Sigourney Weaver Slams Critics: “They Don’t Get Sci-Fi”

Sigourney Weaver says critics don’t always understand science-fiction movies. The 76-year-old actress spoke about this during a panel at New York Comic Con while discussing her 2015 film Chappie.

“I had done a film with Neill Blomkamp, Chappie, which I think the critics totally misunderstood,” Weaver said when asked about directors she enjoyed working with. “They were still, and maybe they still are, evaluating science-fiction films based on their special effects, and Chappie’s just a real story about a robot who wants to be a real boy like Pinocchio. And so they completely misunderstood it and, I think, underestimated it.”

Chappie, directed and written by Neill Blomkamp, follows an AI law enforcement robot kidnapped by a gang. The cast included Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, and Weaver. The movie received mixed reviews and currently holds a 32% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Weaver also shared that Blomkamp had pitched her an idea for a new Alien movie that would have brought back her character, Newt. “Neil had pitched me his Alien film, which brought Newt back to life, and I was very excited about his designs and script, and everything else. I won’t go into why it was stopped, but it was sort of about control,” she said.

The actress is known for her role as Ellen Ripley in the first four Alien films. She has said she has considered returning to the franchise. Weaver mentioned reading part of a potential new script from series producer Walter Hill and called it impressive. “You know, Walter Hill is a very good friend of mine and he wrote 50 pages of where Ripley would be now and they are quite extraordinary,” she said.

Weaver’s comments highlight her belief that sci-fi films often get judged unfairly. She emphasized that beyond special effects, these movies can tell meaningful stories about characters and ideas.

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