FX Alien Series

[sh9000]

[jvmacross]

What can possibly go wrong?

[TangledThorns]

Ugh, HULU.

[sh9000]

https://www.ign.com/articles/the-alien-tv-show-is-in-active-pre-production

 

[Seto Kaiba]

Ugh, no... please no.  Just... no.

This is not a thing that needs to exist.  Ever.  We do not need any further demonstration from Mr. Scott that he doesn't, and likely never did, understand what made Alien a classic of modern horror.  Prometheus and Alien: Covenant have driven that point home with a vigor far in excess of what was strictly necessary or wise.

[Thom]

I still want a real sequel to Aliens...

[Dobber]

 

9 hours ago, Thom said:

I still want a real sequel to Aliens...

While I don’t HATE Alien 3, I still agree with this.  Ripley’s story should’ve ended at the end of Aliens. No need to further traumatize her.
 

Chris

[TangledThorns]

I remember thinking a TERMINATOR television series would suck but ended up being wrong and still annoyed it was cancelled. I'll give an ALIEN series a chance.

[Seto Kaiba]

Unpopular opinion, but as good as Aliens was as an action movie on its own merit it was a rubbish sequel to Alien.

The Xenomorph in Alien was scary because it was this nearly invisible, inscrutable, untraceable, and seemingly unkillable threat that lurked among the crew of the Nostromo.  It was so good at staying out of sight and hunting the crew opportunistically that it seemed to be everywhere and nowhere.  That, combined with the lack of over-the-top generic horror movie reactions to it, lent its killing spree an air of subtle, claustrophobic, creeping horror that has seldom been equaled in modern horror movies.  The characters were trapped, alone and afraid, with an unknown quantity that wanted to kill them but was in no hurry to close the deal.

Aliens was a solid action movie, but IMO it kind of ruined the Xenomorph by having a bunch of them operating out in the open, giving them easily understood animalistic behaviors, and making them easy to kill.  The Xenomorph wasn't a monster anymore, it was just a dangerous animal you could kill by running it over or shooting it and that sucked a lot of the mystique and horror out of it.  

If they're going to do an Alien TV series, we need something like Alien: Isolation not Alien: Covenant or Aliens.  The Xenomorph is only scary when it's an unseen Implacable Thing that wants the characters dead but isn't about to let them see it coming.  When it's running about in broad daylight striking poses so the audience can admire its CGI or the characters can Just Shoot It, it stops being scary.  

(And come to that, an Alien TV series needs characters who are competent and capable professionals.  Even Aliens has shades of accidental comedy because of how arrogant Gorman's marines are and how quickly they get brought down, but it's nothing compared to Prometheus and Covenant where every single character displays such a breathtaking lack of interest in self-preservation that you end up rooting for the monster.)

[sh9000]

2 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

I remember thinking a TERMINATOR television series would suck but ended up being wrong and still annoyed it was cancelled. I'll give an ALIEN series a chance.

This.

[mechaninac]

5 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

I remember thinking a TERMINATOR television series would suck but ended up being wrong and still annoyed it was cancelled. I'll give an ALIEN series a chance.

If the idea of a Alien series had been announced in the late 90s, early 2000s -- heck, maybe even as late as 1st 3rd of the 2010s, I would've been very excited for the prospect of it; however, with the absolute dearth of creativity and talent among writers and producers since the middle of the last decade -- to say nothing of how these same individuals handle just about every franchise they touch as platforms first and entertainment/escapism dead last, I'm far less sanguine on this being anywhere near passable, let alone good.  Here's hoping that I'm dead wrong; alas...

[electric indigo]

Greetings from the End of the f**cking World

 

[Raikkonen]

With a kid in the lead that's more than enough indication of where this is heading... 

[TangledThorns]

19 minutes ago, Raikkonen said:

With a kid in the lead that's more than enough indication of where this is heading... 

Let's see how this plays out. I recall thinking the TERMINATOR television series was gonna suck but then I found it was very good early on and then it got cancelled 🤬

[Raikkonen]

25 minutes ago, TangledThorns said:

Let's see how this plays out. I recall thinking the TERMINATOR television series was gonna suck but then I found it was very good early on and then it got cancelled 🤬

I recall thinking that show had potential and then sucked for me. Different flavours for different tastebuds. 

