Alien Resurrection Fan Review

The Alien series has really left a deep grove in modern cinema. It brought a whole new fresh take on sci-fi in general, plus showed off some terrific creature effects, cinematography and direction. The first three all have the same general feel; they are gritty, claustrophobic and terrifying. These things in common have led the classics to basically be ageless. They continue to thrill, scare and entertain audiences around the world and will continue to do so in the future. They are, in a sense, perfect movies. Sure they all have their fair share of mistakes, problems and criticisms, but all three are all universally loved and appreciated. It seemed like the perfect trilogy.

But five years after Ripley took that epic plunge to defeat The Alien for good, the series was resurrected. With it came a well known cast, huge budget and a unique, twisted story. But probably most important and controversial of all, it didn’t bring back Lt. Ellen Ripley. Instead, we were introduced to a new and mysterious character, one which has strains of the creature she fears the most circling through her veins. Here is one of the very few positive reviews you’re ever likely to read of the Special Edition version of A:R. Its purpose is not to change minds, but to show that when it is looked past its different, comic-like exterior, it is a masterpiece is its own right. I first watched A:R back in 2005, immediately after watching the dark and moody Alien3. I had no clue about the story in general, but knew that Ripley had somehow been cloned. I was hugely surprised at what I witnessed.

From start to finish

The first thing I noticed that this would be very different from the first three, is that the title introduction is complete side step from them. The others all began in space, with the camera slowly panning, revealing distant planets and armies of stars. In the theatrical version the backdrop is a very eerie collage of deformed bodies and creatures played along with very mysterious and creepy music. In this version however it is slightly over-the-top and somewhat comical. I liked the pan back from the cabin revealing the Auriga in all its glory, but the CGI used on the insect was poor and the overall idea of it is a little too much for my tastes. One thing I did like in the beginning however was the long shot leading up to Ripley’s cloning tube. It was a great touch to add the exact same musical notes from Alien and incorporate it in this scene, I think it works perfectly. After a nice visual transition from young Ripley to older, the scene were the scientists are removing the Queen from her chest is really the first scene that sparks criticism creature-wise. The Burster looks totally different than it did at the end of Alien3. Its chest has gone, has a much larger mouth and is overall much smaller. I was quite confused at this and thought it must have just been the director’s choice to change it. Make his mark on the franchise. But one thing many fans and causal viewers don’t understand, is that every creature in this movie is meant to look different. I’ll discuss this in more detail later.

I was totally mesmerised at the scene where Ripley is waking up after the surgery. I think the score done for this movie is incredible and this is one of the many scenes that show it in its full effect. The music is just beautiful and really suits the situation well; Ripley waking up and having no clue of who or what she is. Her mind has been completely erased and that she has literally been born again. The final shot of her looking up at the camera, aroused excitement in me as I thought to myself “She’s back.” I really liked the scenes that followed, showing her having to learn all the basics once again. It’s clear that she’s in a very confused, defenceless state and I think this allows the audience to bond with her as a character. Just like her, we are thrust into this strange time in which strange things are definitely occurring. A lot of dialogue with Ripley was cut from the theatrical release of the movie, and although the things cut were of no use story-wise, I think they were essential character-wise. When Ripley is shown the card of a little girl and she smiles and begins to tear, was prefect at showing that she can just remember and no more but she is overall clueless as to the terror that happened before. This also adds a sense of sadness to her character and makes you feel for her. I for one really felt the power of this tiny scene.

