Blomkamp’s Alien film will ignore Alien 3 and Resurrection

The more I hear about Neill Blomkamp's Alien(s), the more there is to like. Perhaps the most exciting news came recently from an interview with Sky News in which Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver — perhaps better known by franchise fans as Ellen Ripley — revealed that the new film will pick up from James Cameron's Aliens, and ignore the sequels that came later. Just take a moment to let this joyous news sink in.

The franchise first began in 1979 as a sort of sci-fi horror. The feel of the film is probably best conveyed through its tagline: "In space no one can hear you scream." Scott's film had a much different feel to it than the more action-focused sequel, Aliens, which was directed by James Cameron. The sequel continued Ripley's story in 1986 and though the tone was completely different, it was still met with positive reception.

David Fincher's Alien 3 further continued Ripley's story, but angered fans by killing off the previous film's other survivors. The death of fan-favorite characters — OFFSCREEN, might I add — and a boring plot with poor pacing led to poor reception. The franchise tried to redeem itself with Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Alien Resurrection, which saw the return of Ripley (as a part-alien clone) and the return of a more action-focused film. While it was generally regarded as a slight improvement over Alien 3, many fans, myself included, still prefer 20th Century Fox had stopped after Cameron's Aliens.

So forgive me if I can't contain my excitement when I hear Blomkamp say he wants his film to "feel like it's literally the genetic sibling of Aliens," driving home the point, "So it's Alien, Aliens, and then this movie."

"I would love to take Ripley out of orbiting around in space, and give a proper finish to her story," Weaver said.

"It's a Freudian nightmare. That element to me is what is so appealing," said Blomkamp, suggesting his film might embrace the original's horror elements. "To try to put the audience on the edge of their seat, in a traditional 'monster stalking you in a dark corridor way."

I guess it's a blow to fans of the recent sequels, but now that I think about it I don't know anyone that's a fan of Alien 3 or Resurrection, so screw it. Return to the roots, Blomkamp! You've got my support.

[IGN]