[mechaninac]

51 minutes ago, TangledThorns said:

Let's see how this plays out. I recall thinking the TERMINATOR television series was gonna suck but then I found it was very good early on and then it got cancelled 🤬

That was then (2008-2009), this is post 2016 now... an entirely different -- drastically lower, in general -- caliber of writers and producers with wholly different goals in mind... for every House of the Dragon, you get a slew of Rings of Powers, Willows, Blood Origins, and other sundry sludge.

If the Alien TV series turns out half as decent as The Sarah Connor Chronicles, we can count yourselves blessed; however, my enthusiasm has been subverted and betrayed so often that that tank is empty, so I'll not trust, but will certainly verify.

[Big s]

I’ll wait to make a judgment. I was surprised that I ended up liking the new Predator. 
I kinda hope that this is more of a horror than a sci-fi action thing. Maybe something using the alien as more of a spook than an easily exterminated bug. If it goes the simple horror thing a younger character might work as the main.

[Seto Kaiba]

Well that bodes ill.

I'll reserve judgment until it comes out, but my hopes aren't high... albeit because of the way the franchise has neglected subtlety and claustrophobic horror in favor of gore and spectacle, rather than because of this casting decision. Casting a kid makes me think it will probably draw a lot of it's inspiration from Aliens.

[technoblue]

I have no issue with Alex Lawther’s casting. I looked up his bio and it appears he is 28 years old. To put that in perspective, Sigourney Weaver, when she was cast in the original Alien was also 28 years old.

[Bolt]

We'll see how this turns out. Not expecting greatness here. But this series was inevitable. 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, technoblue said:

I have no issue with Alex Lawther’s casting. I looked up his bio and it appears he is 28 years old. To put that in perspective, Sigourney Weaver, when she was cast in the original Alien was also 28 years old.

28 really isn’t that young. By the comments here and not knowing who he is, I was thinking he was only a teenager or something. Thanks for the info 

[electric indigo]

Lawther was killing it in The End of the f**cking World and made quite an impact with his small part in Andor IMO, so all thumbs up from my side.

[Raikkonen]

14 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Well that bodes ill.

I'll reserve judgment until it comes out, but my hopes aren't high... albeit because of the way the franchise has neglected subtlety and claustrophobic horror in favor of gore and spectacle, rather than because of this casting decision. Casting a kid makes me think it will probably draw a lot of it's inspiration from Aliens.

Of course it will. There's going to be lots of frantic chase scenes and chaotic shooting sprees. 

12 hours ago, technoblue said:

I have no issue with Alex Lawther’s casting. I looked up his bio and it appears he is 28 years old. To put that in perspective, Sigourney Weaver, when she was cast in the original Alien was also 28 years old.

Oh... I retract my "kid" comments. He really looks like a 13 year old!!! Cheers for the correction.

But there's still going to be lots of chasing and shooting. 

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by Raikkonen

[Seto Kaiba]

10 hours ago, technoblue said:

I have no issue with Alex Lawther’s casting. I looked up his bio and it appears he is 28 years old. To put that in perspective, Sigourney Weaver, when she was cast in the original Alien was also 28 years old.

Wait what? Okay wow, he looks like... 12 or 13 years old in that picture.

[sh9000]

Looking forward to seeing how the series plays out with Alex Lawther as the adult male lead.

[technoblue]

9 hours ago, electric indigo said:

Lawther was killing it in The End of the f**cking World and made quite an impact with his small part in Andor IMO, so all thumbs up from my side.

Same.

3 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Wait what? Okay wow, he looks like... 12 or 13 years old in that picture.

HaHa, yeah, I feel older knowing that most of the known cast was born mid 1990s in real life. Of the entire known cast, I think Essie Davis is the one Gen-Xer I was able to confirm. But, yeah, they all lucked out in the looks department (IMO).

As for the new series itself, I’m doing my best to temper expectations. I’m hopeful that it works well as its own self-contained story, and that the Alien mythology that is woven in adds to that story instead of muddling things or taking away from it.

[Seto Kaiba]

38 minutes ago, technoblue said:

Same.

HaHa, yeah, I feel older knowing that most of the known cast was born mid 1990s in real life. Of the entire known cast, I think Essie Davis is the one Gen-Xer I was able to confirm. But, yeah, they all lucked out in the looks department (IMO).

