Alien: Resurrection Reviews

To be honest, I never really understood the general grudge against this movie. I mean, sure, I have to admit it, it was definitely not a masterpiece and it was really not on the same level as 'Alien'  and 'Aliens' but, still, I think it is actually a decent movie and it has always been one of my guilty pleasures. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that it was the only Alien installment starring Sigourney Weaver that I managed to see in the movie theater when it was released and, at the time, there was quite some hype in France because Jean-Pierre Jeunet, after directing 2 major cult-classics ('Delicatessen' and 'La cité des enfants perdus'), was making his first (and so far only) movie in Hollywood. Well, you can say whatever you want but I thought that the first half was actually pretty strong. Indeed, if you are familiar with Jeunet's earlier movies, you would recognize right away his visual style and the mood was quite spellbinding. I also liked the way they managed to bring back Ripley in this story and Weaver gave this clone a very distinctive personality from the original Ripley which was also pretty neat. Unfortunately, as soon as the Aliens managed to escape,  the plot moved on on auto-pilot, it was all way too generic and predictable and the whole thing became yet another remake of 'Alien' which was rather disappointing. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its obvious flaws and its rather lame reputation, I always had a weak spot for this movie and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

Alien: Resurrection was an interesting departure from the previous three Alien movies. However, I think that the movie may have wandered a little too far from the horror roots of the original.

Set two hundred years later, corporate officers and ambitious scientists are just as corrupt and irresponsible as they were in the other films. Although the movie has a wealth of characters to draw material from, I can't help feeling that Ripley's character was not as developed as she was in the previous movies. Perhaps the creators of this movie were going for a distant and inhuman Ripley character, but I don't think it was the right choice.

The movie has enjoyable sections, but I really wish more time was spent with Ripley's character, revealing her changing psychology.

I'm also left questioning why Jean-Pierre Jeunet (talented director of 'Delicatessen' and 'City of Lost Children') was chosen to direct this movie. Although I love the other films of his that I have seen, I really don't think that horror is his forte. Some of the bloodiest scenes in the movie end up having a certain irony and comedic flare to them, which may upset people that were looking for a serious 'aliens rip through the flesh of screaming victims' hardcore movie.

That being said, although the movie didn't feel like an "Alien" movie to me, it was still watchable. Good performances by Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, and Winona Ryder.