Disney in talks to buy Fox. What could this mean for Alien and Predator?

Started by newbeing, Nov 06, 2017, 07:34:15 PM

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Disney in talks to buy Fox. What could this mean for Alien and Predator? (Read 176,608 times)

MoonRightRomantic

According to the opinion of EntertainTheElk https://youtu.be/sgzH2oRLFTE, and I agree, all good sequels must accomplish five criteria:
1. Give the audience something new
2. Identify what worked and build off of it
3. Change the stakes
4. Play with expectations
5. Add new memorable characters

"Aliens" accomplished all of these, but "Alien³" didn't. Neither did the other sequels and prequels.

Hitting #1 might be difficult, or easy, because the Alien franchise has had numerous sequel pitches since the original. Some of these ideas have already been recycled in the sequels. Prometheus is identical to an old "Alien 2" pitch: https://youtu.be/S2Dr5LtaQRM. To say nothing of the rejected "Alien³" pitches: https://youtu.be/lkDrAQWGoR4, "Alien 4: Earthbound", "Alien 5: Red Harvest" and the many, many comics and video games.

There's no scarcity of new settings and alien forms. I'd like to see viral aliens on Anchorpoint. I'd like to see infectious cyborg aliens in smalltown Shitsville. I'd like to see alien experiments loose on Moloch Island. I'd like to see chameleon aliens loose in a monastery. I'd like to see spider aliens scaling down Antartica Station. I'd like to see the Company experimenting with tech from the derelict and creating freak shows. I'd like to see characters visiting a freakish Giger cityscape like in the rejected pitches for Alien 2, Alien 4 and Covenant. I'd like to see a king alien stomping around.

There is so much that could happen.

It doesn't necessarily have to be movies. A CGI cartoon a la "Starship Troopers: Roughnecks" could work. (I don't trust a live action tv budget to do the series any justice, especially after all the awful CGI aliens in the sequels. Practical effects are the only thing that work. If the humans are cgi too then I can still immerse myself.)

But the new producers absolutely need to look out for pitfalls that would ruin the brand. Something like "updating" the franchise with a modern ipod aesthetic is stupid. Retrofuturism is a great idea and helps the series stand out in today's over saturated market.

Huggs

Quote from: MoonRightRomantic on Feb 08, 2019, 10:22:25 PM
...all good sequels must accomplish five criteria:

1. Give the audience something new
2. Identify what worked and build off of it
3. Change the stakes
4. Play with expectations
5. Add new memorable characters


Like Alien 3.

1. Prison Planet, Impregnated Ripley, Religious Themes, Total Nihilistic Tone and an amazing soundtrack.

2. Return to single Alien plot and gothic vibe. Action removed. Weapons removed. Family elements removed, etc.

3. First she fought for he life, then she fought for a daughter, now she fights for us all. Ripley is infected and going to die. She is running out of time to stop the company stooges who are personally on their way this time and fully capable of finally securing a specimen on their own. The odds that she will fail are real. She is surrounded by rapists and murderers, not friends or marines, and technology is extremely limited. There is little time and limited options. It's endgame.

4. I'm sure many expected a much different film and a much different outcome to her character arc after Aliens.

5. Clemens, Dillon, and Andrews to start. That's ignoring medium characters like Aaron, Golic, and Morse. Charles Dance, Brian Glover and Charles Dutton aren't memorable? Charles Dance alone is a superior presence, one I'm still shocked made it into the Alien Franchise. The man is legendary. Clemens was also the only person Ripley slept with during the series.


And no doubt this could be described in much more detail and with better examples by others.

SM

Quote2. Return to single Alien plot and gothic vibe. Action removed. Weapons removed. Family elements removed, etc.

And that's where it falls apart.

The Old One

The Old One

#918
Disclaimer:

SM's opinion.

Nukiemorph

Also:
1. Xeno inheriting host traits.  New runner alien design.

Anyway, most of those points are subjective, so...

The Old One

The Old One

#920
The discussion's subjective.

SM

Quote from: The Old One on Feb 08, 2019, 11:10:48 PM
Disclaimer:

SM's opinion.

Not in this case.

The action and weapons were very popular elements.  Therefore they worked.  Point 2 isn't "Destroy what worked in the opening credits".

The Old One

The Old One

#922
Popular ≠ Correct.

SM


The Old One

The Old One

#924
The correct decision for Alien³'s narrative.

Audience expectations? Questionable.




SiL

Elements of its narrative, sure, but its actual narrative is still a mess.

The Old One

The Old One

#926
Aside from the construction being messy, some "seam lines" where the effects are concerned; including  a  shot of a certain egg that  shouldn't  be present and a line about a certain Vincent,  I must be thick because I really don't see how.

SM

'Apart form a bunch of things being wrong with it, I really don't see what's wrong with it'.

Local Trouble

Thankfully, the AC fixed everything.

Huggs


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