I'm just completely thrown by how he looks less than half his actual age.  I've seen freshmen on the HS football team my brother coaches that look older than he does.

 

38 minutes ago, technoblue said:

As for the new series itself, I’m doing my best to temper expectations. I’m hopeful that it works well as its own self-contained story, and that the Alien mythology that is woven in adds to that story instead of muddling things or taking away from it.

Yeah, I'd hope so... they did an OK series of shorts on YouTube a while back, but even those were more focused on spectacle than horror.

As long as they avoid trying to tie it into Prometheus and Alien: Covenant I think it'll be OK-ish.  My main suspicion is that, since Alien: Covenant ended up being a narrative dead end due to poor reception, they'll try and use that as a springboard for this story since that ended with David, a ship of colonists, and his xenomorph embryos on their way to colonize a new world and that would be a pretty easy jumping-off point.

I'd love to see more subtle, claustrophobic horror like Alien and Alien: Isolation.  I suspect what we'll get is another cliche outing of the Too Dumb To Live squad exercising every slasher movie cliche as they become WY-brand xenomorph chow.

[Thom]

Sounds like this is taking place on Earth. set some 70 years from now. And, of course, with androids.

And he def looks a little older here.

[TangledThorns]

I bet some corn bread his character will be an artificial person.

[M'Kyuun]

20 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

I'm just completely thrown by how he looks less than half his actual age.  I've seen freshmen on the HS football team my brother coaches that look older than he does.

 

Yeah, I'd hope so... they did an OK series of shorts on YouTube a while back, but even those were more focused on spectacle than horror.

As long as they avoid trying to tie it into Prometheus and Alien: Covenant I think it'll be OK-ish.  My main suspicion is that, since Alien: Covenant ended up being a narrative dead end due to poor reception, they'll try and use that as a springboard for this story since that ended with David, a ship of colonists, and his xenomorph embryos on their way to colonize a new world and that would be a pretty easy jumping-off point.

I'd love to see more subtle, claustrophobic horror like Alien and Alien: Isolation.  I suspect what we'll get is another cliche outing of the Too Dumb To Live squad exercising every slasher movie cliche as they become WY-brand xenomorph chow.

I haven't seen the YT series; may have to take a look.

As to the rest, yep, especially your last observation. Taking it back to its original cinematic roots emphasizing the horror aspect over the military folks w/ big guns blazing would serve it well. The mystique and fear that the Xenomorph elicits is all but neutered when they are clearly shown being mowed down in droves in a matter of seconds.  Too, I hope they actually portray people in a frightened and desperate state instead of the usual glib smart-assed style that so permeates a lot of young adult shows. I'm not sure Alien is best served on regular cable, as it poses a lot of limitations, especially gore (then again, the OG film had little gore beyond Ash's robo-innards), but we'll see. FWIW, I hope it turns out to be a well-written and acted show w/ at least a modicum of creepiness to it and an engaging storyline.

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

I haven't seen the YT series; may have to take a look.

As to the rest, yep, especially your last observation. Taking it back to its original cinematic roots emphasizing the horror aspect over the military folks w/ big guns blazing would serve it well. The mystique and fear that the Xenomorph elicits is all but neutered when they are clearly shown being mowed down in droves in a matter of seconds.  Too, I hope they actually portray people in a frightened and desperate state instead of the usual glib smart-assed style that so permeates a lot of young adult shows. I'm not sure Alien is best served on regular cable, as it poses a lot of limitations, especially gore (then again, the OG film had little gore beyond Ash's robo-innards), but we'll see. FWIW, I hope it turns out to be a well-written and acted show w/ at least a modicum of creepiness to it and an engaging storyline.

More important than wanting to avoid a macho "guns blazing" sort of approach to the horror, I'd like to see this Alien series go back to not having the entire cast be standard issue slasher movie morons.  Part of what made Alien work as well as it did as a horror movie is that, with the sole exception of Ash and Dallas breaking quarantine, the Nostromo crew were nevertheless professionals who did everything right and it still wasn't enough to save their lives.  The same is broadly true for the Marines in Aliens, whose mission ended up sabotaged by Burke and his superiors at WY but otherwise took the job seriously and their best still wasn't enough.  It got worse after that point, with the characters becoming the standard monster/slasher movie too-dumb-to-live idiots who deliberately do unsafe things for no clear reasons.

