Michael Biehn - It's Going to Happen

[g2vd]

I just want a new original story in the Alien Universe that's not a prequel to Alien (1979)

I mean the original movies are utterly fantastic and broke the mold on their respective genres. but I just feel the Ripley storyline has just gone on long enough it's time to end it where it currently is and focus on someone new I mean what more can you do with the character?

I mean they have literally done every possible thing you could do with the character.

and the window to fix the story of the Alien series is closing with the passage of time.  Who knows?

You mean a specific part of it.

@Huda Agreed.

[Perfect-Organism]

Alien 3 was basically "the wrong film" and the window to fix the story of the Alien series is closing with the passage of time.

Nothing's broken and nothing needs fixing, except in the eyes of people who are somehow still adamant resurrecting Hicks and Newt is the only way to move things forward, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.

That's just your opinion.  My opinion and countless fans is that it is broken and needs fixing.  I recognize your perspective but don't agree with it.  Even Prometheus and the other sequels are basically building up to the Ripley story.  Ripley and co. are at the center of the Aliens universe.  There's no need to fit her in awkwardly like in Alien Res.  Just ignore Alien 3 ever happened, and proceed to a better story.

[The Alien Predator]

Alien 3 was basically "the wrong film" and the window to fix the story of the Alien series is closing with the passage of time.

Nothing's broken and nothing needs fixing, except in the eyes of people who are somehow still adamant resurrecting Hicks and Newt is the only way to move things forward, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.

That's just your opinion.  My opinion and countless fans is that it is broken and needs fixing.  I recognize your perspective but don't agree with it.  Even Prometheus and the other sequels are basically building up to the Ripley story.  Ripley and co. are at the center of the Aliens universe.  There's no need to fit her in awkwardly like in Alien Res.  Just ignore Alien 3 ever happened, and proceed to a better story.

So what I am garnering from this is that once Weaver, Biehn and Henn are no longer able to act, Fox might as well abandon the franchise, correct?

Because the Alien and humanity's struggle against it are clearly not the centre for some fans. Alright, I guess that's fair enough, you are free to enjoy this franchise just for Weaver, Biehn and Henn, nothing's stopping you from doing that.

But they are most definitely not, nor will they ever be the centre of this franchise. Once those actors retire, Alien will live on for a very long time with very new talent on screen to face the cosmic terror.

I'm sorry to say this, but the centre was, is and will always be the Xenomorph. Look at the vast amount of merchandise just on the Alien, the Kenner toys, the NECA toys, the games, the comics, the films, the pinball game, the board game, the Facebook game, the freakin' trading cards and other card games and so much more! Ripley is only in some of these, everything else is the Xenomorph.

Many fans wanted Aliens in Prometheus, and want Aliens in Covenant and will be getting them. Last time I remember, some people were disappointed when they announced a Ripley connection in Covenant. So no, it's you opinion, Ripley and co. are the centre of your enjoyment of this franchise (and that's perfectly fine as you are free to enjoy it as you wish), not the actual franchise itself. I could care less for those characters, I'm here for the Alien! 

[HuDaFuK]

Ripley and co. are at the center of the Aliens universe.

The over-reliance on Ripley is the single worst thing affecting the franchise at the moment. They really need to move on.

[Master]

It's sad some so easily shit on work of others.

[Perfect-Organism]

Alien 3 was basically "the wrong film" and the window to fix the story of the Alien series is closing with the passage of time.

Nothing's broken and nothing needs fixing, except in the eyes of people who are somehow still adamant resurrecting Hicks and Newt is the only way to move things forward, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.

That's just your opinion.  My opinion and countless fans is that it is broken and needs fixing.  I recognize your perspective but don't agree with it.  Even Prometheus and the other sequels are basically building up to the Ripley story.  Ripley and co. are at the center of the Aliens universe.  There's no need to fit her in awkwardly like in Alien Res.  Just ignore Alien 3 ever happened, and proceed to a better story.

So what I am garnering from this is that once Weaver, Biehn and Henn are no longer able to act, Fox might as well abandon the franchise, correct?

Because the Alien and humanity's struggle against it are clearly not the centre for some fans. Alright, I guess that's fair enough, you are free to enjoy this franchise just for Weaver, Biehn and Henn, nothing's stopping you from doing that.

But they are most definitely not, nor will they ever be the centre of this franchise. Once those actors retire, Alien will live on for a very long time with very new talent on screen to face the cosmic terror.

I'm sorry to say this, but the centre was, is and will always be the Xenomorph. Look at the vast amount of merchandise just on the Alien, the Kenner toys, the NECA toys, the games, the comics, the films, the pinball game, the board game, the Facebook game, the freakin' trading cards and other card games and so much more! Ripley is only in some of these, everything else is the Xenomorph.