From here on, A:R’s black comedy side comes into play when General Perez needs to constantly breath upon the security lock to gain access to the Queen chamber. I thought it was quite humorous and it made me smile, but I think this kind of comedy is very out of place with the genre. Then again, mostly everything in this movie is different from before, but this is one factor I really don’t like. If people wanted a laugh, they would go and see a comedy. If they wanted a scare, they would see a horror. The two genres shouldn’t me mixed. There are a few movies that make it work, but in this case it’s a big no-no for me. The introduction of the Betty crew follows shortly after and is one of the few character introductions that is worthy of watching. Although we’re shown all six of the crew simultaneously, we already know the basics of their motives, personalities etc. Considering this is all done within just a few minutes, I was quite impressed with how fast they got the audience to relate with them. They are very rag-tag and are reminiscent of the Nostromo crew in Alien. The scenes in the basketball court are probably my most memorable out of the entire flick. Ripley shows off her slick moves very well and I got a sense of happiness knowing that this is really the only fun and freedom she has had since being cloned. Johner, the horny bugger that he is, interrupts her game and Ripley shows him, the crew and the audience just how aggressive and powerful she can be. I was quite surprised at the end to see her blood slowly eat into floor, I never thought she had that much Alien in her. But it shows she is still partly human as the blood is thicker and not as watery as the Alien blood we have seen before.

I also love the fact that Sigourney actually done that impossible backwards throw. When I first saw it I thought that the ball looked too good for CGI, but I wasn’t fully convinced until I saw the Quadrilogy DVD set. Congratulations to her, I don’t know of any professional basketball players that can accomplish that. Oh yes, the ass shot. I’m not a big fan of pointless nudity in movies but I’m afraid this is one of them. Not as bad as the sex scene in Predator 2 or the striptease in AvPR, but is still pointlessly put in to satisfy the male (and female) audience. I found myself cringing at it when I first saw it, but not because Kim Flowers has a nicely formed rear end. The only good thing that comes out of it is that it shows that Hillard and are intimate. One of my favourite scenes follows next with Dr Gediman ‘taunting’ an Alien in its chamber. I was fascinated and on the edge of my seat when I first saw this, I thought the Alien could break through at any time. Especially when he kisses the glass, I was thinking “Bad idea mate!” Of course I jumped when its inner jaw came thrashing out, it was predictable it was coming but I’m sure it made everyone jump in theatres back in its initial release. Also another complaint about the Aliens is that their inner jaws are all fleshy and floppy, but this again was meant to show difference between these and the ‘purebred’ Aliens.

From the moment I saw her, I knew Call was different from her fellow crew. She looked the cleanest and the most organised but I never expected her to be a hitman. When she breaks into Ripley’s chamber to kill her, I felt a sudden surge of despair as I thought she was actually going to kill her. The acting between Winona and Weaver in this scene is very dramatic and the two make a great duo. We also feel even more for Ripley as she explains that she is haunted by nightmares and visions of her ‘babies’ in her, all around her, everywhere. Finally, we’ve been introduced to new fascinating character and many other memorable ones and it is time for the Aliens to break out. I loved this whole sequence. I was really surprised at how quickly the Xenomorphs were able to take over the whole ship and this makes them seem like a real threat. It also shows just how intelligent they can be. I think the fact that they have more human DNA in them than usual, that is what has caused them to be so smart. This is shown many times with the two killing their own inmate to break free and when the soldier is frozen to death by their ‘punishment’. Giving the humans a taste of what horrific pain they have caused them.

One thing new in this movie is the introduction of CGI as a there are a few shots here used to show the scale of the Aliens. Compared to others of 1997 like Godzilla and Independence Day, they look extremely average, but they get the job done and show that the human DNA has altered the creatures’ bodies too. This might be a good time to clear up the hate and controversy surrounding their designs. The Aliens seen in the first, second and third flicks are what they look like when the go through the natural stage of reproduction. Biomechanical, machine-like beings. These Aliens have been born purely from science and from the body of a dead woman. Having being created in this way, the DNA from Ripley has fused with their own causing a clash with the two sets of DNA. Because of this, their organs have grown larger and fleshier than usual and are now not natural creatures. They are mutants in many ways. Yet through all of this, I think they still retain a sort of elegance in their designs and still look Alien enough to make them identifiable. I also felt sorry for them in A:R. They are usually sleek, slim and beautiful beings but because of humans have been turned into crap coloured, chicken-legged, growling monsters. These Aliens are not the true villains here, the scientists are.

