Alien Resurrection Review
by David Sunga (dsunga AT orbitel DOT com)November 28th, 1997
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Rating: 3.0 stars (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0 stars Debatable
2.5 stars Some people may like it
3.0 stars I liked it
3.5 stars I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars I felt the movie’s impact personally or it stood out *********************************
A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Written by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder
Ingredients:
Drooling indestructable giant alien instectoids, trapped band of humans in a spaceship
Synopsis:
For those of you unfamiliar with the ‘Alien’ series, every ‘Alien’ movie is basically the same formula: in each movie a small crew of humans including Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is trapped on a spaceship or planet full of drooling, big, alien insectoids. In the gloomy third film of the series a morose Ellen Ripley gets impregnated with alien DNA and kills herself. This fourth film, ‘Alien: Resurrection,’ picks up where the third one left off. In ‘Alien: Resurrection’ a military/scientific mission makes a living clone from the dead Ripley in order to extract an alien fetus from her for DNA research. This leads to a situation where a small multiethnic crew of humans including clone Ripley is trapped on a spaceship chock full of predatory alien insectoids. The twist is, because of DNA foul-ups, Ripley is now part alien (she has heightened senses and her blood corrodes metal), and the Aliens are part human (one skull-faced alien thinks Ripley is Mommy). Also we get to see aliens ambush humans underwater in a flooded compartment. In a subplot, Winona Ryder plays a waif-like smuggler wannabe who doesn’t reveal her mysterious past until the end of the movie. The humans are trying to reach a small escape vessel on the other end of the spaceship. Can they reach it before the aliens pick them off one by one?
Opinion:
Prior to this film, the best movie of the entire ‘Alien’ series was probably number two: ‘Aliens’ (1986, director James Cameron; it was about a small multiethnic crew of humans including clone Ripley on a planet full of predatory aliens) because of it’s roller coaster thrills and shootem up style. Next best was the original ‘Alien’ (1979, director Ridley Scott), a decent sci fi flick. And coming in last was the depressing ‘Alien 3’ (1992, director David Fincher). Now that I’ve seen ‘Alien: Resurrection,’ I place it in second, right behind ‘Aliens’ (1986, James Cameron). On the plus side, the special effects were fine, and Sigourney Weaver did a good job acting. On the minus side, there’s only so much you can expect from the same formula the fourth time in a row. And the dialogue’s pretty stiff ("You have a monster in your chest. Then you die."). This one’s strictly formula, but has enough chase scenes to be entertaining. Kinda funny, but French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (best known for ‘The City of the Lost Children’) likes to put in little comic touches such as military generals that wake up with more hair on their arms and chest than the average orangutan, and security doors that identify by breathalyzer.
Reviewed by David Sunga
November 26, 1997
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