Five Ways that Aliens Beats Prometheus as a Companion Film to Alien

Disclaimer: This article is SOLELY the opinion of Nerd5. It is grossly unfair as a review, which should NEVER be a contest between two very different works of art produced by two very different artists. That said, in a franchise it’s IMPOSSIBLE not to draw comparisons. I’ll try not to be a jerk, though I already am by indulging in the worst form of criticism. Also, this is full of spoilers. Now, read on…

1.     Aliens was made for 18 million dollars, Prometheus for 125 million. Even adjusting for inflation, that’s a BIG difference. Both were filmed primarily in the UK, which allowed them to benefit from large tax breaks, and both were highly anticipated follow-ups, so they at least started on even footing.

Of course, with the amount of CGI that went into creating the world of Prometheus it was never going to be cheap. Ridley Scott is in the business of creating beautifully realized worlds, and the bills pile up, but Aliens also created a world and filled it with interesting people and creatures (including the Alien Queen) with no CGI whatsoever.

2.     Aliens features Marines making bad decisions, not scientists. Marines are trained to charge in. Scientists know better. Throughout Prometheus the elite team of brainiacs didn’t just exhibit poor judgment; they were bad at their jobs. 

3.     There were a lot of things in Prometheus that JUST DIDN’T MAKE SENSE. A movie doesn’t have to answer every question it poses, most of the best movies don’t, but the characters within a film need to have some reasonable motivation for their actions. In Aliens the creature’s motivations are simple: defend the hive and collect humans for the face-huggers to lay eggs in. In Prometheus, there are huge logic holes on the side of both the aliens and humans. For example: why does the only remaining Engineer (within the first installation - there were at least 5 others, so probably even more in hypersleep) track Shaw to her escape ship instead of simply going to another one of the numerous underground Engineer ships and completing his mission?  I might not always agree with Ripley’s decisions (I would probably let Newt die) but I certainly understand them within the context of her character.

4.     Aliens elevated the production design of Alien. H. R. Giger’s original artwork for Alien is hauntingly beautiful. I can’t look at any of his drawings without being terrified and fascinated at once. It’s dark, dangerous, sexual, and inhuman in a way that’s impossible to describe. Aliens continued down this path, especially with the design of the Alien Queen, while adding a militaristic style of its own. Prometheus also had fantastic production design, but much of what I saw was just the old classics with very few new ideas brought to the table. This is a completely unfair assertion, but since this is an opinion piece rather than a review I will simply state my gut reaction.

5.     Aliens had Ripley, and Ripley had an arc. Noomi Race did a great job as Shaw in Prometheus, but I didn’t feel that she had a clear emotional journey. She did transition from “Engineers good!”, (a decision that she came to with no evidence to support her claim), to “Engineers bad!” (again with very little evidence, other than that she and her compatriots had really screwed things up for themselves through sloppy science). Ripley had a journey. By the end of Aliens she was able to put to bed her uncontrollable fear of the xenomorph, as well as her disappointment at the death of her daughter, and become a powerful woman who wasn’t afraid to bitch-slap an enemy four times her size. Shaw was reactionary, Ripley was extraordinary.

That said:

1.     Michael Fassbender does a remarkable job as the android, David. Bishop is cool, but David manages to terrify me while still making a poignant statement for android equality. I've heard him best described as "a scientifically inclined Dennis the Menace."

2.     The creators of Prometheus absolutely made the right choice making the traditional Alien creatures an epilogue to this film instead of the main story. The less we know about the “xenomorphs” the better they are, and there are already a handful of terrible movies that cover the well-beaten ground of face-hugger+terrified and ignorant scientist/space pirate/marine/convict/dog/whatever=Alien.

3.     I love the idea of The Engineers. Their campaign of terra-forming and seeding planets with life is fascinating and should be explored. I just wish a bit more of that had been done here.

4.     I actually like (spoiler) that the only xenomorph we see isn’t a carbon copy of the Alien we’re all used to. It gestated differently, it should be different. Good choice.

