What do you Like/dislike about Elizabeth Shaw?

ninXeno426

I don't think there is a more polarizing character in the Alien universe.She frequently takes a beating from us fans for various reasons,including her faith,her naivety,and her pursuit for answers.It's gotten so bad a lot of us openly wish death on her and hope for nothing but the worse in Alien Covenant.But what exactly did she do to deserve so much wrath?If anything she should have had our sympathies right?She already came from a background with both her parents deceased,but it doesn't end there.We also learn she is incapable of bearing children(not naturally any way.)Through out Prometheus she loses her boyfriend to infection,gets an emergency c-section to remove the trilobite,is attacked by an engineer and becomes,along with David,the last survivor of the Prometheus.So where did she go wrong?I personally like her,after all as just said she went through a lot and came out the other side,perhaps a little beaten,bloodied,and bruised but alive all the same.If that's not a survivor than i don't know what is.So tell what you think,what do you like about her,what do you dislike.Of course i expect complete honesty,so no need to hold back.

Neomorph

Get ready for a passionate opinion lol

I didn't like the character Shaw.

For me it's a combination of not so good acting and that she gave me an impression of being a religious fanatic who uses her "belief" as main motivation. 

What happened to her was terrible and I see no joy in that whatsoever, but after all that misery and trauma with the c-section, giving birth to a monster, witnessing her boyfriend die horribly, getting backstabbed by Weyland, almost getting squashed by a juggernaut, getting violently shoved into a wall by an angry engineer only to be attacked by a massive tentacle monster the moment after (did I miss anything?) -  she still has a desire to find out why the engineers wanted to kill us! F***'s wrong with that woman!? 

She's the kind of character who, similarly to the majority of characters in Prometheus, makes you want to shout "NO don't do that! No don't run that way WTF are you doing!?" 

To be fair, that level of stupidity can also be said about teenage slasher films (oh wait that's not fair!) 

To conclude, Shaw is indoctrinated by beliefs and helplessly retarded.

And that's a weird-a** British accent. 

Now I've let it all out, it feels better now lol.

Starlogger

I actually had zero problems with Shaw. I liked her character, and her questions, and her actress. Until I started frequenting these forums after the movie was released was the only time I even realized there was some sort of unnatural hatred going on towards the character.

Now, HOLLOWAY, he's the one I hate. I cannot watch that movie without wishing he'd died before the mission even left, or that it was at least cast to someone else. The acting from Lucas Green Michael ("lawfirm") Graggs Logan Green, or whatever his name is, is absolutely the largest travesty ever put down in the Alien Universe. His casting is roughly equivalent to casting Haydn Christensen for Anakin Skywalker. 

Then, the OTHER thing I "Hate" is Guy Pearce's makeup. That is the worst makeup job I've ever seen in a professional movie. My son's film class can do makeup better than that. It ruined Guy Pearce, and ruined a lot of the scene's he should've stolen. 

Those two things I hate, but Shaw/Rapace is not one of them. Not even close.

Neomorph

whatever his name is, is absolutely the largest travesty ever put down in the Alien Universe. His casting is roughly equivalent to casting Haydn Christensen for Anakin Skywalker. 

That's a great way to put it and I completely agree.

Both Logan Marshall-Green (Graggs Logan Green lol) and Hayden seemed to be more interested in looking good in front of the camera and forgot the "acting" part. 

SpiteHouse

Put me in the pro-Shaw contingent.

Ingeniero

Neomorph and Starlogger, I agree regarding Holloway and the flame thrower was a good choice.

I liked Dr. Shaw but the one think I would like most is to confirm someone somewhere has seen her in any released trailer footage (trailer 1, 2; 15 minutes released in a close setting for the media).

Has anyone see Dr. Shaw clearly except for dog tags?

I think the corpse on the floor of David's workshop is an Engineer and the only thing we have seen of Dr. Shaw is her dog tags. 

Thoughts_Dreams

LOL! I can’t resist this one, I call out crap when I see it.

I have watched Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, AR, AVP, and Prometheus and Shaw is by far the most annoying character ever. Some people say that Newt was annoying with her screaming but she isn’t even close to the idiocy that is Shaw.

She was curious and she cared about her boyfriend, these were the good things about her. The annoying things were: zero common sense, she read the thing as an invitation which could have been anything really, she was overly religious which severed her ability of good judgement (which is connected to her invitation comment), she was very naive, she did almost everything to get answers. Sure it is nice to get some answers as a scientist but really there should be a limit when it comes to how far one can go to find them.

Her being unable to have kids and that she got attacked by an Engineer was probably difficult for her but since she was naïve and stupid I personally rooted for her to die. To me Shaw represents some things that I dislike about humans.

To quote Neomorph:

“To conclude, Shaw is indoctrinated by beliefs and helplessly retarded.”

That sums it up about Shaw, really

ninXeno426

Lol guys,thanks for the unabashed honesty.Neomorph,are you sure you don't have anything more you want to get off your chest?lol.Starlogger,I agree,but i did realize that she wasn't terribly popular before joining this site.

