:-)
- Thread starter Dark Jedi
- Start date
Zepp
Interstellar Buccaneer
The plural of Matrix is Matrices...
The second one was too much boom not enough reason... They also used the digital double stuff that ILM pioneered but still looks like, well it looks like something that rhymes with cap... So the entire Neo v. Smiths fight was too long and the overuse of digital doubles ruined it. One of the things that made Matrix was the skilled use of wire-work, they replaced the cool wire work with special effects and the movie loses its magic. That and shifting the focus from story to action killed the whole second movie.
Barada
Saboteur
Empire is my fave SW movie, followed by ANH, Clones, Jedi, and Menace.
Who cares if the Aliens vs. Predator movie is based on a comic book? The concept is cool, and I am anxiously awaiting it.
As far as the Matrix goes, the first was good. That's it. Not great, but good. It was overhyped, just like that waste of film Spiderman, but at least was better. However, I got so sick of hearing about the movie, I lost interest and have no intention of seeing either sequel until it arrives on The Movie Network (Canada's answer to HBO).
Barada
Who cares if the Aliens vs. Predator movie is based on a comic book? The concept is cool, and I am anxiously awaiting it.
As far as the Matrix goes, the first was good. That's it. Not great, but good. It was overhyped, just like that waste of film Spiderman, but at least was better. However, I got so sick of hearing about the movie, I lost interest and have no intention of seeing either sequel until it arrives on The Movie Network (Canada's answer to HBO).
Barada
Darth Aussie
Australian Sith Lord
Aliens Vs Predator...well will wait and see when it comes out to reserve judgement then. Cool concept though, hopefully will be good...
Nightwing
New Recruit
spoiler warning: AvP plot
The script (with revisions by Shane Salerno) begins with the massacre of a Northern Cambodian hunting party in 2000 B.C. by what we first assume, given the dense jungle setting, is a predator. Get ready for that perception shift, kids… it’s actually an ALIEN!!! (Please, contain your excitement!) It dispatches each member of the party with the brutal alacrity we’ve come to expect from these nasty xenomorphs, and is about to finish off the alpha male when it’s struck suddenly by an optical blast. There’s that predator we were expecting. With the Alien badly wounded, the predator steps into view, pulls out its twin blades, and slings them into the dying beast. Cut to opening credits.
Not exactly pulse-quickening stuff, but you better get used to it; the script is shot through with this determined lack of invention. Following this pre-credit “grabber”, Anderson then takes us to a receiving station owned by Weyland Industries (as of this draft, “The Company” is completely M.I.A.), where bored satellite technicians suddenly make an alarming discovery in some remote area of the globe; thus, setting in motion the global roundup of our dramatis personae.
First, we meet ALEXIA “LEX” KLINE (to be played by the lovely Sanaa Lathan), a fearless environmental activist whose research holiday in the Alaskan National Park is interrupted by a phone call informing her that Weyland Industries – in particular, Weyland himself – has offered to fund her foundation for a year (cue JURASSIC PARK theme). Then, there’s archaeologist SEBASTIAN WELLS, a rugged ladies man who’s whisked away from a disastrous dig in Mexico just as its being taken over by his unprincipled and better-financed rival, BELLOQ—er, VERHEIDEN. Finally, we swing down to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to pick up GRAHAM MILLER, a geeky chemical engineer who isn’t keen on leaving the office.
They’re all deposited on an ice breaker setting sail for Antarctica where they’re introduced to billionaire industrialist CHARLES WEYLAND (to be played by Lance Henriksen in a shameless attempt to court fanboy goodwill and to derail pre-production for THE MANGLER 3: WHY, YAHWEH, WHY?), who briefs them on the reason for their hasty assemblage. A sudden “heat bloom” under the ice of Antarctica allowed Weyland’s satellites to pick up what appear to be the outline of a system of pyramids. If true, this could validate Wells’s assertion that the seemingly disparate ancient peoples of South America, Africa and Asia all grew out of a master culture that might have existed on this southernmost continent before it froze over. This is all disputed by Verheiden, who, much to Wells’s consternation, has been brought along for the ride to spice up the proceedings before predators start fighting Aliens.
