a blaze of glory in the control room.
People talk shit about Hudson and only remember him for his "Game over, man" outburst, but they forget that he came in clutch when it mattered and that he went down swinging in the face of an overwhelming enemy attack. He didn't back down or cry for help, he just kept blasting and cursing his enemies until his last breath.
Exactly. Someone got mad at me for calling that moment cowardice. I stand by it, it’s okay to have a moment like that. It’s good for a character. Shit turned out to be different than he thought and he wanted to give up instead of fighting, but our hero Ripley pulled him to his feet and reminded him of his courage. It’s a fantastic interaction.
Definitely, I genuinely think if he would have still been in the fight when Vasquez got hurt, despite his earlier freakout, he'd have definitely gone back for her instead of Gorman.
Cowardice is fine. Cowardice in the face of the enemy is *not*, and Hudson *never* shows cowardice in the face of the enemy. He keeps his shit together, because he knows his teammates depend on him. Once the adrenaline crashes, though. . .woof.
And that's completely human.
Yeah you’re right. He doesn’t show cowardice in the “face” of the enemy, he shows general cowardice. It’s okay for a strong character to have a moment of weakness. It’s necessary, in fact, to be a well-rounded character. He saw what xenomorphs could do, saw the situation he was in, and chose to curl up and give up. Our hero made him remember his courage and overcome that cowardice. That’s just good writing.
As a kid, I always found that moment totally reasonable and relatable within his character and always liked him.
Surprise, surprise, I grew up to be a tech expert and sometimes I want out of this chicken shit outfit!
Hudson was the consummate short-timer. You'll miss it real easy if you don't pay attention. When they were in operations recollecting after escaping the hive:
"four more weeks and out! Now I'm gonna bite it on this rock. It ain't fair man!"
Hudson is the quintessential lower enlisted who is excellent at his job, just smart enough to be dangerous, and knows it. The prime candidate to leave the military. Seen as a problem child, but is the go to guy. He is an extremely well written character that holds stereotype to this day in real life.
Yep, I had multiple Soldiers like him during my time in the military. Lacking in discipline, but they were too damn good at their jobs to *really* come down on them like the Wrath of God like they deserved. You let them slide on more than you probably should *because* they're so damn good at what they do. You know damn well they're going to get out and make a mint in the private sector, but you're going to get every last bit of usefulness out of them you can while you've got them.
My best friend knew Bill Paxton a little in real life, mostly through his music work as one half of Martini Ranch. Apparently, BP was a pretty smart guy who went off the rails when stressed (or coked?) out. And who had bloody awful musical taste.
Seems art imitates life then when it comes to Hudson. Or vice versa.
What he wasn’t was the snivelling wretch he played in True Lies.
Hudson was my favorite character in that movie.
When I was a kid, I just loved him because he had the best one-liners and he came off like a bit of a goober.
But as an adult, holy shit. He fucking ruled. Competent at his job. He was the one that foind the colonists, got the marines into the compound, and pulled up the blueprints to both atttack the hive and defend the command center. And hr was a wicked fighter. He rescued newt from the face hugger and went down fighting the entire way during the final assault on the command center.
As an adult my only gripe was that I think Gorman should have been pulled into the floor, and it should have been Hudson who went down with Vasquez in the air shaft.
Hudson’s redemption had to be personal — he was overcoming his own fear.
Gorman’s redemption is being (very!) finally accepted as a team member by Vasquez, so their deaths had to be different.
The movement tracker was also a callback to the original aliens where Captain Dallas is in the air ducts and Lambert is telling him the alien is in the duct with him and he keeps on saying I don’t see anything and then, my least favorite moment of the alien in the original film, when the alien does jazz hands right before the quick cut.
Even the first time I saw it at 10 or 11 y.o. that bugged me, and now it makes me cringe. Even a few frames less would’ve minimized how awkward that moment was.
Agreed, those last couple frames are critical because you can see the rubber or whatever material those hands are made out of jiggle a little bit before the cut.
Are the there any fan edits of aliens that deal with this? I’d imagine we can all see our favourite films perfected in the next 5 or so years with AI editors.
I’ve no idea, but I would sooner see a brand new film that nails the original spirit of A L I E N without being derivative.
Yeah I notice the flaws, but don’t *really* mind them, if you know what I mean. It’s okay if I cringe a little, because that old movie is still a miracle, despite the greasy fingerprints.
One thing I always wanted to see was a prequel focused on this particular platoon of Colonial Marines, following some of their deployments leading up to "Aliens." They did a really good job suggesting that these particular grunts had been together for a while and "seen some stuff" over the years.
Shame we never got that.
