Alien: Resurrection: Director’s Cut
If there’s one thing I find kinda annoying, it’s when fanboys of a certain movie franchise go up in arms about sequels taking things in a different direction and trying something new: Thus the case here with the most underrated film of the Alien series. Director Jeunet decided to infuse his entry with a sense of French surrealism that if nothing else, certainly feels different from the previous three entries. Many stunning visuals abound here, and the alien creatures look great, and more realistic than any time prior. The underwater scene is one of the best and most well-done action sequences in the series, and Jeunet’s eye for the bizarre imagery is the film’s strongest suit. In addition, the alien/human bybrid was a bizarre, but effective touch as we get a creature that we feel pity for as much as fear. I also enjoyed the ideas put forth in Joss Whedon’s screenplay, as the main group of “space pirates” are certainly a forerunner to the crew of his Serenity, and the whole thing just seems to be a fresh take on a concept that had gotten stale in Alien 3. Then there’s the cast, whom with the exception of Cameron’s masterpiece are the best ensemble the series has seen: Weaver’s Ripley clone actually manages to up the character’s sex appeal with her predatory nature, and achieves great power in the scene where she finds her failed previous attempts; Ryder’s much-maligned performance as Call is actually a pretty cool hippie-terrorist type, likable and cute even after her big secret is revealed; Ron Perlman’s Johner nearly steals the movie, especially the way he is presented as unlikable and unsympathetic but turns out nonetheless to be a total badass; Hedaya’s general is more of this fine actor giving another solid turn, with a hilarious death scene to boot; Leland Orser gives great empathy to his role as an implanted human late in the film, and his final scene (and the way he goes out) is probably one of the top five best moments in the franchise; Brad Dourif’s weirdo scientist is another cool creepy performance from him, especially when he reappears late in the film (gotta love his “running commentary”); J.E. Freeman’s head scientist continues the fine tradition of company assholes which are a staple of the series; and Michael Wincott (one of the undisputed kings of cool) as Elgyn makes a great impression with limited screen time, despite his demise being one of the worst and dumbest moments of the film. The rest of the crew are all cool and likable, with the exception being Dominque Pinon’s rubberfaced cripple: babbling out all his dialogue incoherently and stretching the story’s credibility by continuously surviving the most unlikeliest of scenarios, he basically is the only real drag on a fine film. In the end, EXTREMELY underrated, and certainly a science fiction/horror film that deserves to be reevaluated…
9/10