Shanghai readies for sci-fi film bonanza

Sci-fi fans can expect a visual feast during the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival.

A special section for sci-fi classics will screen three Alien movies — US director Ridley Scott's 1979 space horror Alien, its 1986 sequel, Aliens, helmed by James Cameron, and its 2012 prequel, Prometheus — which coincides with the Chinese mainland debut of the latestAlien movie.

The festival runs from June 17 to 26, while the sixth installment Alien: Covenant opens across Chinese mainland on June 16.

Recently, the upcoming Alien movie also directed by Scott held preview screenings in 23 cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, on June 6.

Sci-fi director Zhang Xiaobei said the new movie partly resolved the suspense about the alien monsters' origin, but also raised concern over the artificial-intelligence robots.

Other highlights of the Shanghai lineup include The Matrix trilogy, Ghost in the Shell, and the black-and-white version of Logan.

Logan, the new but also the finale for Hugh Jackman starring as Wolverine, was released on Chinese mainland on March 3. However, this will be the first time for its black-and-white version to be screened in China.