Review of Alien Resurrection (1997) by Doctor S — 06 Feb 2014

"Ripley?!? I thought you were dead!".

"Yeah, I get that a lot.".

With Jean-Pierre Jeunet directing a Joss Whedon script for an Alien sequel starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder, we end up with a showroom example of how expectation can expand several light years beyond realization. If I had paid to see this in a theater in 1997 I would have been hugely disappointed with this chance to redeem the franchise following the depressing Alien 3 (note: I have only seen the theatrical cut). Nothing appears as it should. Jeunet trades in his captivating quirks for buckets of blood and slime, while Whedon manages only a couple chuckles from his shockingly pedestrian prose. Meanwhile, Ryder appears miscast and as a clone Weaver does not behave at all like Ellen Ripley. Really the only parts that work are a predatory alien pursuing underwater and Jeunet knowing how to take advantage of Winona's beautiful big brown eyes, just as he would later with Audrey Tautou in Amelie. I'm glad he brought City of Lost Children co-stars Ron Perlman & Dominique Pignon along for the ride too.

Sad to say that Alien 3 is better because we actually got to know something about the characters, but I'll give Alien Resurrection the same score for a few moments of fist-clenching action, good alien animation, and some elaborate, expensive-looking spaceship interiors. But most of all because they are equal washouts.