I don't dislike any of the Alien films. I've never been a hardcore fan and I think that distance allows me to be fairly forgiving when it comes to Resurrection, I can still enjoy it for what it is without getting too hung up on its flaws. As far as 3 is concerned, I appreciate the grittiness and bleakness more now than I did when I first watched years ago.
Of course, Prometheus is ridiculous for many other reasons, but I have to say is more in-keeping with the Alien tone. I just never thought Alien 3 and Resurrection had the right atmosphere.
Eh?
Prometheus - typical of the bland, sterile fare Scott has been churning out of recent - can't hold a candle to how atmospheric Alien was.
Whilst in no way perfect, the gloomy, pessimistic Alien 3 was far closer to the original Alien ethos. It at least brings back the sexual/biological angle, even if the AIDS theme is a little too pushed. I'm sure Fincher wished his big screen debut had turned out better, but for all its faults it's a brave, commendable film that took a big gamble with the audience after the reactionary, gung-ho, hordes-of-the-buggers Aliens.
See that's what I think of Aliens a Hollywood action film cash in, which bears no resemblance to the original whatsoever. Yes it's a fun film to watch, but that is about it. As for Alien3 it was Fincher's first film, and I have to say I think he did a good job, and the film was okay.
I think Aliens is an example of a perfect sequel, in that it takes the established mythos from the original, and expands on it, taking the familiar elements in a new direction. Because it goes bigger, I often wonder if that is why Alien3 felt like such a crushing disappointment on release. Expectation that it would be "even more guns, even more aliens" was cast aside in favour of a stripped back, bleak affair.
I think Aliens is an example of a perfect sequel, in that it takes the established mythos from the original, and expands on it, taking the familiar elements in a new direction. Because it goes bigger, I often wonder if that is why Alien3 felt like such a crushing disappointment on release. Expectation that it would be "even more guns, even more aliens" was cast aside in favour of a stripped back, bleak affair.
Trouble for me, in my eyes at least I don't see it as a sequel but a standalone movie. It's just one of those big, fun, dumb American all action 80's movies, just happened to be set in the Alien universe.
Alien was such a good film it didn't need any sequels/prequels at all.
Don't get me wrong I like Aliens, but as the way I described it. I thought Alien 3 was okay as well, not so keen on the film that followed. Prometheus again was just okay, but don't think it was film that needed to be made.
I really like, the tone, the look, the soundtrack and the atmosphere are all brilliant.
The directors cut is my second fave in the franchise. The cast is also very good; Dance, Brown, Glover and Dutton are all good.
I have never understood the hate for the deaths of Newt and Hicks, i feel its fitting, it shows just how brutal the saga is.
The biggest problem is down to Fox coming in and butchering everything about it dropping huge amounts of the film to reduce run time, things that are important, a lot of the stuff with Golic for example. Not only that but they started filming without a script being finished which in itself ludicrous, then got Fincher to write it during production. Makes you wonder if he made it after Se7en, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 90s and one of the best thrillers, the studio would've given all control to Fincher and we would've had his version be the one released.
Quote from David Fincher on his experience of working on Alien 3. Not a happy bunny.
If a movie gets off on a wrong foot, when you've never done it before you assume everyone is going to be there to help you right the ship, but really you're beholden to a lot of banana republics. I worked on it for two years, got fired off it three times and I had to fight for every single thing. No one hated Alien 3 more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me. It was a baptism by fire. I was very naive. For a number of years, I'd been around the kind of people who financed movies and the kind of people who are there to make the deals for movies. But I'd always had this naive idea that everybody wants to make movies as good as they can be, which is stupid. I thought, "Well, surely you don't want to have the Twentieth Century Fox logo over a shitty movie." And they were like, "Well, as long as it opens." They didn't care.
Fincher had problems with Fox, a lot budget related. He was promised things that were withheld and that gave him no choice but to make a movie he didn't like. The studio did a hatchet job on the final edit and the version released in cinemas wasn't his cut. On a personal level the whole experience hurt him pretty bad.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet would direct the next Alien movie, face the same problems, and decide never to work in America again. In fact, Jeunet wrote and planned his movie Amelie as a way to cope with the horrors he said he had to face while making Alien Resurrection. No joke.
Quote from David Fincher on his experience of working on Alien 3. Not a happy bunny.
Fincher had problems with Fox, a lot budget related. He was promised things that were withheld and that gave him no choice but to make a movie he didn't like. The studio did a hatchet job on the final edit and the version released in cinemas wasn't his cut. On a personal level the whole experience hurt him pretty bad.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet would direct the next Alien movie, face the same problems, and decide never to work in America again. In fact, Jeunet wrote and planned his movie Amelie as a way to cope with the horrors he said he had to face while making Alien Resurrection. No joke.
