Alien Resurrection

Alien Resurrection (1997)
Seen on DVD 16th July 2008

- Part of the ALIEN QUADRILOGY box set

"There's a monster inside your chest... ...a really nasty one, and in a few hours it's gonna burst it's way through your rib cage, and you're gonna die."

Ahh, resurrection! The FUN Alien movie.
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet of "Amelie" fame.

This movie is ALWAYS trashed by reviewers and i'm not sure why. Yes it does take a dark and scary movie series and kick it in the ass with some colour and humour, but TWO HUNDRED YEARS have passed since Alien Cubed and apparently spaceships have better lighting systems now!

Despite the "fun" feel that it carries, this movie is also capable of totally dishing out the SCARY SHIT when it needs to as well. I mean... acid bleeding aliens with second heads inside their mouths and giant razor sharp tails who want to use our bodies as an incubator for their babies?

If they weren't so sexy looking i'd hate them!

STORY: 5/7 - (number 8)
As stated earlier... it has been 200 years since Lt. Ellen Ripley died on Fiorna 161, taking the alien species with her. Weyland-Yutani have been bought out by WALMART, and now, a group of scientists led by the oh-so-very-brilliant Brad Dourif have cloned Ripley, and are breeding the aliens for their research.

*failed Ripley clones

A crew of misfits have "stock" to deliver to the space station which houses the aliens, and the new and improved Ripley. This stock ends up being frozen humans, acquisitioned for the breeding of our favourite little pets. Of course, SOMEHOW, completely unexpectedly, the aliens get out and... well, all hell breaks loose.

The big question though is... will Ripley kill the aliens? or is she now one of them? Because as she says: "i'm the monster's mother"

ACTING: 4/7 - (She'll breed. You'll die)
Sigourney Weaver is BRILLIANT reprising the role that made her career. It's amazing how someone can be so HARDCORE and somehow so nonchalant at the same time. Brad Dourif is outstandingly creepy and Winona Ryder is... well... Winona Ryder.

CINEMATOGRAPHY / VISUAL EFFECTS: 5.5/7 - (a beautiful, beautiful butterfly)
In terms of cinematography we're talking LOTS of spaceship interiors: fast dark scenes. Flashing lights, a bit of atmosphere. In terms of visual effects however... we're talking big giant aliens with shiny teeth, creepy drool and chest bursters, face huggers and that UGLY UGLY DISGUSTING second generation alien baby thing.

*2nd Gen Alien

SCORE / SOUND: 3.5/7 - (sci-fi)
The score for this movie was written by John Frizzell. He's scored a few movies i've seen but nothing i can remember the sound of. This is basically your average sci-fi movie soundtrack.

SONGS: N/A

GORE RATING: 5/7 - ("it's gonna make the Lacerta Plague look like a fucking square dance!")
Some nice second heading and stuff... an AWESOME (but so sad) jaw smashing and of course that clone room is all kinds of horrorfying. The best has to be the biting open of the head though. That's real nice!

*failed Ripley



OVERALL RATING: 5/7
"My mommy always said there were no monsters. No real ones. But there are."

Interesting facts -
- In the scene where Ripley throws a basketball through a hoop, over her shoulder, effortlessly... SHE REALLY DID IT!
- Weaver was paid more for her role in this film, than the entire ALIEN film (1979) cost
- The computer name "Father" is a tribute to the original's "Mother"
- The clone room was the main reason Weaver signed onto the project