Countdown to Prometheus Part 4: "Alien Resurrection"

Those who have read my earlier countdowns may recall the back-story behind the original Alien–which was planned as a cheap B-movie Roger Corman knockoff.  Although that idea was tossed, its degraded recesses did manage to trickle all their way down onto Alien Resurrection.  Devoid of thrills or suspense, the franchise has mutated into a glorified monster-fest.  And even the aliens themselves look bored.

The actual script–plagued with many flaws–does provide a novel approach to resuscitating the tired franchise.  Picking up 200 years after Alien 3, a secret government organization clones Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in order to retrieve the alien queen fetus she carried during her demise.  After several failed attempts, both are successfully reincarnated, save for each carrying hints of the others DNA–Ripley has black finger nails and acidic blood and the queen now possesses, well, bizarre human capabilities. 

Meanwhile, a renegade squad–which includes Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and co-star Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice)–dock at the military spaceship to deliver their cargo order: unconscious human hosts for the new alien embryos.

After two centuries, the government still hasn’t learned from the mistakes of earlier films.  (I was always curious why the evil corporation and military wanted the aliens so badly.  In an era where star ships can reach the far corners of space, how beneficial would uncontrollable creatures be as combat tools?)

The moment the aliens escape and lay rampage on the ship, the armed guards (those who aren’t eaten) flee in escape pods without stopping to consider battling the threat or rescuing the other passengers.  (Was the science vessel assigned the Gomar Pyle crew?)  The remaining survivors include most of the renegades and the ship’s chief scientist–whose glaring eyes and evil smirk blatantly imply “evil” to comical effect.  Ripley soon joins the group as they make way to vacate the ship.  (Why do the aliens always attack when the humans are located far away from an escape route?)

The film follows the ragtag survivors as they banter and probe corners for alien attackers, albeit without any genuine humor or suspense.  The one-liners, reserved mostly for the buffoonish Perlman, are pain-inducing.  “Must be a chick thing.”

The design of the ship’s interiors lack the level of imagination found in earlier installments.  There are moments of deja vu as the survivors seem to walk around the same sound-stage multiple times.  Are they moving in circles?

One saving grace is Weaver, who is more interesting here than in Alien 3, instilling Ripley 2.0 with an ambiguity and cynicism.  Her alien genes give her a feeling of connection to the alien villains, distilling her vindictiveness toward them.  However, the script never allows Ripley to reveal exactly what she’s thinking or how much she remembers.
    

Weaver’s co-star for Alien Resurrection is Winona Ryder, as Cole, a tag-along member of the mercenaries who is turns out to be a mole assassin wanted to prevent the cloning project.  She and Ripley form a unlikely alliance.  Sadly, this golden opportunity to create a mother-daughter dynamic is lost; the bond which might have recalled Ripley’s previous life and her relationship with the little girl, Newt, is underdeveloped.  Everyone’s just too preoccupied running from monsters. 

There are two noteworthy sequences.  The first involves the groups’ dangerous swim through the completely submerged kitchen area.   During their 100-foot trek and three minutes without oxygen (I counted.  Amazing lung capacities.), a pair of swimming aliens give chase.  The fleeing group reach surface, but the other side is blocked, as well as infested with alien eggs, waiting to latch onto the first head that surfaces.

Underwater aliens aren’t the only new element.  In the third act, the queen reveals she possesses Ripley’s reproductive abilities and gives birth to a flesh-colored creature who believes Ripley is his mother, adding a humorous touch to the otherwise flat feature.   

In contrast to Alien 3, the fourth incarnation strives for something new, but inevitably subsides into standard horror fare–an unassuming victim looks in the opposite direction just as the monster strikes. The characters constantly engage in loud outbursts and juvenile one-liners that deprive the film of any sense of danger.  (Who yells when killer monsters lurk around the corner?)  The creatures are displayed in full force thanks to the relatively new CGI technology, which reveals their uninspired, velociraptor-like walking patterns.  Their ominous breathing and squeals heard in Aliens have been replaced with less creepy lion roars.    

Like Alien 3, there were major players involved, including director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, The City of Lost Children) and writer Joss Whedon (writer-director the small indie flick, The Avengers).  Like David Fincher from the earlier film, both would survive the critical backlash.  Unfortunately, the poor box office prevented the series from progressing further and would lay dormant for seven more years, until the aliens would be demoted to a co-starring role with another movie monster.  

Next…


Whoever wins, we lose!!