Alien Resurrection (1997) Rated R for strong sci-fi violence and gore, some grotesque images, and language ---------- Out of 4 stars: ** (2 Stars)
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya.
It was inevitable. In ALIEN 3, Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) leaped to her death in order to kill an alien. Most people thought this was the end of the Alien franchise, but as luck would have it, those greedy Hollywood people wanted to make another Alien film. Greedy isn't always a bad thing, because it can usually produce some very good and entertaining films. ALIEN RESURRECTION, on the other hand, is not good, and especially not entertaining. The Alien series was a top-notch, well-directed, and well-acted series, and I was a huge fan. For months, I awaited the new entry into this series, as I loved every single Alien film prior to this one. This was one of my most anticipated films of the year.
And what a disappointment it is. ALIEN began a successful and extremely suspenseful set of films. ALIEN was directed by Ridley Scott, and with mounting tension, Scott released the alien upon us. Next came ALIENS, the most popular and most effective of all the films. Director James Cameron changed this one into an action film, and it took viewers on a relentless roller coaster ride, leaving many disturbed for days. Cameron's is my favorite. In 1992, director David Fincher brought us ALIEN 3. I realize I didn't like this one at first as well, but there is something completely different from Fincher's and director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's (director of CITY OF LOST CHILDREN). I could give a very long list, but to shorten it, here are a few things missing from Jeunet's that was present in all the others: mood, suspense, good dialogue, good characters, good sets, good acting, scary music, etc.
ALIEN RESURRECTION is pretty much just a bad film. From watching trailers and previews, I knew it was going to be different, and I didn't mind. ALIEN 3 was quite different, but with Fincher's strong direction, I grew to love it. The moralistic undertone of the film created a nice change from complete terror to gradual build-up. ALIEN RESURRECTION has a moral story as well, but this moral dilemma faced by Ripley this time around is shoved into our faces, and rammed down our throats. Nothing is very subtle in ALIEN RESURRECTION, and we are shown pretty much everything, leaving no suspense whatsoever. In fact, where all the Alien films prior to this one succeeded, ALIEN RESURRECTION fails. And the only reason Resurrection doesn't get a 1 star rating is due to Sigourney Weaver's powerful presence and very good performance.
ALIEN RESURRECTION begins 200 years from the ALIEN 3 incident. Opening with a short monologue by Ripley, we see she has been reproduced (how is left to our imaginations). However, due to the blood sample they retrieved, the alien's DNA is still locked away, and the cloning reproduces the alien as well. The scientists had planned on this and remove the alien from Ripley's chest in order to let the alien procreate. Buying several people frozen in cryogenic tubes, they plan on training the aliens and taming them. Ripley, who was supposed to be killed after the alien was brought back, lives, but has alien DNA mixed in with her own. Normally, this would be cause for a nice subplot about her dilemma on having this alien DNA in her, but ALIEN RESURRECTION makes it so that Ripley can't remember anything from her previous encounters... or can she?
It's inevitable that the aliens escape their confinement somehow, but I was quite amazed at how well it is done. This scene shows how intelligent the aliens are (but then again, a snail would be smarter than the humans in this film). Unfortunately, there aren't enough of these scenes present, and we are left with many, many scenes which seem extracted directly from the first three films. The biggest difference here is the ship on which the events take place. In the Alien films of the past, the action took place in small corridors and claustrophobic environments. Here, the ship is massive with wide open rooms, and one begins to think how an alien could hide from a crew member in that room. But I accepted that aspect of the film quickly. What bothered me was the complete lack of suspense, which is what made the Alien films work. Every Alien film had some level of suspense (ALIENS is one of the most intense films I have ever seen), yet ALIEN RESURRECTION opts for cool special effects and slimy alien costumes. To be blunt, I am very angry at director Jeunet for making us wait five years for this. This film almost makes you wish the Alien series had ended on 3 (but hopefully 5 will be better).
ALIEN RESURRECTION does contain several well-directed scenes, and one actually gains some suspense (although it is extremely ludicrous). My favorite of the film occurs underwater, and quite a bit of suspense amounts from this fact alone. The only problem is that no one can hold their breath for that long, especially when you are screaming underwater. Ripley's dolphin-like swimming is effective, but only two of these crew members could hold their breath for a long period of time. However, if you forget this, you might find yourself actually worrying about a couple of the characters. Another good scene features Ripley playing basketball, and proceeding to beat up Johner (Ron Perlman, a Jeunet regular). It's very fun to watch, especially seeing how much fun Weaver seems to be having. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough scenes of this caliber to maintain our interest.
