Comments (Page 705)

awe ATI will be raging he wont get any of ur money hahaha

ali81 LOL! Yes you have been plugging it but I pre ordered way back when I was first allowed to on Amazon

Maybe it could work since Prometheus and Alien Covenant are disappointments.

Fox and Ridley made a mess of this and it started with Prometheus. AC isn’t as bad but it still as some of the same problem namely bad characters. It could have been interesting but they messed up the human characters and the SJ.

If they will make another prequel movie they really have to step it up a lot.

• Much better human characters (look at what Alien and Aliens did right)
• Less AI, keep them as a part of it but do not have them as the main focus.
• Do not make David the creator of the Xenos!!!
• Show less of the monsters/keep them in the shadows
• Better tempo, AC was too slow but this doesn’t mean that they have to rush things just let more things happen

They focused too much on David at the expense of the human characters. Fassbender did a good job (even though he was better in Prometheus) but shouldn’t be the main focus.

As far as the next movie is concerned I am afraid that given the reaction to Covenant and Prometheus, well they have a problem.

Sure they have wasted money but Fox and Ridley sold know better. I listened to a podcast from AvP Galaxy where they said that the studio seemed to think that the problem with Prometheus was the lack of Alien, to me it wasn’t the main thing. The main thing to me was bad human characters.

One problem was the trailers, they were misleading and explained the characters better than the movie did. If that is the case then the movie has failed at something important, namely to get us to sympathize with the characters.

To do a re-make of Alien would suck, I agree with DK on this one. Some movies simply don’t need to be re-made.

Nick: I have heard that Scott plans more Alien prequels but six of them seems too mc so I doubt that they plan for so many. What is your source for that claim?

Get well soon BD

I don’t agree that it was an action movie as Sherris said that it was. Unfortunately it was too slow for example when they were in David’s cave (Walter and David). That scene was somewhat interesting but it was too slow or when she went (Hernandez?) and freshened up before getting killed by a monster. Alien Covenant had too many scenes like that and the fact that there was too little character development made it worse.

As far as the fanbase is concerned I like that there are different opinions among people. This makes for interesting discussions but I understand that you feel the way you feel about this Lawrence of Arabia.

AC was better than Prometheus because at least we didn’t get characters like Fifield, Milburn, and Shaw. It was closer to the horror roots of Alien.

To me the scare factor wasn’t that big but there were some things that were nasty like how Ledward (was that the name?) was infected by the spores and the ship action scene when Daniels hangs outside the ship was good.

Please don’t turn Alien into Blade Runner 2, unfortunately this seems to be the way it turns out now even though Fassbender did a good job in AC. I am sort of worried that the next Alien movie might be like this, yikes.

cmon we all know why its gna be number 1, Ati has been plugging the release so well sales are gna be through the roof haha he must be getting a cut lol

Source please. Seeing is believing. 

Speaking of which- I am about to rip a new ass and go to my bank for my undelivered A Box. 

dk Your prayers have been answered. Start saving your money for the 6-volume prequel collection.

Nick Burkardt RS changes his mind more than his underwear. 6 Alien movies? RS would likely be dead before that imho- I could be wrong. Source?

No.Covenant is part of a new trilogy and Ridley was planning 6 more alien movies.I think from this day there must not be any sequels.Cameron ruined everything.The queen and all that.Forget about everything after Alien.

It is Pandorum. Still, members tell me I shoul watch their recommendations  first. 

haha I think it's "Pandorum". Bypass those and watch the ones I'm telling you now. You will thank me later :-)

Damn! I still haven't been able to watch my last batch of DVDs like Pandemonium, Jupiter Rising and Passengers. You are breaking my balls dude!

dk Yes. I love movies with morose pacing. By the way this reminds me you were asking for Sci fi movie recommendations. Try to watch "Embers" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3503460/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

and also "The Girl with all the gifts" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4547056/?ref_=nv_sr_2

I am surprised "Embers" didn't get better reviews; I though it was absolutely brilliant.

ali81 yes. Sometimes people would use the numbers to try to validate their point of view. Or you just react to information that is presented to you as if it was positive when it is not. It is better to be realistic.

joylitt I do not really know how the industry works. I suppose I am asking if perception, previews or reviews have an effect on your enjoyment. Do you watch and enjoy a movie that the masses hate? Do you despise a Hollywood block buster everyone keeps talking about that you saw but hated?

Mr H- oops? ali81 Thanks- that is pretty much how I see it. Although I have enjoyed the s£$t out of some things others have absolutely hated. Go figure.

I think those who dislike a movie, and I do to a degree include myself, and like a movie, use such a stat to validate their own view on whether a movie is good or bad. I have used it once I think in a discussion on AC when pointing out to someone that I believe it is a bad movie. something along the line for example ''its a bad/ good movie, the numbers don't lie'' kinda thing but to me, for 99% of the time I don't really bother about numbers. if I like a film I like a film and if I don't same goes, I don't take stats into account when making up my own mind

The reason for this is because of how the industry works. In the case of a franchise, the numbers will determine whether the next one will get made or not. And nowadays, the box office returns of any original movie that is not a sequel or a reboot need to be scrutinized because if they fail that might signal that other similar projects will get cancelled. The real tragedy is when a good movie falls. The arthouse circuit numbers are also important. I recently heard David Lynch said the arthouse circuit is dead. That is very sad news.