Speaking of which, it’s about this time that we cut to a predator spacecraft that just so happens to be keeping tabs on Weyland’s icebreaker. The hunt is about to begin.
Upon reaching Antarctica, Lex leads the team to the spot where Weyland’s deep core drillers will break through the icy surface, detonate a nuclear weapon, and save the Earth from certain destruction. Oh, silly me, that’s THE SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN! Actually, the drilling team finds that their work has suspiciously already been done for them, and at a level of precision heretofore unseen by Weyland’s men. Worrying that a competing concern has beaten them to the punch, the group bravely descends 2,000 feet below the surface. Sure enough, they find their pyramids. But, rather unexpectedly, they also find hundreds of human skeletons (one of which, it appears, had something burst out of its ribcage). As they venture further into the pyramid, they enter into a sarcophagus chamber where they find a cache of bizarre, far-from-primitive weapons; i.e., predator guns. Though Sebastian cautions against removing these artifacts, Verheiden, ever the glory seeker, swipes one of the guns from the sarcophagus. Suddenly, the pyramid begins to transform itself, setting in motion a chain reaction that reaches into yet another chamber where a captive QUEEN ALIEN is hauled out of a vapor pool by a system of chains. Right away, the “*****” starts laying eggs. It’s about to be somebody’s ass.
The action of the above paragraph is intercut with the happenings 2,000 feet above, where the predator spacecraft lands, leading to the subsequent and very swift massacre of the roughnecks. But when the predators hit the Pyramid, they’re alarmed to find that the Alien birthing process has already commenced. Whatever they’re up to, these pesky humans have thrown a big ol’ acid bleeding wrench into their plans. This sets up a mayhem-filled third act that pits Aliens vs. predators vs. Humans vs. The Audience’s Intelligence.
While I’m a fan of the first predator film, I’ve never really felt that the title was worthy of the franchise. As for ALIEN, I firmly believe that the series should’ve ended at three, which, warts and all, still managed to give Ripley a dour, but beautiful sendoff. Had predator 2 been a continuation of Dutch’s story – his survival making him something of a prized pelt to other predators – maybe I would’ve cared. Better yet, had anyone other than Stephen Hopkins directed the film, maybe it would’ve had an outside chance at being watchable. In any event, what I’m saying is that these franchises both feel like they’ve gone one installment too many. It’s strictly about a quick score at the box office now. Judging from this script, I think it’s fair to say that Anderson’s only in it for the money, too.
The characterizations are beyond stock, with only Weyland resonating thanks to a subplot that has him hiding his rapidly deteriorating health from the rest of the team. Lex is just a standard tough chick, though Anderson nicely undercuts the character by giving her a romantic past with the repulsive Verheiden. Meanwhile, as I’ve alluded to above, the story is little more than a cobbling together of greatest hits from other, better films, sparing the writer(s) the horrible burden of conjuring up a halfway original idea.
Though there’s no shortage of Alien and predator throw-downs in the third act, what I think will piss off the fans is the way this script thoroughly ignores the lore of the previous films. This is particularly irksome with regards to the ALIEN franchise, though I guess we can just chalk it up as horribly ironic that “The Company” had to go all that way into space to find an Alien when there was a well-preserved Queen just hanging out in Antarctica for reasons that I’ll avoid spoiling, but… Christ, what a stupid idea! That the script ends with the suggestion that Aliens might wind up stalking the Earth in what is supposed to be the present day... can you say “goodbye series continuity”?
The script (with revisions by Shane Salerno) begins with the massacre of a Northern Cambodian hunting party in 2000 B.C. by what we first assume, given the dense jungle setting, is a predator. Get ready for that perception shift, kids… it’s actually an ALIEN!!! (Please, contain your excitement!) It dispatches each member of the party with the brutal alacrity we’ve come to expect from these nasty xenomorphs, and is about to finish off the alpha male when it’s struck suddenly by an optical blast. There’s that predator we were expecting. With the Alien badly wounded, the predator steps into view, pulls out its twin blades, and slings them into the dying beast. Cut to opening credits.