One of the biggest problems of ALIEN RESURRECTION is the cast. Sigourney Weaver is the only one who seems to be having any fun. She relishes in playing a flawed heroine, and she shines amidst the rest of the cast. Weaver's dialogue is very effective due to her terrific acting ability. Weaver is still one of the best actresses in Hollywood. Winona Ryder is also a very good actress (she was terrific in THE CRUCIBLE), but here she seems out of place. Her character Call never comes to life (literally), and she gives a very poor performance. She never seems to find the right tone for the character. Dominique Pinon (another Jeunet regular) portrays Vriess, a handicapped crew member. Pinon is among the wasted talent, though he never seems to be right for the character in the first place. Ron Perlman surprisingly gives a good performance. Perlman is usually good, but this time he seems to actually have fun. Perlman's scenes with Weaver are some of the best. Kim Flowers also gives a nice performance, but her character is so underdeveloped that we really don't care about her. Flowers actually has one of the suspense-building moments. Dan Hedaya is wasted in a horrible role as General Perez. However, he does provide a major laugh (though unintentional).
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a very good visual style, which is very apparent in his CITY OF LOST CHILDREN. Here, however, his style is completely wrong, using too many close-ups of the actors' faces. Let's face it... he hasn't exactly chosen an appealing-looking cast (Ryder and Weaver are the only two). His characters are so strange that I found myself hoping the aliens would kill everyone except Weaver. Jeunet has single-handedly destroyed a terrific series of suspense films. Adding flat humor and revolting dialogue, Jeunet is reduced to showing us extreme amounts of gore and slime, and some rather cool special effects. But let's face it, effects just aren't enough to carry a film these days. Jeunet's direction shines through in the underwater sequence, and some of his peculiar aspects (such as bad breath being an ID form) are fun. But overall, Jeunet removes most suspense by using too much sound too often. ALIEN and ALIENS built suspense from moments of extreme quietness, with the only sound being the repetitious beat of the tracking monitor. Jeunet loves sound, and only two scenes are quiet enough for suspense to mount. Part of the blame should go on Joss Whedon for writing a weak screenplay, with ridiculous dialogue and poor attempts at humor. A few lines are actually good ("I thought you were dead!" ... "Yeah, I get that a lot."), but for the most part, the writing is laughably bad.
The Alien films have always had spectacular technical effects, especially set designs. ALIEN RESURRECTION has a very impressive design (though uneffective for building suspense). The sets are massive and dark, usually lit by red and yellow lights. The cinematography is well done, although too many tight shots of actors somehow deteriorate the overall tone of the film. The underwater shots are especially remarkable. The special effects are very good, especially considering they are done by a rather unknown company. One effect towards the end is quite gruesome but amazing. The amount of gore involved in ALIEN RESURRECTION is extremely high (think all the gore from the first three films put together and then doubled), and you get the feeling that a good story was sacrificed for these graphic displays of violence. I usually don't mind gore, especially when I know it is fake, but it really irks me when the producers feel that violence is the most important thing in an Alien film. Another aspect I felt needed an overhaul was the music. ALIEN and ALIENS had award-nominated scores, and the latter film had one of the most impressive scores ever written for a sci-fi/action film. ALIEN RESURRECTION's music was upbeat and "happy" (something Alien films are not supposed to be).
ALIEN RESURRECTION is rated R for strong sci-fi violence and gore, some grotesque images, and language. After three terrific entries into the Alien series, there had to be a limit to how good it could get. The stories were becoming repetitious and boring, and ALIEN RESURRECTION pushes it over the line. It takes its story from ALIENS, with the new idea that Ripley should be cloned. Of course, no Alien film could work without Ripley. Despite a strong performance by Weaver, Jeunet's Alien flick destroys the entire purpose of the Alien franchise: to scare the hell out of viewers.
Reviewed by Respect (respect@aros.net) http://www.aros.net/~respect/movies.html
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