Google| Subject | Re: The Lone Alien theory |
| From | Keith Hazelwood |
| Date | 07/16/2001 05:46 (07/16/2001 05:46) |
| Message-ID | <f7m4lt4d1l0eot3rdeet8gla28h6aaicdk@4ax.com> |
| Client | |
| Newsgroups | alt.cult-movies.alien |
| Follows | Robbie Grant |
| Followups | Delta5Qmp (3h & 18m) Robbie Grant (1d, 20h & 57m) |
On Mon, 16 Jul 2001 11:33:21 +1000, Robbie Grant <randrgrant@ozemail.com.au>wrote:
I didn't name any names, but if the shoe fits... ; )Keith HazelwoodRobbie Grant
I disagree. *Useful* plot devices are welcome because they serve to further the story and clarify ambiguities, like the much derided "plot holes" in Alien 3. The original lifecycle does nothing of the sort. All it does it tack on yet another gimmicky aspect of the alien's biology for no other reason than to satisy fanboy purists who can't let it go.
I'm *sure* you're not trying to label me a "fanboy purist" here...
Anyway, while I do agree with this to an extent, I still see no reason why we can't have a gimmick, *if it's done well*.Because it's a poor substitute for a good story. They should leave well enough alone. Less (preferably zero) gimmicks, more plot.
In the end, it's all done to please the masses, and rake in the money.Excuse me, but I'd rather have less Jerry Bruckheimer philosophy behind the Alien series and something more artistic. Pandering to the lowest common denominator is hardly a good thing.
While Alien 3 was still enjoyable for me, it did have its problems.Granted.
Whether the alien has one or two modes or reproduction, there was still no reason for it to go around simply killing everyone.The original alien did.
Given that the movie already goes again one mode of reproduction (saving the people to be used as hosts once the Queen hatches),Again, the first alien killed Brett outright, or did you think its secondary jaw punching through his skull was just a lovebite? It killed Parker too and probably Lambert.
I have no problem with re-introduction the original lifecycle (or rather, the originally proposed lifecycle), even though it may go against A3.I do if it serves no purpose AND because it goes against A3.
Any new film is going to have a gimmick,Not necessarily.
and personally I'd rather it be an alien that can create an egg from a host than that whole Newborn thing. Given that, should any new movie be made, there *will* be something new about the alien, wouldn't you prefer the devil you know?No, I'd prefer the status quo. I'd prefer they stop trying to paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa.
Of course I would. I'd be forced to accept it, but I wouldn't like it so I sure as hell don't welcome it.Keith HazelwoodRobbie Grant
While I see no necessity for them to be prematurely endowed with special powers and abilities unless and until they're shown or otherwise implied within the narrative structure of the films.
So you'd have no problem with a script that dictated the necessity for an alternate lifecycle?
Absolutely. However, it's quite easy to make a crap script that uses the alternate lifecycle. It's also *possible*, I feel, to make a good one. There's really no way of knowing which it'll be until such a script surfaces (if ever, which personally I doubt).All else being equal, I think a script done without gimmicks would be better than a script WITH them.
However, on it's own merits and outside the realm of script-dictated necessity, which by no means implies quality, I have no problem with the idea of an alternate lifecycle. There are many ideas that people could come up with which I would label "utter crap", but I can see how this particular idea could be integrated well, and is more interesting than certain other plot devices. While other crap plot devices may be dreamt up and proposed, I think that each has to be judged on its own merits, rather than saying "no, we can't that, because then people might feel that they can apply some really crap plot device to the alien species".Uh, it's already happened. AR sunk the series in large part *because* of this liberal attitude when it comes to tweaking with the aliens, although I'm sure there are people (*cough*JEyers*cough*) who actually thought the Newborn was a fine idea, while the rest of us couldn't stand the damn thing.
What I wish is that someone at Fox, or whoever the hell is commanding this rudderless fucking ship, would stand up and say, "Enough with the gimmicky crap! The alien is fine as it is! Let's just concentrate on writing a good story about it for once!"
These other crap plot devices are going to come, whatever is or is not put forward.That's like saying, "Well, George Lucas is going to put Jar Jar Binks into Episode 2 anyway, so we may as well start liking him because there's nothing we can do about it."
Acceptance of crap only encourages more of it. Fortunately, the diminishing box office returns for each successive Alien film since '92 are a good sign that we're just not buying it any more.
Keith "The decline in American pride, patriotism, and piety can be directly attributed to the extensive reading of so-called 'science fiction' by our young people. This poisonous rot about creatures not of God's making, societies of 'aliens' without a good Christian among them, and raw sex between unhuman beings with three heads and God alone knows what sort of reproductive apparatus keeps our young people from realizing the true will of God." -Jerry Falwell
07/08/2001-
