Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A JIMSMASH RANT: RUMORS OF ALIEN PREQUEL BY RIDLEY SCOTT

As you all know, I'm a diehard ALIEN fan. My friends and family have been trying to get me into therapy for years. Don't make me choose, people.

With that said, I do not want to see a PREQUEL to Alien made. Even with RIDLEY SCOTT directing, no. Scott has always said he'd be interested in showing the Alien Homeworld and where the "Space Jockey" came from. One of the main reasons why the Space Jockey is so cool in ALIEN is that it's shrouded in mystery. Let it stay that way, please!

Yes, seeing more Space Jockey and Giger environments could look amazing. And Ridley Scott is a great director (one of my favs) and I've always dreamt of him doing another Alien film. But do not give into Temptation. I know I do not want to see poorly done CG Space Jockeys running around - and you know Fox will not give it the proper FX budget to pull it off properly. Nor do I want to see current "hot" [TV] actors interacting with them. I've read those comics and yes, they sucked. Its an uphill battle for an unnecessary story. Let the Space Jockey and the origin of the "Derelict Ship" stay a mystery, I say.

Personally, I'd support Scott if he said it was going to be ALL Aliens and Space Jockeys, NO humans at all, and no dialogue. Full-on visual storytelling, set in a Giger backdrop, with an eerie & powerful Musical Score. THAT I would pay to see. Hell, that's what I want in an Alien Vs Predator movie, too. But the Masses would hate it. Shit, most people won't even watch a foreign film cause its sub-titled!

Scott has also said he would go with the idea that the Aliens are NOT natural creatures, but instead are genetically created bio-weapons - an idea I abhore. It goes against the core themes, symbolism and message of the Alien films. Fuck it, why not add CLONES to the mix, while you're at it... yeah, an army of Ripley Clones!

I don't need to know where things come from. Enough with the Origins. Enough with the Prequels. Enough with the remakes. Enough with the retconning. Enough with tying everything together in a nice big bow.

related audio clip:
Patton Oswalt's "At Midnight I Will Kill George Lucas With A Shovel"


This diehard ALIEN fan does not support an Alien Prequel. I cannot handle watching my beloved fucked with anymore. Current "Hollywood" lacks the abilities needed for this project to succeed. sigh, but I lack the strength to battle Fox and minions of ticket-buying people who thought the AVP movies were great and scream for "more! more!"

I wish Fox would stop dragging ALIEN'S beaten, mauled corpse through the streets. Please give it an honorable burial where it can rest in peace.

(prequel rumor, via AliensCollection.com)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

AGREED. 100,000,000% I also think Ridley has "lost his flair". I think he is a great director as well, after all, he directed 2 of my all-time favorite films, one of which is *still* #1 on my list (Blade Runner). However, I think he has gotten soft/burnt out/sold out/whatever you wanna call it. His films are so very bland nowadays. I mean, I liked Black Hawk Down and Gladiator, sure. But those films don't even compare to Alien or BR or even Legend. He just doesn't have what it takes anymore to make a film with that kind of power and significance. I've felt this way for a long time, but then I watched the BR:Final Cut. All I have to say is "I want more life, Father" says a lot about the current state of Ridley, and it is EXACTLY why I am 'done' with him.

I also liked how you said that most people won't even watch a film if it is subbed. It's so true. I know so many people who are missing out on loads of glorious Asian films simply because it isn't in English. Its very sad, and in a nut shell, says A LOT about mainstream America.

Scott King said...

I'd love to see an "Aliens vs Wall-E" movie. Just have him as a robot working on the Space Jockey ship.

Jim said...

and collecting eggs :)

dylan said...

Totally with you Jim. I would like to see Scott do sf again as I think it could get him back to his best, but Alien would be the wrong way to go.
nfpgasmask, nice breakdown of Scott's film pretty much exactly the way I think of them. Don't like the final cut either, forgot about that "father" line. The amping up of Deckard's red eyes bugged me alog with a load of other bits.

Andrew Glazebrook said...

I can't see this happening at all !!

alien said...

I Totally agree! maybe just a flyby with a human cameo picking up a strange signal... and then the rest a horrid bio-mechanical giger vision just like NECRONOMICON V... that would be fantastic... would the general public sheep go for something like that? well I dont know, but Sir Ridley Scott would be the person to pull it off!

Anonymous said...

I want to see a prequel to the alien movies, shed more light on the mysterious space jockey race and the true origin of the aliens themselves.
Shit it's like a bad breakup without an explanation, "I NEED CLOSURE DAMN IT".
If it happens it better be rich, laughter is needed but
for the love of the almighty, quit SATURATING this franchise with soooooo much humour.
Bring back that 80's A-Movie sci-fi horror in it rawest form.
fear, gore, so called alpha male bitching up, all that good shit.

