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

[The Alien Predator]

Here is an idea, let's retcon Alien. 

[Perfect-Organism]

That'll leave us with... gasp... Prometheus!

[The Alien Predator]

Then the only way to save the franchise is to force feed it some Black Goo and hope it mutates into something cool. 

[RakaiThwei]

Then the only way to save the franchise is to force feed it some Black Goo and hope it mutates into something cool. 

Isn't that what's kind of already happening?

[windebieste]

Here is an idea, let's retcon Alien. 

'ALIENS' works as a stand alone movie to the extent that all the critical plot points of the first film are more or less recounted in Ripley's inquest on Gateway Station.  Just by paying attention to those details you don't need to see the first movie at all.   The whole scene is a very well put together retelling of the events for anyone who hasn't seen 'ALIEN'. 

Then, you could theoretically ignore the first movie altogether.  Some fans appear to do so, anyway; and are wont to tell you it's the 'ALIENS' series and not the 'ALIEN' series.  As if the 1st movie is somehow more dependent upon the 2nd movie instead of the other way around. 

-Windebieste.

[Perfect-Organism]

Here is an idea, let's retcon Alien. 

'ALIENS' works as a stand alone movie to the extent that all the critical plot points of the first film are more or less recounted in Ripley's inquest on Gateway Station.  Just by paying attention to those details you don't need to see the first movie at all.   The whole scene is a very well put together retelling of the events for anyone who hasn't seen 'ALIEN'. 

Then, you could theoretically ignore the first movie altogether.  Some fans appear to do so, anyway; and are wont to tell you it's the 'ALIENS' series and not the 'ALIEN' series.  As if the 1st movie is somehow more dependent upon the 2nd movie instead of the other way around. 

-Windebieste.

That's actually how it happened for me.  I saw Aliens first.  Around 87.  Then I saw Alien a while later.  Around that time, Alien seemed like an inferior cousin to Aliens.  I only got to appreciate its nuances years later.  It keeps getting better as a film...

[Corporal Hicks]

I saw Aliens first too. Can't say I was ever lost. After Aliens I saw Alien 3. I didn't see Alien for another year or so until I finally caught it and taped it off Sky Movie Classics. I can't say I was lost at all watching Aliens. It just meant I was looking out for Ash in Alien. 

I think I'd cry if they ever did remake Alien though. A soft reboot/remake with a similar situation but new characters I could stomach. Just as a way to kick off a new story angle.

[HuDaFuK]

'ALIENS' works as a stand alone movie to the extent that all the critical plot points of the first film are more or less recounted in Ripley's inquest on Gateway Station.  Just by paying attention to those details you don't need to see the first movie at all.   The whole scene is a very well put together retelling of the events for anyone who hasn't seen 'ALIEN'.

Cameron has a knack for that, it's the same with Terminator 2. You might get more out of it if you've seen the first, but you don't need to to understand and enjoy the film.

I started with Alien 3 and I'd argue you don't really need to have seen the preceding films to understand that either. You get more out of it if you know who everyone is and where they've come from, but it's hardly essential to make sense of what's going on. (In fact, not seeing the previous films arguably makes the mystery detective bits at the start a little more reasonable, because you don't really know what you're dealing with either. Not seeing one and two also helps the whole egg situation... )

[Perfect-Organism]

'ALIENS' works as a stand alone movie to the extent that all the critical plot points of the first film are more or less recounted in Ripley's inquest on Gateway Station.  Just by paying attention to those details you don't need to see the first movie at all.   The whole scene is a very well put together retelling of the events for anyone who hasn't seen 'ALIEN'.

Cameron has a knack for that, it's the same with Terminator 2. You might get more out of it if you've seen the first, but you don't need to to understand and enjoy the film.

I started with Alien 3 and I'd argue you don't really need to have seen the preceding films to understand that either. You get more out of it if you know who everyone is and where they've come from, but it's hardly essential to make sense of what's going on. (In fact, not seeing the previous films arguably makes the mystery detective bits at the start a little more reasonable, because you don't really know what you're dealing with either. Not seeing one and two also helps the whole egg situation... )

I can appreciate what you're saying.   Starting with Alien 3 you also didn't get to see the bond develop between Newt and Ripley so you as a viewer are not that emotionally invested in the child's character.  It likely doesn't seem out of place as a premise for the film to start it the way it does..

[HuDaFuK]

It likely doesn't seem out of place as a premise for the film to start it the way it does..

It doesn't seem out of place even if you have watched the preceding films... It's just not what you wanted.

[irn]

Do we all at least agree that nobody really cares about Alien Resurrection being retconned?

Alien 3 on the other hand is just too controversial. We need Middle East peace talks levels of discussion to resolve this.

[Perfect-Organism]

It likely doesn't seem out of place as a premise for the film to start it the way it does..

It doesn't seem out of place even if you have watched the preceding films... It's just not what you wanted.

No, I don't agree with that.  The premise wouldn't seem out of place only if you started watching the series with Alien 3.  If you saw the previous films first, most people think that Alien 3 is just too out of place and they wouldn't have wanted it to be that way.  It's not just what I didn't want.  It's what the public overwhelmingly didn't want.  But I understand, you started the series at Alien 3, arguably at the nadir.  You have my sympathies...

[windebieste]

Do we all at least agree that nobody really cares about Alien Resurrection being retconned?

Alien 3 on the other hand is just too controversial. We need Middle East peace talks levels of discussion to resolve this.

'ALIEN: Resurrection' has a surprising number of fans.  They'll disagree with this idea.  They may not openly object; but they do exist. 

A retcon is just not necessary.  Rather than bring back these characters and damaging the series even further, Blomkamp would be wise to make an holistic 'ALIENS' movie that regards all the entries to date as legitimate and doesn't step on anyone's toes.  It can be done.  Making Ripley, Hicks and Newt's return the major point of the movie clearly isn't the way to go about it.

It's bad enough that those 3 characters were killed in the third movie; but the spiteful path of vengeance that Blomkamp's proposal is pushing us towards can't be considered a fair compromise by any means.

I'd love a new 'ALIENS' movie.  I think Blomkamp is a good choice to do it.  I can also see problem after problem after problem easily avoided by removing these 3 characters from his proposal and taking on a completely fresh cast from the outset.   I want to see another Great 'ALIENS' movie - not one that's divisive, damaging and shackled to fickle fan service.

-Windebieste.

[426Buddy]

Well said windebieste, totally agree.

[HuDaFuK]

No, I don't agree with that.  The premise wouldn't seem out of place only if you started watching the series with Alien 3.  If you saw the previous films first, most people think that Alien 3 is just too out of place and they wouldn't have wanted it to be that way.

Not being what you wanted doesn't equal out of place. Tonally, the whole idea of Ripley losing everything she holds dear yet again is absolutely in place with the overriding theme of the heartless, bleak universe that the series has.

Just because you don't like it, that doesn't mean it's a sudden narrative u-turn, because that's just not the case.

Well said windebieste, totally agree.

Likewise. A retcon is pointless and unnecessary, regardless of how good/bad the perceived film(s) you're retconning are.