Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Alien: Resurrection’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Winona Ryder, Raymond Cruz, Kim Flowers, Ron Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Sigourney Weaver, and Leland Orser as Call, Distephano, Hillard, Johner, Christie, Ellen Ripley, and Purvis in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s ALIEN: RESURRECTION. (Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.)

​Perhaps the true beauty of the storied ​Alien franchise is that it is one of the few sagas out there that has managed to employ a fresh and unique perspective with every successive sequel. Ridley Scott of course set the tone for the franchise in Alien, but James Cameron took the story to new heights in Aliens and David Fincher was able to take a studio mess and put together a serviceable, brooding film with gothic undertones in ​Alien 3. 

As luck would have it, the fourth film in the saga, aptly titled Alien: Resurrection, would be no exception to the 'fresh set of eyes' rule established by its predecessors when it blended the wit and creativity of screenwriter Joss Whedon with the unique direction of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and the end result of this particular film proved to be quite the fascinating character study, with xenomorphs of course, and oddly enough this is a film that continues to divide the fan base to this day. 

One big reason for the grand division amongst the fans is simple to say the least, this particular entry in the saga doesn't take itself too seriously. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments to be found here, and one liners galore as a resurrected Ripley does her best to survive and fight the monster that has haunted her through life and death once again, and when one considers the scares and tension the first three films brought to the table, it's understandable as to why the hardcore fan base took offense, since this film in essence seems like it's mocking the other films that came before it, but in reality... it's simply providing us with a brand new take on Ripley's journey through xenomorph hell.

Because when you strip down the comedy and moments that the fans lament, you're left with quite the fascinating film, especially when one considers that Ellen Ripley has in fact become to a certain degree the thing she hates since there are alien traits in her very DNA, and the subtle and tortured performance that Sigourney Weaver brings to the screen because of those concepts is downright brilliant. Plus, there's something to be said about taking a story that has always been about good versus evil and blurring the lines quite a bit since just about everyone in this film operates in grey territory and has to truly earn their stripes as a hero or a villain.

If anything, this film has grown on me over the years, not only because of the incredible acting, but also because this Alien film threw caution to the wind, trying all kinds of wild ideas, like the Newborn for example, to see if they stick and while not all of them do, the fact that 20th Century Fox allowed for such things to happen speaks volumes as to how they want this franchise to remain fresh and original, and I'm equally appreciative of the fact that this motion picture does its best to pay tribute to the films that came before it in both scope and aesthetics, and if this story has to serve as Ellen Ripley's final adventure through the stars, at least she went out with a hell of a bang. 

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