Alien Prequel Film Confirmed

Please make it stop. Apparently, 20th Century Fox is planning on a reboot to its Alien franchise, which would take place prior to Ridley Scott’s 1979 original.

In an interview with Collider.com’s Steve “Frosty” Weintraub, Ridley’s brother Tony Scott (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3), revealed that relatively unknown director Carl Rinsch is in line to helm the project.

Another Alien movie makes sense from a financial standpoint, I suppose. Scott’s film and James Cameron’s 1986 follow-up, Aliens, are two of the most revered science fiction films of all time. Since then, however, sequels have ranged from mediocre (Alien: Resurrection) to downright terrible (both Alien vs. Predator movies). Fox hasn’t known how to properly handle this property for over two decades, so why would anyone be the slightest bit excited about a prequel, of all things?

Furthermore, one of the things that made the original Alien so cool was that we knew absolutely nothing about this terrifying creature. A prequel film would shatter that mystique. And, knowing Fox, it’ll be rated PG-13 to cement lucrative tie-ins with 7-Eleven and Taco Bell. I bet you can’t wait to taste the Facehugger Fiesta Bowl.

Random Bloggery for May 31

Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost June. Sooner than we’d all like to admit, we’ll be talking about the great “Summer of 2009” in the past tense. I’m not too sure I’m prepared for that.

This weekend, Pixar’s Up and Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell hit theaters, and should prove to be a nice change of pace for everyone who’s already getting tired of big-budget franchise blockbusters. If you’ve seen either of those movies, I’d love for you to share your thoughts.

I’m also excited about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which hits U.S. theaters on June 24. While fairly mindless, Michael Bay’s original Transformers ably tapped into what it means to wow summer audiences in a satisfying fashion. Sure, it’s loud and heavily dependent on special effects, but it’s hard to feel cheated after watching Transformers. McG should take notes if he winds up helming additional Terminator flicks. A lot of folks might despite him, but Bay certainly has style.

On August 7, another Hasbro property makes its big-screen debut with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. After Transformers turned out surprisingly well in 2007, I was oddly confident that Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) might have a hit on his hands. This likely won’t be the case. This movie looks friggin’ awful. If you need proof, watch the clip below.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The Trouble with Terminators

Remember how I said in my last post that I’d deem Terminator Salvation a success if it delivered “robots and explosions” and “a minimum of facepalm moments”? Well, the movie had plenty of robots (check) and a ton of explosions (double check). As for facepalming stupidity, well, they went overboard (check times three).

Don’t get me wrong, there are those of you out there who might enjoy Terminator Salvation and I won’t hold it against you if you think I’m being harsh toward this mindless summer popcorn flick. But summer movies don’t have to be this mindless—particularly when they’re cashing in on a beloved property like Terminator. To add insult to injury, the phenomenal television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was canceled just days before this overwhelmingly average sequel opened.

However, scorned fans can take comfort in the fact that Terminator Salvation opened in second place at the domestic box office over the Memorial Day weekend with $51.9 million, trailing behind Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. The Associated Press reports that the Ben Stiller comedy toppled the machines, earning over $70 million.

If you’re still unsure as to whether or not Terminator Salvation is worth your cash, check out my review at Broken Frontier. If you’re clamoring for a night at the movies, you’re better off seeing Star Trek again.