Michael Reid said...

I'm really looking forward to an Alien prequel but only in the hands of Ridley Scott. I disagree with the previous commenters as I think scott can still direct and produce a fantastic film and believe he would do if given the Alien franchise again.

Jim said...

I agree that the only person I'd want is Ridley Scott.

I just don't think a prequel is necessary and will damage the first film.

Anonymous said...

Gotta say, I agree 100%. I believe Hollywood is being held back by the people at the top and they are no longer capable of making the kind of films the first film was. The Alien harvest script on the internet is an abortion of a thing. Its an episode of star trek AT BEST!! It bares no relation to the first or second movie in any form. I dont believe Scott is considering making that particular movie.He just couldnt be!!I dont think Scott has lost his flair either, the problem is that Hollywood itself has changed considerably since that first film was made and people like Scott are up against a different ball game now. Its complex and I dont have the space to explain it here but I have studied Hollywood being a filmaker myself and I can see clearly what has and has not changed. Personally, I would make a prequel from the alien elements that made the first film great. The sequels made the mistake of leaving it all behind. Id bring in Geiger and have him heavily influence the landscapes and creatures. Id introduce new members to the family of creatures we have become familiar with, but the whole film would be like the space jockey discovery scene, the dallas/egg scene, the queen alien discovery scene from the second film. Id have the emphasis on the discovery of something completely alien and unknown from the darkest regions of space. The horror and suspense elements would all be there. Id also have some mystery to it, just like the original space jockey from the first film, and throw in a healthy dose of sexual subtext to boot. Thered be no ash showing up in the final scene, none of that "set up for the next film crap". In short, follow the spirit of the original film to the "T" or the "A" as in Alien. Remember, this isnt Star Trek or Avatar for that matter!

Anonymous said...

They already screwed the predator franchise with the mediorce predators and AVP movies now they want to further Screw the Already dried out alien series.

Anonymous said...

Jim, you truely are not an Alien fan if you don't want to see an Alien prequel done by Ridley Scott. Did you honestly think that there would never be another alien film or reboot? These film(s) are going to happen and it needs humans in the movie, maybe not to interact with the Space Jockeys and Aliens. The film needs to explain space exploration and terraforming and the beginnings of the Weyland-Yutani Company. It will be amazing to finally get this franchise off the ground and take it in a new direction.

Anonymous said...

Well...What I'm afraid of is another Star Wars Prequel/Trilogy line of quality for the Alien franchise. I want to see it badly; however, I question the presence of humans in this one. How could there be any humans at all if apparently for the first time they came into contact...no I mean discovered the Xenomorphs 30 years after in Alien. Explain that! Now another female protagonist is also trend setting and typical. I really hope that they don't make her over the top because the film will definitely take on more of an action role rather than horror as it's supposed to be. Another thing that bothers me is that they may overuse or misuse computer graphics in the prequels to the effect that the aliens may look cartoony and unrealistic. I know times have changed but they could end up with something that its end result may be undesirable. It's possible that they could really make something ground breaking or end up ruining the already dried up franchise. As far as Ridley Scotts comments go they are very positive but then look at what happened to the Star Wars. One more thing I read somewhere that he wants Gemma Arterton whom I believe would be a great mistake. They should cast someone more convincing, older, and less of a beauty queen for the female protagonist’s role. Remember this always! If the protagonist of the film isn’t afraid for their life, the audience won’t be scared either. Either way I hope that it's successful and that it be a rated R film worthy of every fans approval including mine.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, i dont mind the idea of an Alien prequel. It has to be done right though, and the only reason im interested in this at all is because i have just heard confirmation that Ridley Scott is doing it. This is his baby, so the chances of him screwing it up are very minimal.
I like the idea of having no humans in it at all, but of course hollywood would never do that, so we are unfortunately never going to see that happen...
The only alien movies that count for me are the first 3, and im glad to see they have completely ignored the avp films for this prequel as they were terrible. Resurection was a joke too.
On another note: you know what id love to see?
James Cameron doing a predator sequal, set in world war 2 or something. That would be insane, and of my 3 favourite sci-fi franchises, (alien, predator and terminator) Predator is the only one yet to get the cameron treatment...

cure said...

Unless Scott counts with a very strong, inpiring script I think this movie SHOULD NOT be done. It could bury the original idea for good. Just like Matrix's sequels did with the first movie.
I totally agree with the "overexposing the explanations for everything kills the mistery" bit. It's true for most story-making.

And yes, the Space Jockey is great because it's IMCOMPREHENSIBLE. Put some CGI space jockeys fooling around speaking in english and you'll blow whatever epicness the original concept arose.