Will there ever be an Alien 5?

[Dogg Thang]

I would have thought that the intention at the time was that he was human. The Alien films up to then have had that very clear visual sign of who is an android and who isn't. As you say, they could have upgraded but what purpose would that serve in the story? Whatever about how hard he was, I would have thought that the red blood being revealed was to show us that he really was human. Otherwise there's not really any point in having his ear hang off at all.

However, the intention at the time and what they believe now seem to be two different things.

[MonkeyWrench]

I would have thought the whole point was deceive Ripley, familiar face and all? I just think it's strange he was credited as Bishop II instead of the supposed characters name.

[Dogg Thang]

Yes, your credit point is very valid. But, in asking what purpose it would serve, I don't mean how would it benefit the corporation in that situation. I'm asking how it would benefit the writers and filmmakers?

In the scene, we have someone claiming to be a human who could well be a robot. Which is he? By cutting him open, the filmmakers can answer that question. White blood=robot. Red blood=human. To cut him open, show red blood but intend him to be a robot after all really just leads to confusion and wouldn't make it worth their while cutting him at all. If the intention was to be ambiguous they simply could have not opened him up.

From a writing perspective, I can't imagine that the intention was to have him anything other than human.

Obviously, I don't know that for certain though.


Edit: In fact, thinking about it now, if the aim was to show he was human it could well mean that the point of the credit was not to give the game away. Credit lists are always out well before the film.

[MonkeyWrench]

I'm not arsed what the writers intention was really, I just believe, since the first day I saw the film at the cinema, he was an android. There's information that supports both sides, so who knows?

[NecronomiconUK]

I'm almost certain that somewhere in the special features it's states that he is human. I think the issue is made a lot clearer in the special cut in the box set. And of course, red blood = human this fact is made very intentionally.

[Leon Retro]

I'm a fan, not an obsessive!

Maybe I need to read-up on all the details, because I obviously don't know enough about my favourite series.

Maybe it's because I love Aliens so much, and have watched it the most. Alien is the one I've only watched a few times, and as a kid, I didn't really get the details.


I'm still interested in how the Aliens came to be? Does anyone know who created them, or where they are from?


Despite the obvious plot details that contradict the impression that Ripley was gradually journeying back to Earth through the movies, I still feel that is the impression I and many others got from the Quadrilogy. Especially the fact that Ripley is close to Earth in AR, and as someone pointed out she does land on the planet at the end of the Directors Cut.

This journey back to Earth signifies to me the need for a final film set on Earth. A final show-down, and a fitting way for Ripley to help save humanity and live the final part of her life at home and free.

Sigourney is still looking o.k. I think she could pull it off.

Maybe it doesn't have to be as ambitious as showing a global Alien attack. Look at War Of The Worlds. It was a widespread attack, but only concentrated on Cruise and his events.

I can only hope I get a nice surprise soon, or next year. The right script, director, and commitment, could result in a thrilling finale to an excellent series!

With regards to Alien3, and some people saying that should have been the end, I can only say that would have sucked big time. There has always been a strong desire within me to see a triumphant conclusion. The Aliens reach Earth, and Ripley has one final show-down!


I have my fingers crossed!

[NecronomiconUK]

See, this is my problem. I'm a major fan of the series but I think that the problem is that somewhere along the line the essence of the original story got diluted. My favorite in the series is Alien for everything it brought to the sci-fi genre and how well screwed together it is. Alien is NOT about Ripley, yes she became the heroine due to the circumstances but the drive of the story was the creature and The Company's wish to take control of the organism. All this stuff about Ripley being the driving force of the saga is horse **** in my opinion and it led to the Sigorney becoming the exec producer, the problems that happened during the development of Alien3 and of course the abortive indulgent BS that was Alien Reserection.

Personally i think the series was on a downward slope after the end of Alien. Where Aliens is a fantastic action film (and i love it to bits because of that) it does shaft Geiger's vision of the Alien life-cycle and turns a totally unique species into a termite colony. Which is why i hope and pray that they do a reboot of the franchise, go back to the roots of what made the original so incredible and discover where the Alien came from...

[Concept]

To go back to the roots of alien you have to abandon the sci-fi and think of what the creature means in terms of metaphor. The original film was successful because the alien symbolised our instinctive impulses out of control and without sense of morality. Factor that in to the claustrophoblic isolated interior and you have the recipe for a horror film with sci-fi bits on top, not the other way around. Aliens lost all that, but to my mind where Aliens is successful (and it shares this with Alien) is in building tension. The first hour of both films is alll about setting the scene and putting all the pieces expertly into play.

Alien is a horror film. Aliens is a war film. They weren't meant to be like each other.

I do agree though that if there was to be a final Alien film, they should either go balls out epic and have a full scale alien colonisation of Earth, or keep set it on an isolated planet and try and bring back the psychological/sinister elements which the original played so well on during the 70s heyday.

[NecronomiconUK]

I really liked Alien3, unfortunately the puppet effects and some dodgy editing stopped it from being scary. I once again URGE people to watch the massively extended cut on the Quadrology box set.

You touched on another key point, the first 3 Alien films were smart... They delayed the creature reveals until well into the film to try and build tension (lets ignor the Spec Edition of Aliens for a mo, there's a reason the Newt scene was cut). Whereas Resurrection played the card far too early and made the creatures far too throw-away, lacking almost all sense of tension or terror (a series hallmark).

