Today’s episode featured guest co-hosts Andy Wardinski and Ben Wardinski in a look back at the Alien film series including the original four films, the Alien vs. Predator series, and Ridley Scott’s prequels.
Alien
Directed by Ridley Scott, the original Alien is the story of a group of blue collar workers traveling through space. They respond to a distress call from the planet LV-426 and their ship is invaded by an extraterrestrial that hunts and kills the crew members one by one. Read a series of Alien commentaries here.
Aliens
Aliens picks up the story fifty-seven years after the events of the original picture. The planet LV-426 has been colonized but when contact with the colony is lost, a platoon of Space Marines investigate. Aliens was directed by James Cameron and is regarded as one of the best sequels.
Alien 3
The most divisive entry in the series, Alien 3 sees the survivors of the previous movie crash land on a prison planet and the cycle begins again. Alien 3 was the feature film directorial debut of David Fincher and the production was troubled.
Alien: Resurrection
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Joss Whedon, Alien: Resurrection jumps forward 200 years. The film has a very different look and tone from the three previous entries.
Alien vs Predator
There were two Alien vs. Predator films. The concept debuted in comic books and the first movie cherry picked elements from those stories. The sequel was essentially an alien invasion story set in a small Colorado town. Neither film was very good.
Prometheus and Alien: Covenant
Ridley Scott returned to the Alien series with the prequel Prometheus which was followed by Alien: Covenant. The films were uneven but beautifully made. Covenant set up a third film that’s unlikely to go forward.
The Future of the Franchise
The conversation wraps up with a look at the future of the Alien series including the film Alien: Romulus and an upcoming television series.