ALIEN: RESURRECTION

Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Grade: C+
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Wynona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif and Leland Orser
PREMISE: Two-hundred years after her death, infamous space explorer Ellen Ripley is reborn via DNA cloning so that the queen alien embryo within her can likewise be recreated--and weaponized.

RATED R for graphic gory content and disturbing images, blood and violence, language, scary moments, and brief nudity

Okay, so, first things first: everyone knows Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) and James Cameron's follow-up, Aliens (1986), are genuine masterpieces, two of the greatest science fiction movies ever made (Scott's original also belongs on the list of greatest horror movies ever made), and in the ballpark of best movies ever made. Both register today as uncommonly smart and sophisticated boo pictures, creature features that live and die by the less-is-more mentality concerning how often the antagonistic Creatures are shown onscreen, and both are near-perfect models of how to create, and sustain, gripping, white-knuckle suspense over long periods of time without ever dropping the ball. Alien: Resurrection is not in the same league as those films. Not in the same league, not in the same ballpark; it's connected to those films only by featuring the same malicious creature (the fanged, slime-secreting, acid-bleeding xenomorph) and the same protagonist (Sigourney Weaver's gritty, foul-mouthed Ellen Ripley). Whereas those earlier films thrilled audiences mostly with human drama and prolonged intensity (something practically unheard-of in the horror/thriller genre today), Resurrection piles on the blood and guts (literally) and slimy aliens with gusto.

And yet...it's not a bad movie. Nowhere close to those other two, of course, but not bad. It's a bit of a shame that, because it's part of the same franchise, you can't help but watch it and think of those other more quality pictures, but, if you leave your mind open, and set hopes for a third masterpiece aside, Resurrection is a surprisingly-entertaining, super campy action-packed romp. The script is weaker, the aliens look faker, and there are enormous gaps in logic and storyline, but it's essentially a sublime chase-and-kill action flick, about on par with the popular vampire/werewolf Underworld saga that's been popping in and out of theaters since 2003. Weaver still proves capable of carrying a movie, and a few new, energetic faces help keep the interest up and the excitement going through another showdown with some of the movie world's deadliest-ever monsters.

Plot: More than 200 years after she died just as an alien was bursting from her rib cage (in Alien 3), Ellen Ripley (Weaver) has been successfully recreated through cloning by scientists of the United Systems. Recreated with her was the alien embryo, which the scientists (led by J.E. Freeman and Brad Dourif) remove in order to create more aliens--creatures that, long ago, Ian Holm's science officer, Ash, once called "the perfect organism", circa the original Alien. However, the recreated Ripley's brains have been addled and she's showing some unusual tendencies and abilities, possibly due to the recreation of the alien within her at the same time her personal DNA was being remade. Enter the crew of The Betty, a smuggler spacecraft manned by gun-totaing mercenaries (Ron Perlman, Michael Wincott, and Gary Dourdan), which hooks up with the floating laboratory Ripley's aboard, bringing in captured human hosts for the new aliens the scientists are looking to breed (if you remember, the xenomorph needs a separate host in order to grow, from "facehugger" to "chestburster"). Also aboard The Betty is young Call (Winona Ryder), a smart, fresh-faced young woman who has the look of someone who knows more than she's letting on.

Just after Call sneaks into Ripley's cell and nearly kills her (Ripley talks her out of it), the aliens, taking advantage of the fact that their acid blood corrodes and melts metal, break out of their cages and storm the space lab. Scientists and security guards are killed by the dozen, including a general (Dan Hedaya) who was on hand to oversee the development of his new choice weapons. The giant spacecraft, now no longer being actively-manned, is also hurtling toward Earth. The crew of The Betty have no choice but the trust the peculiar, twitchy Ripley in their fight against, and flight from, the aliens, as they try to reach their ship again and take off before dying in the crash, which is sure to be devastating.

What Works?
Of course, the creature action works. Why wouldn't it? Who doesn't love seeing a giant fanged monster that bleeds steel-melting acid and is, at times, surprisingly-smart run around causing mayhem, swimming, climbing, biting, and tending to off any minor characters who are particular douche bags. Even an alien who comes on the scene late, and looks almost completely different from the others, while obviously a little silly-looking, is believable as a real, living being. The suspense is, of course, nothing on the suspense of the earlier movies, but it nonetheless keeps you involved despite some of the very bizarre happenings (the first half hour, and last twenty minutes, of Resurrection seem like they were written and conceived by someone on an acid trip, pun intended). Another thing, obviously, that keeps you engaged are the high-energy performances of the cast (Ryder, Perlman, Pinon, Wincott, and Orser are all effective), a plus in a special-effects laden action/horror flick.

What Doesn't Work?
Okay, so, that acid trip-esque set-up is freakin' bizarre (if you ask yourself "what am I watching" at any point during Resurrection, you won't be the first), and, especially as acted out by Brad Dourif and Dan Hedaya, painfully hammy at points. Those two give cringe-inducting performances, and Weaver, well, the first lady of the Alien universe gives the kind of performance that's hard to review-it seems contrived and cheesy, yet a lot of that is because she's asked to do some incredibly weird (read: dumb) things. Also, like many movies that end with disaster narrowly-avoided-and nowhere else in the plot to go-Resurrection ends with a coda that tries to be poetic and profound but mostly just ends up being lame.

Content:
Gore, gore, gore! This is a blood and guts (and brains) type of movie, so keep the little kids (and some of the easily-squeamish adults) away. People and aliens are blown apart left and right, and many of the details (like organs dnd body parts) are shown. F-words are also dropped like hot potatoes, used as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc... There are a few brief nude images (like a quick shot of a woman in a thong), and some unsightly-bordering-on-hideous shots of half-Ripley/half-alien prototypes the scientists were working on. In short: Resurrection, like most horror movies, doesn't exactly back into its R rating; it wears it proudly on its sleeve.

Bottom Line (I promise):
At twenty minutes, I was thinking what the hell? At one hour, I was thinking: hey, this is all right. And at an hour-and-a-half, I was thinking: You know, this is actually kinda cool. Resurrection isn't a masterpiece of plotting and suspense like the first two pictures in the saga, but it's a campy and intriguing action flick that, if you're into sci-fi, should float your boat.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Written by Joss Whedon; based on characters created by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett
Length: 109 minutes
Rated R