With Troublemaker Studios apparently ramping up to reboot the "Predator" franchise, and Sigourney Weaver expressing interest in another "Alien" flick, you have to wonder, what else can be done with stories from those universes?
Okay, in case you fail to read the article listed as my source, in a nutshell, Weaver is in talks with Scott about a fifth installment in the "Alien" franchise. Departing from the previous stories however, this one may not feature the "Alien(s)" alien and instead take Ripley on a new journey. Now let me be up front and say that I haven't really heard much about this in a few months, but thought it would be cool to write about, so it is possible that I've missed something in the news since then. Anyway...the problem with "Aliens" (and by that I mean the entire franchise barring "AVP") is that after the insanely awesome "Aliens" movie in '86, they made a HORRIBLE sequel in the early 90's that pretty much ruined EVERYTHING that made the first two great.
For instance, Weaver took on the monstrous Aliens in the first two films with without thinking twice...but in this one, she seemed timid amongst HUMAN criminals. Granted they were degenerate rapists and murderers, for the woman who beat the $hit out of a super-sized Alien-Queen with an exo-skeleton in the the middle of space, those guys she should have been able to eat for breakfast. Then there was the fact that she beds the prison doctor in no time, after not putting out for Cpl Hicks in the last movie after two hours of tension. Speaking of Hicks, he's gone, so is Newt. They die...off-screen...after Ripley has to kick a million alien asses to save them. All that's left of her original posse is Bishop who's basically dismembered.
Then there's the fact that she basically loses in the end, after all that fighting, she loses. In a what I guess was supposed to be a dramatic moment she kills the alien that sprouted from her by killing herself. It was ridiculous. The whole movie actually was ridiculous. So in a pre-reboot age, what is there to do? Well, fast forward 200 years and CLONE the main character and feature her as an alien/human hybrid. Oh yeah, and there's a gang bang scene featuring Ripley and her former prey getting all kinds of freaky. That would have been OKAY if it wasn't for the fact that it basically dug the franchise into an even BIGGER hole.
So, what to do next? Reboots are very played out. VERY. And on top of that, I don't think the fans or Weaver want to see Ripley played by another. Which means they either continue with a sub-par story or do the whole dues ex machine thing where the third and fourth movies never occurred. THEN there's the fact that Aliens have moved on to a new series with predator, which isn't very good. I dunno what the status of a third installment in the "Alien VS Predator" franchise is, but I'd rather skip it. But I AM curious to know how a FIFTH alien movie would affect "AVP".
And finally there's Robert Rodriguez. The guy who directed "Desperado" and a few other badass flicks. He wants to REBOOT the Predator franchise, or so I've heard. But that seems a little stupid since they JUST put the last "AVP" movie out about a year and a half ago! So how would THIS affect the other movies?
No one hates to see classic film cheapened with crappy sequels more than I do, but at the same time, you have to know when to let go. Maybe in many years they could revisit those two great franchises, but in the meantime, move on to other things and try to create NEW ideas and entertainment, instead of retreading old waters.
*Pictures from wikipedia.org
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