I didn't want things to be this way, but here we are. Simply put, since Alien 3, the franchise has for the most part been on a downhill slide. The third film has become the millstone around its neck, cursing it from once again achieving the heights that the first two films achieved. 3 was however, at least very well put together, considering the damaged goods the film is. Simply put, William Gordon's script should've been where the series went, I agree with many that the series should not rely on Ripley and other beloved characters to exist and be good. But to unceremoniously snap Newt and Hicks out of the picture and shit all over the fans is unforgivable. Credit to David Fincher for doing what he could with the material and showing the flashes of his brilliance to come. Resurrection is simply, a giant turd that can't be disguised. It is an empty, hollow shell of a film disguised as an Alien sequel. Everything about this movie is wrong. AvP and its sequel proved that what works in video games and comics can't be counted on to translate into film. (And f**k you, Paul W.S. Anderson. It's not enough that you have to destroy Resident Evil, but you have to go here as well?) AvP 2010 is a really good game, though it supports something that should not be considered canon. Colonial Marines is a total clusterf**k, the incredibly incoherent scribblings of someone who only a fan in the sense someone could actually like Michael Bay's Transformers series, take all the big, dumb explosions and cram it in there as much as possible, and put in things that you liked, regardless of whether it serves the narrative well. Isolation was a welcome breath of fresh air, but the fact that Sega has been battling to stay above water means we will not have a full consummation of what we were promised to have follow. Prometheus was a very intriguing idea, with ambition to match, and it is quite well done, though it is hampered by immensely stupid supporting characters, and the original idea of a 2-part film would've been far better, as the material would've had time to breathe and bloom. Covenant works to please everyone, and ends up pleasing almost no one, with its relatively slapdash, mix and match method, and choosing to throw those who wanted the previous film's questions answered under the bus. Neill Blomkamp's film offered a way back, a way to finally clear the decks of the rot that has occurred, and a chance for Ripley's character arc to have a satisfying end and hand the torch to new characters, but thanks to Fox, we can't have nice things when it comes to Alien, can we?
It is fair to say that as a franchise, Alien is essentially dead, hanging on by life support and the ravenous desire of Fox executives to rake in money. Ridley Scott has ossified into a jealous, possessive, haggard creature, whose admirable desire to keep making films and create visual tapestries is hampered by an inability to find scripts worthy of his talents as of late. And for every gem that happens, he immediately veers back into making incredibly putrid pieces. His judgment on the series is no longer sound, and he can't be trusted to be its guardian. But the bigger liabilities in the entire story happen to be David Giler and Walter Hill. They have rubber stamped every bad decision that has made, and helped make several of their own, notably helping create the final version of the Alien 3 script. We will always have their decision to form Brandywine Productions, and Walter Hill's making The Warriors, but it simply is time for them to go.
If there is any hope of reviving the series, there is only one option. A buyout of Brandywine and the rights to the franchise. Remove Giler and Hill from the leadership, and put in fresh, new blood that can help rebuild it all. And prying franchise away from Fox, who simply are not going to do right by the series, no matter how hard we demand it. It's time for a fresh start, with new owners and a new studio guiding the way. Much as it seems cliched by this point and it only makes them look like they're the example of someone who wants to monopolize entertainment, Disney is really the only option at this point. With their resources, and the hiring of new talent, Alien can undergo a spectacular rebirth. And Ellen Ripley can finally have the ending she deserves.
We must do what we can to make this happen. Much like how we must also work to do a buyout of the rights to Metalocalypse and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, or have Mike Lazzo removed from the leadership of Adult Swim.