I know. For me or for you it does not matter because we know every detail about the movie. It might be different for the general audience though. Even good movies like War of the Planet of the Apes have suffered considerable backlash over things that may seem insignificant to some. Another example is It Comes At Night, the marketing campaign blew it very bad with that one.

Sometimes the biggest scare is the one that is anticipated but doesn't happen. But that can only work once as far as I can see. 

You could be right but you may be over thinking. Whatever the cover art is- the disc is what it is. It can be plain Jane or have blinky LCD lights. As Newt said- It won't make any difference.

Well to me the change of poster means they are trying to do some damage control. And yet, to be really representative of the contents of the movie, David should be on the cover. Of course the studios don't think that would sell as much as the xenomorph. 20th Century Fox now knows that once the truth is out, not even decent reviews can save you from the backlash.

Yes, exactly. Create anticipation... also it is time to introduce some changes in the format, maybe follow a non linear storyline, something that would play with your mind a little bit. When Nolan does this he makes tons of money, and his movies don't even need to be commercial

I will care about a different cover if a proper DC is released. Otherwise, covers and BS withstanding, the movie box art will have no effect on me either way.

I have not seen Raw. It is completely off my radar.

While talking about scares, how about scares that are more psychological? Try to imagine building something so scary that it leaves the audience exhausted yet wanting more at the end. Yes, I know- dumb down to maximize profits.

The original was as BigDave said, misleading and Fox have reacted to it by putting the Xeno on it.

Now Fox why dont u act again and ask for some answers next screenplay?

Gore can be effective if used right. Have you seen the movie "Raw"? That's what I call good use of gore.

Interesting, but I think it should get back to the idea of less is more. I will be that old grumpy guy. 

Go old school with minimal information and one trailer for people to talk about. 

Let the whiners whine. 

I really don't care about budgets and returns except that it breaks even and people get paid. Fox has other interests besides Alien and does quite well. I don't GAF about its bottom line. I just want a good movie. It can be in black and white for all I care. 

I would avoid A listers except for maybe Fassbender. 

Sticking to canon is a great idea. 

Find different ways to build scares somehow? Gore only goes so far and today's audiences are not easily shocked.

There is a balance I cannot account for- pleasing old farts like me and younger newer fans. 

Meet your Masters is a pretty good tag line. Off the cuff, I might throw in- Death is the answer to the Search for the Origins of Life. Yeah it is a bit wordy.

"While raising your hands, don't forget that you can own the movie on Digital HD from August / on Blu-ray and DVD from August 15."

ATI are you on Commission from FOX ;)

beat me to it BD hahaha he must be getting a cut

Yes, I know. We ere just shocked we were visited by a celebrity :-)

Risking getting fired, I would remove Fassbender from the credits.

1- Movie poster should be very gigeresque. I imagine a puppeteer and its puppets with humans at the bottom; then the androids; then the Engineers, and finally, towering over them all, the xenomorph. That would give the audience something to think about.

2- Just a couple of trailers where you can clearly see practical effects and a non cgi xenomorph lurking in the shadows. No pop music in the trailers. No giving away too much. I would make sure to provide enough clues in the trailers that the protagonists are not morons.

3- Demographic should be the newer generations. Any reference to slasher movies from the 80's that don't mean
anything to them should be avoided. If you have to reference something newer, hints at James Wan type jump scares would suffice.

4- Try to distance as much as possible from Covenant. Make clear that David is not the focus of the story. Maybe play
with the idea that he might or might not be coming back, like Superman in The Justice League.

5- I would entice the casual movie goer by promising a return to body horror, suspense and characters you care for.
Another way to entice the audience would be including one or two A listers.

6- I would entice the fanbase by sticking to canon and by building on the Xenomorph mythos, including the engineers.

7- I would not be too concerned about that, but I would make sure to avoid ambiguity. AI (all of it) will have to be either good
or bad, nothing in between.

8- I don't have a synopsis yet. But I would use the slogan "Meet Your Masters"

it may not be a bad idea to take a break from david. I agree that fassbender has been the biggest success so far in the series but if we see too much of him it could spoil things. this may even be the reason the engineers have been held back. if we see less of david in awakening then wel want to see him even more in the following instalment.

