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The author of this article is @鬼脚七 from Xiaowan family. The only function of movies is to make life more interesting than movies.

45 years ago, Ridley Scott filmed the masterpiece "Alien", creating one of the most well-known monster images not only in film history, but also in science fiction history.

Over the decades, "Alien" has influenced countless comics, movies, games and even the entire pop culture.

There are countless works that pay tribute to it and are influenced by it. Even if you are not familiar with science fiction or are not a fan of monsters, it is impossible not to know its name.

27 years after the release of "Alien 4", this summer we finally welcomed the latest sequel of the series, "Alien: Reaper", and it is also the first time in 7 years since "Alien: Covenant" that the series has met Chinese movie fans on the big screen again.

Regarding this new horror/thriller film that is very suitable for watching in summer, Xiao Wan will use 5 questions that everyone cares about to take you into this exciting space escape.

What is the Alien series about?

The Alien series had four sequels before this year, namely Alien (1979), Alien 2 (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien 4 (1997).

There are also two prequels written by Ridley Scott himself, "Prometheus" (2012) and "Alien: Covenant" (2017).

The first four films in the series mainly tell the story of humans encountering mysterious alien creatures during interstellar exploration, being slaughtered and infected, and then fighting the aliens for a long time after returning to Earth.

All four films are centered on astronaut Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver (Avatar). She goes from being a survivor to becoming the "mother" of alien parasites, and witnesses the human civilization being in danger.

After the four films, the "Alien" series did not continue to shoot sequels in chronological order. The important reason may be that the leading actress Sigourney Weaver was getting older and could not adapt to the role.

Until Ridley Scott returned to the series, he chose to shoot a prequel and gave up the main storyline.

Prequel focuses on the birth of the alien

This year's "Alien: Revenge" returns to the main storyline after 27 years, finally allowing this classic monster to face humans again.

Can you understand "Death Row" if you haven't seen the previous film?

Then the second question is, if you haven't seen the previous six works, can you still understand "Alien: Revenge"? In fact, the plot setting of this sequel is very friendly to new audiences.

In 2142, a group of young people decided to take a gamble and go into space in search of an opportunity to change their lives. Having nowhere else to turn in reality, they pinned their hopes on finding precious resources in the dangerous space exploration and changing their destiny in one fell swoop.

But in an abandoned space station, what awaits them is not treasure, but a terrifying hunter who may leave them with no return...

The story of "Alien: Reaper" is set between 2122 in "Alien" and 2179 in "Alien 2", which is the period when the heroine Ripley in the first film returns to Earth in the hibernation capsule. It has no direct intersection with the narrative lines of the first four films.

Therefore, the story of "Death Ship" is more like another clue running parallel to the "Alien" series. As to whether it will be related to the familiar characters and plots of the original series, it is still unknown.

For fans of the series, it will be a great pleasure to find classic clues and elements in this film. And for those who are new to the "Alien" series, starting with this one is also a good choice.

How scary will Alien: Taken?

As a classic IP with an R-rated series, the "Alien" series has never lacked blood and violence. This year's "Alien: Reaper" is no exception. The Chinese poster also prominently displays the reminder "Minors should watch the movie with caution."

Familiar scenes such as the facehugger and the alien breaking the chest have been restored in the new work. More importantly, it is the truly terrifying thing in the "Alien" series: the despair of having nowhere to turn to for help.

The slogan for the release of "Alien" that year was "In space, no one will hear your screams." The film sets the story in space, creating a limited space with nowhere to escape. Faced with alien monsters whose abilities far exceed those of humans in all aspects, the protagonists of the story are indeed faced with a desperate situation of "0% survival rate."

In the story of "Alien: Taken", the protagonists and the aliens are also "locked" in a space station. The flashing lights, small rooms, and corridors hidden with dangers have all become designs in the film that make us sweat.

The alien slowly emerges from the darkness, seemingly savoring the endless fun of hunting humans, and this adrenaline-pumping survival journey is our biggest expectation for "Alien: Taken".

Who is the new director?

Another "achievement" of the "Alien" series that is worth mentioning is that it may be the film series with the most luxurious lineup of directors in history.

After Ridley Scott's first film, the next three sequels were directed by James Cameron (Avatar), David Fincher (Fight Club) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie).

Not to mention that each of them is a famous "big shot" in film history, the sequels they directed also strongly reflect their respective directorial styles and aesthetic tendencies. The comparative viewing of the four "Alien" films is also a hot topic among movie fans.

The Alien in Alien 2/3/4

So who took over the baton for this year's "Alien: Taken"? The answer is Fede Alvarez, a new director from Uruguay.

Fede Alvarez

Alvarez was appreciated by Sam Raimi in the early days and filmed a new version of "The Evil Dead" (2013) with a good horror atmosphere;

Evil Dead

His later well-known work was "Don't Breathe" in 2016, which tells the story of three habitual thieves who encountered unexpected danger when they planned to rob the home of a blind veteran. The film's control of atmosphere and wonderful suspense made Alvarez gain more attention.

Hold Your Breath

During the 2021 epidemic, Alvarez also produced a horror series "The Call" with only sound. It has a unique format and a Douban score of 8.7.

It is also because of his excellent resume that after taking over the baton of the "Alien" series, this new generation director was able to make use of the thriller experience accumulated over the years and received recognition and support from Ridley Scott.

What else can we expect from the future of Alien?

The biggest surprise for fans of "Alien: Revenge" is naturally that the series is finally continuing.

Although the story of Ripley, which many fans were looking forward to, did not continue, the expansion of the new plot line may open up a larger alien world for us in the future.

On the other hand, a prequel to the "Alien" series, "Alien: Earth", will be broadcast in 2025. The story is set 30 years before "Alien" and tells the story of the Weyland-Yutani company that sent the spacecraft.

With regard to the preparation for the prequel and the development of multiple story lines, perhaps Ridley Scott is creating a more complete story ecosystem for the "Alien" series. Even if he is too busy directing the film himself due to a large number of film contracts, he can still serve as a supervisor and producer and protect the series by promoting new directors.

This weekend, let’s witness the reappearance of the king of space monsters and feel the deep space fear that has lasted for half a century.

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Note: Some of the pictures in this article are from Douban and the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us.

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