Design aside, the Aliens are shown as graceful as ever, especially in the famous underwater sequence. This whole scene is masterfully shot and oozes style and atmosphere, definitely my favourite part in the whole movie. The CGI is very good and I was surprised at how well they got them to look. The lighting is phenomenal too, as well as the background score. When the characters break through the Hive resin (an obvious trap set there) and begin to ascend the ladder, the CGI takes a quick tumble. I had to admire the detail put into the Alien as you can see lots of reflections off its body as the water drips off it. But to be honest, the shot doesn’t look that good and I think would have been better cut out. But, to combat this small gripe, there’s lots of good suit work. Particularly of the creature opening and extending its jaws, I think it looks really nice. This intense sequence is also the last Alien movie to have a really strong human element in it; sacrifice. Like Gorman and Vasquez in Aliens and Dillon in Alien3, Christie ultimately lets himself die as to let the others escape. After three deaths in the space of five minutes (well, two) I felt that each and every Alien was one to be feared of and makes the survivors situation more and more dire. I must admit I did get a bit of a surprise when we find that Call isn’t dead and that she is in fact an Android. Wasn’t taken back as much as Ash’s reveal in Alien but it was a nice touch to add in the movie. Okay, the movie is nearing its end. We’re approaching the part in the movie that I think makes A:R an overall disliked one; the birth of the Newborn. To be completely honest I don’t like the idea of it and I don’t know of anyone who does. It does however make the DNA splicing caused by the humans even more horrific and further pushes that classic idea along the lines of Jurassic Park and Deep Blue Sea; if you screw with nature it will screw with you.

Disturbingly bursting forth from the Queen’s gut wrenching egg sack, this abomination makes its first appearance on film and claims its place as one of the most ugly movie monsters ever. Ask nearly any fan and they’ll tell you that the Newborn was a horrible idea. It had an absolutely terrible design and they detest it like nothing else. It does indeed have a bad design, but what most people don’t understand is that was its purpose. It wasn’t meant to look at all elegant or nice looking, you are meant to hate the thing as soon as you see it. So when people brag on about this, they are actually praising the choice that Jean Pierre took on making that way. There were many other concept arts that did look nice, some looked too Alien, some too human but the director wanted it pushed further and further even going as far as giving the creature two sets of human genitalia, which is indeed what it has. It has a short screen time however and after an interesting, but strange scene with Ripley, the freak gets sucked violently out one of the Betty’s windows, murdered by its own true mother.

The ending of the theatrical A:R is very light and the most upbeat out of all the others, but is this a good or a bad thing? Many fans believe that Ripley’s story should have ended with her heroic death in Alien3 and I have to agree. The only downside to this is that you’re basically finishing off a franchise which is only three movies strong and an idea that has so much more potential. I can understand why Fox wanted to bring the series back (considering the money the others gave them). But the thing that annoys me the most is that there hasn’t been a sequel. If you look at Aliens ending, it was pretty closed; you’ve got Ripley and the others safe on the ship and the family idea in full play, yet it still managed to get a sequel. Alien3’s ending was clearly closed, but it still got a sequel. A:R’s ending is completely open, there is really anywhere it can go, but years and years have passed and there’s been barely any hope of an Alien V. If there’s one franchise that deserves a fifth and final movie, it’s the Alien.

Overall

Alien Resurrection is one of those movies that shows off its bad points, but needs to be looked into further to see the good. It stands out from the ‘Alien Trilogy’ like a sore thumb and I think this is what causes the movie to be so despised. Though, in recent years, with the release of AvP series, the movie has gained more and more respect and is certainly liked a lot more than it was. It’s still a bad Alien movie, no doubt. The Alien creature belongs in dark, moody, realistic movies and this isn’t of those things. Though, I always did and always will like the movie. It’s definitely not as good as the superior originals, but is a lot more fun and entertaining than Alien3. Because of this, I give Alien Resurrection a 4 out of 5 and run for cover.

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