Directed by:
Jean-Pierre JeunetScreenplay:
Joss WhedonCinematography:
Darius KhondjiComposer:
John FrizzellCast:
Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, Raymond Cruz (more)VOD (3)
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A group of scientists has cloned Lt. Ellen Ripley, along with the alien queen inside her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the resurrected Ripley is full of surprises for her "creators," as are the aliens they've imprisoned. And soon, a lot more than "all hell" breaks loose. To combat the creatures, Ripley must team up with a band of smugglers, including a mechanic named Call (Ryder), who holds more than a few surprises of her own. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Alien film is completely different from the previous three and the influence of the new director is evident. Visually, this is a pretty well done piece of filmmaking (for its time), in which I was most impressed by the "underwater scene". If it wasn't for the horrible alien hybrid at the end, I would have thought about a nice 4*, but as it is, it's just an average sci-fi flick that tries to cash in on its predecessors as much as it can. In short, it's a good thing it all ended here, because the drop in quality is already pretty noticeable.
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It's not a popular statement, but in my opinion the only thing that doesn't fit the whole concept from the original Alien series is the second installment, which resigns itself to one of the most important assets of the Alien universe, which is to set the whole story on the periphery of a future human society. While the first installment is set on a filthy mining ship, and the third installment is on a forgotten prison planet, and the fourth installment is on the outskirts of the galaxy on a decommissioned military ship where semi-legal experiments are being conducted, the second installment makes the mistake of introducing us to the society of that time in a more expansive way. In fact, with this franchise I've always been more intrigued with the second plan, which suggests that whatever the future of humanity turns out to be (the apparently unstoppable Weyland-Yutani hegemony of the first three movies is replaced with the presumably all-powerful United Systems Military in the fourth, which Weyland-Yutani mocks simply because it was bought by Walmart years ago), the result is always the same – any system trying to encompass such a monumental space for its activities will logically scatter its forces to such an extent that giant, forgotten, crumbling peripheries and their attached social classes will emerge. Visits to these bleak places have always been more interesting to me than the actual fight with the aliens, so I was pleased to see that the fourth installment rides in this style as well. _____ Alien: Resurrection is an interesting example of having a very American screenwriter (Joss Whedon) team up with a very European director (Jeunet), offering a very shaky combination from which no collaboration could emerge, only a winner. Thankfully, it was Jeunet, who was surprisingly given quite a lot of creative freedom (as opposed to Fox's gestapo-like oversight of the making of the third installment), which has made him pretty happy with the film and Whedon unable to stand it. This is despite the fact that his script has been largely kept intact, including the dialogue. But he said it was all acted differently than it should have been, with different intonation than he wanted, and the camera did different things than he imagined, not to mention the music. As an argument about the dominance of a director's distinctive visual sensibility over the overall cinematic vision, even in such an established brand, it says plenty. Unfortunately, Whedon's hand is still the weakest part of the entire film, which unfortunately drops the chain after Ripley actively inserts herself into the story and starts to macho and overact unbearably, though the idea that she actually represents that Alien fan here, who knows the previous installments and mocks how everyone around her is repeating the same mistakes, isn't entirely a bad one. _____ I'd like someone to explain to me why girls in the 90s had posters of DiCaprio, Harnett, and Damon plastered in their bedrooms instead of posters of Michael Wincott. Whenever this god appears in the shot, I wet my seat, no matter the gender.
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I’m quite puzzled as to why Alien: Resurrection received such a backlash from the viewing public. Perhaps Jeunet's irresistibly decadent atmosphere wasn't quite what fans expected after Fincher's unconventional contribution. The director demolishes the myths of the entire universe and makes fun of them on top of it. In doing so, he is constantly his own man, giving Aliens his unique imprint as a French poet, culminating with the final arrival of the overgrown albino. To say that this is the worst film in the series is stupid. It's only over the years that the whole series has swelled to a cult status where everyone likes to claim their own film they like best. I’m not saying I don't do it too, but even though Jeunet's film is not one of my favorites, I refuse to denigrate it.
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The fourth Alien film is indeed the weakest in the tetralogy, but it is still a significantly above-average addition to the science fiction genre. It has a clearly different atmosphere from the previous three installments - it is not an intimate horror like the first or third one, nor an action-packed military spectacle like the second one, but rather a comically colorful spectacle, featuring the often-used humorous lightening in comics, and there are also self-parodic moments. The characters correspond to the comic book concept as well. We meet a gang of variously diverse cosmic pirates, eccentric self-centered scientists, and ruthless monstrous military officers. However, the flaw is that it is no longer a purely genre spectacle, but an uneven film where great moments, such as the famous underwater clash in the flooded restrooms or the duel on the elevator shaft, alternate with hesitant moments, like the use of a poorly executed mutant and above all, the rushed ending that is unquestionably the weakest part of all the films. In short, the script was hastily patched together. Unlike the previous installments, it does not work even from a logical point of view, when one considers what the aliens (including nest construction) managed to do in an hour and a half, during which the story unfolds in real-time, it is truly unbelievable even for a die-hard fan. The cast is above standard, Sigourney Weaver is great as always, Dominique Pinon is entertaining, Ron Perlman is negatively charismatic, and Winona Ryder is fragile. Overall impression: 70%. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a great director, but Alien: Resurrection should have been entrusted to someone else.
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At long last.. As different as a sequel can be, the horror atmosphere has been replaced by an action sci-fi joyride. Whedon’s screenplay delivers a lot of unexpected situations and a solid story. It may not be as atmospheric as the first two installments, but I like its original approach too. And part four is definitely the most abundant in catchphrases.
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Gallery (84)
Photo © 1997 20th Century Fox
![Alien: Resurrection - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/467/158467606_3d17d3.jpg)