Recent installments - Prometheus and Alien: Covenant - contained so much egregious idiocy on the part of the protagonists that it almost seemed like they were trying to die.  The dumbass expedition leader in Prometheus taking off his helmet on a planet they only just landed on and have no idea if it's safe, the geologist who gets lost in a cave system that he'd only just mapped, the biologist who can't recognize a threat display, or... y'know... the Prometheus School of Running Away from Things:

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/06/13/ouroboros-or-whatever

Or how the crew of the Covenant in Alien: Covenant land on an unsurveyed planet and go for a nature hike without any safety gear at all... and the captain who decides to take a good, long, up-close look at the suspicious alien egg that the massively creepy android is assuring him is totally safe.

It's hard to get invested in the fates of a bunch of characters who are seemingly doing everything possible to become a xenomorph's lunch.

[Raikkonen]

8 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

I bet some corn bread his character will be an artificial person.

Possibly. The discarded prototype due to having a moralist chip. 

1 hour ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Recent installments - Prometheus and Alien: Covenant - contained so much egregious idiocy on the part of the protagonists that it almost seemed like they were trying to die.  The dumbass expedition leader in Prometheus taking off his helmet on a planet they only just landed on and have no idea if it's safe, the geologist who gets lost in a cave system that he'd only just mapped, the biologist who can't recognize a threat display, or... y'know... the Prometheus School of Running Away from Things:

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/06/13/ouroboros-or-whatever

Or how the crew of the Covenant in Alien: Covenant land on an unsurveyed planet and go for a nature hike without any safety gear at all... and the captain who decides to take a good, long, up-close look at the suspicious alien egg that the massively creepy android is assuring him is totally safe.

It's hard to get invested in the fates of a bunch of characters who are seemingly doing everything possible to become a xenomorph's lunch.

It's simply uncreative writers that instead of building a strong protagonist through challenges and interactions, they create a lone survivor that stands out by dumbing down everyone else. 

[technoblue]

35 minutes ago, Raikkonen said:

Possibly. The discarded prototype due to having a moralist chip. 

It's simply uncreative writers that instead of building a strong protagonist through challenges and interactions, they create a lone survivor that stands out by dumbing down everyone else. 

Hm. Generally, original script writers have no say in script development unless they are also hired on to help produce a TV show or movie. For instance, Jon Spaihts wrote the Alien Engineers script that was purchased and became Prometheus.

We all know the final script was reworked by Damon Lindelof who was on the production team with Sir Ridley Scott.

There is some debate over whether or not Spaihts’ script is better, but the general sentiment is that it was closer to hard SF/horror and that Lindelof added the silly bits. Of course, at any time Scott could have opted to reverse those changes so… plenty of blame to go around…

Edited July 23, 2023 by technoblue

[Raikkonen]

1 hour ago, technoblue said:

Hm. Generally, original script writers have no say in script development unless they are also hired on to help produce a TV show or movie. For instance, Jon Spaihts wrote the Alien Engineers script that was purchased and became Prometheus.

We all know the final script was reworked by Damon Lindelof who was on the production team with Sir Ridley Scott.

There is some debate over whether or not Spaihts’ script is better, but the general sentiment is that it was closer to hard SF/horror and that Lindelof added the silly bits. Of course, at any time Scott could have opted to reverse those changes so… plenty of blame to go around…

Without a doubt the blame is shared here. Still doesn't change all the writers involved showed zero skill when dumbing down everyone else to pedestal the lead. 

[technoblue]

4 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Without a doubt the blame is shared here. Still doesn't change all the writers involved showed zero skill when dumbing down everyone else to pedestal the lead. 

Agree to disagree on that last part, but my bias has been and will always be pro-writer.

As for the prequel films themselves, they do deserve all the constructive criticism they receive. In addition to what Seto noted already, I thought Prometheus went astray by turning David into the main monster if you will. 

Mind you, I don’t mind having ancillary villains in an Alien film. Ash was a good one. So was Burke. It’s just that David’s errant behavior wasn’t as nuanced to me. I was also bummed that Noomi Rapace was only in the first film. Almost all of her shot scenes in Covenant were cut, and those scenes ended up explaining quite a bit.

So to bring this back on topic, I hope the new series brings back some consistency because I do think that has been missing.