S.M

"What happened to her was terrible and I see no joy in that whatsoever, but after all that misery and trauma with the c-section, giving birth to a monster, witnessing her boyfriend die horribly, getting backstabbed by Weyland, almost getting squashed by a juggernaut, getting violently shoved into a wall by an angry engineer only to be attacked by a massive tentacle monster the moment after (did I miss anything?) -  she still has a desire to find out why the engineers wanted to kill us! F***'s wrong with that woman!?"

She has nothing left to lose.  Best try and make all that suffering actually count for something.

ninXeno426

My thoughts exactly S.M. what exactly is waiting for her back home on Earth?She has no parents,her boyfriend has been killed,not to mention i can't imagine her showing back up on earth in a alien spacecraft would go over very well.It would also ruin continuity,"Shaw,the lone survivor of the Prometheus,returns home a hero in a bizarre alien space ship and she comes with a warning.They hate us and we are screwed,its time to prepare for war!!!"LOL.That never happened of course,it's hard to blame her for wanting some answers after what she went through.Its seems,for better or for worse,she's going to get them.A cautionary tale of "be careful what you wish for" perhaps?P.S.:Please don't take that weird little synapse of what a sequel would have been like if she returned home personally,it's really just a joke.I'm not trying to offend or make fun of any body.All opinions are welcome.

S.M

Shaw is effectively as free as David now.  She's not reliant on Weyland or Vickers and is unfettered by Holloway's scepticism.

Neomorph

She has nothing left to lose.  Best try and make all that suffering actually count for something

I'd be more inclined to agree if she was a female superhero. 

Neomorph

Neomorph,are you sure you don't have anything more you want to get off your chest?

I think I'm done....

(I'm not sure though lol)

dk

She just had a general wishy washy way about her. She acted like a giddy little excited kid when she found the cave drawings and jumped to the conclusion it was an invitation. Neomorph pretty much echoes my thoughts on the rest.

S.M

She didn't jump to a conclusion.  She said 'I think they want us to come and find them'.  The only way to properly test it was to actually go there.

I do agree in the wishy washy thing to an extent.  I find her very interesting, but not terribly charismatic.

"I'd be more inclined to agree if she was a female superhero. "

Why?

ninXeno426

Good point on the cave dk,i never really thought of that.

ninXeno426

To me the dumbest thing she does is going after the head in the storm.I think it was largely written in to be an exciting scene(her boarding the ship with the head wouldn't have nearly as interesting i guess.)Also to show David's care and intrest i suppose.Beyond that I don't really have any issues with her.

ninXeno426

She's not Ellen Ripley,but she beats the hell out of the chick from AVP.

suwhited

I really like Shaw's character...Definitely a good change of pace of what we normally see out of Bollywood...

Hope she's not Soylent Green by the end of Alien Covenant

suwhited

Dammit Neomorph...

Normally as my soulmate here on SCIFIED we see things similarly... 

Over Shaw we may have to divorce :(

I feel so empty now...

ninXeno426

 I think it's possible she's become something...

ninXeno426

Lol Suwhited!I could have told you that about him lol!

S.M

"Definitely a good change of pace of what we normally see out of Bollywood..."

I think I'd prefer Aishwarya or Kajol. :)

suwhited

@nin. you're right. I should have read the fine print in the pre-nup...

ninXeno426

Lol,so do you get half of everything?

Stan Winston (deceased)

Firstly, Rapace is a fine actor. After all, her performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy landed her name on Ridley Scott's desk.

I don't know which genius decided she needed to impersonate a British person -- what's wrong with the character being Swedish (or generally Scandinavian)? Also the script was diabolical; plot points, motivations; dialogue - the whole 9 yards.

I echo what others have said: I am irritated by the kinds of people who praise a god for all things wonderful, but refuse to blame that god for all things horrible. Shaw seems to epitomise that type of creature.

suwhited

@nin. yes

I get diddly divided by squat. I also get a 12 month subscription of "Assclownery" digest.

suwhited

@stan

Why are you are irratated by people that think differently that you? It's diversity. I for one am glad that people in this world have all kinds of differing experiences, beliefs, thoughts, and ways of doing things.

I would hate to live in a world where everyone thinks the way I think they should...Wick Wick Whack.... 

ninXeno426

Lol thanks for having good humor about this Suwhited.

Stan Winston (deceased)

Because it's hard to tolerate people who say cancer sufferers should stop medication and pray to a higher power for forgiveness, or somebody who believes disabled people are the consequence of their actions in a previous life. I am irritated by these people. And to tie it back to topic, I am irritated by Shaw proclaiming our 'gods' want us to go visit, based on a couple of stick men and 5 stars.

suwhited

@stan. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. 

I have learned in life that if I want people to tolerate me and my beliefs, I have to tolerate others and their beliefs. I have too many friends and golfing buddies who have views diametrically opposed to me. We just learn to respect each other and don't take things personal.

part of the huge division we have in America right now is because both sides of the aisle think their way of thinking is the only way to think. Not good as it can lead to dangerous and close minded behavior.