View Poll Results: How important was the Ripley character to the ALIEN movies?
Very important. No Ripley, no Alien series
23
79.31%
Not important. There were more interesting stories to tell
6
20.69%
Voters: 29. You may not vote on this poll
So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Yeah obviously we know that she was the central character in all four Alien movies. She was a good character in the first one and a better character in the second movie. However after the second movie her story was pretty complete.
Then you read about Alien 3 and the scripts that didn't include the Ripley character and instead focused on Hicks and Newt and they actually sounded pretty good. Instead Fox refused to do an Alien 3 without that character and it helped contribute to a weaker movie. Then comes Alien Resurrection, again they refused to do it without the Ripley character and again the movie seemed to be weaker because of shoe horning in that character.
So really outside of the first two movies I can't see any logical reason for why that character was force ably included other than executive meddling.
Then you read about Alien 3 and the scripts that didn't include the Ripley character and instead focused on Hicks and Newt and they actually sounded pretty good. Instead Fox refused to do an Alien 3 without that character and it helped contribute to a weaker movie. Then comes Alien Resurrection, again they refused to do it without the Ripley character and again the movie seemed to be weaker because of shoe horning in that character.
So really outside of the first two movies I can't see any logical reason for why that character was force ably included other than executive meddling.
#2
#3
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
She seems important in hindsight given how terrible the movies without her were, but the creature and story they set up in the first two movies should have been enough to make something interesting without her.
#4
DVD Talk Special Edition
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Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Trying to make the series all about Ripley was just as much of a mistake as trying to make Star Wars all about Darth Vader. They should have dropped her after the second movie. What they did with Charles Bishop Weyland in Alien vs. Predator was pretty interesting, more than if they had used some time travel bullshit to shoehorn Ripley into the story yet again, so it can certainly be done. Too bad the next AVP movie only had Friday the 13th rejects for characters, and Prometheus tried to repeat the same old Ripley formula with Elizabeth Shaw. Here's a crazy idea: make David the android the main character in the sequel.
Do it, Ridley. Please?
(He won't do it.)
Do it, Ridley. Please?
(He won't do it.)
#5
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Honestly, after "Aliens" the story should have shifted to Newt. Ripley had her crew killed, but Newt had her whole family and friends killed off. This should have made Newt 100x more pissed off than Ripley was.
What could have been had FOX not messed things up.
What could have been had FOX not messed things up.
#6
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Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
From what I understand, some of the Aliens comic book sequels (which I haven't read) made Newt and Hicks the main characters, with Newt growing up alongside him. That would have been a much better starting point than "where can we throw Ripley next?"
#7
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Instead Fox refused to do an Alien 3 without that character and it helped contribute to a weaker movie.
ALIEN: one alien picking off a crew.
ALIENS: a colony full of aliens picking off a group of marines.
ALIEN 3: back to one alien, picking off a colony of prisoners who we don't really care about.
The first two films got our imaginations running with the derelict ship and the introduction of a hive and the queen. The third didn't add anything. The film should have been on Earth like the teaser promised, and Ripley being the main character is integral to the story. Her journey is intertwined with the xenomorph. The species is first introduced to man in her presence, and it's only when she's found 80s year later that the species is able to proliferate once again. The alien has been with her for so long, and taken so much from her. Take her out of the story and it's a random sequel with random campers dying gory deaths.
Then comes Alien Resurrection, again they refused to do it without the Ripley character and again the movie seemed to be weaker because of shoe horning in that character.
#8
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Among the problems with "Alien Resurrection" was that the tone was so much goofier than the other movies. It's less an "Alien" movie and more of a "cheesy late 90's monster movie that just happens to have connections to the Alien franchise".
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Agreed, whoever wrote that thing is obviously a hack.
#11
DVD Talk Limited Edition
#12
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
In other words a total piece of shit that was made by the producers & studio for the sole purpose of cashing in on the name.
#13
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Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
Not to mention - I love Jean-Pierre Jeunet - but his cinematic style is just all wrong for an Aliens film. At least Fincher got the tone and look right in his otherwise flawed sequel.
#14
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
#15
#16
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: So how important was Ripley to the Alien series?
I'd like to see Newt become a "second" Ripley instead of killing her off and having Ripley more of a supporting cast member who knew all the answers but wanted no part of it. Not bringing in a mature gutsy survialist "Ripley Jr" Newt was the biggest mistake I can think of.