Not exactly pulse-quickening stuff, but you better get used to it; the script is shot through with this determined lack of invention. Following this pre-credit “grabber”, Anderson then takes us to a receiving station owned by Weyland Industries (as of this draft, “The Company” is completely M.I.A.), where bored satellite technicians suddenly make an alarming discovery in some remote area of the globe; thus, setting in motion the global roundup of our dramatis personae.
First, we meet ALEXIA “LEX” KLINE (to be played by the lovely Sanaa Lathan), a fearless environmental activist whose research holiday in the Alaskan National Park is interrupted by a phone call informing her that Weyland Industries – in particular, Weyland himself – has offered to fund her foundation for a year (cue JURASSIC PARK theme). Then, there’s archaeologist SEBASTIAN WELLS, a rugged ladies man who’s whisked away from a disastrous dig in Mexico just as its being taken over by his unprincipled and better-financed rival, BELLOQ—er, VERHEIDEN. Finally, we swing down to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to pick up GRAHAM MILLER, a geeky chemical engineer who isn’t keen on leaving the office.
They’re all deposited on an ice breaker setting sail for Antarctica where they’re introduced to billionaire industrialist CHARLES WEYLAND (to be played by Lance Henriksen in a shameless attempt to court fanboy goodwill and to derail pre-production for THE MANGLER 3: WHY, YAHWEH, WHY?), who briefs them on the reason for their hasty assemblage. A sudden “heat bloom” under the ice of Antarctica allowed Weyland’s satellites to pick up what appear to be the outline of a system of pyramids. If true, this could validate Wells’s assertion that the seemingly disparate ancient peoples of South America, Africa and Asia all grew out of a master culture that might have existed on this southernmost continent before it froze over. This is all disputed by Verheiden, who, much to Wells’s consternation, has been brought along for the ride to spice up the proceedings before predators start fighting Aliens.
Speaking of which, it’s about this time that we cut to a predator spacecraft that just so happens to be keeping tabs on Weyland’s icebreaker. The hunt is about to begin.
Upon reaching Antarctica, Lex leads the team to the spot where Weyland’s deep core drillers will break through the icy surface, detonate a nuclear weapon, and save the Earth from certain destruction. Oh, silly me, that’s THE SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN! Actually, the drilling team finds that their work has suspiciously already been done for them, and at a level of precision heretofore unseen by Weyland’s men. Worrying that a competing concern has beaten them to the punch, the group bravely descends 2,000 feet below the surface. Sure enough, they find their pyramids. But, rather unexpectedly, they also find hundreds of human skeletons (one of which, it appears, had something burst out of its ribcage). As they venture further into the pyramid, they enter into a sarcophagus chamber where they find a cache of bizarre, far-from-primitive weapons; i.e., predator guns. Though Sebastian cautions against removing these artifacts, Verheiden, ever the glory seeker, swipes one of the guns from the sarcophagus. Suddenly, the pyramid begins to transform itself, setting in motion a chain reaction that reaches into yet another chamber where a captive QUEEN ALIEN is hauled out of a vapor pool by a system of chains. Right away, the “*****” starts laying eggs. It’s about to be somebody’s ass.
The action of the above paragraph is intercut with the happenings 2,000 feet above, where the predator spacecraft lands, leading to the subsequent and very swift massacre of the roughnecks. But when the predators hit the Pyramid, they’re alarmed to find that the Alien birthing process has already commenced. Whatever they’re up to, these pesky humans have thrown a big ol’ acid bleeding wrench into their plans. This sets up a mayhem-filled third act that pits Aliens vs. predators vs. Humans vs. The Audience’s Intelligence.
While I’m a fan of the first predator film, I’ve never really felt that the title was worthy of the franchise. As for ALIEN, I firmly believe that the series should’ve ended at three, which, warts and all, still managed to give Ripley a dour, but beautiful sendoff. Had predator 2 been a continuation of Dutch’s story – his survival making him something of a prized pelt to other predators – maybe I would’ve cared. Better yet, had anyone other than Stephen Hopkins directed the film, maybe it would’ve had an outside chance at being watchable. In any event, what I’m saying is that these franchises both feel like they’ve gone one installment too many. It’s strictly about a quick score at the box office now. Judging from this script, I think it’s fair to say that Anderson’s only in it for the money, too.
