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ALIEN: RESURRECTION is a mess. The fourth film in the series is
easily the worst film in the series. No, it's not a total bomb-- Ms.
Weaver is immanently watchable, the art direction is a winner, there's
more humor to go around, and director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (THE CITY OF
LOST CHILDREN, DELICATESSEN) has a great eye for the grotesque. If
nothing else, there's certainly more goo, glop, and gore than in the
first three films combined. (The opening scene details, in queasy
close-up, the surgical removal of you know what from Ms. Weaver's
cloned character's chest.) But is it exciting, suspenseful, or even
scary? No, not really. More than anything else, there's just too much
going on. The various chases and fire-fights are so poorly integrated
that even the best bits often cancel each other out. To make matters
worse, the score (by John Frizzell) telegraphs each and every boo before
it happens. The finale is the worst, with a hybrid creature as likely
to inspire giggles as gags. (Okay, the presence of Winona Ryder is
pretty damn funny, too.) And can someone please explain the final
scene? Why is everyone so happy after witnessing such huge and presum-
ably devastating destruction? Game over, man.
Grade: C-
Copyright 1997 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros
Originally posted to triangle.movies as MOVIE HELL: In Brief