To be fair, Jeunet is also a bit of a lunatic who shouldn't have been let near Resurrection in the first place! You only have to listen to his commentary on Resurrection to realise he didn't really get it.
And not surprisingly when they were compiling the Blu-Rays, Fox reached out to Fincher and offered him the chance to come back and re-edit the film how he wished and have a proper 'directors cut', but he refused.
Whatever bad feelings he has towards Fox seem to have mellowed as he did make Fight Club for them, but he doesn't like talking about Alien 3 and genuinely has a hatred for it. I wonder if Fox offered him Alien 5 (that Sigourney said she wants to make) and guaranteed him full creative control and no studio interference, would he accept it. Probably not. Facehuggers probably still haunt his dreams!
Trouble for me, in my eyes at least I don't see it as a sequel but a standalone movie. It's just one of those big, fun, dumb American all action 80's movies, just happened to be set in the Alien universe.
Alien was such a good film it didn't need any sequels/prequels at all.
Don't get me wrong I like Aliens, but as the way I described it. I thought Alien 3 was okay as well, not so keen on the film that followed. Prometheus again was just okay, but don't think it was film that needed to be made.
Indeed. All Aliens uses from Alien is the xenomorphs and the character of Ripley. Everything else is different. That's what makes the arguments that we get on here about which film is 'better' so daft.:D
Indeed. All Aliens uses from Alien is the xenomorphs and the character of Ripley. Everything else is different. That's what makes the arguments that we get on here about which film is 'better' so daft.:D
At least I'm not the only one.
I also actually find that Alien 3 is a better fit as a sequel to Alien, and Alien Resurrection seems a better fit as a sequel to Aliens.
Indeed. All Aliens uses from Alien is the xenomorphs and the character of Ripley. Everything else is different. That's what makes the arguments that we get on here about which film is 'better' so daft.:D
In fairness though, that is what a sequel really ought to do. It shouldn't be a carbon copy of the first movie, but should fit into the already established universe and mythos, which it does, but expands it, explores the characters and environments, and adds new elements and ideas to make it fresh and interesting. Terminator 2 is nothing like The Terminator really, but that too is the classic structure of an excellent sequel, taking the familiar, and twisting and turning it into something new.
I also actually find that Alien 3 is a better fit as a sequel to Alien, and Alien Resurrection seems a better fit as a sequel to Aliens.
To me, Alien: Resurrection doesn't even sit within the same universe as the others, because instead of characters and environments based somewhat within a reality based future, Resurrection characters, environments, ships and character dialogue are very cartoon / comic book-like. Just a bit too larger than life.
I have to say too that I wasn't as keen on Resurrection, but I do think the crew of The Betty would have made for a superb space-based TV series about their exploits, like a modern day Blake's 7.
I do think the crew of The Betty would have made for a superb space-based TV series about their exploits, like a modern day Blake's 7.
They technically were (well, more TV friendly versions of them were)... Firefly. Josh Whedon wrote both and there's plenty of similarities between the crew in it and the crew of the Betty, which Whedon has acknowledged a few times. Incidentally, the underwater set from AR was also used in an episode of Firefly.
They technically were (well, more TV friendly versions of them were)... Firefly. Josh Whedon wrote both and there's plenty of similarities between the crew in it and the crew of the Betty, which Whedon has acknowledged a few times. Incidentally, the underwater set from AR was also used in an episode of Firefly.
I think it's a great little movie. Very atmospheric. Not as good as the first two, of course, but better than any of the sequels thus far. I find it very tiresome when people go on about it being Fincher's worst when it's much better than the rubbish Panic Room.
Totally agree on all of this.
Great actors, 'Brit' theme a bit overdone (but then it always is) and yes, the 'special effects' were crap in places, but I really liked Alien 3.
Looking back, I used to say that Aliens was my favourite of the trilogy (and I don't consider 'Resurrection' in this either), but now I'm not so sure. I would go 1, 2 and 3.
But all 3 films were different in emphasis and atmosphere and I think they all worked well.
i thought charles .s. dutton was pretty awesome , loved this line ...
"You're all gonna die. The only question is how you check out. Do you want it on your feet? Or on your ****ing' knees... begging? I ain't much for begging"
i thought charles .s. dutton was pretty awesome , loved this line ...
"You're all gonna die. The only question is how you check out. Do you want it on your feet? Or on your ****ing' knees... begging? I ain't much for begging"
Yeah, he's awesome. I love the way Golic's entire character and disturbing past is hinted at that short exchange with Ripley in the infirmary
"You married?"
"What?"
"You should get married, have kids. Pretty girl. I used to know lots of them. They used to like me...for a while"
Comments
Prometheus - typical of the bland, sterile fare Scott has been churning out of recent - can't hold a candle to how atmospheric Alien was.
