This is the only forum where I actually find fans defending Resurrection. I believe this film is still one of the most underrated films in the series. Even far worse underrated than Alien 3. Alien 3 has actually gained some notoriety over the coming years because of the improved Assembly Cut and the dark themes throughout the film which really set a tone with many fans. In the world of the films man LV-426 was toast. After the Nuclear Processor blew it was like a Nuclear Bomb going off. The nest and the rest of the Aliens would of been wiped out easily. The Derelict Ship was destroyed also in the blast considering how close it was to Hadley's Hope. It probably wouldn't of survived either. Remember Bishop saying, "In 20 minutes this place is going to be a vapor cloud the size of Nebraska." So there's no way "Going back to where the aliens came from." Like Aliens Colonial Marines suggests. Sorry guys.. So what are you left with? Your left with the only way to bring back the species....to clone Ripley in hopes of birthing a new Alien Queen. I honestly don't give a crap about the technical jargin "how could they clone a queen alien inside a new Ripley??" blah blah blah. Cloning Ripley seemed like THE BEST way to bring back Ripley from the dead and not only that but I think they did a pretty good job conveying that with the aborted clone scene. That scene showed the audience that what the scientists were doing was clearly wrong and what the Military had been hiding was nothing good. They made it believable, fun and entertaining. Cloning Ripley seemed much more logical than going back to a desolate, destoryed planet with nothing but nuclear waste to touch. It wasn't an option to swing with and Sigourney Weaver along with 20th Century Fox didn't want to go back to earth either after Resurrection. I learned to really appreciate the four films and filmmakers of the franchise, and one of the first things I learned was that the first four Alien films are spectacular achievements of science fiction cinema as well as the 5th part Prometheus. Part four is yet another amazingly impressive Alien film. I watch it all the time whenever I watch the series.
There is a negligible subplot involving a group of shady characters headed by the wonderfully sinister Michael Wincott as Frank Elgyn, who promises his men won't start trouble or get into any fights if they are allowed to stay on board for a few days and nights. I also have to mention Ron Perlman, who just has a face for this kind of movie. Probably most recognizable as Hellboy, this has to be one of the least appreciated actors of the last few decades. In just over 20 years he has acted in more than 150 films and TV shows, and at the time of this writing he has 18 projects in the works. Unbelievable! He also has one of the best lines in the movie ("Whats the big deal *beep* waste of ammo....must be a chick thing).
The aliens are at times the thing that will really enhance this movie, and in my opinion they were impressive. The occasional CGI effects are nicely convincing, and they didn't overdo them. Even the aliens swimming underwater was not too much for me to accept, perhaps given the automatic tension that is immediately generated in almost any movie where someone has to hold their breath for a long period of time. This went on far and long and created some very good tension. I would also argue that this is the goriest of all of the four alien movies, particularly at the end, but also contains some of the best comic relief. This combination makes the movie highly entertaining, even following in the long shadows of its spectacular predecessors.
There is a high energy scene in the third act of the film where Perlman's character performs a daredevil stunt (which he did in real life) to shoot one of the pursuing aliens dead which is followed by what has to be the funniest spider killing in film history. I haven't laughed out loud like that at a movie in a long, long time. It is so obvious that everyone jumps on the bandwagon about bashing this movie. No one ever gives this film a second chance and I don't think many understood what Jean-Pierre Jeunet was trying to say with this film. I see nothing but whiny, pouting little brats and trolls whimpering and griping about little nitpicky details in the movie, condemning the third sequel in the Alien quadrilogy as a travesty and an embarrassment and a pathetic way to end the series. Just so many haters...
Stupid people in large numbers, man. It's sad to see such a clear mob mentality slamming a movie that is much more F'in better than most people say. But its a great installment in the series, and you could certainly do a lot worse for some fun popcorn sci-fi on a Friday night. but it is clear to me that Alien: Resurrection has yet to receive the respect it deserves.
