I was trolling through the Quicktime movie trailers yesterday and played one of the little featurettes they have about the cast and characters. It looks at least half-way decent to me.
Lance Henricksen is Dr. Charles Bishop Weyland, the model for the Bishop series sythetic seen in Aliens and Alien 3, as well as, evidently, one of the founders of the uberCorporation, Weyland-Yutani.
Personally, I find that tie-in to be pretty interesting.
I'm guessing the movie takes place in our future, but well before the Alien series. I'm also thinking it takes place on Earth. This brings up the problem of how noone knows about the Xenomorphs before the Alien series... or maybe some people in the Company do, and they kept it a secret.
I'll definitely be going to see it. What're everyone else's thoughts on it?
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
From what I know of the plot, it's indeed set in the present day on Earth. A scientific expedition to Antarctica (lead by billionaire businessman Weyland) discovers an Aztec (!) temple buried under the ice, digs inside, finds out it apparently doubles as a gladiatorial arena for aliens and predators, and swiftly becomes the next item on said gladiators' menu. Pretty far out, actually.
Me, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed it won't unravel the mystery behind the xenomorphs too much. Other than that, I'm not sure what to think...
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
It does happen on Earth - specifically, the near future in the Antarctic. Archeologists find a huge pyramid buried under the ice, which turns out to be a breeding ground for the Predator hunt; people are infected by the Aliens, and the resultant spawn are used as a "rite of passage" hunt in a contained space by adolescent Predators per the AVP comics.
I'm guessing that Weyland does survive the inevitable bloodbath when the scientific and military team is trapped inside the pyramid, and thus the company will know what they're after when they send the Nostromo to LV426 and afterwards.
For what it's worth, I'm looking forward to this lightweight popcorn actioner by the director of such similar films as "Resident Evil","Event Horizon" and "Mortal Kombat". Not expecting the depth of the Aliens movies. Just bullets, gore, and two of movie history's cooler alien species representing.
Mark
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
It's the "Freedie Vs. Jason" of sci fi. Fox is just squeezing the last ounce of intrest in two of it's ailing properties.
Sad really: if they'd only based the movie on the excellent Dark Horse comic version (set in the Alien corperate controlled future and on a remote colony planet) it could have been great.
As it stands, I think I'll skip it.
Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
When I first heard it was going to be about the aliens being uncovered in Antarctica the first thought I had was that they were ripping off "The Thing".
My second thought was that the Predators were specifically stated as coming to places with HEAT and combat. Antarctica is a bit chilly last time I checked.
But then they showed it was inside some ancient Aztec-like Alien / Predator worshipping temple in a warm section of Antarctica and all my doubts were put to rest... because that's extremely plausible.
Why they didn't just go with the premise in the comics and novels is beyond me.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Maybe the pyramid was in use a long time ago, when Antacrtica was still part of a larger, warmer, continent. Around the time the Beta Gate was in use... wait... wrong series.
Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
They could just call it the "Savage Land" (that was a secret tropical area in Antarctica) and get the lucrative X-Men crossover in there for the Hat Trick.
The bad guy in the Savage Land was called Sauron, if you just forget that he was some half-assed Pterodactyl looking dude you could tie it in with The Lord of the Rings for the four-way crossover.
Eh, I hold out hope for a return to greatness for both Alien and Predator but from what little I've seen and heard about this movie it doesn't really boost my confidence. But I'll still give it a chance.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I just hope this doesn't scupper a chance for a good 5th Alien movie. From what I gather, Ridley Scott, James Cameron and of course Weaver are all interested in coming back to finish off the series. Of course being interested and having an approved script and budget are two very different things. The best that we can hope for is that AvP will bring the xenomorphs back into the public consciousness. With a track record like 'Resident Evil' (which I thought was hysterical) and Mortal Kombat (which was just terrible) I'm not expecting too much out of this film. On the other hand as far as video game to movie conversions go, those two certainly aren't the worst ever made.
As for the whole Aztec temple thing, I imagine it's an attempt to tie it into some of those old pre-historic alien visitation theories that were all the rage back in the 70's. Not that it's a bad thing, Stargate seams to have used them with great effectiveness. Not to start a debate about the existence of Atlantis, but I think the Aztecs went on record as saying they didn't built all those huge monuments, that they were already there when they arrived. Indeed I think the last time Antarctica, or at least part of it was in a temperate zone was around 12,000 years ago when the poles supposedly shifted. So at least in movie logic that tracks with the Predators having built them since (as far as we can tell) humans were still hunting and gathering around that time.
Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
^^^ Are they talking about continuing from the point of "Alien: Resurrection" or just going back to "Aliens" and pretending the last two films didn't exist?
David Fincher said he hates "Alien: 3" so much he wouldn't even do a commentary track on the DVD so he probably wouldn't care if they just erased the movie from continuity, and frankly neither would I. And "Alien: Resurrection" makes three look like "Citizen Kane" by comparison.
Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
Ignore. Meant to hit edit instead of quote.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
No I think they intend to keep on going with the Ripley-8 and Call story...not that I know if Ryder has been approached or not, either way they don't seam too inclined to erase 3&4 from continuity.
To be honest that's not really a viable option since there's no smooth way to transition from the end of Aliens into a new film since, for a start the cast would be difficult to get back. Carrie Henn is in her early 20's now and apparantly has no interest in acting (good for her!) and I think there was a bit of an upset between Fox and Biehn over the use of his image on Alien 3, so I doubt he'd be interested in returning from the grave, unless it was a VERY good script.
From what I've read of what little Weaver and Scott have said in various interviews, they're interesting into going into the origins of the Aliens and the 'Space Jockey' which should be interesting to see, if it comes about.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Snark: Somehow I doubt script quality is much of an issue for Michael Biehn these days.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Perhaps. Although I was referring more to how unlikely it is that a plausible script could be written that carries straight off Aliens than his career choices. To be far though, I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad movie...then again I don't recall ever seeing him in a movie that wasn't directed by James Cameron. I think the fault here is in the casting directors, not his acting abilities.
Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on :
When I read this originally, I thought "my god that sounds so stupid" as well, but...
I was at WonderCon in San Fransico yesterday, and Lance Henrickson was there to promote AvP. He was very gentlemanly and very excited about the new film. He even offered to make a money bet with a concerned fan that this wouldn't turn out to be a Freddy Vs. Jason type movie. There were a number of clips and a new trailer that made it look like it's definitely worth giving a chance.
Henrickson also went into an eloquent description of his mindset while working on this film, showing that at least his character has some depth. Weyland is actually dying at the time of the movie (it sounded like cancer) and knows he's close to the end. Henrickson focused on this in trying to find a connection between the character of Weyland and that of Bishop. He said that part of Bishop's view of the world, being a "synthetic person," was a sense of wonderment at the life he saw all around him. He likened this to the similar sense of awareness of the wonders of life that a terminally ill man like Weyland would feel. Quite nice.
It was also mentioned (after another fan raised the question) that an explanation was devised and will be included as to the Predators' affinity for heat and how it relates to the setting of the story.
-MMoM
[ May 02, 2004, 04:03 PM: Message edited by: The Mighty Monkey of Mim ]
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Maybe the cold is apart of the 'rite of passage' since it's something the Predators don't seam to like.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
You should have asked him "What the fuck was Millienium about anyway!?!"
It would've been hilarious.
Then he'd have killed you.
Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
quote:Originally posted by Reverend: From what I've read of what little Weaver and Scott have said in various interviews, they're interesting into going into the origins of the Aliens and the 'Space Jockey' which should be interesting to see, if it comes about.
Now that I wouldn't mind seeing.
I believe the first Aliens novel (the one that came out at the same time as Alien3 where they changed Newt and Hicks into different people because Fincher killed them off) went into the origins of the Aliens and how it related to the Space Jockey a little bit.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
"Somehow I doubt script quality is much of an issue for Michael Biehn these days."
If only he had exploited his It-Factor. B)
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
By Space Jockey, do you guys mean the gigantor alien whose crashed ship they found in Alien and Aliens?
I think it would definitely be cool to get some back history on that, but always assumed it was just an unlucky ship that happened to run into the xenomorphs. If the Predators have been hunting the xenomorphs for centuries by the time of Alien, the Space Jockey guy couldn't have had anything to do with actually creating them. At least, you wouldn't think so. But then, we have no way of knowing how long that ship had been on the planet before the Nostromo came along.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Actually in the first Alien flick, the eggs that John Hurt blunders into are all pretty neatly lined up and under a laser/sensor thingie. It even makes a sound when he runs his hand through it.
I'd say the eggs were being transported and the pilot got "infected" somehow. Hence the lack of a Queen (or her corpse) on the ship (although most of the ship went unexplored).
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
In the first screenplay, it wasn't a derelect spaceship, it was a temple of some sort and the eggs where in a basement, underneath. Since it was intended to be vague and not have an explination, one surfaced during pre-production.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Yah... I remember wondering about the laser field they were under. Though, it didn't seem to be keeping the eggs in as much as a trigger to open them. It was when the field was broken that one of the eggs did its thing.
