An idea of how this will stand alone, yet sort of be a sequel...

[SM]

True but alien was'nt left open like AVP

You've not seen Aliens then?

[Highland]

True but alien was'nt left open like AVP

You've not seen Aliens then?

I have but i dont get your point. You rcomparing Alien and alines are you not? Both closed movies. AVP is a set up for AVPR

[SM]

AvP is a closed movie too.  The main story threads are pretty much tied up.  Alien nest destroyed; young Predators all dead; one human survivor.

There's a fairly major open thread by the end of Alien though that was exploited for the sequel - a Derelict full of eggs.  But again the main story of Alien vs crew is resolved.

It was just a tad more subtle than AvPs burster.

Both films can stand alone or as setups for further films.  Unlike say Empire Strikes Back or Back To The Future 2 which tie up some threads, but create others that need to be resolved in the next film.

[Highland]

I see your point, but the very thing that was left open at the end of AVP is the continuation of the next movie, if it has something to do with the AVP burster i dont know, but Alien could have been a standalone movie and no-one would have questioned a sequel.

The question is there with AVP, its if we get the answer in this one. But like i said in the other thread, unless they are pulling some kind of Evil Dead job, Its a bit much asking the audience to believe that a predator ship flying past earth with a predalien on it, has absolutley nothing to do with the last film, that had the very same thing at the end.

[PRAETORIAN MONSTER]

My guess is that when the Predalien bursts out of Scar, it hides in a scout ship where it can grow in peace (there would be scout ships attached to the Mother Ship) Then a group of Predators who are going hunting, enter the ship and begin to fly to wherever they're going. The Predalien, full size by this point, slaughters the Predators and causes the ship to crash on Earth.

i'm sure the predalien needs to feed in order to grow, like all animals.   

[PRAETORIAN MONSTER]

what the heck is wrong with my profile?!

[Highland]

My guess is that when the Predalien bursts out of Scar, it hides in a scout ship where it can grow in peace (there would be scout ships attached to the Mother Ship) Then a group of Predators who are going hunting, enter the ship and begin to fly to wherever they're going. The Predalien, full size by this point, slaughters the Predators and causes the ship to crash on Earth.

i'm sure the predalien needs to feed in order to grow, like all animals.   

Not really, none of the other bursters needed to feed to grow. Alien/A3.....AVP

[SM]

The question is there with AVP, its if we get the answer in this one.

The burster didn't need to be resolved for AvP2.  They could have very well ignored it and done something different and no one would care.  Same as how they didn't need to resolve the Derelict still on LV-426.  Could've gone off in a completely different direction.

A lot of Alien fans claim the Derelict is still there on LV-426 after Aliens, and say it should be used for a sequel, while ignoring the implication from the second two films that it's gone.  Others say the Jockies need to be brought back into the series.  These are things that could be used to generate another sequel, but they're not vital story threads that demand resolution.

If we'd left AvP hanging at the point of Scar and Lex facing down the Queen just after it's popped up out of the snow, THEN we'd need a direct sequel to resolve the storyline.  If they didn't follow directly on from AvP with AvP2, fans would be filling up boards with posts about what happened to the burster and Predators after the credits rolled - like they do when they wax lyrical about Jockies and Derelicts.

[Highland]

again, i get what your saying, but the connection is there already, without having seen AVPR. They could have ignored it yes, but they've not, this film was always going to be based on PA's ending.

If it has anything to do with his movie, i dont know, but the throwing stars are in, along with the predalien, so theres an higher than average chance this is a direct sequel. Sure you can watch it on its own, because the only thing that links them is that chest buster, but its still there. Your on about resolving the story line, well this could be it, this could be them showing you what happend to that burster.

[SM]

Which is essentially an entirely new story, that uses AvP as a launching pad.  Like Aliens did with Alien and Alien3 did with Aliens.

We're quibblling over terms a bit but this is really a series of sequential standalone films (or at least it looks like it's heading down that route) that can are neatly tied up by the end in 3 or 4 acts, with scope for continuation.  Unlike like a saga like Star Wars or The Matrix where films themselves are seperate acts.

[Docta Jekyll]

the way Alien ended, you don't expect a sequel at all, a sequel could be made, but isn't necessary, and while some wouldn't say a seqeul is necessary to AVP(because it sucked) most would agree that the ending was done to sort of set up a sequel, most saw a sequel coming, with an ending like that, that is more or less a cliffhanger

unlike the ending to Alien, which as you said is quite resolved, the credits roll when expected, whereas in AVP, there is an extra surprise before the credits, letting you know that the sequel would generally head in that direction of the pred chestburster, it was a set up, whereas Alien didn't have a direct set up right before the end

if at the end of alien, you saw ripley go  into the cryostasis tube, and then slowly panned over to an egg, accompanied with an ominous string of music, then its ending would have been comparable to AVP's ending.

[PRAETORIAN MONSTER]

My guess is that when the Predalien bursts out of Scar, it hides in a scout ship where it can grow in peace (there would be scout ships attached to the Mother Ship) Then a group of Predators who are going hunting, enter the ship and begin to fly to wherever they're going. The Predalien, full size by this point, slaughters the Predators and causes the ship to crash on Earth.

i'm sure the predalien needs to feed in order to grow, like all animals.   

Not really, none of the other bursters needed to feed to grow. Alien/A3.....AVP

oh yes, they fed.   alien took brett in the chain room.  a3 headbit the dude in the fan shaft before he rolled into the fan and got chopped up.  i think a3 also mealed the dog after bursting, but it was already large at that point.  i dunno, personally i think they need to meal occasionally...

[Uncanny Antman]

a3 headbit the dude in the fan shaft before he rolled into the fan and got chopped up.

Sprayed him with acid, actually.

[The Chibi Kiriyama]

Sprayed him with acid, actually.

Has there ever been an explanation for why it was spitting up blood? It does the same in A:R, so I doubt it has anything to do with molting...it's quite possibly the most random Alien ability.

As for the topic, one of the Strause's mentioned that this would definitely be canon to the films. I don't think the distinction would be drawn if they considered AVP canon or relevant to their story beyond the most cursory of elements. If the only thing that connects the two is the PredAlien, they can go down the Marvel Comics route and just avoid referencing anything that's non-essential.

Simple as that.

[JMR]

Sprayed him with acid, actually.

Has there ever been an explanation for why it was spitting up blood? It does the same in A:R, so I doubt it has anything to do with molting...it's quite possibly the most random Alien ability.

As for the topic, one of the Strause's mentioned that this would definitely be canon to the films. I don't think the distinction would be drawn if they considered AVP canon or relevant to their story beyond the most cursory of elements. If the only thing that connects the two is the PredAlien, they can go down the Marvel Comics route and just avoid referencing anything that's non-essential.

Simple as that.

Totally agree..