Review of Alien Resurrection (1997) by Aaron A — 09 Jun 2012

"Just for color.".

Synopsis: Years after Lt. Ripley died, a group of scientists clone her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the new Ripley is full of surprises ... as are the new aliens. Ripley must team with a band of smugglers to keep the creatures from reaching Earth.

Ambition, is perhaps the best word to use if one were to relate just one word with the Alien franchise. The original was an ambitious (and successful) attempt to reinvent the sci-fi genre for adults after the radical success of the kiddie "Star Wars" films and the kind-hearted nostalgia driven "fluff" of the early Steven Spielberg masterworks. And on the set of Aliens, there was apparently a hushed unwritten expectation that the production was doing things never before done, an excitement and craft never before accomplished that would set the bar for B-movies, a vision that was ultimately fulfilled.

With Alien 3 however, the great ambitions of the filmmakers would not be met with the same enthusiasm, in an attempt to elevate what is essentially a silly monster-movie sequel to newer heights, first time film director David Fincher crafted a feature full of nuance and intellectual purpose, but far too low on thrills and excitement. And so it appears the ambition was ratcheted down many levels in order to focus on what really matters, having fun.

Alien Resurrection is a rather conventional sci-fi horror flick, but without all that nervous ambition floating around the set, the resulting film is light on intellect, but high on screams, jokes, plot twists, and ultimately fun. And who doesn't want to have fun every now and then?