Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Brad Dourif, Leland Orser, Dan Hedaya, J. E. Freeman, Kim Flowers, and Raymond Cruz
Sometimes it's abundantly clear when Hollywood is trying to make a quick buck. There are some movies that are just so unnecessary that you're just left wondering why. After Alien 3, who would've thought that another Alien film centering on the character of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) could be made? I certainly wouldn't have. Alien Resurrection, the fourth installment in the long-running franchise, is an obvious attempt by Hollywood to make some quick cash in the chase for the almighty dollar.
It's been more than 200 years since Ellen Ripley threw herself into the flames at Fury 161 and took the last alien down with her. Still, the military chases dreams of turning the perfect organism into the perfect weapon. Using blood samples from Fury 161, military scientists clone Ripley and the Alien Queen embryo that was growing inside her at the time of her death. They extract the cloned Alien Queen and produce more aliens on a ship known as the Auriga. They also decide to keep the Ripley clone alive because she's shown enhanced abilities, including acidic blood and a significant increase in strength.
Some mercenaries arrive on the Auriga and quickly encounter Ripley. While her colleague Johner (Ron Perlman) is enamored with this mysterious woman, Call (Winona Ryder) is familiar with the story of the actual Ellen Ripley and tries to kill this clone thinking that she's the key to bringing monster aliens back into the world. Call doesn't know that the damage has already been done. The military naturally can't control their cloned aliens, and they break loose to kill nearly everyone aboard the Auriga. However, we have Ripley and her mercenary friends to fend off the aliens. There's just one catch. Military scientist Dr. Wren (J.E. Freeman) informs Ripley and the mercenaries that the ship is programmed to return to Earth in emergency situations. The newly cloned aliens are headed for Earth.
In comparison to its predecessor Alien 3, Alien Resurrection is a significant improvement. The graphics are better as the aliens actually look realistic again. With the likes of Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman, there's a stronger supporting cast helping Weaver carry the film. Some of the pure terror is even back with these smarter aliens adapting to their surroundings. When it comes down to it though, it's just not as good as Alien or Aliens. While it's an enjoyable flick, Alien Resurrection is not in the same league as these two other installments in the franchise.
While Ripley 2.0 is a refreshing, badass character, she's ultimately not as good as the original. By the time Alien Resurrection was released, it was abundantly clear that the Alien franchise was all about the benjamins. Ellen Ripley died in Alien 3. That's a rather definitive ending. There's no worthwhile story left for Sigourney Weaver's character. This futuristic cloning is a little desperate. Admittedly though, Alien Resurrection has given Weaver's cloned alien/human hybrid some hilarious interactions with Ron Perlman's Johner.
Alien Resurrection is definitely a good flick to catch on a rainy day. If I had a choice though, I would always opt for Alien or Aliens. Alien Resurrection gets a 0.06% rating. Have a few rounds of beer with this one.
