A way to make Blomkamp's Alien work without retconning Alien 3 or Resurrection?

[irn]

This movie can either make or break the franchise. It might turn out better than all the films so far, or it might turn out so shite that the franchise takes a decades long break from shame.

Exactly. The risk of 'ALIENS 2' by Blomkamp is just far too high. Odds are that it will be an average film at very best. There's just too much stacked up against it. It's potential to ruin a franchise of which its integrity is already very fragile is just too much.

[BishopShouldGo]

Who wants to look at muddy, dirty corridors that don't invoke the best side of science fiction?

Alien and Aliens consist almost entirely of locations that are grimy and dirty. The only place that doesn't look dirty is Gateway.

But they're beautifully grimy, not grimy grimy.

[g2vd]

Stuff that looks cool and blue and big and a natural progression, like the first two movies. Who wants to look at muddy, dirty corridors that don't invoke the best side of science fiction?

I love stuff that's cool and big but that doesn't mean everything has to be like that this is Science Fiction be different go extreme! if not than it's boring. after all some of my favorite Alien (1979) concept art are some of the concept designs of the Nostromo, where you have these big hallways that are all completely rusted and brown and just look so different and just look awesome.

Man, I would love to see a Alien story set on a Derelict Space-Ship floating in space that looks like that.

[SpreadEagleBeagle]

True.  I'm not implying that the movie should be targeted at fans of Alien 3, but what I do mean is that if he makes a film that is so good that even the Alien 3 hardcore fans prefer it over Alien 3, then I think we would really have something good.

A great Alien movie is always welcome, and if it is better than any of the original three movies I will be pleasantly surprised. Now, the Alien franchise fan base is quite divided. I think the only movie all of us like evenly is ALIEN, which means that if Blomkamp wants to make a really good movie liked by all fans, he better try to do something similar to ALIEN, which means limited gun play, lots of suspense and survival and always trying to stay within the realm of what is accepted as realistic. The characters can't be easily digestible Hollywood cutouts as in ALIENS just as they can't largely unlikable rejects as in A3.

[BishopShouldGo]

Lol that logic. Alien and Aliens are neck and neck casual moviegoer-wise and fan-wise. Aliens and Alien 3 are not in competition with each other on any level by any stretch. Neill is a fanboy himself but he will fail the check-writers(20th Century Fox) if he tries to make a movie liked by the fans, it has to be liked by general moviegoers.

Limited gun play is just out of the question. Neill already posted a pulse rifle picture. Ultimately give us great story and great characters. Guns, explosions, gore, suspense and corridors are all tertiary to story and characters.

But let's stop acting like a movie can't have both big action and quiet suspense. Cut.

[SpreadEagleBeagle]

Lol that logic. Alien and Aliens are neck and neck casual moviegoer-wise and fan-wise. Aliens and Alien 3 are not in competition with each other on any level by any stretch. Neill is a fanboy himself but he will fail the check-writers(20th Century Fox) if he tries to make a movie liked by the fans, it has to be liked by general moviegoers.

Limited gun play is just out of the question. Neill already posted a pulse rifle picture. Ultimately give us great story and great characters. Guns, explosions, gore, suspense and corridors are all tertiary to story and characters.

But let's stop acting like a movie can't have both big action and quiet suspense. Cut.

That sounds all good.....if you're an Aliens fan and/or FPS gamer and/or a lover of sci-fi action movies. "Unfortunately" the Alien franchise has a way more varied fanbase than that.

[BishopShouldGo]

The fanbase doesn't matter; the casual audience does. The fanbase for the lesser loved entries especially doesn't matter.

Alien, Aliens.

[g2vd]

Who wants to look at muddy, dirty corridors that don't invoke the best side of science fiction?

Alien and Aliens consist almost entirely of locations that are grimy and dirty. The only place that doesn't look dirty is Gateway.

But they're beautifully grimy, not grimy grimy.

And what's the problem with Grimy, Grimy?

[The Alien Predator]

Who wants to look at muddy, dirty corridors that don't invoke the best side of science fiction?

Alien and Aliens consist almost entirely of locations that are grimy and dirty. The only place that doesn't look dirty is Gateway.

But they're beautifully grimy, not grimy grimy.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like all the film's beautiful grimes.

This movie can either make or break the franchise. It might turn out better than all the films so far, or it might turn out so shite that the franchise takes a decades long break from shame.

Exactly. The risk of 'ALIENS 2' by Blomkamp is just far too high. Odds are that it will be an average film at very best. There's just too much stacked up against it. It's potential to ruin a franchise of which its integrity is already very fragile is just too much.

Exactly, the franchise is quite famous and big, but it's no Star Trek or Star Wars. It hasn't exactly got a huge company like Disney behind it who can afford to take massive risks.

A few wrong moves and that's it, Alien could become the next Beast from 20,000 Fathoms... a pop culture memory but never something renewed until much later when we're all in our 80's LOL!

[Corporal Hicks]

I don't think there's pressure. I don't think it's a matter of topping Alien 3.

It is. Because if they go through with this daft retcon, only to make a film that's not as good as Alien 3, what was even the point?

The whole concept of the retcon sounds like "we can do it better than Alien 3!" That's the real crux of if this movie was worth it - is it better than the film it's trying to replace. Of course, there's more to it than that - it wasn't originally intended as a retcon, it was Weaver's involvement that pushed it in that direction, not Blomkamp's and I'm sure more behind the scenes happenings that we don't know about yet - but that's the real measure it needs to beat. Is it better than Alien 3.

I've no doubt Alien 3.2 will look good. Blomkamp is a great visual director and very technological. However, Alien 3 also looks great. Probably my favourite of the films in terms of visual style. But Alien 3 suffered from the script and Blomkamp's not exactly strong in the scripting department either.

[Russ]

But Alien 3 suffered from the script and Blomkamp's not exactly strong in the scripting department either.

Therein lies the crux - it must take balls of steel to be a director. Everything... everything ultimately rests on your shoulders. I imagine that with those balls come a prodigious sense of self-confidence and this is worrying in the case of 3.2 because the populist opinion is that NB isn't a top script writer. And that's what Alien and Aliens had (add the concept to Alien... say what you will but O'Bannon and to be fair, Giler and Hill, smashed it) but 3.2 may not have.

The question that will remain unanswered for a good while yet is "is NB big enough to give this over to a great writer to do a pass?"

My guess is no - his concept, his idea, his script... I doubt "fresh eyes" will get a look in in this case.

[Corporal Hicks]

What I do love about Blomkamp is he acknowledged that! He said writing wasn't his best area and he endeavoured to get help with it. His wife (I think?) is working on the script with him but she also worked on Chappie and while I did love that film, it had issues with the script.

[HuDaFuK]

Who worked with him on District 9? That's by far the tightest script he's ever been involved in.

[Corporal Hicks]

Same person actually, Terri Tatchell.

[Kurai]

This movie can either make or break the franchise. It might turn out better than all the films so far, or it might turn out so shite that the franchise takes a decades long break from shame.

Exactly. The risk of 'ALIENS 2' by Blomkamp is just far too high. Odds are that it will be an average film at very best. There's just too much stacked up against it. It's potential to ruin a franchise of which its integrity is already very fragile is just too much.

Personally I disagree. Aliens 2 is a very safe bet with the popcorn crowd which could very well revitalize the series and bring it to the attention of the casual viewers. As much as I hate the idea of a retcon, it is a safe bet in terms of business.