To Ripley or not Ripley that is the question

I think she will be absolutely perfect!! Geez, just pay attention to that scream sequence. The utter terror on her face. She is giving her all there.. Like she has been completely destroyed by what she has experienced.

I think the Ripley Character was great, i only think that it kind of diluted the idea a bit after they decided to kill her in Alien 3 (which i think went well with the plot in that her final act was to sacrefice herself to stop a new Queen Alien from getting lose). I just think maybe it should have been left at that. A Alien 5 could have worked with Ripley as she did survive Resurection, which i think had good parts and others well they just never had much depth in the Story. To me it was more a case of take advantage of a franchise like they had done with those Scream Movies, Saw Movies etc. Basically making movie after movie where plot never mattered because well their was a franchise to exploit. I think thats why a Alien 5 never happened, its a risky business as after the disapointments of the last 2 films and the AVPs especially (again just take advantage of the franchise of Alien and Predator) and more so the high standard the Orginal Alien and Aliens set. It was best maybe not to go revisit because potentially you could do a Alien 5, 6, 7 etc etc etc but then can you keep up the quality of Story, Cast etc to near match Even Alien 3 yet alone the president the first movies set.

From what I read Cartwrighht was initally down to play Ripley but Ridley swithced her role once they clapped eyes on Weaver. Cartwright is sensational as Lambert and her performance is one of the many film highlights but I often wonder what her Ripley would have been like? At the same time I often wonder how Jon Finch would have portrayed Kane?

Yeah, my problem with Aliens isn't bringing Ripley back. I just think the tone was a little too upbeat. But people seem to forget how titanic (pun intended) the change in movies b/w 79 and 86 was. Everything was upbeat, rah-rah, Stallone, Arnie heroic by that point, at least in the mainstream. I give Aliens some slack for that. it still manages to work, not like the original. I just agree with some others who wish Cameron explored other facets of the xeno. Biggest problem I have with Aliens: Not bringing HR Giger on board. Aliens could have easily outshone Alien if it had gone more into Necronomicon territory. And have been a brilliant transition to a Space Jockey film.

@dallas you are right it was an upbeat few years for movies, and Aliens is very action movie...hell Arnie would not have been out of place as a marine I think despite no Giger the Alien Queen is a very nice design, but you are right it lacks a certain level of darkness...it's the difference between European vs American director

@ snugs, yup, but Skerrit was asked before they changed the role to a woman, @ the coming The Queen is a nice design. I just think the movie should have had even more with no specific queen. All kinds of variations which may have been a great lead in for a Prometheus type movie. As for the 80s flicks, they could be great fun. The first Die Hard!, a lot of Arnie's stuff, oh hell, I even like Van Damme for the laughs. But I draw the line with Stallone. After Rocky he is totally worthless. His flicks aren't even fun to make fun of. Except for the Rocky sequels. Hilarious.

She was fine in Alien as a character, but I thought it was really stupid how Aliems kept following her story. There was an entire universe established by Alien, no need to keep following the same person. That's why I like Prometheus, because it focuses less on "Ripley" and more on "Story"

from a pure movie making view, no Ripley was not a needed character, her story should have ended after aliens, but from a nostalgic view i love Ripley and i am actually kind of sad that Prometheus wont have her. i actually think it would be cool if sigourney made a cameo, not in a role or anything but as like a walk in the background person, and i know that most big actors wouldn't do that, but weaver has always struck me as a nice actress (i dont actually know this) and alien did start off her whole career.

I think noomi will be every bit as good as ripley i liked the ripley character to a point but after alien 2 i wanted a new direction . For me she was not the appeal or the draw despite what a lot of you guys think now about her, at the time i couldn't care less about her character arc after aliens. but thats just me.

@alteredstate actually you are agreeing with many, if not most, of us. I for one argue the same thing: the character was excellent for two movies but then it was time to move on. My main point is that Aliens without Ripley would have been weaker. The character's story needed to be finished and in Aliens it was.

ok well i felt they milked it after aliens but the 3rd instalment was ok i guess .

It's a complicated issue really.........On the one hand, Ripley (specifically Weaver's harrowing and brilliant performance) in 'Alien' has a great deal to do with it's success. The birth of the female action lead as well as the sudden and surprising situation in which she is the only survivor make for a film that is instantaneously unique. On the other hand, in spite of Weaver's name on the marquee as lead in 'Alien', the fact of that isn't even clear until the opening of the film's third act - immediately after Dallas disappears and Ripley takes command rather commandingly in a confrontation with Parker with Ash, Lambert and the movie going public as audience to THE moment when she becomes the film's focus. On top of that, it can just as easily be argued that Ripley isn't meant to be the star of 'Alien'. She, along with her fellow crew, are bi-standers. 'Alien' is not about Ripley. Rather it concerns man's headlong push into the unknown, his unprepared lack of caution in confronting the alien nature of the universe outside our tiny blue marble and the callous inhumanity man can possess, even against his own in pursuit of progress, greed and zeal. I have no issue with Ripley's inclusion in later installments, but it seems as though the focus shifts to her rather heavily and to an extent that detracts from the elements and concerns of the original. That focus on Ripley dilutes the immediacy of 'Alien' and what it represents for its successors, creating a natural state of inferiority that is regretable.

Its funny listening to david giler,... he on the anthology extras on almost all the films keeps repeating the fact that the sequels had to have ripley and the franchise wouldn't work without her we felt ripley had to be part of this film he says and i'm saying no you have no idea that your average decent sc fi fan just wants a damn good story and doesn't get attached to characters that way. As long as the story evolves, and becomes deeper in scope and ideas, then we can transfer our enthusiasm to a great idea, a good story, and a whole new set of characters. I mean films are not soap operas they exist in their own set of ideas and dimensions a single thread as a continuation is enough to tie in a film to sequels, and prequels. After that breath fresh life into them and keep them alive by letting them take their own creative random paths but keep the quality on a upward momentum, not a downward trend. Every film should be better than the previous generation like children of it parents the idea is to make all subsequent film better and have the gaul to be adamant that is the criteria for anyone attempting to do sequels, or prequels. In most industries this is the model and the quality control for products that come after the original is for it to be better . Even though its not always the case lol.

Perfectly stated alteredstate......HA..look, I made a funny.......but seriously, you nailed it.

Thanks craigamore i needed to get that of my chest and have a good rant and rave in cyberspace lol.

Exactly...I've always had this love/hate relationship with Ripley and I think you and I hashed out all the details as to why it so surely has driven me nuts......

I don't have anything bad to say about ripley in the respect of her character or sigourney weaver who i think is great but the studios insistence that the franchise wouldn't succeed without her .

Neither do I have anything disparaging to say about her....just as you say...it's that insistence that she BE the franchise that drives me nuts...that's what was infering with love/hate remark......

@ craigamore and alteredstate Regarding the franchise, there is no doubt that by Alien 3 Ripley was more of an albatross around its neck. What some appreciate about it was its attempt to kill her off once and for all, while treating the character with some reverence. I say this because there are many who agree with Giler and Hill. Why, I don't know, but they do. I would have preferred a straight jump into something brand new with Alien 3 but if you have to bring her back, killing her was a good idea. It's just too bad the movie was never ready for prime time.

one thing which I very much dislike about Sigourney Weaver was the whole 'anti-guns' phase she was going through...I mean good but please leave your personal politics out of the movie making process..wasn't this the whole reason Alien 3 had no guns? Ironically in the movie she says 'You mean we have no weapons of any kind, we are fucked'...lol