Many fans wanted Aliens in Prometheus, and want Aliens in Covenant and will be getting them. Last time I remember, some people were disappointed when they announced a Ripley connection in Covenant. So no, it's you opinion, Ripley and co. are the centre of your enjoyment of this franchise (and that's perfectly fine as you are free to enjoy it as you wish), not the actual franchise itself. I could care less for those characters, I'm here for the Alien! 

These are all individual opinions.  These are yours, and mine are mine.  It really is ok.  No need to lose sleep over it.

The truth is, those actors are still working, so why not give them a chance if this is something they are all ready and willing to do?

Once the actors retire or are no longer around, then maybe we will have other Alien films.  We could still have them even now.  But there is a human story with Hicks, Ripley, and Newt that deserves exploration.  It is an opinion for sure, but believe me there are many, many more people who share this opinion.

[BishopShouldGo]

Yeah, we'll all just have to agree to disagree. I do think Ripley, Newt and Hicks deserve a correct sendoff.

[HuDaFuK]

I don't mind what anyone's opinion is. But acting like the franchise was "broken" by the death of Hicks and Newt is silly, because it's been going for nearly 25 years since then.

[Perfect-Organism]

It's been underperforming for 25 years.  Nobody is belittling you for thinking that everything is ok, but I, along with many others do think the franchise is broken.  It could have been so much better.

[Master]

I could have been so much worse. Look at A:CM. You`ve got lots of Aliens vs Marines. Fans always wanted more of those right? It turned out to be the shitiest game entry in A/P franchise on pair with AvP-R.

It`s thirty years since Aliens. Hicks, Newt and Rip as you loved them are long gone. There is no going back for them. They`ll be just sad reminder of times long gone. Just look at Harrison in Indy IV and Carrie Fisher in Ep VII.

[g2vd]

Ripley and co. are at the center of the Aliens universe.

No they are not. Hicks and Newt are only at the center of Aliens and Ripley is only at the center of the films because she's the only recurring character in the franchise.

It's like saying that Jurassic Park is beholden to Grant or Ian Malcom (Though in the case of the latter it's debatable whether that's for the best) when it's not, they are a very, very tiny part of the Universe the same as Ripley.

This franchise is called ALIEN not RIPLEY. when people watch Friday The 13th they watch it to see a new group of characters have to deal with Jason and the situations that unfold, contrary to a series like Spider-Man where they specifically go to watch a character called Peter Parker or some variation fight a bunch of villains. Alien is like Friday The 13th where the only constant is the mythology and the Alien NOT RIPLEY.

Yeah, we'll all just have to agree to disagree. I do think Ripley, Newt and Hicks deserve a correct sendoff.

And what does this correct thing end up being? oh yes, a happier ending...THAT'S IT! that's the whole reason anybody wants the ret-con! that is what it always boils down to in most cases that I have seen (Not saying you just generalizing) it's not a legitimate real critique, where the film was mediocre or forgettable but simply because they died...

But there is a human story with Hicks, Ripley, and Newt that deserves exploration.

But Ripley has been explored through FOUR MOVIES! how much more exploration do you need?

[The Alien Predator]

I could have been so much worse. Look at A:CM. You`ve got lots of Aliens vs Marines. Fans always wanted more of those right? It turned out to be the shitiest game entry in A/P franchise on pair with AvP-R.

It`s thirty years since Aliens. Hicks, Newt and Rip as you loved them are long gone. There is no going back for them. They`ll be just sad reminder of times long gone. Just look at Harrison in Indy IV and Carrie Fisher in Ep VII.

The Master has pretty much made a good point.

Ripley and co. are at the center of the Aliens universe.

No they are not. Hicks and Newt are only at the center of Aliens and Ripley is only at the center of the films because she's the only recurring character in the franchise.

It's like saying that Jurassic Park is beholden to Grant or Ian Malcom (Though in the case of the latter it's debatable whether that's for the best) when it's not, they are a very, very tiny part of the Universe the same as Ripley.

This franchise is called ALIEN not RIPLEY. when people watch Friday The 13th they watch it to see a new group of characters have to deal with Jason and the situations that unfold, contrary to a series like Spider-Man where they specifically go to watch a character called Peter Parker or some variation fight a bunch of villains. Alien is like Friday The 13th where the only constant is the mythology and the Alien NOT RIPLEY.

Yeah, we'll all just have to agree to disagree. I do think Ripley, Newt and Hicks deserve a correct sendoff.

And what does this correct thing end up being? oh yes, a happier ending...THAT'S IT! that's the whole reason anybody wants the ret-con! that is what it always boils down to in most cases that I have seen (Not saying you just generalizing) it's not a legitimate real critique, where the film was mediocre or forgettable but simply because they died...

But there is a human story with Hicks, Ripley, and Newt that deserves exploration.

But Ripley has been explored through FOUR MOVIES! how much more exploration do you need?

OH. MY. GOD.

