and give the reigns to Neill Blomkamp. Otherwise this series is dead.
shareI don't think it's ridleys fault. It's the script he works with. Fox need to imploy better writers that don't rely so heavily on established horror tropes. having some sex while there's a beastie running around shouldn't mean you're definitely going to die a horrible death soon after, or during the act for example.
The second officer clearly being more aware of the dangers than the rubbish captain. The mysteries stranger who seems helpful, but is actually the big bad. Stupidly exposing yourself to danger for the sake of curiosity. The list goes on.
Ridley obviously isn't a bad director, but his understanding of what makes a good script seems to highly questionable. He had the chance to open up the alien universe in a big big way, and instead he made it small. This film feels more like it's expanding blade runner than alien. Ridley even refers to David as a replicant.
Movies aren't created by writers anymore. Writers are simply hired hands and putty in the hands of the director the way the actors are. These are Ridley's movies and his vision through and through. He is in charge of the script and would order any scene rewritten if he didn't like it. With the only caveat being, studio demands and interference can always trump the director.
shareThat will be why the martian was shit then......oh wait.
shareAnd The Martian has what to do with what?
An adaptation of an existing source is completely different from a project the director creates from the very beginning. If the studio pays for the rights to a book, they will not let a director rewrite it.
It's funny how people get an idea in their head and then make all sorts of excuses about it when it shown to be not true. Ridley didn't write alien, someone else did from a pre existing script. Or at least part of one. He doesn't get to just piss all over someone else's work just because he feels like it. He can change things that he doesn't feel work, but in the end it comes doing to writing and editing. And he didn't write the script. End of Conversation.
shareNo, it comes down to who is in control. Ridley was in creative control of the Alien prequels. He chose his own writers and worked with them directly to produce his vision. The only monkeywrench is the studio stepping in and squashing whatever they disliked.
sharehaving creative control, and writing the story aren't the same thing. Ridley outlines the story, the writers flesh it out. That's how it works. The writing was piss poor.
In any case, the fault of this movie rests squarely at the feet of all those fucking idiots who pissed and moaned about Prometheus not having an alien in it. That's what changed the direction. You want to challenge Ridleys editing of these movies, then have it. But as a director he made a beautiful looking film with a lot of atmosphere. It was the plot and the characters that let it down. Something that he has nothing to do with.
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As much as I've enjoyed Ridley's movies overall in the past, I don't think Prometheus and Covenant are among his better work at all. I believe I've read that the NB project is pretty dead in the water, but you never know. I'll probably always check out something Ridley's done, but he's not winning me over at the moment with a storyline (visuals are very appealing though to me).
shareSomeone made a great argument that he sabotaged this movie to get back at the Prometheus haters. I can see it. Ridley's movies are never this awful.
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Fox is the one that canned the Blomkamp project. They are in bed with Ridley for the long haul - until he dies, I'd imagine.
shareBlomkamp made ONE good movie - District 9. His other two movies on class/race commentary were juvenile. Why would anyone expect Blomkamp to be able to direct a horror movie or an immersive environment film?
shareI will admit that I turned a blind eye to chappie. It took a second viewing for me to realize truly how bad it was
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