I was just thinking about the moment in 1992 when the Alien franchise stopped being completely awesome. Alien3 was a decent movie in its own right, but it did not measure up to its predecessors. It didn’t help that it started out with a pretty epic bait & switch:
The actual theatrical trailer combined some pretty good teasers with some pretty bad cheese: Continue reading
The official trailer for “Prometheus” came out last week, and I must admit that I am very excited.
The initial teaser trailer, released on December 22, 2011, was like brain foreplay for fans of the original “Alien”:
The “official” trailer came out last week to the collective squee of millions:
Finally, the “international” trailer pretty much rubs the awesome in our faces:
I have to allow for the possibility that this movie will not be good, or that it even might suck. Ridley Scott might have given us the original “Alien” and “Gladiator,” but he also gave us “Robin Hood” and “Hannibal.” I’m enough of an “Alien” fan, though, that I even went public with my excitement about Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, a film that took two incredible science fiction icons and turned them into a slightly higher-budget Jason Voorhees.
“Prometheus” has a remarkably solid cast, probably the most solid of any film in the franchise since the original. I’m not a fan of Michael Fassbender (he gets on my nerves for some reason), but I can’t deny the guy can act. I’m glad to see Noomi Rapace get a chance to reach a wider audience, especially now that most Americans picture a different actress when they think of Lisbeth Salander. I will watch anything with Idris Elba in it, just sayin’.
Of course, I am assuming that “Prometheus” actually is a prequel to the “Alien” movies. The director and producers have been extremely coy about that issue. Anyone who has seen the original “Alien” will recognize the derelict ship and the Space Jockey’s chair in the new trailers. Then again, that last Aliens vs. Predator movie seemed to want to set up the Predators as the race that piloted the derelict, although it could have been an homage. I suspect “Prometheus” will pull a reboot and ignore the AvP movies entirely (and justifiably). The project began with the idea of a prequel telling the story of the Space Jockey’s race, and that appears to be where this film is headed.
I can delve more into the “Alien” films, but for now just enjoy the anticipation of “Prometheus.”
Also, “enjoy” might not be the right word for this, but marvel that someone actually took the time to compile all the “kill scenes” from the first four films:
Spoiler alert: although I disagree with the math, they find the total score to be Aliens 53, Sigourney Weaver 17.
