Yesterday, director and creator Neill Blomkamp showed off an important piece of the upcoming and untitled ALIENS 5 film: the mother fucking M41A1 Pulse Rifle! However, this is not our 1986 Colonial Marines Pulse Rifle. Neill informed us that the new & improved Pulse Rifle is fitted with an integrated rail system. Not only is there an RIS for attaching all manner of technological goodies, but there is now an upper sight rail system for attaching all kinds of scopes and sights, and there is also an new longer barrier with a muzzle break. So, why am I, a huge fat ALIENS nerd, not happy about the improved Pulse Rifle for ALIENS 5? Because it is completely half-ass and lazy. I love you Neill and your movies (not CHAPPiE though), but seriously, a rail system? Then you attach an older generation PEQ, give the 10mm barrel an AR15 muzzle break, and you mount an EOTech holographic sight that you can buy from Cabela's for five bills? You call this an improvement on the iconic original carbine from the holy 1986 film? This Pulse Rifle looks more like something a fan on the internet would construct out of an airsoft copy, adding cappy Chinese knock-off tacticool items from eBay. Is this 2006 or 2179 because I am confused! Neill, just put the original Pulse Rifle in the fifth film and call it good. Don't fuck with perfection. After all, remember what Coca-Cola did with New Coke?! Yes, the original Pulse Rifle looks a little dated compared to some modern sci-fi weaponry, but at least it is the original and not polluted with crap from an airsoft/sporting goods store. Some new variants of the M41A1 would be cool, or a new pistol, but don't ruin the M41A1 for us. Anyone else share my opinion or do you like it? Comment below and let me know!
17 October 2015
FWS Newsfeed: The ALIENS 5 Pulse Rifle and Why I Hate it!
Yesterday, director and creator Neill Blomkamp showed off an important piece of the upcoming and untitled ALIENS 5 film: the mother fucking M41A1 Pulse Rifle! However, this is not our 1986 Colonial Marines Pulse Rifle. Neill informed us that the new & improved Pulse Rifle is fitted with an integrated rail system. Not only is there an RIS for attaching all manner of technological goodies, but there is now an upper sight rail system for attaching all kinds of scopes and sights, and there is also an new longer barrier with a muzzle break. So, why am I, a huge fat ALIENS nerd, not happy about the improved Pulse Rifle for ALIENS 5? Because it is completely half-ass and lazy. I love you Neill and your movies (not CHAPPiE though), but seriously, a rail system? Then you attach an older generation PEQ, give the 10mm barrel an AR15 muzzle break, and you mount an EOTech holographic sight that you can buy from Cabela's for five bills? You call this an improvement on the iconic original carbine from the holy 1986 film? This Pulse Rifle looks more like something a fan on the internet would construct out of an airsoft copy, adding cappy Chinese knock-off tacticool items from eBay. Is this 2006 or 2179 because I am confused! Neill, just put the original Pulse Rifle in the fifth film and call it good. Don't fuck with perfection. After all, remember what Coca-Cola did with New Coke?! Yes, the original Pulse Rifle looks a little dated compared to some modern sci-fi weaponry, but at least it is the original and not polluted with crap from an airsoft/sporting goods store. Some new variants of the M41A1 would be cool, or a new pistol, but don't ruin the M41A1 for us. Anyone else share my opinion or do you like it? Comment below and let me know!
For me that new design looks too much like normal weapon, not like space-marine-badass gun :(
ReplyDeleteReserving my opinions for a moment, at least until we see a little more from this film and its designs.
ReplyDeleteI myself won't be bitching about Neil's move. In the age of illegal movie download the movie companies have to compensate their box office loses with product placement. Just remember the Terminator 4: Salvation – instead of phased plasma rifles in the 40watt range the resistance are using tacticool M-4 with all sort of attachment. Alien 5 can't have GM logo on the colonial APS (can it?) so the closest the product placement department can have are those mounting rails as an advertisement space for gun accessories …
ReplyDeleteYoel
Picatinny rails are a good idea, but going that route they should get rid of the carrying handle. Then mount some sort of cool looking SF optics on top, not something I could buy today for my AR. That's just too 21st century. Same for the flash hider.
ReplyDeleteBlomkamp had some cool looking weapons in District 9. Maybe there will be better props for production. This could be just a mock up using what they had on hand.
Ron
It IS a cheap airsoft kit, I know that abomination anywhere. I've spent the last dozen years or so perfecting my version of the pulse rifle and this misbegotten bastard son of a PR makes me wretch. Every time I see that inaccurate knockoff held up as an example of a decent pulse rifle I die a little inside.
