Jack Palgen to Write the Script

[Master]

Answering questions won't do shit if the sequel has the same wretched writing, acting and editing.

Answering questions is writing. With bullshit script there must be bullshit film.

[Novak 1334]

Rafe Spall was bad but Noomi Rapace killed it for me, her character was so unlikeable that I was hoping she would die (Shaw not Rapace)

[Nightmare Asylum]

The acting from half the cast is dreadful -- Rafe Spall can't even make up his mind whether to use a stupid southern accent in some scenes or speak normally in others.

There were certainly some problems with the acting, but I felt that the good outweighed the bad. Michael Fassbender was excellent and Noomi Rapace and Idris Elba were also great, in my opinion. Charlize Theron was really good, too (aside from that "father" scene; I much preferred the alternate cut of that one) though she was very underused and kind of one-dimensional throughout.

Answering questions is writing. With bullshit script there must be bullshit film.

Ya'know, I honestly wouldn't mind if we were left with things even more open ended questions in the sequel. Some answers would be nice, but I think it would be even more interesting if some of this stuff goes beyond the comprehension of humans. Lovecraft style.

[Cvalda]

Aside from the fact that the Engineers basically are just humans, so that kills any of the Lovecraftian incomprehensibility factor.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Aside from the fact that the Engineers basically are just humans, so that kills any of the Lovecraftian incomprehensibility factor.

Yeah, there's that... But then again, the Engineers aren't necessarily the only thing out there. "And who made them?"

I really did like the concept of Engineers as presented in Prometheus, playing off of mythology and whatnot. But I would have absolutely loved to have seen the Space Jockey in all of its glory as well. Its too late now to render the Engineer and the Jockey separate entities, but I would definitely be open to seeing the Engineers mutating and experimenting on their own bodies, resulting in beings similar the biomechanical terror fused to the chair in Alien. The Engineer at the end of Prometheus was already taking a step in that direction.

[OmegaZilla]

Lovecraft style.

Considering the first film annihilated everything remotely Lovecraftian there was in the series before -- I kind of doubt it.

[Xenomorphine]

Could be interesting if his son-in-law gets it, like he was going to with the previous.

Yeah, there's that... But then again, the Engineers aren't necessarily the only thing out there. "And who made them?"

I much prefer the thought that Engineers were just 'the prototype'. Humans being a more refined, adaptable, genetically diverse final product. There was still nothing on screen which proved that the entities we saw were who made us (or at least, were responsible for accelerating our mental development).

Engineers as the prototype model kept behind for labour and construction purposes? Could be... Would let them bring in undertones of 'fallen angel' mythology, that way, too.

Alternatively, Engineers were the finished product and we were flawed genetic garbage they decided to give a planet to, rather than mindlessly exterminate. Which would make us more like the Engineers' cousins than 'children'.

And, in keeping with Greek mythology, would make the creators of the Engineers like the Titans and Engineers, themselves, like the Olympus gods. A lot of people forget that the Titans came first and that the gods, their children, came after. Greek mythology is basically a tale of a cosmic military coup.

[Cvalda]

I miss when the Alien franchise hadn't yet devolved into stupid Star Trek space opera.

[Master]

Aside from the fact that the Engineers basically are just humans, so that kills any of the Lovecraftian incomprehensibility factor.

Yeah, there's that... But then again, the Engineers aren't necessarily the only thing out there. "And who made them?"

I really did like the concept of Engineers as presented in Prometheus, playing off of mythology and whatnot. But I would have absolutely loved to have seen the Space Jockey in all of its glory as well. Its too late now to render the Engineer and the Jockey separate entities, but I would definitely be open to seeing the Engineers mutating and experimenting on their own bodies, resulting in beings similar the biomechanical terror fused to the chair in Alien. The Engineer at the end of Prometheus was already taking a step in that direction.

I think  "And who made them?" is the only thing that can save some Lovecraftian vibes in this franchise. And it better be original space jockey.

[Nightmare Asylum]

I think  "And who made them?" is the only thing that can save some Lovecraftian vibes in this franchise. And it better be original space jockey.

