News culture “You will ruin the franchise” James Cameron was right: this science fiction saga failed because of a single fatal decision!
In 2004, “Alien vs. Predator” landed on the big screen, promising a battle of the titans between two of science fiction’s most famous monsters and the 7th kind. While the film had some commercial success, it was also met with much criticism, especially from James Cameron, one of the minds behind the Alien film saga with “Alien Returns” in 1986.
James Cameron, who had agreed to the crossover on the condition that it be helmed by a specific director, expressed his dissatisfaction immediately after the film’s release. He particularly criticized Alien vs. Predator for not respecting the Alien universe and diluting it with an excess of action and special effects.
A toned down “Alien” universe
For James Cameron, Alien vs. Predator suffers from the lack of that dark and oppressive atmosphere that made the Alien films successful. The Paul WS Anderson-directed feature film (the Resident Evil saga starring Milla Jovovich) focused on action scenes and grand spectacles, to the detriment of the tension and fear that were key elements of the original films. Additionally, the filmmaker behind “Avatar” and “Titanic” believes the film doesn’t do justice to the complexity of the characters in the Alien saga. The Predators in particular were portrayed as simple killing machines, lacking the depth and culture that characterized them in the 1987 films Predator and Predator 2 by John McTiernan 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, we had to wait three years before we could see the direct sequel “Alien vs.” in theaters. Predator: Requiem (2007) and five more for a new Alien film (without Predator) coming to theaters in 2012 with Prometheus. Although Prometheus was somewhat successful, it also had a negative impact on the Alien saga.
