Alien and Aliens are iconic movies, but since 1986 attempts to create new entries have met with mixed success. Here’s why and how to fix it.
the Alien The franchise began in 1979 as a terrifying sci-fi horror story about a seemingly impossible-to-kill monster hunting the crew of an isolated spaceship, but since then, the series has largely deviated from its roots. The original film is considered a sci-fi horror classic, while James Cameron took a decidedly more action-oriented approach with its sequel. Aliens in 1986, it was so successful that it rivals the original in terms of popularity. However, the franchise hit choppy waters from that point forward, as David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet stabbed the series with Alien 3 Y Alien: resurrection, which would turn out to be critical and commercial disappointments, although the former has its share of retrospective admirers.
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After two successful but largely criticized crossovers with the Alien vs. Predator duology, Ridley Scott attempted to revitalize the series with two prequels. Both Prometheus Y Alien: Covenant They were highly anticipated, but they turned out to be complicated and disappointing, muddying the xenomorph lore and losing sight of what made the franchise successful in the beginning. Now with a new Alien TV series on the horizon of FX and Scott in talks to do another Alien, now is the time for the series to finally regain its footing.
That said, living up to the legacy of Alien Y Aliens it is not a small task. To be successful, new entrants will need to take careful steps to honor what came before, while at the same time trying new things that fit the established universe of the series.
Introducing new characters
Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley may be iconic, but the actress has historically been reluctant to reprise her classic role, and for good reason. While Ripley is a legend of the genre and one of the most badass protagonists of the genre, to advance in a new Alien The movie shouldn’t bring Ripley back. I like it Hallowe’en Y Terminatorbringing her back in a supporting role for one last movie wouldn’t be the worst idea, but overall, the franchise needs a new cast of characters to lead the way. Ripley was lightning in a bottle and any attempt to create a Ripley 2.0 is doomed.
A new adventure could bring the xenomorphs to Earth and focus on an entirely new group of survivors who have to learn to fight the creatures as the world around them falls into the hands of monsters. Even if a new Alien choose to closely follow in the footsteps of any other entry and unleash another xenomorph to hunt down another spaceship / station’s crew etc, it makes sense that it has new protagonists. If the studio insisted on bringing back familiar faces, an angle Alien could take would be to give some beloved characters a chance they never had because of the route Alien 3 Y Resurrection took the series The Dark Horse Alien The comics focus on Hicks and Newt after the events of Aliens, so a new movie could easily reboot the franchise with a combination of series favorites and new blood.
Problems with the prequels
While Alien 3 Y Resurrection had its share of problems, Prometheus Y Covenant It was almost as controversial for playing with the tradition of the entire franchise. Not only did they repeat the controversial decision to kill a main character between movies, but they also added a full creation story for the xenomorphs that didn’t really fit in with the backstory set by the original movies. Another misconception of these prequels is that they tried to expand on the engineers’ backstory in a largely unsuccessful way, as the creation myth Scott established not only makes little sense, but doesn’t fit the mood. of the engineers. Alien universe. While the Space Jockey scene in the original film is so strange and intriguing, Scott took that creepy design and recognized it as just a suit, and instead chose to make the creature inside just a tall, pale humanoid.
Despite its many flaws, Prometheus Y Alien: Covenant offered some cool tidbits that it would be nice to go ahead for a reboot. Expanding more on androids and how they fit into society is definitely a bit of world building in what Scott is good at based on his experience with Bounty hunter. David and Walter were very compelling characters, while Michael Fassbender’s performances are considered the best part of the prequels. Having androids with different personalities, or even androids who don’t even know they are androids, would also be a compelling look to delve deeper into the universe.
Expanding the xenomorphs
While the prequels failed to expand on the biology and origins of the xenomorphs in a satisfactory way, that doesn’t mean the creatures should remain completely mysterious for a new one. Alien film to work. Ideally, beasts should be treated more like real alien creatures, obeying the laws of nature and following their instincts as any animal would. Having them as a “created” species is trivial and uninteresting – let them be a natural species that developed through evolution and natural selection.
To bring back the Dark Horse comics, those stories depict the Xenomorph homeworld where the creatures have different cultures with matriarchal factions led by different queens, and there are even civil wars between the factions based on access to food, reproductive goals, land, etc. . Also, in a deleted scene from AlienCaptain Dallas is seen transforming into an egg to give birth to the next generation of face huggers, which is a largely unexplored aspect of the life cycle that could still be incorporated alongside the queen, if executed well.
Bringing back the horror
The last thing that is really comprehensive for a new Alien movie is to make sure it goes back to its roots and puts a firm emphasis on horror. The original Alien conveys such a sense of isolation and dread, showing the creature itself only in brief, gloomy flashes. This was repeated extremely effectively in the 2014 video game, appropriately titled, Alien: Isolation, so it is clear that it can still be done. Regardless of which direction a new movie chooses to go, be it rebooting the franchise to start over by following Aliens or keep the entire newly established prequel canon – creating a movie that suits the tone and feel of the original movies is the best way to get the series back on track. Although, of course, it will be important to ensure that any Alien has a compelling story and characters, keeping it true to its roots will be the number one mark of success.
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