The first Aliens, managed to remain fresh enough to be hailed as one of the best sequels of all time.
However, that was a number of disappointing sequels ago. So, here are five reasons why the Alien franchise deserves another chance, as well as five why the filmmakers should just let it die.
Updated on October 9th, 2020: Every few months, Ridley Scott comes out of the woodwork to update Alien fans on his plans for the franchise. The box office disappointment of the last movie, Alien: Covenant, has cast doubt over the future of the series, but Scott is determined to continue the Alien legacy. With Halloween fast approaching, horror movie buffs are digging out their old favorites and rewatching them. For many, this includes the Alien saga, or at least the first movie.
LET IT DIE: It Ran Out Of Steam A Long Time Ago
The Alien franchise ran out of steam a long time ago. There are only so many stories that can be told about aliens that feed on human flesh. The Alien universe isn’t like the universes of Marvel or Star Wars. It doesn’t have infinite storytelling possibilities.
There don’t seem to be any more Alien stories worth telling. It might be time for Ridley Scott and co. to just move on to some new stories.
DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: All It Needs Is A Director With A Unique Take
The first Alien sequel, Aliens, worked so well because the producers found a director with a unique take on the lore to continue the story that Ridley Scott established.
Scott has announced his intentions to direct more Alien movies, but what the franchise might need is a fresh voice. Just like James Cameron did with Aliens, what a new Alien movie needs is a director with their own take on the franchise’s deceptively simplistic premise.
LET IT DIE: Prometheus Marked The Beginning Of The End
Ever since Prometheus asked way more questions than it answered and introduced Alien fans to weird concepts like the Engineers who create life, the franchise has struggled to dig itself out of that hole.
While Ridley Scott did his best to get the franchise back to its roots with Covenant, the continued focus on Prometheus’ questions (and asking a few more) showed that the damage had already been done.
DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: Ellen Ripley Should Get A Better Ending
In the first two Alien movies, Sigourney Weaver turned Ellen Ripley into one of the most beloved heroines on the silver screen. Unfortunately, she was let down by poor writing and studio interference in the third and fourth movies.
As it stands, Ripley’s arc has a pretty disappointing ending – especially considering how important she is, breaking new ground for women in action movies – so she deserves a better ending in a future sequel.
LET IT DIE: The Xenomorphs’ Origins Don’t Matter
The reason Ridley Scott wants to press on with the Alien franchise and tell new stories in its world is that he wants to explain the backstory of the xenomorphs: how they were created, how they ended up on the fateful planet where the Nostromo’s crew found them, and so on.
But the problem with exploring this storyline is that it doesn’t matter. Where the xenomorphs came from isn’t important; the threat they pose when they show up is what these movies are about.
DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: Ridley Scott Has More Stories To Tell
When Ridley Scott set out to give the Alien franchise a prequel with Prometheus, he had a vague multi-movie plan that would carry the backstory all the way to the first Alien film. Alien: Covenant is just a small part of that plan.
Depending on the report you read, Scott could have one, two, or even three future sequels in mind before catching up with the events of the original Alien movie. As long as Scott has more stories to tell, then there’s still hope for this franchise.
LET IT DIE: No Sequel Will Ever Be As Great As Alien Or Aliens
Alien is an out-and-out masterpiece, while Aliens is one of the most satisfying sequels in film history. Even in the best-case scenario of a serviceable new sequel, no movie will ever be able to match the gratification of the first two.
With the involvement of Ridley Scott, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant have been a lot stronger than Alien: Resurrection — despite the fact that he seems hellbent on explaining the biological history of the xenomorphs in as much detail as possible — but they still haven’t scraped the greatness of Alien and Aliens.
DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: Neill Blomkamp’s Sequel To Aliens Sounded Amazing
Before it was canned by the studio, District 9 director Neill Blomkamp was working on a sequel to Aliens that would remove the third and fourth movies from canon. Newt and Bishop’s off-screen deaths — which felt like a slap in the face to fans of Aliens — would be undone, and Sigourney Weaver would return to the role of Ellen Ripley.
It could just end up being another Terminator: Dark Fate, which misguided studio executives meddling in David Fincher’s feature directorial debut.
LET IT DIE: Disney Owns It Now
Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox has led to some exciting prospects, like a Home Alone reboot.
Following the Fox acquisition, the Alien franchise now belongs to the Mouse House. Any future sequel or reboot of the franchise will be mounted by Disney, and the studio’s family-friendly brand might hinder the grisly brutality that makes this franchise great.
DESERVES ANOTHER CHANCE: H.R. Giger’s Designs Created A World Warranting Endless Revisits
A huge part of what made the original Alien movie work so well was the incredible designs by H.R. Giger. Thanks to Giger’s designs, the world of the Alien franchise feels as unique and fantastical and well-defined as those of Star Wars or Star Trek or Harry Potter.
From the hauntingly inhuman look that Giger gave to the xenomorphs to the cold, bleak environments of the spaceships to the gothic, frightening, organic look of the foreign planets, Giger’s designs have created a world that warrants endless revisits. We need another Alien film if only to go back to that world.