Regardless, something had to set the field up, unless the eggs themselves created it somehow. It doesn't seem like something the Xenomorphs could do. I'd be curious to know what the original intent behind that laser field was.
I definitely agree, though, that the story of how they got on board and what happened before the crash would be interesting.
Posted by WizArtist (Member # 1095) on :
Why don't they throw in ALF, Starman, the hunter dude from X-files and a bunch of other alien franchises and then do what Marvel did with their big all-against-all a few years back.
Personally, I thought A3 was disappointing and the last one was just ridiculous. Just another ruined franchise because of a lack of vision. (see "Highlander")
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I've only seen Alien 4 once, and I don't recall it being *that* horrible. Not on par with 1 or 2, but certainly not "Street Fighter" (which, incedently, is the worst comic adaptation ever).
Posted by Nim the Fanciful (Member # 205) on :
Father Aban wrote: "Regardless, something had to set the field up, unless the eggs themselves created it somehow. It doesn't seem like something the Xenomorphs could do. I'd be curious to know what the original intent behind that laser field was."
Since the ship was probably a freighter carrying the eggs as ordnance, the laser field might well have been a "protective wrap", keeping the eggs fresh and inactive by messing with the air under the field or something, maybe just emitting a low-frequency sound to soothe the little eggs, and Kane's sinewy body messed up the acoustics royally. So when Kane penetrated the fragile flower that was the laser layer (much like the Enterprise visa vi Scimitar), it lost its grip over the eggs' processes and before you know it it's Facehugger Does Dallas. Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: I've only seen Alien 4 once, and I don't recall it being *that* horrible. Not on par with 1 or 2, but certainly not "Street Fighter" (which, incedently, is the worst comic adaptation ever).
Ripley bumped uglies (That term has never been more appropriate) with the Alien Queen and the Queen had an albino Alien love child. That pretty much blows it for me. That and Dan Hedaya's disgusting amount of back and arm hair.
The plot of escaping from the labyrinthine corridors of the ship swarming with aliens rehashed Alien and Aliens basically with it's big "excitement" being the alien swimming underwater.
I thought "Tha Fantastic Four" or "Captain America" was the worst comic book to movie adaptation? Posted by Bond, James Bond (Member # 1127) on :
Dammit, I did it again. Ignore. Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
You're right... they are worse than Street Fighter. I think I meant "video game adaptation", though. In which case, I stand by my statement. Though "Double Dragon" and "Mario Brothers" are also right up there.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
I never thought I'd be linking to this one day.
Posted by Nim the Fanciful (Member # 205) on :
It was unprofessional of that writer to just dismiss "Resident Evil" without even having watched it, just parroting what some other bozo had said. Especially if he's a writer for a "serious" video game website.
"Resident Evil" was probably the best video game adaption yet, and it stood pretty good on its own merits as horror actions go. It and "28 Days Later" were the best of their genre that year, IMO.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I liked Final Fantasy: The Spirits within. Reviewing movies you haven't seen makes you look stupid.
Now, I wanna see a Castlevania movie. You could do some seriously cool stuff with Simon, the friggin' man, Belmont. Who's with me?
*raises a high five*
Back to Aliens... I've seen the First Person POV Aliens / Predators / Marines game and it looked pretty sweet. You can play from any of the three points of view. It's basically just you running around trashin' the place and racking up a body count. But you do have to actually accomplish goals.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Oh come on you naysayers, that article was only written in good fun, not to be an A-grade analysis of video game spinoffs. The journalistic integrity of the entire site didn't ride on it or anything, geez.
And Aliens vs. Predator was cool. The sequel even more so.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
NOT ACCORDING TO POPULAR OPINION!
At the very least, it was less hardcore. So says me, the almighty reviewing man. Who has never played the second one. *cough*
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
ALMIGHTY REVIEWING MEN DON'T TAKE PRO-PLUS
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
They do if they run out of tea bags.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
ALMIGHTY REVIEWING MEN DON'T DRINK TEA
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
They blatently do. Almost constantly.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
WELL THEN THEY ARE NOT ALMIGHTY
And you should really grab a copy of AvP2. No reviewing man can be almighty without it.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I liked Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within too, it's a pity that they probably won't be making any more.
As for AvP2, that's the most jumpy game I've played since that bit in Resident Evil where the dog jumps through the window. I'm sure that the motion detector was invented purely as a devise for suspense, the bloody thing nearly gave me a heart attack.