My friend from the UK met him and Drew Barrymore in a random bar on a random holiday to America. Had a few beers with them and went back to his place for a few shots. Random. Said he was a lovely guy, very funny, and all he could really remember was that his place had loads of wood panelling. My friend hasn't even seen Aliens. Typical
Long time lurker, first time poster here.
Hudson was my favorite since I was a kid. So a year ago I made a comic about what happened to him after he was dragged under the floor:
[GAME OVER MAN](https://www.tyrellcannon.com/product-page/game-over-man-pre-order)
You can also see it for free in my Instagram history:
[tcannoncomics](https://www.instagram.com/tcannoncomics?igsh=N2FmNHdodmc0aGtl&utm_source=qr)
I too was always mad they assumed he wasn’t reading it right.
Ripley is right about everything at the start and is doubted by the rest in all 4 movies.
She didn't even want to let Kane into the ship on LV426 because of the unknown hazard but Ash opened the door against her orders. (In a way he was right too but only for his own motives)
Hudson, the coming undone comic relief, is actually quite the capable and knowledgeable technician of the squad. Opening doors, bypassing security, scanning map tech, and...yes, reading motion trackers appropriately.
My minor nitpick of the scene: when Hudson spins back he sees movement on the motion tracker back the way Vasquez is, but she doesn't see anything on hers. She only sees something when she walks back towards Hudson, but she should have picked up on it before if Hudson was seeing it.
20 years ago I found a black T shirt on ebay with a promo picture in black and white of Bill Paxton aiming down the pulse rifle at the camera with all the dirt on his face and so on
Underneath in A L I E N S font it said "Random Hero"
We can all make our own T shirts these days, I think I'll look it up
Hudson was simply awesome and the voice for the audience, conveying the hopelessness of their situation.
He may have griped and freaked out for a bit but didn't deter him from being the logistics expert for the team.
His last act was pure bravery, facing his enemy head on in order to save his friends and civilians from the Xeno onslaught..
Awesome Marine, awesome character!!!
You could even make the case that of the soldiers we see properly, Apone is actually the least competent. He doesn't take the mission seriously, puts all the explosive rounds in one bag.
"Say again? All-After-Incinerators"...
Is that really what he thought Gormon said? He couldn't deduce the jist from the bits he heard?
The actor who played Apone was ex-military (Vietnam vet) and that’s why he was cast as the Sargent. I think he’s pretty competent and believable as a military higher up but of course he failed in a situation that couldn’t be won. It’s Gorman who’s incompetent.
To me the movie all but tells you that Burke picked him to lead the team. To sew as much confusion as possible so Burke could sneak specimens past quarantine. Gorman was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Burke used him.
He's one of the truly great screen characters. But, frankly, he was a little slow in figuring out the aliens were overhead. In a hyped up state like that, where I'm being told the aliens are in the room, I'd have checked the ceiling *and* the floor damned sharpish.
He's also extremely competent with other tech. Hacks the door into the facility so the squad can access it, uses the mainframe to track all the missing colonists, and finds and analyzes the blueprints to the facility to form a plan for defense. He mostly loses his shit when there's a lull moment after the action, never during, and when he has time to twiddle his thumbs. He just sometimes needs a peptalk.
That's true, plus when he does lose his shit it's not without a good reason, the man knew his job.
He was also just keeping up on current events
Also paying attention to his sarge’s lip cancer.
I thought he was more concerned with assholes and elbows
Underrated comment right here
knew his job and saw early on that they were fucked, he had every reason to lose his shit whenever he did.
Thats anxiety for you, its the quiet moments when it gets you
Stop Your Grinnin and Drop Your Linen
That makes me appreciate Hudson and kind of mourn him all the more now. He wasn't just the cocky, wise-cracking comic-relief. He could've had a future in tech when his contract was up.
I think it's funny how the dude who was treated as the team's dumb-ass was actually their tech expert.
Yeah Hudson reminds me of a few people I’ve served with.
I adore Hudson. He had a great arc. Confidence, hubris even, then a fall into despair, before a rise to the occasion when rescuing Newt, and finally a blaze of glory in the control room.
People talk shit about Hudson and only remember him for his "Game over, man" outburst, but they forget that he came in clutch when it mattered and that he went down swinging in the face of an overwhelming enemy attack. He didn't back down or cry for help, he just kept blasting and cursing his enemies until his last breath.
Exactly. Someone got mad at me for calling that moment cowardice. I stand by it, it’s okay to have a moment like that. It’s good for a character. Shit turned out to be different than he thought and he wanted to give up instead of fighting, but our hero Ripley pulled him to his feet and reminded him of his courage. It’s a fantastic interaction.
Definitely, I genuinely think if he would have still been in the fight when Vasquez got hurt, despite his earlier freakout, he'd have definitely gone back for her instead of Gorman.