My vote is totally on taking the series to it's roots and avoid going for any of the 'epic' ideas the (deluded) fanboys want. Because if you do what the kiddie fanboys want we get horse **** like AvP.

[angelx]

The series wasnt about ripley kicking arse but her survival, once all she loved was lost in the 3rd, she was willing to go, it was fitting and her final effort stopped one more colony of those horrors.

[Leon Retro]

My vote is totally on taking the series to it's roots and avoid going for any of the 'epic' ideas the (deluded) fanboys want. Because if you do what the kiddie fanboys want we get horse **** like AvP.

Are you talking to me?

There is nothing wrong with wanting an in-ya-face ultimate climax to the series. It makes sense, when you look at route the series took after Alien. No matter how much some people don't like the route things took after Alien, it did happen, and some people are actually happy.

Despite you and others liking Alien more than the rest, it doesn't mean people who love Aliens more, are less worthy of hopes and desires for the series' future.

Aliens is my favourite in the series. It's sci-fi, action, thriller, horror, all wrapped-up in a perfectly created package. That's why I love it soo much, because it delivers such a well-rounded experience, even though it can seem like a straightforward action movie to some.


I personally feel all the films are excellent. Obviously.. I could list them in order of preference, but I won't, and will just be happy all four deliver far better sci-fi/action than nearly every member of the genre.

I cannot say going back to the roots wouldn't be enticing. I can fully understand why you and others love Alien so much, and wanted the same tone and feel to be part of a sequel.

I would be happy with a return to roots, but for my completist nature to be truly satisfied, I would love a special finale to the series.

I need to watch Alien again, but I'm waiting to buy a big screen LCD, and to celebrate by watching the Quadrilogy.

[Rebelli0n]

Not full sized things, proper puppets like kermit (sticks on limbs) shot on a blue screen, slapped into a computer and touched up with CGI, and then placed in the filmed footage.

Alien 3 only featured very limited use of CGI in a few scenes, the aliens head cracking (which is the blatant crap cgi scene) , and that mat shot of the sunset on Fiorina near the start has some cgi touchups that you'd probably not notice unless you looked. The special edition DVD version added a bit more for the oxburster bit, but thats it.

The vast majority of the alien footage was practical effects. suits, anamatronics and the rod puppets.

There were fullsize suits/anamatronics, in addition to the rod puppets.
They used those puppets because it was the only way they could get a viable quadruped motion at the time, but it's not like they were used exclusively.

Alien and Aliens are two of my all time favourite films for differing reasons, although if pushed i'd lean towards Alien simply because it's such a refined visually complete movie that works on so many intellectual levels, whilst remaining an entertaining example of it's genre(s), to someone who isn't interested in thinking about it.

The two obvious directions for the alien franchise to go were; Aliens on Earth, which is what everyone kind of expected, (and was the subject of the popular mark verheiden Dark horse comics), and Visiting the Alien Homeworld.

Or, exploring their origins if they do turn out to be 'created' by the Space Jockey's race or the predators or whatever (I'm not sure about this creep of the predator in the alien franchise personally). By the way, the Alien Bioweapon thesis isn't strictly canon in the films. It's left ambiguous as to exactly what happened with the crashed alien ship and the nature of it's cargo. Although, saying that, i think Ridley Scott himself conjectures that it might have been a bioweapon carrier in his commentry for the quadrilogy. Thats something he's said he was interested in exploring in a future film actually.

As far as an Alien 5 goes, I don't think Ripley is crucial, this notion that the franchise is irrevocably tied to her character has been one of the things that started to hurt the series after Alien3.
No guns in alien3 was partly down to her, the Alien sex scene in AR was down to her, not to mention the narratively clumsy 'clone' idea which served little substantial creative purpose beyond having ripley in another movie.

Ok, some people like to view the series as Ripley getting ever closer to earth. Ignoring the fact she was in orbit around Earth in Aliens, and only returns to the planet left some distance behind before the destruction of the nostromo in the first movie... thats fine, I think it's a valid interpretation of the series overall. But It's just something that makes sense now, after 4 movies, it's not something that was important to alien or aliens (aka. the good ones ).

you get rid of ripley, and suddenly all options are open. I had suspected thats why she died in 3 before her return in AR.

[Leon Retro]

We are all fans here, so obviously we all just want a new high quality Alien exprience.

Most people agree AVP is rubbish, and a bad thing to have happened.

Lots of people have a problem with AR, but it does exist, so people that respect its existence, really just want a final film set on Earth.

I would love a final film to end the series, and then maybe a new vision could be produced. Maybe a prequel to Alien.

The franchise is full of depth and possibilities, so if Hollywood has any brains left amongst the morons, fans should still hope for another Alien movie, which makes-up for the failure of AVP to deliver anything remotely near the quality of even AR.

[DANGEROUS]

I agree, I liked AR, but aside from a few cool scenes AVP did suck.

I would love it if they could make one final film set on earth to end the series.

[k0pp0]

Erm.. Can't believe that no-one has mentioned the Alien books at this point. I believe they were originally Dark Horse Comics, then got sold as paperback form. Based around a burnt out marine and a girl, the story runs that Aliens are on Earth, and then take the battle at the aliens home planet etc etc.. I love 'em and they even get to meet

->Open Spoiler<-

Ripley, sort of

There's also a few other spin off books of varying quality.. well worth looking up.