Why ‘Alien’ Director Ridley Scott Hated ‘Alien vs. Predator’

<p id=”par-1_40″>Ridley Scott’s <em>Alien </em>remains one of the most acclaimed <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/horror/”>horror</a> movies of all time. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/james-cameron-shared-alien-vs-predator-ruined-possible-alien-movie-ridley-scott.html/”>The spinoff <em>Alien vs. Predator</em></a>, however, is not as beloved. Scott revealed he had issues with <em>Alien vs. Predator</em> and the <em>Alien </em>franchise as a whole.</p>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ridley-scott-said-the-alien-films-were-dead-in-the-water”>Ridley Scott said the ‘Alien’ films were ‘dead in the water’ </h2>

<p id=”par-2_57″>Scott forever changed science fiction and horror when he released the original <em>Alien </em>in 1979. Since then, he put out popular science fiction movies <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ridley-scott-convinced-harrison-ford-blade-runner-2049-dords-meh-response-sequel.html/”>like <em>Blade Runner</em></a><em> </em>and <em>The Martian</em> and films in other genres like <em>Thelma & Louise</em> and <em>Gladiator</em>. During a 2019 interview with <a href=”https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/alien-ridley-scott-reveals-how-iconic-scene-went-wrong-1213109/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Hollywood Reporter</a>, Scott discussed the evolution of the <em>Alien </em>franchise.</p>

<p id=”par-3_45″>“You get to the point when you say, ‘OK, it’s dead in the water,’” he said. “I think <em>Alien vs. Predator</em> was a daft idea. And I’m not sure it did very well or not, I don’t know. But it somehow brought down the beast.”</p>

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<iframe title=”Alien Trailer HD (Original 1979 Ridley Scott Film) Sigourney Weaver” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/jQ5lPt9edzQ?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-ridley-scott-felt-the-original-film-worked”>Why Ridley Scott felt the original film worked</h2>

<p id=”par-4_78″>Scott returned to the <em>Alien </em>prequel <em>Prometheus </em>on his own terms. “And I said to them, ‘Listen, you can resurrect this, but we have to go back to scratch and go to a prequel, if you like,’” he said. “So we go to <em>Prometheus</em>, which was not bad actually. But you know, there’s no alien in it, except the baby at the end that showed, itself, the possibility. I mean, it had the silhouette of an alien, right?”</p>

<p id=”par-5_41″>Scott explained the reason why the creatures from the original <em>Alien </em>were so frightening. “The alien [origin concept] is uniquely attached to Mother Nature,” he opined. “It simply comes off a wood beetle that will lay eggs inside some unsuspecting insect. </p>

<p id=”par-6_56″>“And in so doing, the form of the egg will become the host for this new creature,” he added. “That’s hideous. But that was what it was. And you can’t keep repeating that because the joke gets boring.” Well, that didn’t stop the production of many <em>Alien </em>films, novels, comic books, video games, rip-offs, and spoofs.</p>

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<iframe title=”AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) Official Trailer #1 – Alien Movie HD” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cld40qD7HcY?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-alien-vs-predator-was-a-blockbuster-but-it-didn-t-launch-much-of-a-franchise”>‘Alien vs. Predator’ was a blockbuster but it didn’t launch much of a franchise</h2>

<p id=”par-7_38″>Regardless of Scott’s comments, <em>Alien vs. Predator</em> was a financial hit. Of course it was! Crossover movies were rare back then, so a film that combined the popular <em>Alien </em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/arnold-schwarzenegger-improvised-his-most-memorable-line-in-predator.html/”>and <em>Predator </em>franchises</a> was sure to strike a chord.</p>

<p id=”par-8_116″><a href=”https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl776308225/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Box Office Mojo</a> reports the movie earned over $80 million in the United States and over $97 million in other countries. Combined, <em>Alien vs. Predator</em> grossed more than $177 million. That’s a massive haul for a horror movie! The actual test of a film’s success in the modern era is whether or not it inspired a sequel. <em>Alien vs. Predator</em> spawned <em>Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem</em>. However, the crossover franchise stopped there and fans aren’t clamoring for another entry. At best, <em>Aliens vs. Predator </em>is considered goofy fun, but nobody thinks it’s a good movie. It’s often brought up in the same breath as <em>Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man</em>, another crossover horror film that wasn’t very good.</p>

<p id=”par-9_37″>The <em>Alien </em>franchise has yet another chance to recuperate with the new film <em>Alien: Romulus</em>. Maybe it’ll be the first quality film in the franchise since <em>Aliens</em>. Or maybe it’ll be another mediocre science fiction monster movie.</p>