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20th Century Fox
Sigourney Weaver's Ripley was a big part of the original "Alien" films.
As someone who considers "Alien" and "Aliens" to be possibly the scariest set of movie-and-sequel ever made, you bet I'm all over the upcoming "Alien" film, "Prometheus."
In my opinion, the "Alien" films got badly off-track with 1992's "Alien 3," losing the pervasive terror of the original two. (Although I heartily enjoyed the Alien-Predator spinoff films for what they were, monster shoot-em-ups that don't take themselves too seriously.)
But Ridley Scott is getting the original "Alien" mythology back on track, and I for one can't wait. Scott hasn't made a sci-fi movie since 1982's "Blade Runner," and after 30 years, anticipation is high.
The new trailer is short (one minute) and a little dark. It's unclear exactly how the plot will unfold, and that's fine -- doesn't everyone hate trailers that give too much away? This one tantalizes with the same feelings of dread and claustrophobia of the original two films -- when a creature has acid for blood, you can't just unleash a gun at it and come out unscathed.
There's been some debate about whether "Prometheus" is actually a prequel to the other films. First people thought it was, then Scott and writer Damon Lindelof (co-creator of "Lost") said no, it wasn't, that the events do not actually precede the events of the first two. (Meaning that aliens concurrently are face-hugging people on different planets, I guess?)
But the trailer certainly seems to position it as as a prequel. It shows elements of the first film, including that weird dead alien who appears to have been chest-bursted eons before the Nostromo crew stumbled upon him. (The fun blog I Watch Stuff refers to him as a "space jockey.") And though they're not at all mentioned, I can't be the only fan who's spent time wondering about poor Newt's family, and how their band of terraforming colonists met their horrible ends.
Prequel or no, I can't wait till the June 8 release.
Will you see "Prometheus"? Are you excited for the return of "Alien" done right? Tell us in the comments.
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I'm looking forward to this movie!
So excited! Though I don't think they could ever out-do the first - Ripley is my all time favorite hero.
I want to see it too, but I can never follow the prequels. Because I'm thinking, this is 2011, and the visuals and cinematography looks so made in 2011, not 2000 or whenever.
Not clear on what you are trying to say Sally. Alien was made in 1979... However, it was how it was shot, which is cinematography, that made it awesome. If you are meaning CGI, then yes...but it wasn't needed. Most good movies don't.
The trailer makes June 6, 2012 seem like light years away!
"Light year" is a measurement of distance, not time. Perhaps you meant "eons" or "an eternity" or the like. But if you meant actual light years, you would have to redefine the date, June 6, 2012, as an actual, physical object in space, situated at considerable distance from your current location.
(I've been watching a lot of "The Big Bang Theory" reruns, and my inner Sheldon sometimes claws his way to the surface)
I just started watching Big Bang Theory. Who knew geeks could be so damn funny? :D
In the name of journalistic accuracy, it's not an "Alien" trailer. It says so right on the trailer.
The fate of Newt's family is detailed in the extended cut of Aliens.
i'll definately be seeing this on opening night! cant wait, LOVE the Alien movies!
Another REHASH!!!.... I dunno about everyone else, but I am thoroughly disgusted with the modern day film making industry. It seems that today's generation of film producers are unimaginative bastards who lack the thinking capacity to produce anything original, just one adulterated perversion after another..... I don't even waste my money on this garbage anymore, I get a lot more out of reading books anyway.
" ... I get a lot more out of reading books anyway. ... "
You can read? I'd have bet otherwise. In fact I did.
"Hey Ed. Come get you money. They CAN read after all!"
It's just a movie. And they don't make them just for you. They don't even care if YOU like it or not. Get over yourself.
Me? I'm going to go watch it. And it would really, and I mean REALLY, have to be crappy for me to not enjoy it. It won't be. And I will. Because I know what movies are, and what the are ment to do. Someday you will get a clue. And then you will too.
But not any time soon.
I think perhaps you missed two important words in this article: Ridley and Scott.
He's not usually described as an unimaginative bastard who lacks the thinking capacity to produce anything original.
Considering Ridley Scott directed Blade Runner and Alien (both are staples of any contemporary sci-fi fan, if not "high sci-fi").
You guys missed the point completely, it's a REHASH... "UNORIGINAL"..... But I guess simple minds are easily amused.. Enjoy the new old movie.
I'd have to agree with IndignantOne.
I might download this from a torrent at some point and watch it when i'm bored, but I didn't see anything that made me excited about going to see it in the movie theater. I think I feel that way about movies in general a little more each year as they become less and less unique in favor of simply rehashing a previous success.
