Continuing Fox's gross mismanagement of the Aliens franchise

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2006)

If anyone has a doubt as to the influence and appeal of the first two movies in the Aliens franchise, just check out some of the merchandise selling like crazy 20 years after Aliens. The first movie, Alien, set up a working class future (as an acknowledged forerunner of cyberpunk)and a legitimately disturbing monster and set designs. The second film introduced the hugely popular Colonial Marines and their realistic technology and weaponry. The story line of Aliens also earned the the genuine affections of audiences for the characters Hicks, Bishop and Newt. Then comes Alien 3. During the opening credits Hicks and Newt are killed, showing Fox's tremendous disrespect for the fan base of this franchise. After the sting of disappointment wears off, Alien 3 otherwise proves to be a nicely Gothic film with attractive visuals, but lacking the thrill of either of its predecessors. As for Alien Resurrection: from the moment the credits roll over disgusting scenes of roiling flesh, bone, teeth and eyes, we know that all the dignity and intellect of the initial trilogy is gone. Joss Whedon's cloning storyline is absurd, and mature sensibilities will certainly be offended by scenes of both the non-viable clones and the death of the new creature. Ultimately, the mismanagement of this franchise comes down to Sigourney Weaver. Yes, we love her as an actress, and we love Ripley, but if you want to continue to play a role, don't approve a script that kills your character. The success of Alien vs Predator shows that Ripley is simply not necessary for the success of this franchise. And Winona Ryder's synthetic Call is trebly expendable. Unfortunately, the buzz on future films indicates that Fox is sold on both Weaver and Ryder. For die hard fans, lets pray that the buzz on Ridley Scott's and James Cameron's future involvement is true.