Culture news “You will ruin the franchise” James Cameron was right: this sci-fi saga collapsed because of one fatal decision!
In 2004, Alien vs Predator landed on the big screen, promising a clash of the titans between two of the most iconic monsters in science fiction and the 7th Art. While the film met with some commercial success, it also attracted a lot of criticism, notably from James Cameron, one of the minds behind the Alien film saga with Aliens Returns in 1986.
James Cameron, who had agreed to the crossover on the condition that it be led by a certain director, expressed his dissatisfaction as soon as the film was released. He notably criticized Alien vs Predator for not having respected the Alien universe and for having diluted it in an excess of action and special effects.
A watered-down “Alien” universe
For James Cameron, Alien vs Predator suffers from the absence of this dark and oppressive atmosphere which made the Alien films successful. The feature film directed by Paul WS Anderson (the Resident Evil saga with Milla Jovovich) focused on action scenes and big spectacle, to the detriment of the tension and fear which were the key elements of the films originals. In addition, the filmmaker behind Avatar and Titanic believes that the film does not do justice to the complexity of the characters in the Alien saga. The Predators, in particular, have been portrayed as simple killing machines, lacking the depth and culture that characterized them in the films Predator and Predator 2 directed by John McTiernan in 1987 and Stephen Hopkins (1990), respectively.
A negative impact on the franchise
The relative critical and commercial failure of Alien vs. Predator had a negative impact on the Alien franchise. After the film’s release, it took three years to see its direct sequel Alien vs. in theaters. Predator: Requiem (2007) and five more for a new Alien film (without Predator) to hit theaters with Prometheus in 2012. While Prometheus was somewhat successful, it also had a negative impact on the Alien saga. And 2017’s Alien: Covenant only made things worse, forcing the rights holders to put the franchise on hold for a while. Eventually, the xenomorph will haunt cinemas again in 2024 in Alien: Romulus directed by Fede Álvarez with Cailee Spaeny (Civil War) in the lead role