The characterizations are beyond stock, with only Weyland resonating thanks to a subplot that has him hiding his rapidly deteriorating health from the rest of the team. Lex is just a standard tough chick, though Anderson nicely undercuts the character by giving her a romantic past with the repulsive Verheiden. Meanwhile, as I’ve alluded to above, the story is little more than a cobbling together of greatest hits from other, better films, sparing the writer(s) the horrible burden of conjuring up a halfway original idea.
Though there’s no shortage of Alien and predator throw-downs in the third act, what I think will piss off the fans is the way this script thoroughly ignores the lore of the previous films. This is particularly irksome with regards to the ALIEN franchise, though I guess we can just chalk it up as horribly ironic that “The Company” had to go all that way into space to find an Alien when there was a well-preserved Queen just hanging out in Antarctica for reasons that I’ll avoid spoiling, but… Christ, what a stupid idea! That the script ends with the suggestion that Aliens might wind up stalking the Earth in what is supposed to be the present day... can you say “goodbye series continuity”?
Barada
Saboteur
Well, critically speaking, you'e wrong about one point. If this story takes place modern-day, then there is NO broken continuity. The original Alien takes place well into the future.
As a possibility, could it be that the Company forms after this movie happens, and they use Lance Henrikson's character as a prototype for Bishop, the android in Aliens? Also, if the Company had sent the Nostromo to the planet to retrieve the alien for war purposes, then that implies they had prior knowledge of what the aliens were capable of - which also would fit into this story. They could have destroyed the aliens on Earth, and a cover-up would prevent Ripley and crew from having any knowledge of it.
Where the predator fits into this storyline in the Aliens saga is beyond me, but I think they can make it work.
If anything, I want to see this movie even more now. What modern movie IS completely original anymore?
Barada
As a possibility, could it be that the Company forms after this movie happens, and they use Lance Henrikson's character as a prototype for Bishop, the android in Aliens? Also, if the Company had sent the Nostromo to the planet to retrieve the alien for war purposes, then that implies they had prior knowledge of what the aliens were capable of - which also would fit into this story. They could have destroyed the aliens on Earth, and a cover-up would prevent Ripley and crew from having any knowledge of it.
Where the predator fits into this storyline in the Aliens saga is beyond me, but I think they can make it work.
If anything, I want to see this movie even more now. What modern movie IS completely original anymore?
Barada
Nightwing
New Recruit
continuity? The next Aliens film is spposed to be when the Aliens invade earth. How is that suppose to happen if this film takes place?
Predator 2- inside the ship, you will see an alien skull
note- I did not write that post, a friend did.
and justa suggestion, see if the library has a copy of Aliens Vs predator: it's a great read(there are several versions, get the one that is just AvP, no name after it)
Predator 2- inside the ship, you will see an alien skull
note- I did not write that post, a friend did.
and justa suggestion, see if the library has a copy of Aliens Vs predator: it's a great read(there are several versions, get the one that is just AvP, no name after it)
You are correct, Two Towers is still my favorite of the 3 (after seeing them all). I wasn't disappointed in ROTK, but I just like TTT better. ROTK had about 10 seperate endings and the good guys got saved at the very last minute one too many times for me. On a slightly seperate point, the audience I saw it with clapped every 5 minutes (which I found incredibly annoying).
(note: if you want to talk about ROTK, we should make a new thread, rather than junking this one up)
(note: if you want to talk about ROTK, we should make a new thread, rather than junking this one up)
chilaquil66
Spy
Favorite Star Wars and non Star Wars movie
My favorite Star Wars movie:
The Empire Strikes Back, followed by Attack Of The Clones.
My favorite non Star Wars movie:
The Godfather (part 2), followed by Bladerunner.
My favorite Star Wars movie:
The Empire Strikes Back, followed by Attack Of The Clones.
My favorite non Star Wars movie:
The Godfather (part 2), followed by Bladerunner.
