The Screen Addict | Alien Resurrection

Although it is my least favorite in the franchise, I certainly do have a giant soft spot for Alien: Resurrection (1997). In celebration of the bastard child’s 24th birthday, I decided to write a couple of kind words about it.

I (lovingly) use the term bastard child because however you look at it, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet just seems like an odd choice for the Alien Universe. Ridley Scott, James Cameron and even David Fincher – who made his feature debut with Alien 3 (1992) – all came from a background in Hollywood SciFi and Fantasy. Whereas Jeunet’s last film before joining the franchise was… La cité des enfants perdus (1995).

Granted – this wonderful French film definitely has strong Fantasy elements, but it is worlds away from the cyberpunk gore of the Alien Series. Don’t get me wrong, I think Jeunet is a terrific director and there is no denying his visual flair. His films however, are very much infused with Dark Comedy. Exactly this kooky, European sense of humor is what I personally don’t find appropriate for the enduring tale of the Xenomorph.

On the other hand, I should not ignore that the ultimate icon of the Alien Films has European roots as well. The extraterrestrial beast was based on designs by Zürich-born artist Hansruedi Giger, after all.

Looking past my ambivalence towards Jeunet, there still is so much to enjoy in A:R. And if you can get your hands on the 2003 Special Edition, you are in for a particularly delightful treat.

This version opens with a truly inventive close-up of what you initially perceive to be a snarling alien. When the camera pulls back however, the monster appears to be nothing more than a harmless bug that is subsequently squashed by a human finger. Say what you will about Jeunet, but this shot is just so wonderfully weird and completely unique, that it gives the franchise a fresh jolt immediately.

Sadly, the studio probably thought the opening scene was too bizarre, and removed it from the theatrical release completely. Perplexingly, many other lovely oddities where left in tact by scissor-wielding studio execs – like the breath-activated door locks and dehydrated whiskey-cubes.

And then there are the clones. This clever plot element allows Ripley to fight another day after jumping to her death into a giant furnace in Fincher’s film. Scientists in A:R have managed to obtain some of Ripley’s blood samples, and proceeded to clone her in order to harvest the alien queen she was carrying throughout Alien 3.

Unfortunately, it took seven tries before they succeeded, and Ripley 8 eventually discovers her grotesque aborted siblings in an abandoned laboratory. The scene is truly the stuff of nightmares.

The whole film is just gorgeously shot though. Darius Khondji’s sumptuous photography really brings out the dark-metallic shine of the monstrous aliens, and strongly amplifies the overall SciFi theme.

A:R is also the first in the series to feature swimming Xenomorphs – if you don’t count the beast emerging from the water behind Newt in Aliens (1986). And although I strongly favor physical puppets, suits and animatronics over CGI – which these aquatic aliens clearly are – the sequence is still quite effective and positively scary.

Speaking of scary, A:R has an “End Boss” that trumps almost everything we’ve seen so far in the other films – except for maybe the alien queen. Music-video maestro and conceptual designer Chris Cunningham was given the assignment of creating a hybrid alien-human so terrifying, that not even its own mother(s) could love it. A tall order for the average special-effects artist perhaps, but not for the man who brought us the amazing mini-movies for Aphex Twin’s Windowlicker and Come to Daddy.

And thus The Newborn was spawned from the loins of Ripley 8 and the alien queen. A horrific nine-foot infant with pale-grey skin, huge claws and an exposed skull for a face. It is disposed of rather quickly – and horrifically – but its impact on the Alien Universe is everlasting.

Sigourney Weaver and Winona Rider headline the wonderful A:R ensemble, joining a stellar cast that includes Jeunet lucky-charms Dominique Pinon and Ron Perlman. The standout for me however, is Michael Wincott.

I think I’ve mentioned a couple of times before that Wincott is my favorite Nineties villain, with deliciously evil performances in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Crow (1994) and Strange Days (1995), to name but a few. Wincott’s character in A:R is more ambiguous though. He might be a ruthless human trafficker, but he undeniably cares about his crew.

In conclusion – A:R is probably not everyone’s cup of tea – or dehydrated whiskey – but it is definitely one of the most idiosyncratic entries in the franchise. It stands out, for better or worse.

Solid recommend.

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Twitter (X): Robin Logjes | The Screen Addict