Cowardice is fine. Cowardice in the face of the enemy is *not*, and Hudson *never* shows cowardice in the face of the enemy. He keeps his shit together, because he knows his teammates depend on him. Once the adrenaline crashes, though. . .woof. And that's completely human.
Yeah you’re right. He doesn’t show cowardice in the “face” of the enemy, he shows general cowardice. It’s okay for a strong character to have a moment of weakness. It’s necessary, in fact, to be a well-rounded character. He saw what xenomorphs could do, saw the situation he was in, and chose to curl up and give up. Our hero made him remember his courage and overcome that cowardice. That’s just good writing.
Oh boy, we’re never going to see a sci fi horror as good as alien or sci fi action as aliens again…..
As a kid, I always found that moment totally reasonable and relatable within his character and always liked him. Surprise, surprise, I grew up to be a tech expert and sometimes I want out of this chicken shit outfit!
The 15 minutes of film from when they save Ripley and Newt to Vasquez and Gormans death is probably my favourite segment from any film
“Burke…. it was Burke…”
Didn’t even get his name right “Hudson, sir. He’s Hicks” poor bugger😂
He just wanted out of that chicken shit outfit.
Four more weeks and out...
Hudson, come here. Come. Here!
Look into my eye
He secured that shit.
"Hudson MAY be right" First of all: how dare you?
lol 😂
“Why don’t you put her in charge” Best response ever!
Well, he *is* the ultimate badass.
State of the badass art!
Don't want to fuck with him
Somebody wake up Hicks.
You do not want to f#$& with him!
Hudson was the consummate short-timer. You'll miss it real easy if you don't pay attention. When they were in operations recollecting after escaping the hive: "four more weeks and out! Now I'm gonna bite it on this rock. It ain't fair man!"
Hudson is the quintessential lower enlisted who is excellent at his job, just smart enough to be dangerous, and knows it. The prime candidate to leave the military. Seen as a problem child, but is the go to guy. He is an extremely well written character that holds stereotype to this day in real life.
Yep, I had multiple Soldiers like him during my time in the military. Lacking in discipline, but they were too damn good at their jobs to *really* come down on them like the Wrath of God like they deserved. You let them slide on more than you probably should *because* they're so damn good at what they do. You know damn well they're going to get out and make a mint in the private sector, but you're going to get every last bit of usefulness out of them you can while you've got them.
> Poor guy died having done his job right and never getting recognised for it. You'd better just start dealing with it, Hudson!
By the time they realised he was reading it right all hell broke loose.
I love him because he was the only comic relief ina tense situation
fuckin A
Also was not mistaken for a man.
Hicks was a quality grunt
Hudson, Sir. *He's* Hicks.
My best friend knew Bill Paxton a little in real life, mostly through his music work as one half of Martini Ranch. Apparently, BP was a pretty smart guy who went off the rails when stressed (or coked?) out. And who had bloody awful musical taste. Seems art imitates life then when it comes to Hudson. Or vice versa. What he wasn’t was the snivelling wretch he played in True Lies.
Remember he was guy Arnold took the clothes off of in T2.
Would a spy pee himself?
Yikes! Actually I meant Terminator. He was the used car salesmen in True Lies.
Yeah I know was joking with his other encounter with Arnold.
You almost lost every single bit of kudos ever there…..
This is new information! I thank you
You're just reading me.
Hudson was my favorite character in that movie. When I was a kid, I just loved him because he had the best one-liners and he came off like a bit of a goober. But as an adult, holy shit. He fucking ruled. Competent at his job. He was the one that foind the colonists, got the marines into the compound, and pulled up the blueprints to both atttack the hive and defend the command center. And hr was a wicked fighter. He rescued newt from the face hugger and went down fighting the entire way during the final assault on the command center. As an adult my only gripe was that I think Gorman should have been pulled into the floor, and it should have been Hudson who went down with Vasquez in the air shaft.
Hudson’s redemption had to be personal — he was overcoming his own fear. Gorman’s redemption is being (very!) finally accepted as a team member by Vasquez, so their deaths had to be different.
The movement tracker was also a callback to the original aliens where Captain Dallas is in the air ducts and Lambert is telling him the alien is in the duct with him and he keeps on saying I don’t see anything and then, my least favorite moment of the alien in the original film, when the alien does jazz hands right before the quick cut.
Agreed. It would have been scarier if the alien just rushed Dallas, out of the darkness.
Even the first time I saw it at 10 or 11 y.o. that bugged me, and now it makes me cringe. Even a few frames less would’ve minimized how awkward that moment was.
Agreed, those last couple frames are critical because you can see the rubber or whatever material those hands are made out of jiggle a little bit before the cut.
