Alien Resurrection
(1997)
science fiction
directed
by : Jean Pierre Jeunet
featuring
: Sigourney Weaver - Winoma Ryder - Ron Perlman - Dominique Pinon - Michael
Wincott
running
time : 1 hour 48 minutes
The fourth film in the Alien series, directed
by Jean Pierre Jeunet at a cost of $70 million, takes place aboard an immense
ship, the Auriga, where General Perez (Dan Hedaya) heads a staff of seven
science officers and 42 enlisted, all employed by United Systems Military
(replacing the Company of the earlier films). The time is 200 years after
the events of Alien 3. Scientists researching the aliens need hosts, and
they rely on space mercenaries who make spacecraft raids to acquire bodies
for the scientists. The research requires an Alien Queen specimen, so Ellen
Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) has been cloned from preserved blood samples.
The scientific team then removes the baby Alien Queen from Ripley's chest.
Since the Ripley clone has alien DNA mixed into her genetic structure,
she is not totally human. Later, a commercial freighter, the Betty, arrives
with a crew of mercenaries — Elgyn (Michael Wincott), pilot Hillard
(Kim Flowers), paralyzed mechanic Vriess (Dominique Pinon), space jock
Johner (Ron Perlman), and junior mechanic Annalee Call (Winona Ryder) who
deliver a load of human hosts with alien eggs. Problems begin when the
mercenaries take over the Auriga, and aliens escape to massacre humans.
As the aliens attack, Ripley and the mercenaries try to reach the Betty
in order to escape. Cinematography by Darius Khondji features the same
ENR process he used on Seven, adding silver to the printing process to
heighten contrasts, making the dark colors richer. An electric blue tint
was employed during the underwater firefight between the mercenaries and
the aliens. For the more physical aspects of her role, Ryder got in shape
with six hours of daily workouts. Although all previous films in the series
were shot at London's Pinewood Studios, filming of Alien Resurrection took
place West Los Angeles soundstages with special effects in California and
Paris.
As surely as slime-encrusted pods
and chest-popping baby aliens, the Alien series has regularly allowed directors
on the cusp of Hollywood acceptance to assume its directing chores. After
Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher, it was Jeunet's turn. Best
known for his collaborations with co-director Marc Caro, Jeunet receives
sole directing credit here, with Caro on board only as a design supervisor.
The film, however, greatly resembles their collaborative work on Delicatessen
and The City Of Lost Children, creating a fantastic environment that looks
like the future as constructed out of the local scrap heap. Unfortunately,
production design is the best thing Alien Resurrection has going for it.
Weaver's resurrected Ripley seems as ill-defined as most of the supporting
characters, and the themes of motherhood and the dehumanizing elements
of technology all show up borrowed from previous entries with diminishing
returns. Even more troubling are the unsatisfying action and special effects
set pieces, particularly a climactic battle with a hybrid alien that looks
like it stepped in from a Pumpkinhead sequel.