"Rehash" would imply that they're covering the same ground again, like a reboot, or remake, or the dreaded re-imagining.
This, however, is none of those. This is a story hinted at in the original "Alien" that was never explored, but longed for by the audience for decades. And now, the man who brought that hint to us, Ridley Scott, is going to bring us the rest of that story.
There's no rehash here.
This is NOT a rehash. Ever since the original "Alien" came out, people have been wondering where they came from, and how they got to the planet. Ridley Scott is giving us that story after all these years. He is expanding on his original film. This is NOT a remake, reboot or rehash. You don't want to see it...then don't. But, there are fans out there that have been waiting for this film since it was announced. Stop ruining their excitement with needless negative comments. "Alien" is my favourite movie of all time. I can't wait for this.
I know the plot. It really is extraordinary. My only wish is that it be an R rated movie. Every sci-fi designed for a brat in puberty lacks ferocity.
If they make this PG or PG-13, it would be an absolute travesty... something like this needs the space (no pun intended) that an R rating affords.
Oh, Hell yeah!
ALIEN and ALIENS are two of my all time top ten movies. If this one is 1/2 as good as either of those two, it will be AWESOME! Sigourney Weaver was one of the first "believable" female action stars. Can only think of Linda Hamilton as another right now. Both had to evolve from regular women into believable fighters and it worked. Haven't seen it done right recently, at all! Can't wait to this new movie!
Ripley is pretty much the standard by which I judge ALL regular-person-forced-into-hero-role characters, male OR female. If you omit the maternal aspect of "Aliens" (and, please don't), every other aspect of her character is exactly what you need any hero to be, regardless of gender or background, etc.
have to add the Vasquez character from Aliens as a believeable ass-kicker.
Vaquez is who I want the female military to be. One tough bitch on wheels, kickin' ass and not taking crap from anybody.
Hell yeah, you kidding me... been waiting for 30 years myself, ever since I seen Alien (scorned me forever) I've only dreamt of a return to the original movie type.
I think it is a retelling (but not remake) of "Alien". This trailer is very much in the same fashion as the trailer of "Alien", using some of the same sound effects and titles.
From what I can gather, the time line in this movie appears to be between Alien and Aliens. LV429 landing? Either way, still one of my favorite films. And to all those fanatics, it's just a MOVIE! Enjoy the time and the popcorn! geez.
Definitely NOT LV429.
There is a crashed ship but around it are the escaped bio weapons this Space Jockey had been carrying. Most of the escaped bio weapons are not the xenomorph species. LV429 would be too harsh an environment for these particular creatures to survive...
It's definitely the prequel to the original Alien movie. If you watch the Prometheus trailer carefully, at roughly 0:39 seconds, you can see the big "gun" coming up from the room that the "Space Jockey" is sitting in from the original Alien movie. The giant U-shaped ship that is crash landing at the very end of the trailer is the same "derelict spacecraft" the Nostromo crew from the original Alien movie discovers with the Space Jockey and alien eggs on board.
Actually, in the YouTube trailer they included in this article, you can see the big gun and the Space Jockey at 0:45, not 0:39.
"They went looking for our beginning........" to me suggests it has something to do with time travel, perhaps the "Aliens" first evolved here on earth?
I'm thinking the Aliens got to Earth somehow, at some point, and the science branch of the military decided to trace them back to their origin planet (rather than the Colony planet of "Aliens," since J.J. Abrams insists it's NOT a prequel, and, therefore, can't be the same planet)
J.J. Abrams? He has nothing to do with this movie. I think you meant Ridley Scott. I also think him saying that is just misdirection. There's too much shown in the trailer that ties directly into the beginning of the original Alien movie (the "Space Jockey" and the U-shaped ship that's crash landing at the end looks identical to the "derelict spacecraft" they discover at the beginning of the original Alien movie).
Oh my gods, a not-crap sequel or remake of another 10+ year old movie from Hollywood? Count me in!
I watched the trailer...and was underwhelmed. Just looks like another rehash of the alien mythos. So unless Ridley Scott and co can come up with something better I'll probably pass or just wait for it to come out on video
Not really understanding the comments about this being a 'rehash' or 'remake' or whatever. Prometheus is not some vague reboot or anything like that.
Ridley Scott has made one thing clear - There will be no xenomorphs (aliens as we knew them) in this film. Period.
This was originally, in the planning stages, supposed to be a prequel to Alien without actually being a 'remake' kind of prequel with a different cast. The story for Prometheus has taken shape since then however, and Scott has said that really this is a film that stands on its own... however, it will probably explain some of the stuff that we see in the beginning of the first 'Alien' movie (remember that big ship that had apparently been from a civilization of alien beings from long ago, which had been abandoned long ago?).
