He wants to make another Terminator movie. Alien? Not so much.
A perfect companion piece to Ridley Scott’s original film, James Cameron’s Aliens took pretty much every aspect of the sci-fi/horror classic to a new level. The action-packed sequel, released in 1986, is without question one of the best movie sequels ever made, and it’s such a pitch-perfect blend of horror and action that it should be near the top of every ‘best of’ list for both genres.
Aliens was the only film in the franchise that Cameron was involved with, and speaking with Vulture, he just expressed that he wasn’t exactly a fan of the subsequent sequels. But what about Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien: Covenant? Cameron isn’t yet sold on it being a good idea.
He explained:
The franchise has kind of wandered all over the map. Ridley [Scott] did the first film, and he inspired an entire generation of filmmakers and science-fiction fans with that one movie and there have been so many films that stylistically have derived from it, including my own Aliens, which was the legitimate sequel and, I think, the proper heir to his film. I sort of did it as a fanboy. I wanted to honor his film, but also say what I needed to say. After that, I don’t take any responsibility.
I don’t think it’s worked out terribly well. I think we’ve moved on beyond it. It’s like, okay, we’ve got it, we’ve got the whole Freudian biomechanoid meme. I’ve seen it in 100 horror films since. I think both of those films stand at a certain point in time, as a reference point. But is there any validity to doing another one now? I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s see, jury’s out. Let’s see what Ridley comes up with.
Cameron was quick to clarify that he has nothing but faith in Ridley Scott:
Let me just add to that — and don’t cut this part off, please — I will stand in line for any Ridley Scott movie, even a not-so-great one, because he is such an artist, he’s such a filmmaker. I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own franchise would be fascinating.
Alien: Covenant arrives on May 19th.
