Quote from: NetworkATTH on Mar 05, 2015, 10:34:58 PM
I don't think anyone posting with artistic credential opinion on film here is educated in the art of film. Aliens, in terms of film, is a superior movie to Alien 3. Alien 3 is a visually powerful movie, with the bare minimum plot to get away with its stunning motifs, themes, and visuals, and uses it themes as a justification for its troubled plot. Even the Appendix Cut, as much as I love it, has serious glaring flaws.
Aliens is hardly a dumb movie. Or to imply that it's made by dumb people. Or to imply the film is artless. The logistics required that were in order for that film to work, is always astounding. If you complain about Blomkamp's focus on visuals, how could you not apply the same criticism to Alien 3. Alien 3, relies almost entirely on its visuals and execution. It almost gets away with it because its so purposefully melodramatic. You also forget that Fincher originally signed up on the idea of what Blomkamp was doing, ditching the Ward script entirely. Though Ward's script kept the structure of the film.
Fincher wanted to make the film, Neil is making right now. He wanted to make a sequel to Aliens. He's said as much in interviews.
Aliens was a technical film that paralleled the technical nature of Alien. Blomkamp is a highly technical director, and loves that reflected in his films, the technical nature of things, in a more exaggerated Sci-Fi way of course.
Could it be dissapointing is entirely how you look at a talented someone who probably doesn't want to f**k this up.
I'm not at this to toot my own horn, but I am very schooled in film-making. I have a resume 3 pages long, having worked in the business for years. I've done a little of everything, including technical directing professionally. I have a degree in filmmaking, I have taught classes on it. I just signed on as 3rdAD on a feature shooting here in NYC in 3 weeks. Now, if only I had been wise enough to raise some dough for a film of my own, instead of being an arty snob and making whatever I wanted for all these years... I may be doing what Blomkamp is doing now. You see, the more I read his comments the more I see a kindred spirit in him, and I would not slight him for being a fan and doing what he wants. Though, I will be very surprised if his film does indeed completely wipe Alien 3 out of canon for this very reason. I can't wrap my head around someone like him making such an non-integral decision and so, I still think he has some trick up his sleeve. Also with Ridley Scott producing... it may involve the mythology in Prometheus. I would expect it does not contradict it, whatsoever.
So it's really not about his personal desires to return to something, even my instincts would have done differently. If I were writing Alien 3, it would not have been ANYTHING like what it is now. I can say that without question, and I think the author of this article would be suprised to hear Blomkamp say the things he is saying. For instance, I'm very glad he is saying he doesn't care what the fan community wants, and that he is approaching the film as an artist, with the singular exception of feeling like an artist would appreciate Alien 3 MORE than it's predecessors. So despite liking these comments from him, I believe he contradicts himself, in this latest IGN interview especially. One the one hand, he seems poised to do something interesting, especially when I consider his concept art, like the idea of tie-ing in some of the ideas in Prometheus to the end of Ripley's story, and have heard interesting comments from Sigourney. But on the other hand I think he IS making the mistake this article is calling him out on - which is, trying to make the film he wanted to see 20 years ago without considering that the reason he didn't get it in the first place, wasn't something as simple as just having the right sensibility. Look at the talent involved with that film. Many of which were involved in the production of the previous films, including the lead, who helped to shape it out of a ditch, who is also NOW shaping this. Development Hell, for ALIEN 3 didn't happen for lack of trying the wrong people. Yes, some things, like trying to make a release date, instead of organically raising pre-production - are NO DOUBT on Blomkamp's side this time, and I think that speaks miles for this. But overall, I am thinking, just from what I see in his concept art, that what you see is already not miles away from things fans didn't like in Prometheus and Ressurection and that's because to make the series grow, it also has to get away from what it was before and just throwing Hicks into the mix and saying "See. This is what we always wanted to see but never did!" and naively expecting it to be something-like the first two is really foolish because we will likely just end up with the same unsatisfied fan base. At least Blomkamp is trying to satisfy himself.
