Alien:Resurrection (1997)
Unlike many films, this fourth effort in the Alien franchise, from French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, seems to improve with each subsequent viewing.
Elements i found disappointing at the cinema now seem fine - the human / Xenomorph / Ripley hybrid for a start. Certainly the underwater sequence stands out like a sore thumb due to it's sheer unbelievability, how can people swim underwater for almost five minutes and not drown? However that's basically all i found wrong with it when i went back to the film last night.
In fact there's plenty to love about Alien: Resurrection. Unlike some of the films Jeunet doesn't hide the Xenomprphs away. We get to see them and in close up. Jeunet allows his camera to practically study the creatures in depth which always delights me as they are such a wonderful creation.
The film also has a great cast. Back when it originally hit cinemas i wasn't particularly aware of Ron Perlman nor Gary Dourdan and Winona Ryder seemed tragically miscast. Now twenty five years on and thanks to the brilliance of shows such as Sons of Anarchy and CSI Perlman and Dourdan are familiar and cherished names to me. (Ryder's still miscast though). Sigourney Weaver remains excellent as heroine Ripley, albeit in a much changed persona.
Whilst the film is arguably a more humorous affair than it's predecessors it also possibly ups the violence levels with several moments of strong gore. There's even some sympathy generated by the hybrid creature at the end despite the sight of it biting heads in half moments earlier.
Alien Resurrection will always have it's critics and that's fine. However when all's said and done it offers us the best chance to gaze at the Xenomorph creature and all these years on still proves an entertaining science fiction/action movie.
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