It’s kind of weird being a fan of the Alien franchise because while even though it’s not exactly obscure, and even though it is a well-known and notable series of films, it’s not exactly as popular as other science fiction franchises such as Star Wars or Star Trek. And even taking into consideration the expanded universe of the Predator films it’s not exactly prolific. And if you want to get really technical and down to the nitty gritty the series only really has two good entries. Alien and Aliens are perfect films in my opinion.
If you want to compare it to something like Star Wars it would be fair to compare the first two to the original trilogy and the other two, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, to the prequels. They are flawed but there are those who can find the good in them. Alien 3 is widely considered a “flawed masterpeice,” whatever that means, and while Alien Resurrection is silly as fuck I do have an affection for it.
You can compare the AVP movies to the Holiday Special. They are embarassing.
So especially in the last, um, you know, 2 decades or so, it has kind of sucked to consider yourself a hardcore fan of all things Alien. I went to see both AVPs in theatres, all the while my internal monologue was chanting “please don’t suck, please don’t suck” but all in vein because I guess sometimes that’s just asking too much. But Prometheus is forthcoming and I am beyond excited, and grateful.
I think one of the main problems of the series is that instead of moving forward towards fresh, exciting new ideas it just constantly kept on building on one old idea. Like with any sequel it’s always a matter of trying to figure out how to get the main character(s) back and creating a whole new situation and making it a bigger better experience, which Aliens did brilliantly, but by the third it was clear they were running low on ideas with bringing back the alien yet again, by the time Resurrection came along and there was all that cloning nonsense it was just a fucking joke. The franchise slowly deteriorated, each film became less and less interesting until finally it became the silly monster movie something like the original 1979 rose above being.
Prometheus will be entering a territory that many Alien fans have only dreamed and speculated of, finally going back to see what all this Space Jockey business is about. This is something we want to know. And fucking Ridley Scott is fucking directing it for fuck’s sake. This is like some movie genie granted our wishes or something. Are we going to see the classic-looking alien creatures that we are used to? Maybe, maybe not, but I feel like that’s not important. What’s important is that this is a science fiction movie that clearly, based on all interviews I’ve seen/read, has an interest in the questions it is raising. It has respectable talent involved. It’s going to attempt to be a higher form of art in a genre that rarely strives for brilliance.
I don’t want to set my standards and expectations too high but it could be the franchise’s redemption.
Hi, this is Derek. 