So please place out of your minds the fact that this movie is going to have anything to do with the aliens we know. It won't. To the people who are arguing this film will be unoriginal or a rehash - Please know what you're talking about before committing such bold statements.
And to add, furthermore, this is why journalism hasn't been respected as honest, unbiased, or even knowledgeable material for people to follow. The title of the article leads one to believe this is indeed an Alien prequel, and despite the fact that Prometheus will stand on its own, the writer merely glosses over this by saying, "Meh, some people have debated if this is actually a prequel, but, who cares! Alien, man... ALIEN! Are you ready for some Alien lovin' fun?!"
It's irresponsible.
I disagree. I think he HAS to include at least one xenomorph... even if that's how the movie ends. Remember, in the original Alien movie they note that the "Space Jockey" has a hole in its chest with its ribs pointing outward, as if "something from inside it had burst through its rib cage." This indicates that this "creature" becomes a host for an alien at some point.
You can disagree all you want. Ridley Scott has confirmed, within the last week actually, that there are NO xenomorphs in this film. Period.
And even though the space jockey became host, so what? That doesn't mean he has to include that in this film, not by a longshot. In fact, it would serve him best not to. It would ruin the suspense and mystery of what happened in the first Alien film...
Get with the program, Gael - that blog didn't come up with the name "space jockey"...it's been referred to as that since 1979!
The term "space jockey" was used by the creators of the first movie.
Can't wait for this movie. From what I got visually at least, it matches the tone of the first film perfectly. It's obviously a prequel. I'm not sure why the attempt at deception, just call it what it is.
Because, in the strictest sense of what a prequel is, Prometheus isn't it.
A prequel is supposed to set up the events of what happens later on... Prometheus does not do that. It will not focus on the xenomorphs (aliens) that we know, and it will not even set us up for Alien.
In Scott's own words: "While 'Alien' was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of 'Alien's' DNA, so to speak, but the idea tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart."
The marketing team at Fox ALSO are making sure the actors make it abundantly clear in interviews to mention this is not a prequel as to not hurt the film when it comes out (because people will probably go into this movie expecting something it's not, thanks to terrible, terrible 'reporting' or 'blogging' such as appears in this very 'story').
The last 8 minutes of the film supposedly tie in to some element of 'Alien' but that's about it.
What this film will most likely detail is a focus on the 'space jockeys' and their species and how they crashlanded on Archeron... or something to that effect.
The closest thing you might be able to call this is a 'spin-off' as it deals with a seperate universe entirely, but it's most certainly NOT a reboot.
"Game Over, man, Game over!"
I remember the first one, Alien....I was 11 years old, and it was on HBO. I was terrified. Gawd I love it! The scene in the escape ship where Ripley turns her head and the alien is ready to strike...chills. Those big, clear teeth. In space....no one can hear you scream!
Then they released Aliens and I was once again very pleased. Been waiting for another good one ever since.
Ridley Scott explicitly stated that the Xenomorph would NOT be in this film. Therefore, this is NOT an Alien movie in the sense of the 'Alien' franchise we have come to know. Most likely it will be the 'different' alien race of the destroyed ship in the beginning of the original 'Alien' film. Does the MSNBC entertainment department do ZERO research on this stuff?
When asked whether or not the original xenomorph will be in the film, Scott had the following response:
"No," he said. "Absolutely not. They squeezed it dry. He [the xenomorph] did very well. He survived, he's now in Disneyland in Orlando, and no way am I going back there. How did he end up in Disneyland? I saw him in Disneyland, Jesus Christ!"
Apparently they don't do any research. That much is clear. I mean, the news story about Scott explicitly stating that xenomorphs won't be in the film was, what, within the last week? And yet the article head says what?: 'Alien' and 'Facehugger' in the same phrase. Ugh.
I will def pay 10$ to see this movie. I hate it when they make prequels where the technology looks better than the previous films, like star wars, but since I'm a fan of the franchise, I will let it pass.
Been waiting a long time for this. Hope it's as good as the original. I never understood why the idiot director killed off Newt. Newt could have just as easily been kept in stasis and not been a part of the Alien 3 story line. The original story line could have continued and Newt could have been the new Ripley perhaps going back to avenge her family as an adult etc...
I think the author just let the excitement of Ridley being involved with this movie and the mythos get ahold of him. Regardless of this i cant freekin wait!!! The first was a king of suspense, the second a king of action...if he can blend those two together and make what looks like a very interesting movie than i will gladly ship my 10 bucks his way.