5.     Prometheus was wildly ambitious, and though it skewed more toward LOST than gothic sci-fi horror, I will never fault it for taking chances. The creators trusted in their audience’s intelligence, and dared to piss off their own fans. If "fans" are going to be upset that Ridley Scott didn’t make the same Alien movie that has been attempted over and over again, than they don’t deserve to call themselves fans. They should just go and enjoy the god-awful Alien Vs. Predator movies (which in the opinion of this critic should not be counted as part of this series, or as films).

Nerd 5 Follow Up: Top 5 Directors that Need to Make a Zombie Film

You've read their lists, now Jeff and Josh take a minute to compare notes (and prove that the other is crazy).

Jeff: So, thoughts after reading each other's lists? Any surprises?

Josh: I knew you would take issues with me calling 28 Day Later a zombie film... I guess we should have defined zombie a little better. I just went with basic man eating other man + virus = zombie.

Jeff: Boyle was fine, and though there are naysayers, it's one of the best zombie films out there. Boyle and Snyder are the only major directors with zombies that can run, and Boyle's I didn't mind.

Emmerich was a find! I would have never thought of Mr. 10,000 B.C., but he works!

Josh: I really just love the epic scope of all his films. Even smaller ones like Anonymous he makes feel huge.

Jeff: Partially because he likes to take an intimate story and stages it in an airplane hangar...

Josh: Laughter.

Jeff: What did you think of mine?

Josh: Let's start with Rain Johnson... I love Brick (thank you Jeffrey for introducing me) but I fell asleep during The Brother's Bloom and Looper doesn't look great. So convince me.

Jeff: Ok... This is like someone walking up to a Christian and saying "Why is Jesus cool? 10 words, go!" It takes faith, Josh. His films have a super high standard of quality, I think we can agree there, and all of his writing has a unique rhythm and energy to it. Johnson does great things visually on zero budget. If Robert Rodriguez is rock, Rain Johnson is jazz.

Josh: Yeah, like Kenny G.

Jeff: I still want to see that film, even if the charm of Johnson's writing sometimes gets in the way of telling a tight story.

I figured you would be making fun of my old standards, James Cameron and Ridley Scott.

Josh: I have no issue with Ridley Scott. I want to see his zombie film, just not the seven director's cuts that will follow.

As for Cameron.... well, he makes films the drones love to see over and over and over again. I'll give him that.

Jeff: I am a happy drone. Join the hive mind, Josh!

Josh: Have fun on Pandora.  I'll have fun being the only person in the world not seeing Avatar (cough Fern Gully cough) 2 and 3. If James Cameron doesn't write the script, I think I'd be okay with it.

Jeff: I will admit, the script is not the high point of that movie, but if you don't see it as a massive achievement, you are blind sir. Blind.

Plus, Cameron is an auteur. He can do anything, he's a good writer, a great production designer, a visionary, and his standard of quality (I would have pointed to True Lies as the weak spot) is insanely high. You put a wall in front of him; he'll punch through it like bugs bunny, and make billions doing it.

Josh: He is a great visual and technical director. I give you that. And Yes, Avatar is a massive achievement in film. BUT is that where we want film to go? All cgi? No real use for actors, expect as voice talent? You know as soon as the studios can find a way to make that affordable, they will all try for their own Avatar and cut real performances out altogether.

Jeff: Cameron’s zombie film would be as epic as Emmerich's, as rich as Ridley's, as well written as... well something, and make more money than currently exists on earth.

Josh: Let's just say I'm going to keep giving my money to Joss in order to knock Mr. Cameron off his high horse.

Jeff: I love Joss, but he can't even beat Titanic when he's flying on the back of The Avengers.

I LOVE him though... He really is my favorite of the two, and both of our top choices.

Josh: Time will tell, there's still a lot of money to be made on The Avengers (I'm pretty sure it's not been released in China yet). Joss is the best choice because he's a fan and a fantastic filmmaker. He understands that good visuals also need good characters and story to stand on.

