ALIENS Director James Cameron Shares His Opinion Of PROMETHEUS
James Cameron, Director of 1986's Aliens, the follow-up to Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), chimes in with his own thoughts on Prometheus. Hit the jump to check it out.
Aliens is widely considered one of the best sequels in movie history. Cameron's follow-up to Scott's Alien, had a dramatic tonal change, ditching the scares for more action. And by no means is it all action all the time. The characters have such depth, the acting was pitch perfect, and it's just a downright pulse-pounding good time. Where as Scott's Alien, which is also a gem, was more a slow-burn thriller/horror film. As I like to say, Ridley gave birth to the Alien, but James Cameron really set the franchise in motion.
As someone who was connected to the "Alien" legacy, what did you think about "Prometheus"?
I enjoyed "Prometheus"; I thought it was great. I thought it was Ridley returning to science fiction with gusto, with great tactical performance, beautiful photography, great native 3D. There might have been a few things that I would have done differently, but that’s not the point, you could say that about any movie.
Did it make you feel like you wanted to revisit the world of "Alien" at all?
No. No, I feel that I’m too far away from it right now, too much other work has been done -- too thickly layered, a palimpsest of other talents from Fincher to everybody that’s come along since.
Do you enjoy watching other people’s movies?
Oh, yeah. I’m a huge movie fan. I love watching films. I love watching films with the family, with the kids; I love watching films myself. I was out there opening night [for] "Prometheus." I didn’t go to the Thursday midnight screening, but I was there Friday. I like to still get excited about movies and whether they pay off or not, that’s not the point -- the fact that there’s still an excitement around a new movie, about the an unveiling of a new movie.
So you’re able to enjoy movies as a viewer?
"Prometheus" is a film I saw twice, and I thought about it ahead of time. The first time I would just enjoy it, go for the ride, not be too analytical and the second time I would allow myself to be a little more analytical about, you know, where the lights were and how they lit the shots with all the people in the helmets, how they probably had to do CG faceplates like we did on "Avatar," things like that. But, sometimes, so that I preserve a fun, fan-like viewing experience, I won’t get into that level. I’ll just go for the ride, like, consciously.
Prometheus, directed by Ridley Scott and stars: Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green), Noomi Rapace, and Michael Fassbender. The film is directed by Ridley Scott, and is in theaters now!