Alien: In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Go Woke

[Mr.Turok]

In most cases this would be true, but there is a massive difference between exploring themes such as authoritarianism and dystopia which many franchises (including Alien) have done well over the years, and the recent trend in Hollywood of pushing (for want of a better phrase) 'Orange man bad' messaging, in which the film makers are clearly on one side of the two-party political divide and are doing little more than lecturing those on the other side.

Politics can be discussed without alienating (no pun intended) half of your audience, however I fear that in the current climate it seems Hollywood no longer knows how to do this.  The result of this is that people are becoming increasing disaffected with the amount of party-political messaging present in the very material they consume to escape from such real-life concerns.

The thing is that these days, anything and everything is politicized that you can't even say something subtle without someone saying that Hollywood is stealth lecturing people. You already got people believing things like COVID vaccines is just another way of the government to control us and not even say why other than cuz government bad. Can't talk about climate change as that's just globalism elites being thinly veiled by big science. Say that corporatism and unchecked capitalism is bad, despite The Company clearly showing that they care nothing for their employees just as long as they can get the Alien for exploitation? You are just a dirty commie that hates rich people that achieved the American Dream.

Subtle or not, if it challenges their beliefs, they are going to be against it regardless.

[RidgeTop]

I do think a big part of this is people looking to be angry. Anti-woke outrage has been turned into a business on the internet.

Because of increasingly polarized times, more media is examined to either be in support of or against one's political beliefs. And even if a director or writer states he merely wants to explore certain themes, which could be meaning asking questions rather than declaring answers, it's still assumed they'll be blatantly preaching a progressive message in a way that comes across as "woke."

Another interesting quote in that Cameron interview:

James Cameron: You can also throttle your artistic effort in the crib by making it too preachy, to didactic. On the first Avatar, they didn't see it coming. It was just a big, glossy spectacle that had all this other stuff in it. Next time the pundits will be on guard looking for those left, tree-hugging themes.

I'm also not hammering the throttle down and trying to ram a message down people's throats. I'm trying to tell a good story that exists within a thematic framework that people can either buy into or not buy into, and if they don't buy into it, they'll still enjoy the story.

[Rush Hour Rambo]

I think ultimately people in general are tired of incredibly wealthy and entitled Hollywood types hitching their personal political or social views onto movies. There's no nuance and it's being done in an incredibly clumsy way. The only movie of recent times which I think is an exception is District 9.

If it's about defying gender norms it was done in 1979 and if it's about people of colour leading the franchises we love it was done in 1990.

Just make the best movie you can with a good story and leave the 'message' at the door.

[SiL]

District 9 is very blunt, on-the-nose socio-political commentary. It is, again, everything people seem to be worried about -- a blatantly political message underlying entertaining genre fare.

Movies have always been used to express social and political views, and it's been a staple of science fiction since its inception. The entire genre is regularly used, and really best used, to recontextualise contemporary problems in a palatable way that gets people to think. Metropolis isn't just a movie about a lady robot.

If District 9 is somehow the bar for subtlety, what are people honestly expecting in this TV series? How much more overt can you get?

[Crazy Rich]

Even prior to movies the opera for example has held great social and political influence ever since the 16th century.

It's always been around and always will be. I'm not above using woke if it's something really on the nose and distracting to the point it takes away from the experience, but in this case given that there is a lack of any actual evidence to be able to conclusively suggest that this series will be "woke" I think it's just people being angry because words like socio-political commentary are big enough to invoke insecurity in some.

That's my 5 cents.

[Rush Hour Rambo]

District 9 is very blunt, on-the-nose socio-political commentary. It is, again, everything people seem to be worried about -- a blatantly political message underlying entertaining genre fare.

Movies have always been used to express social and political views, and it's been a staple of science fiction since its inception. The entire genre is regularly used, and really best used, to recontextualise contemporary problems in a palatable way that gets people to think. Metropolis isn't just a movie about a lady robot.

If District 9 is somehow the bar for subtlety, what are people honestly expecting in this TV series? How much more overt can you get?

Ok m8.

[SiL]

I just wish people would say the quiet part out loud and be done with it. All this PC beating around the bush is tiring.

[Nightmare Asylum]

District 9 – subtle right down to the marketing!



What's wild to me that I've noticed so many of the grifters that seem to be against the very nature of socio-political commentary in Hawley's show also saying that instead of this "woke" interpretation of Alien that we should have gotten Blomkamp's film instead. You know, Blomkamp, the guy that explicitly made science-fiction movies that prominently explore racism, class division and the monopolization of health care, and the militarization of an automated police state. Subtle.

[Voodoo Magic]

I just wish people would say the quiet part out loud and be done with it. All this PC beating around the bush is tiring.

Alright, I'll bite. What's the quiet part? What kind of broad brush will be painting them all with?

[426Buddy]

There's no nuance and it's being done in an incredibly clumsy way. The only movie of recent times which I think is an exception is District 9.

Jesus H Chr*st, have you even seen the film?

Why do I come back to this conversation?

[Corporal Hicks]

Everything is Political, Especially the Alien Saga

[Crazy Rich]

I just wish people would say the quiet part out loud and be done with it. All this PC beating around the bush is tiring.

Alright, I'll bite. What's the quiet part? What kind of broad brush will be painting them all with?

[SiL]

Alright, I'll bite. What's the quiet part? What kind of broad brush will be painting them all with?

I'm not painting anything.

[Local Trouble]

This show needs a Canto Bight episode.

[Immortan Jonesy]

That's a pointless quest, which has no impact on the main plot? If we are in that, how about the black-goo monster of the week episode?