ReplyDeleteIm hoping its just an example he threw together for a pitch meeting and we can expect a proper representation for production. If he uses that version in the film thereby making it 'canon' Blomkamp will have taken his Gerber MkII dagger (likely a knockoff) and carved out whats left of my world weary soul.
Ol 'Blommey, knows his way around sci-fi guns, that's been proven already. So lets hope he makes good on his reputation and steps up when the time comes.
Matt
Well, at least this movie can't possibly be worse than Prometheus or Alien 3 (Resurrection is a fun movie on it's own even though it's a crappy Alien movie)
ReplyDeleteSo apparently it doesn't bother me as much as the rest of you, well for a moment it didn't anyway. Suddenly I had flashbacks of Aliens: Colonial Marines. Please no Blomkamp!
ReplyDeleteIF this films fails, there ought to be an law banning all ALIENS films from being made. I've heard rumors that the great grandfather of the pulse rifle will be in Prometheus 2. Let us hope that Neill stops using cheap airsoft copies and constructs New pulse rifles using the old methods from the original film.
ReplyDeleteHonestly they should have just integrated an optic into the carry handle, that way they could maintain the weapons classic profile while giving it a more modern touch. It doesn't even need to be functional, the reticle could be added in later via CGI.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of optics on the original ALIENS pulse rifle seems oddly out of place, but when the movie was released standard issue optics for small arms were only for speciality weapons, not your average grunt. Of course the movie takes place in the future, but draws heavily off of then-current military doctrine, so certain reservations are understandable.
Now onto the picatinny rail, laser aiming module, and muzzle brake. Picatinny rail is quickly falling out of favor in most circles due to its weight and complex (relatively) machining process, being replaced by negative-space mounting systems like M-lok and Keymod, which are lighter and simpler to manufacture. Having plug-in accessories with built in circuitry to allow the weapons primary battery to power accessories, and possibly even allow control input seem like a natural outgrowth of current technology. Picatinny rail still still has its place, particularly for mounting optics as it allows a fair amount of precise adjustment for establishing correct eye relief.
As far as the PEQ laser module, those things are relatively big, bulky and heavy. It's the future, why can't it be smaller? I've shot Glocks with lasers mounted inside the mainspring guide rod, something integrated onto a rifle could be made much simpler due to less restrictive engineering constraints. It is a movie, after all, they could just glue something that looks like a laser somewhere on the prop and CGI the dot in place. Personally, some of my futuristic rifle designs use a single integrated aiming module. Optics, iron sights, multi-frequency laser aiming and range finding systems all integrated into an adjustable base. Zero the gun one time and your done, then you just lock the mount down so it can't be easily knocked off target by hard use. Reticle adjustments for long range are handled digitally by a holographic reticle overlay. Target range, ammo count, barrel temperature, any necessary data is projected inside the optic as well, and zoom is handled by a set of adjustable "wet lenses" that flex to allow varying levels of magnification.
The muzzle brake? Stand next to someone shooting a short barreled .308 with one of those attached to it and every time it goes off your teeth rattle. The 10mm round the pulse rifle shoots is extremely potent, using an advanced ultra dense propellant. It would likely be far worse. An integrated sound suppressor, that redirects gasses to fight muzzle rise (which affects accuracy to a higher degree than recoil) would likely be a more practical solution. The suppressor doesn't even need to be particularly effective, just redirect as much of the noise downrange as possible to preserve communication between team members.
Long story short, it's the future, people. Be creative. The original pulse rifle was creative and advanced for its day, times have changed and instead of expanding on that totally badass futuristic weapon design, they vomit familiar off-the-shelf crap all over the gun, which is just lazy. All we can do is learn from their mistakes, I guess.
I wonder if the guy is honestly making research about the evolution of infantry and what could become a soldier in the future, or does he make analysis on the previous Alien films in order to get Aliens 5 match the vision of the future we can have nowadays, without breaking the inner logic & continuity with the previous films. Damn, according to me that represents maybe 50% of the work (scenario and casting is the other 50%). Thank you for sharing this news, hoping to hear further information on that later.
ReplyDeleteI'll let this one rest for now. As long as they keep the tacticool velveeta to a minimum. Knowing Blomkamp, there'll probably be some South African PMCs running around with these things.
ReplyDeleteLadies and Gents, I am calling it. Aliens 5 seeks to redcon Colonial Marines into the Cannon More Deeply.
ReplyDeleteSeriously These people did not bother to check out the real military future programs and cutting edge stuff they just said " Ah Colonial Marines!"
This doesnt look like something WETA would do. Looks like he didnt secure them for this film! Really Neil, this looks bad. At least make it longer or something.
ReplyDelete