This is a little off topic but it's something I didn't notice until recently. In Alien, when Ripley discovers Lambert and Parker's bodies, you can see something dangling in the foreground. Now I had never really paid attention to this and just assumed it was Lambert's arm. Recently I purchased the Quadrilogy boxset and while watching the new director's cut I noticed that they were in fact Lambert's bare legs. (I shudder to think what we would have seen had Paul Verhoeven directed this instead of Ridley Scott). I usually chalk this sort of thing up to my poor eyesight and dumb lack of general awareness (what pipe? *bonk*) but I just wanted to ask if anyone else failed to notice this, or if it's just me not paying attention? I don't know what's more disturbing, that the alien did this to Lambert or the possibility that it did it to Bret and Dallas too (RE: the egg burning scene).
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
It's been so long since I've seen Alien, I don't remember. But I recently bought the director's cut of Aliens with all the restored scenes. It's most frightening. I've been looking for Alien in the same release set, but I haven't found it yet.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I saw the director's cut in the theatres a few months back and it was pretty boring (all the suspense is lost after you've seen the film a few times).
Posted by Nim the Fanciful (Member # 205) on :
Reverend: "I don't know what's more disturbing, that the alien did this to Lambert or the possibility that it did it to Bret and Dallas too"
Did what? What is it you think the Alien did to Lambert? And why where her legs dangling (we do see its tail stroking the inside of Lambert's leg earlier)?
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:It's been so long since I've seen Alien, I don't remember. But I recently bought the director's cut of Aliens with all the restored scenes. It's most frightening. I've been looking for Alien in the same release set, but I haven't found it yet.
Yeah, the Special Edition of Aliens is much better than the theatrical version. Particularly because of the early colony/Newt scenes...and those robot sentries and just the dog's bollocks. As for the Alien Director's cut, try here.
quote:I saw the director's cut in the theatres a few months back and it was pretty boring (all the suspense is lost after you've seen the film a few times).
I thought it would be which is why I didn't bother seeing it in the cinema...that plus the Odeon in Salisbury is a bunch of dingoe's kidneys. Actually the main reason I bought the set was to see the Alien 3 "work print". Which while still being rough was well worth it...although to be honest I kinda perfered it when you saw the chest-burster at the end.
quote:Did what? What is it you think the Alien did to Lambert? And why where her legs dangling (we do see its tail stroking the inside of Lambert's leg earlier)?
Ok, the last we see of Lambert the alien is moving it's tail up in between her legs (technically those were Bret's legs, but that's just something they pulled in editing) cut to Ripley running down a corridor with Lambert panting and screaming over the intercom, then we see Ripley enter the room with Lambert's now bare legs and feet dangling in the foreground with a trickle of blood running down the inside. Do I have to draw you a diagram?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I liked that scene: I first saw it years ago -when sci-fi channel was'nt shit like it is now- they showed Alien with Tom Skeritt giving commentary and showing cut scenes at the commercial breaks. Lambert and er...the chief from Homicide: Life on the street are moving oxygen canisters onto a cart: the alien is just sitting curled up in the middle of the room in a fetal position (those tube thingies sticking up) and they dont even notice it untill it's tail uncurls toward Lambert and the queen of hysteria finally gets killed. the scen got cut originally because the alien moving toward Lamert is the silliest looking, slow moving thing in the world and looks as scary as the Creature From The Black Lagoon.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Rev: Excellent. It's on my list to buy after Stargate Season 2 and La Femme Nikita Season 2. Not a bad price either.
Posted by Nim the Fanciful (Member # 205) on :
Are you saying this is a confirmed tentacle rape in a Hollywood movie???
If you're so sure of yourself, son, explain this; why did the Alien lie in a sleepy haze when joining Ripley in the shuttlecraft? Why did it lie there, flexing its tongue slowly, like it had just finished a whole bottle of Southern Comfort and was "looking at the cool motions in the wallpaper"? Was it so drunk on blood and brains from Yaphet Kotto that it had achieved a "Whatever, It's All Good..."-state???
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Possibly. Or it was getting ready to hibernate.
If you don't believe me, then feel free to come up with another reason why the Alien might remove Lambert's trousers and shoes and why it took her so long (relatively) to die. As for it's behaviour on the shuttle, I think on the commentary that Ridley Scott said that it was curious about Ripley's body. I think originally she was supposed to finish undressing before she noticed the Alien but they had to tone it down for one reason or another. I think he also suggested that it inherited some of Kane's memories and attraction to the female members of the crew, which might explain both instances.
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