Jeff: Absolutely. If you can forgive Cameron for Avatar, I'll forgive Joss for Alien Resurrection. Granted the studio probably didn't help him out with that one.

Josh: Let’s get to someone I know you have issues with, Nicholas Winding Refn.

Jeff: I hated Drive. There, I said it.

I liked what it tried to do, I liked how stylized it was and the callbacks to the '80s, but Ryan Goslings character made NO sense to me.

Josh: I'm sitting there watching Drive with my heart pounding in my throat! What was bad about Drive? It's not perfect, I'm not crazy, but there was a clear vision, focus, and style.

Jeff: Who wants to see a zombie film whose main character is a silent zombie in a scorpion jacket?

Josh: I understood his motivations at the time. Plus... that actually sounds super entertaining.

Jeff: Ok, granted. To finish up, what makes a GREAT zombie film, and thus, a great zombie director?

Josh: I would say a great zombie film has characters that you want to see survive, a story that comments on society, and an emotional core to the film. A zombie film isn’t about the zombies for me. It's all about the people.

Jeff: I completely agree. So beyond looking for directors who are visceral in their use of violence (which I think is a requirement) we want directors who can build their own worlds and fill them with human characters. We need directors who understand that if we care about each person, we'll care about their world, and by doing we can care about the ghouls who are tearing it apart.

To you, dear reader, don’t let us do all the talking! Let us know what you think and join in the conversation.

Nerd 5's Top 5 Directors That Need to Make a Zombie Film

Well, here it is: the first article for Nerd 5! It’s like a high five, but over the internet. With a lot more reading. And there’s actually no physical contact. So… not exactly like a high five… But if you are reading this then you’ve read the home page and know what we are all about, so let’s jump right in.

This topic comes from a conversation we had about the recent, and sadly not that shocking, trend of “zombie” type deaths that have been in the news. A man eating another man’s face by the side of the road who only stopped after the police shot him in the head, a woman who dismembered and ate her baby… you know what? Let’s not go there, its creepy enough as it is. We were looking for our first topic, and both of us are film nerds; so we put two and two together we came up with Top 5 Directors That Need to Make a Zombie Film.

            The Guidelines: 

This week it’s very simple, a director who we think would make a good zombie film that hasn’t made one before.

            Who does this rule out?

Obviously, anyone who has made a zombie film, including great directors like Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), as well as some less-great but visually gifted directors like Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead).

            Josh’s List:

5. Roland Emmerich (Anonymous, Independence Day) ­­– Emmerich is not the best director in the world, and sometimes his projects aren’t any good at all (see 2012, The Day After Tomorrow) but let’s look at what most of his films have in common. The films mentioned above as well as the 1998’s Godzilla and 2000’s The Patriot are sprawling, epics film with an huge ensemble casts. On top of that, 4 of the 5 films deal with an end-of-the-world situations, and all deal with death in general. What Emmerich does well is put his characters in situations that allow them to thrive or die. A zombie apocalypse is perfect for Emmerich. We could follow several sets of characters as they deal with the apocalypse and search for salvation (a common theme in his films), as well as have a look at the sheer size of the apocalypse. Get the gore on a global scale. Roland Emmerich is the perfect director to make that zombie film.

4. Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot, Sunset Blvd., The Apartment) – This is more of a dream than anything, sadly Billy Wilder passed away in 2002. But in his time Wilder was, arguably, the greatest director alive. Wilder is a very detailed-oriented filmmaker. Every shot is in his films for a reason, every line of his scripts moves the story forward, and every character is well rounded and fully formed. I really don’t have a bad thing to say about Wilder. As for why he would make a great Zombie film, one word: Tone. Wilder set a tone, a mood, and a style that was perfect for whatever his script called for. Some Like it Hot is a very broad comedy, The Apartment is a story of the everyman dealing with his overbearing boss, and Sunset Blvd. is a dark tale of the underside of fame. Each one of these films (as well as his others) hit their note nearly perfectly. Wilder knows how to visually tell a story, you could turn the sound off and still follow what’s going on, feel for the characters, and be wrapped up in the film; something that would be a great advantage in making a zombie film.

3. Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive) – Alright this is totally based off of one film, but holy crap what film that was! Drive broke on the scene last year and earned tons of critical praise, an intense fan following, and the Cannes Film Festivals Best Director award. What about Drive makes me think that Winding Refn would make a great zombie film? Intensity. Just watching Drive gets your heart racing (at least mine), and I was totally sucked into the film. If he brings that to the genre of zombie deaths, heads flying and blood and guts, then Winding Refn would make one of the most intense and thoroughly entreating zombie films ever.

2. The Coen Brothers (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou?) – I’m not going to spend a bunch of time saying why the Coen Brothers would make a great zombie film, because… well… they’re the Coen Brothers. Simply put, anything they make is gold. If you’ve seen any Coen Brothers movies (and there are far too many good ones to name them here) then you know that they immerse you in their style and create a world that’s uniquely theirs. Also simply put, a Coen Brothers zombie film would be the most frightening, stylized, and purely awesome zombie film there has ever been.

1. Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Serenity, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) – This might be an obvious name to think of, however, Whedon has never made a zombie film. He’s dealt with Vampires, Aliens, and Reavers but never zombies. Anything that he touches has that little bit of Joss Whedon magic. His stories are always a great mix of drama and humor, and filled with amazing characters that you instantly love and care about. Whedon has a way of knowing exactly what the story needs at exactly the right time. Visually he puts it all together. He is a fantastic storyteller and an even better filmmaker.

Jeff’s List:

5. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris, Match Point, Annie Hall, and so on, and so on, to before “the talkies” existed) ­­–I’m not saying he should make this movie, I’m just saying I’d like to see this movie. Would it be manic depressive zombies in Manhattan trying to find love over bagels and shmear, or a dark, brooding, unexpected drama like Match Point? You tell me. I think I’d rather the first.

4. Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper) – I have no idea what this movie would be, because Johnson has the rare and invaluable talent of keeping his audience guessing. He’s also proven himself to be a director who can deliver stunning visuals that heighten great performances. He MacGyvered together Brick with three dollars in change, a paperclip, and a camera he made out of a tube sock and a Mexican coke bottle. Give this man a budget and let him go. He’ll make a zombie film so spectacular that you’ll watch it five times, and so smart that on the fifth time it will still make you say “Ohhhhh, I get it!”

3. Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) – 28 Days Later is an epidemic film, not a zombie apocalypse. It doesn’t count.

Just kidding. I only put that in here to make Josh mad. But hey, he would do a good job.

Honestly, James Cameron comes to mind. Re-watch Aliens and remember that there is no cgi in that movie whatsoever. Then watch Avatar and see him do the opposite. He has such strong vision and such genius that he creates the technology he needs. Nothing limits his storytelling, and Canadian or not, he’s a damn fine storyteller.

2. Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) – No! I haven’t seen Prometheus yet! Stop talking about it all the time, I don’t want any spoilers! Oh why can’t I go and enjoy this probably over-hyped but nonetheless awesome movie in my own time?

Ridley Scott builds worlds. It’s what he prides himself on most as a filmmaker. When he does it right, he does it better than anybody. He can create dystopian futures, dystopian pasts, and terrifyingly dystopian, xenomorph-infested, spacecrafts. A lot of dystopia going on. What Scott hasn’t yet managed (at least that I’ve seen) is to tackle a story that happens in the world we actually live in. His attempts at this, Matchstick Men, Hannibal, and for God’s sake A Good Year, have been disappointments, especially when you compare them to his own greatest works. This time I don’t want him to create a world, but to destroy ours and build another from the rubble. Have fun Ridley. I look forward to version six: The Final, Final, Super Ultimate, I’m-Nearly-Done With-It, Director’s Cut.

1. Joss Whedon (Is this guy already taken? I shouldn’t have let Josh go first) – Ok. Well, let’s at least have him write it.