Not The Bill Collins Blog No.8: "Alien Resurrection"

After the frankly disappointing effort of 'Alien 3', I guess anyone who was a fan of the Alien franchise was hoping that if there was going to be another movie it had to effectively redeem the dud storylines of the previous sequel, preferably with Ripley involved. Then again, there were those who would have desired (and eventually succeeded in getting) a match up of the nastiest acid-blooded xenomorph against the baddest alien hunter (a.k.a. "Alien Versus Predator"). Whatever the influences, eventually in 1997 we got "Alien Resurrection"...

Perhaps not as rewarding as the first two films, "Alien Resurrection" does actually resurrect much of the qualities of the franchise simply by taking the basic elements (vulnerable humans, a vicious murderous alien, a conspiracy and a kick-arse heroine) and then giving them just enough tweaks to make the movie enjoyable without being utterly derivative. There is a different feel and look to "Alien Resurrection" that made it a better film than may have been expected and certainly a vast improvement on its immediate predecessor.

Much of the credit should be lain at the feet of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and scripters Joss Whedon and Dan O'Bannon. Jeunet gives the film a distinctly different look to the darkened corridors of the previous 3 films, whilst the plot developed to return both Ripley and the alien is quite serviceable. There are some scenes that work just as effectively as some of those highlights from earlier films (particularly the cloned Ripley meeting her other failed 'versions'). And you can see both obvious and sly references to Jeunet's other work (particularly "Delicatessen"). Finally, when it comes to script and direction the enhancing of Ripley's character into something both inhuman and heroic is quite surprising.

There are downsides, and the biggest is undoubtedly the fact that 'seen one slaughter of the humans by the xenos, seen 'em all' returns. Roger Ebert's review makes his own reference to this issue, and I can understand the weariness creeping in by this fourth Alien film. Also, I'm not too enamoured with Winona Ryder as Call, the good android. Ryder's acting talents have never been great and she dials in a fairly average performance. If the idea was to give uber-Ripley another surrogate child to care for then that didn't gel for me.

Returning to the positives, I like the various character actors who fill in the secondary roles with both their own idiosyncratic style and enjoyment. Ron Perlman as Johner, Dan Hedaya as General Perez, Brad Dourif as Dr Gediman, JE Wren as Dr Wren and Leland Orser as Purvis all have their moments. Yes, they are all playing carictatures but the core relationship in "Alien Resurrection" is that between Ripley and the alien(s). The supporting cast provide all the background colour required without distracting from this essential plot issue.

Now as for my own viewing history of "Alien Resurrection", whilst I've not got it on DVD I saw it both on original release (at the old Parramatta Village Cinema complex) plus seen several repeats on TV. It's certainly not as shit-scary as the first two flicks in the series, and I understand why the law of diminishing returns erodes my enjoyment of the film. But if I had to give one reason to watch "Alien Resurrection" it would have to be because it ain't "Alien 3".

My Rating: 2 Bills