I wasn't meaning in any way negative about youtubers using different names on here, just meant in a way to keep their identity private which they would be entitled to do. I don't see anyone on here using any names that resemble youtubers but im sure they come on sites such as this and avp for research. was just curious if there were more as they may have different and more accurate sources

kethol. I can accept that if Ridley says he cheated then im absolutely fine with it. I just feel at times that the fans are taken for granted a bit. this sequence was always going to be debated for the very reasons I and others have pointed out for me, I can accept it is david at the end and he did all those things but in my mind, its just hard to fully believe but that's the beauty of sci fi. I think the neomorph scene then the neomorph/ protomorph scene would have been a good 'they got delayed getting back to the ship' fill in which would have easily explained how david was able to accomplish this feat but its not there so it makes it harder for people thinking logically to believe

ali81

 Give it a go anyways, you never really know until you try, right? Forget about self-doubt, and ALWAYS remember that anything you write, you can ALWAYS edit and fix, right? ;)

TY for you comments and encouragement!! Things are going very well, and ALIEN: Manticore is nearing the finish-line, as are the two short stories that I've been working on alongside it. :D

Spot on. One of the key pieces of this jigsaw has to be the pathogen aka "black goo" and its function or purpose/what it is.

For those who haven't read it completely, Point 7 was an attempt to rationalize its operational system, which then leads us to its purpose. As stated earlier, Form leads to Function, so understanding how it works hints at the whys.

I agree the story arc in the movies are somewhat confused with the black goo material, which first appeared in Prometheus, and which is shown to have different effects on different organisms. It also mixes n the black spores when both are totally absent in the original Alien-verse.

Some other threads also suggests that beetles could the early precursor to the xenomorph. Sure, there could be multiple possibilities given the vague references in the movie script, and we just have to winnow down the possibilities based on the "Facts" (as it now appears in the movies), probabilities and logical reasoning.

As far as current Alien-verse story goes, I still see little evidence to support the theory that the Engineers are warmongers. They "likely" may have had engaged in organized warfare in their early Engineer history, prior to their planet seeding phase, but that is just my speculation. I'm just stating based on the data visible on hand, their current delivery systems, spaceships and base facilities definitely do not conform to our understanding of military systems, and personally I've dealt with a good many of them in real-life.

Of course, just like the shrunken size of the original "Space Jockey" in later movies, all these could be just neglect on the part of the director/producer, or to move the movie at a faster clip. Imagine, David having to spend days/months to crack the passcodes into the storage chamber of the black goo, then the audience will be turned off with the snail's pace. lol.

Also, I was referring to the lack of security on LV-223 BASE and the Paradise planet. LV-223 is probably a desolated planet to begin with. Only the base is there and not much else.

The Paradise planet and the backward nature of the primitive Engineers on that planet had weak to nonexistent protective measures as described in my point 9. I think we can all agree that this is unlikely to be the original home world / capital planet of the Engineers. If it is, then it goes to prove further that the Engineers are not war-like in nature. What do you think?

As for the possibility that Engineers had weather control as a defensive mechanism or not, I can't really comment as the movies have sparse supporting info on that point.

I like your idea that the storage room for the vials of black goo on LV-223 could have been booby-trapped. That is a distinct possibility to explain the apparent lack of safety measures. Note that the those identical vials did not leak in the weapons bay of the spaceship that David piloted into the Paradise planet, so perhaps some Crazies among the this (race/faction/group of) Engineers on LV-223, had setup the booby-trap and also caused the emergency event leading to the deaths of all the Engineers at the base. After everyone died, the booby-trap was left undisturbed until a large enough organism, such as humans, walked in a few thousand years later. Note: the worms were already in that chamber, so it clearly it did not activate the booby-trap over thousands of years.

This is similar to how the android amongst humans seemingly playing on their side (i.e. David) could and does sabotage the humans and their missions. This jigsaw works too.

This common thread in our discussions, would seem to indicate there are several factions/groups/races of Engineers thus far, each with different intentions and objectives. Some create life while others destroy it. However, thinking about this further, if there are several groups/factions/races pushing their disparate agendas, then it would seem very strange to me that the Engineers did not seem to arm themselves, their spaceships and their base facilities, to the teeth. Even if the black goo were weaponized, I would ensure my delivery systems (i.e. my spaceships) have strong defensive and offensive capabilities in order to successfully deliver the payload against so many different factions/groups/races. Anyway, Ridley Scott better think this through and perhaps give his official version in the follow-up movies.

Jonesy Interesting point.

haha, but it maybe a good thing that I actually turns out  to me David's creation to monitor the Nostromo's crew. I am the one who wakes them up out of hypersleep. 

Oh wow, that is Bishop! Nice to see him! :,-) (I was actually super sad when Bishop died in Alien 3, lol).

I wonder why they used him in the concept art. I guess they were just beginning to toy with the idea that they wanted a synthetic to maintain the nursery.

Those vertical hypersleep pods look kind of uncomfortable to sleep in. Why does the crew get horizontal hypersleep pods but the colonists have to sleep in vertical ones? I wonder if the pods start off horizontal, and then after the colonists fall asleep, the pods are loaded onto the ship and hung vertically?

Lol at the Brett for scale on page 53. He can become a new unit of measurement. I wonder how many Bretts wide the whole ship is? Like...a thousand.

Page 46 for Bishop in place of Walter and page 53 you can see Brett's silhouette ;)

Agree: that would be crazy.