Alien: Isolation – Could A Live-Action Movie Happen?

02.01.2024 - 10:15 / fortressofsolitude.co.za / Ridley Scott / James Cameron / Ellen Ripley

Ever since its release, fans have been asking for a live-action movie adaptation of Alien: Isolation. Ridley Scott and Disney, are you paying attention?

Alien Movie Franchise: Can It Be Saved?

We all know that movies based on video games can be somewhat… subpar, to say the least. The same rule also applies to game tie-ins of popular films: they’re usually found in the bargain bin just weeks after release. However, some exceptions prove that, while most movie tie-in games tend to be terrible, they can be truly exceptional with a little bit of passion from their developers.

A case in point is Creative Assembly’s spectacular Alien: Isolation.

Released in 2014, Alien: Isolation is the proper Alien movie sequel that we never got: a game that emphasizes the survival horror of the franchise, staying away from James Cameron’s approach to the Xenomorphs.

While 1986’s Aliens is famous (or infamous, depending on your preference) for turning the slow-paced horror of the first movie into an impressive action film, Alien: Isolation feels more like the sequel that we never got in the live-action movie franchise.

Taking place fifteen years after the events of the original movie, Alien: Isolation stars Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley. The decision to have Amanda as the protagonist is definitely a treat to die-hard Alien fans since the only piece of information we ever got about Ellen’s daughter was that she passed old age by the time of Aliens.

The way the game handles horror is simply phenomenal: players can truly experience the fear of having to deal with an invincible killing machine from outer space in the first person. Gone are Cameron’s bug-like aliens, and in comes the classic Xenomorph that can resist any sort of punishment without even so much as flinching.

Prometheus: The Complete Fire And Stone Review – An Epic Crossover Event

In recent years, the Alien movie franchise has taken a bit of a nosedive. Not only have Prometheus and Alien: Covenant rewritten the origins of the Xenomorph species, but they’ve also done everything in their power to strip the creature from its once fascinating mystery.

As you might know, there’s no better way of ruining a horror character than explaining its origins. The dark and unknown nature of the Xenomorph in the first movie has an energy that’s unmatched in every subsequent film – but that mystique is restored in Isolation’s gripping narrative.

Even though Alien: Isolation’s plot lacks the usual metaphysical dilemmas and contrived philosophical issues that seem to be Ridley Scott’s predominant focus these days, the game still has a focused narrative that’s ripe for a live-action movie adaptation. Since this is not an open-world game or any sort of complex RPG, adapting Isol