Whilst in no way perfect, the gloomy, pessimistic Alien 3 was far closer to the original Alien ethos. It at least brings back the sexual/biological angle, even if the AIDS theme is a little too pushed. I'm sure Fincher wished his big screen debut had turned out better, but for all its faults it's a brave, commendable film that took a big gamble with the audience after the reactionary, gung-ho, hordes-of-the-buggers Aliens.
I think Aliens is an example of a perfect sequel, in that it takes the established mythos from the original, and expands on it, taking the familiar elements in a new direction. Because it goes bigger, I often wonder if that is why Alien3 felt like such a crushing disappointment on release. Expectation that it would be "even more guns, even more aliens" was cast aside in favour of a stripped back, bleak affair.
Trouble for me, in my eyes at least I don't see it as a sequel but a standalone movie. It's just one of those big, fun, dumb American all action 80's movies, just happened to be set in the Alien universe.
Alien was such a good film it didn't need any sequels/prequels at all.
Don't get me wrong I like Aliens, but as the way I described it. I thought Alien 3 was okay as well, not so keen on the film that followed. Prometheus again was just okay, but don't think it was film that needed to be made.
The directors cut is my second fave in the franchise. The cast is also very good; Dance, Brown, Glover and Dutton are all good.
I have never understood the hate for the deaths of Newt and Hicks, i feel its fitting, it shows just how brutal the saga is.
The biggest problem is down to Fox coming in and butchering everything about it dropping huge amounts of the film to reduce run time, things that are important, a lot of the stuff with Golic for example. Not only that but they started filming without a script being finished which in itself ludicrous, then got Fincher to write it during production. Makes you wonder if he made it after Se7en, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 90s and one of the best thrillers, the studio would've given all control to Fincher and we would've had his version be the one released.
Fincher had problems with Fox, a lot budget related. He was promised things that were withheld and that gave him no choice but to make a movie he didn't like. The studio did a hatchet job on the final edit and the version released in cinemas wasn't his cut. On a personal level the whole experience hurt him pretty bad.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet would direct the next Alien movie, face the same problems, and decide never to work in America again. In fact, Jeunet wrote and planned his movie Amelie as a way to cope with the horrors he said he had to face while making Alien Resurrection. No joke.
To be fair, Jeunet is also a bit of a lunatic who shouldn't have been let near Resurrection in the first place!
Whatever bad feelings he has towards Fox seem to have mellowed as he did make Fight Club for them, but he doesn't like talking about Alien 3 and genuinely has a hatred for it. I wonder if Fox offered him Alien 5 (that Sigourney said she wants to make) and guaranteed him full creative control and no studio interference, would he accept it. Probably not. Facehuggers probably still haunt his dreams!
Indeed. All Aliens uses from Alien is the xenomorphs and the character of Ripley. Everything else is different. That's what makes the arguments that we get on here about which film is 'better' so daft.:D
At least I'm not the only one.
I also actually find that Alien 3 is a better fit as a sequel to Alien, and Alien Resurrection seems a better fit as a sequel to Aliens.
In fairness though, that is what a sequel really ought to do. It shouldn't be a carbon copy of the first movie, but should fit into the already established universe and mythos, which it does, but expands it, explores the characters and environments, and adds new elements and ideas to make it fresh and interesting. Terminator 2 is nothing like The Terminator really, but that too is the classic structure of an excellent sequel, taking the familiar, and twisting and turning it into something new.
To me, Alien: Resurrection doesn't even sit within the same universe as the others, because instead of characters and environments based somewhat within a reality based future, Resurrection characters, environments, ships and character dialogue are very cartoon / comic book-like. Just a bit too larger than life.
I have to say too that I wasn't as keen on Resurrection, but I do think the crew of The Betty would have made for a superb space-based TV series about their exploits, like a modern day Blake's 7.
Ah of course, forgot about Firefly.
Great actors, 'Brit' theme a bit overdone (but then it always is) and yes, the 'special effects' were crap in places, but I really liked Alien 3.
Looking back, I used to say that Aliens was my favourite of the trilogy (and I don't consider 'Resurrection' in this either), but now I'm not so sure. I would go 1, 2 and 3.
But all 3 films were different in emphasis and atmosphere and I think they all worked well.
It's been years since I've seen it, but I enjoyed resurrection though.
It's my favourite out of the 4 'main' films esp. in the workprint version.
"You're all gonna die. The only question is how you check out. Do you want it on your feet? Or on your ****ing' knees... begging? I ain't much for begging"
What made it so bad for you SnS?
I hated it on release, because of expectation, but I have grown to first appreciate it, and then really like it.
Yeah, he's awesome. I love the way Golic's entire character and disturbing past is hinted at that short exchange with Ripley in the infirmary
"You married?"
"What?"
"You should get married, have kids. Pretty girl. I used to know lots of them. They used to like me...for a while"