Its too late to make the Jockey and the Engineer separate entities (unless they decide to reboot Prometheus somewhere down the line). Doesn't mean they can't come up with something new and equally fascinating, though.

I hope that the creatures that we get in the sequel, assuming it even sees the light of day, are more interesting that the ones in Prometheus. The Hammerpede was a great design, but ultimately proved to be fairly useless. The Trilobite was interesting enough, and I would love to see something like that expanded upon. But I really want to see something new that is not necessarily trying to directly replicate the original Alien designs.

[CainsSon]

All I ask is this be taken into consideration with PROMETHEUS 2 or PARADISE:

What saves all the ALIEN films from being unforgivable is that each film is almost operating in an entirely different genre / vrs of sci-fi.

This is what makes (ignoring but still acknowledging the cartoon-ish Adventure film AVP, and the Teen Slasher-mess that was AVP-R) all of the films in the series acceptable in the grand scheme for me. Even if A:R for example is basically a bad movie.

ALIEN - Was a Sci-Fi Horror HAUNTED HOUSE film
ALIENS - Was a Sci-Fi Horror ACTION film 
ALIEN3 - Was a Sci-Fi Horror Religious Space DRAMA-NOIR about doom.
ALIEN: R - Was a Sci-Fi Horror Old-School MONSTER movie, like BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, complete with black humor.
PROMETHEUS - Was Sci-Fi Horror meets GOLDEN AGE Sci-Fi like FORBIDDEN PLANET or DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

They may have called it 'HARD SCI-FI' but it was really a throwback to GOLDEN AGE SCI-FI.

Anyway, if PARADISE should turn out to be different than ALL IS WELL in the ALIEN universe if you ask me.

If you look at the above pattern, some things are apparent to me.

1. The simpler GENRE-hybrids were the best received (even though I love A3 and like PROMETHEUS enough)
ALIEN - Sci-Fi Horror Haunted House, and ALIENS - Sci-Fi Horror Action.
2. If you look at the breakdown its not hard to understand why the last 3 are harder to swallow.
3. What everyone is concerned about is that they are going forward making the mistake of continuing on to PARADISE in the same genre and vein as the last but the other mistake they have made in the past is in trying to return to what has been done before.
A3 was ruined theatrically by trying to cut out the heart and darkness and make it more of an action film. A:R The only things that work are the original content, it is also hurt buy trying to make it more like ALIENS. Same thing goes for AVP - The Adventure film angle works everything else doesn't. Nowhere is it more apparent to me than watching AVP-R, the way the series is hurt by an attempt to be more like ALIENS. Even PROMETHEUS was in many ways hurt by the NEED to connect it to ALIEN. The birth of the deacon ends up feeling tacked on and the plot is in many ways reminiscent of ALIEN. Again, what works in PROMETHEUS is the original content, not the stuff we've already seen.
4. If they are going to make PARADISE, a good film, they need to liberate the franchise from trying to be LIKE what came before it.
5. They need to find a simple genre-hybrid concept, based on the events in the previous films and let it be what it wants to be, instead of what fans liked before.

For instance, a SCI-FI HORROR FANTASY film, that really focused on the BIOMECHANICS and the bizarre world they inhabit while letting the ALIEN be less of a centerpiece.... Or if they want to focus on the DEACON, and LV-223, make its story something outside of what's come before.

This every-film-is-different factor is what make the Alien series the best SCI-FI franchise out there. Even with its blunders and (no offense to anyone) accepting that AVP isn't canonical - if they finish this off on a high note somehow, this entire series will be vindicated.

[ThisBethesdaSea]

.......and.....I'm back. Prometheus 2. Here's hoping it's what was promised in Prometheus.

[FiorinaFury161]

Ridley Scott is the only person on Earth who is allowed to screw up the series; he pioneered the A L I E N beginning after all!

[ThisBethesdaSea]

I would agree that Noomi's character is neither likable or memorable. She weighed the film down with her presence. Vickers had more gravitas and dimension then Shaw. I think I'm still in disbelief at how bad portions of this movie are. I just want to slap Scott upside the head. His mistakes are so P.T. Anderson, so beneath his experiences.

[Cvalda]

You are beginning to see the light, Bethesda Welcome back.