Quote from: choccy milk on Oct 01, 2022, 12:55:07 AMIt's a hard tie between Prometheus and The Predator -- both are in more or less the same tier for me, with similar 'crimes' -- but Prometheus wins my vote, I decided. Nothing comes close to space vin diesels. Funnily enough, my vote was still locked onto AvPR... back when it was my least favourite. Good times!
I can give Prometheus a little slack for two reasons. One, at least it paid lip service to "Who made them?" Which left the potential open that the Space Jockey's proper were still out there, and two, it did not lock down the Alien's origins with anything concrete. It was busy doing (mostly) its own stuff. I can forgive Prometheus for those two reasons. My problems with Prometheus are more with the overall script writing and atrocious choices in editing. Cutting out so much character motivation absolutely cripples the films story.
Covenant just... Beyond just David being a completely villainous character, removing all shades of grey. Beyond the origin of the Alien (potentially) being locked down, beyond not having particularly good characters... It does everything that Alien could have done if it hadn't been handled with such class and maturity.
The Predator is guilty of both. It has a terrible script, and it does horrific damage to the franchise.
Requiem... I mean to me, it was just a dumb slasher movie, and in that sense I guess it does do a disservice to both franchises. The lower budget, the fixation on violence (I still remember seeing that population/body count trailer... Jesus.) But in reality I think the first AVP did just as much damage to the reputation of the characters. I saw that movie in the theater and then I got a copy off the ol' kazaa program back in the day... and in both cases there was essentially laugh track over the whole thing. Which is not the reaction an audience should be having to an Alien or Predator movie.
People seem to forget that the level of hype behind Prometheus carried an air of "Ah, finally, someone who knows what they're doing is going to restore the integrity of this film series." So many people spoke along those lines. FINALLY.... Ridley is back. surely he'll right this boat. So I see why there's an element of people out there who find it even more frustrating. I've mellowed to it over the years.
Alien 3 is like being in an abusive relationship, or someone who has a drug addiction or something. There's a lot of "fun" to be had, but there's also a lot of disappointment and frustration to be had as well. I am nostalgic for those summer evenings in the 90s and early 2000s when I could pop in my VHS of the Alien films, and afterward play some Alien trilogy on PS1. Alien 3 still stands above everything else that has come after it in the franchise. So far. Here's hoping Mr. Hawley brings his Fargo game to the Alien franchise and its not a completely miserable disappointment.
Like I said I have a hard time juggling Resurrection, Covenant, and The Predator for worst place. The Predator really... It "offends" me. Which is not a word I often use. It offends me in the same way Resurrection did. The big tonal disassociation with the rest of the franchise.