[Inverse Effect]

I think the second option is the more realistic at the minute. Assuming Covenant actually does well, I mean. Perhaps Weaver can make some sort of deal with Fox and Cameron so she is released to work on Alienkamp after Neill is finished The Gone World. Perhaps the best we could hope for is for them to film sometime around 2019/20 and release whenever.

The fact Ridley said that most of the Alien Stages are in the movie gets me pumped. I'm gonna watch one trailer for this movie, and after that i'm gonna avoid all reviews and spoiler articles and go into this movie fresh and clean. (Kinda what i did for Warcraft)

I've never actually watched an Alien movie in a Theater before.

[Kurai]

I actually wonder if there is a term for all this... Protagonistic Centrism?

The problem with something like Alien, which was made to be a nightmare fuel thriller, was it created an iconic character. That sounds like a good thing, and it totally is, but it also causes people to get dragged into that character's orbit and the escape velocity for that is quite high. I don't think Alien would have had the cinematic impact it did have if Ripley had failed to survive, but it probably would have removed this case of Protagonistic Cetrism.

Ripley won, she has become a heroine, people latch onto that because screw the world, there has to be a winner and it damn well better be the heroine. Her survival was her victory, overshadowing the fact that she was royally screwed over by the events of the first Alien.

Aliens compounded on this Protagonistic Centrism by removing the real fear factor and replacing it with action and adding another awesome hero to orbit around as well as a cute and capable semi-damsel in distress which when added to the Ripley gravity well made a neat system with varied characters for fans to orbit around to their delight.

In comes Alien 3 and literally murders those characters without so much as a moments notice. The fans orbiting around Hicks and Newt were sent off into the abyss as their Centric Protagonists were snuffed out like a light. This is perfectly understandable, as one or two of the most important factors for some of the fans and the victory and stability carried over from the previous movie was shaken up violently from the get go.

The problem with the Protagonistic Centrism is that people often lose sight of the truly centric part of the whole franchise, which is the Alien itself. Ripley, Hicks and Newt, or any combination thereof, totally eclipsed the Alien and that's one of the reasons why the Alien is little more than zombie canon-fodder today.

The Alien is a body horror nightmare fuel space rapist that destroys everything everyone around it cares about or cutting them off from it. The Alien could be considered the perfect incarnation of the common concept of the Judaeo-Christian Hell, cutting off the main characters from all that is good in their world. It's cold, uncaring and, if going by the first movie, animalistically calculating and cocky.

Protagonistic Centrism can't thrive in a universe where the very franchise is the darkest and most violent creature in that universe. Fans of the humans are cast out, floating alone in space, screwed over by these creatures as much as Ripley, Hicks and Newt.

Protagonistic Centrics are out there, aimlessly drifting in their own Narcissus. Sucks, doesn't it? That's what the Alien does. Maybe the corporation will pick you up again, but what you'll get is a cold reminder of how cruel the universe is before being chucked right back into the nightmare.

[windebieste]

Ah, Nicely said, Sir.

I like the idea of walking into a new 'ALIENS' movie and not knowing what's going to happen next.  I like being engaged with a new story, fresh characters with as yet undefined motivations.  I'd like to explore the movie from as many different angles and themes as the film maker throws at me. 

I'm not interested in retreading the same ground with the same faces, over and over again.  The first movie was never solely about Ripley and was not called 'E L L E N'.  All the characters appearing in 'ALIEN' have their balanced amount of screen time and the movie is about their collective experience as a group.  It's all about their encountering something they have no hope of escape. 

Ripley only becomes the focus of the story once she is alone, about 80% of the movie is over by then.  It's nonsense these movies are only about her.   In this regard, her survival was never an act of heroism - it was desperate survival.  She was lucky to escape.

Right now, she's been elevated to untouchable status.  Almost Godlike in her ability to overcome one Alien or an entire nest of them.  Even 'ALIEN: Resurrection' gives her near super powers.  I understand some people have trouble coming to terms with  the fact that Ripley gave her life to prevent Aliens from becoming a corporate interest of the worst kind.  It was a meaningful sacrifice.  How on Earth is she supposed to get "the ending she deserves?" and still make Blomkamp's current proposal anything more than shallow fan service of the worst kind?  HOW? ? ? ? ? ?

"Oh, but it wasn't fair.  Hicks died, too.  ...and Newt.  ...boo-hoo." You say.   In case you haven't noticed, life isn't fair. 'Fair' is for children.  If you want to go watch children's entertainment - please, don't let me judge you for that.  I also do so on occasion as well.  As it is, there's very little in the way of good, solid ADULT genre entertainment at the moment at the cinema.  It's all young adult and superhero content.  I don't need to be walked through another 'ALIEN' movie with Ripley safely holding my hand.  I want to be confronted with a difficult to watch, relentless and unmerciful experience to remind me how valuable, precious and fragile human life can be.  These movies are a great platform for that experience and some fans want to turn it into a familiar and safe Saturday morning cartoon show. 

Well, "F*ck that!" I say.  ...and so does Dillon.

LOL.

-Windebieste.