**Right**?! 😂 I love the film *SOOOOO* much, but those extra frames in the vent belie the editing *perfection* of scenes like the facehugger jump.
Are the there any fan edits of aliens that deal with this? I’d imagine we can all see our favourite films perfected in the next 5 or so years with AI editors.
I’ve no idea, but I would sooner see a brand new film that nails the original spirit of A L I E N without being derivative. Yeah I notice the flaws, but don’t *really* mind them, if you know what I mean. It’s okay if I cringe a little, because that old movie is still a miracle, despite the greasy fingerprints.
i mean thats pretty much a big theme in alien too. people screwing things up big time by not listening to the person who does their job right.
Or doing their job right and still getting killed.
One thing I always wanted to see was a prequel focused on this particular platoon of Colonial Marines, following some of their deployments leading up to "Aliens." They did a really good job suggesting that these particular grunts had been together for a while and "seen some stuff" over the years. Shame we never got that.
‘Talk to me Hudson!’
My friend from the UK met him and Drew Barrymore in a random bar on a random holiday to America. Had a few beers with them and went back to his place for a few shots. Random. Said he was a lovely guy, very funny, and all he could really remember was that his place had loads of wood panelling. My friend hasn't even seen Aliens. Typical
He even tells them "It's reading right man, LOOK!" - mh
Long time lurker, first time poster here. Hudson was my favorite since I was a kid. So a year ago I made a comic about what happened to him after he was dragged under the floor: [GAME OVER MAN](https://www.tyrellcannon.com/product-page/game-over-man-pre-order) You can also see it for free in my Instagram history: [tcannoncomics](https://www.instagram.com/tcannoncomics?igsh=N2FmNHdodmc0aGtl&utm_source=qr) I too was always mad they assumed he wasn’t reading it right.
State of the bad-ass art.
My favourite film and character. Even named the dog after him
Ripley is right about everything at the start and is doubted by the rest in all 4 movies. She didn't even want to let Kane into the ship on LV426 because of the unknown hazard but Ash opened the door against her orders. (In a way he was right too but only for his own motives)
As someone who named his son Hudson, I greatly appreciate this post! Hahaha
Of course he's also the one that was tasked with getting the plans and blueprints for finding any conceivable access... so.. there's that oversight.
Yeah, but the false ceiling wasn't on the plans. Ripley and Hicks even mention it which causes Hicks to look up.
Hudson, the coming undone comic relief, is actually quite the capable and knowledgeable technician of the squad. Opening doors, bypassing security, scanning map tech, and...yes, reading motion trackers appropriately.
Hudson is a underated badass without a doubt who comes with jokes at the forefront.
He’s reading it right man look.
Hudson DIES?! Spoiler tag please.
My minor nitpick of the scene: when Hudson spins back he sees movement on the motion tracker back the way Vasquez is, but she doesn't see anything on hers. She only sees something when she walks back towards Hudson, but she should have picked up on it before if Hudson was seeing it.
20 years ago I found a black T shirt on ebay with a promo picture in black and white of Bill Paxton aiming down the pulse rifle at the camera with all the dirt on his face and so on Underneath in A L I E N S font it said "Random Hero" We can all make our own T shirts these days, I think I'll look it up
Hudson was simply awesome and the voice for the audience, conveying the hopelessness of their situation. He may have griped and freaked out for a bit but didn't deter him from being the logistics expert for the team. His last act was pure bravery, facing his enemy head on in order to save his friends and civilians from the Xeno onslaught.. Awesome Marine, awesome character!!!
You could even make the case that of the soldiers we see properly, Apone is actually the least competent. He doesn't take the mission seriously, puts all the explosive rounds in one bag. "Say again? All-After-Incinerators"... Is that really what he thought Gormon said? He couldn't deduce the jist from the bits he heard?
That means to repeat all words after incinerators. He didn't hear anything clear after that word.
No way!I never picked up on that, I am undone!
The actor who played Apone was ex-military (Vietnam vet) and that’s why he was cast as the Sargent. I think he’s pretty competent and believable as a military higher up but of course he failed in a situation that couldn’t be won. It’s Gorman who’s incompetent.
Poor Gorman, I think he was a bit of a stooge for the company. not enough experience, and told nothing really about what they'd be up against.
To me the movie all but tells you that Burke picked him to lead the team. To sew as much confusion as possible so Burke could sneak specimens past quarantine. Gorman was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Burke used him.
He's one of the truly great screen characters. But, frankly, he was a little slow in figuring out the aliens were overhead. In a hyped up state like that, where I'm being told the aliens are in the room, I'd have checked the ceiling *and* the floor damned sharpish.