Alien Resurrection

Newcity Chicago

DIRECTED BY: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

REVIEWED: 12-01-97

For someone who claims their English on the first day of shooting was limited to "Zhut de fokk upp!" Jean-Pierre Jeunet does more-than-capable work in reviving the "Alien" franchise. "Alien Resurrection" suffers from uninspiredly gruff obscenity, so-so one-liners, a buoyant-yet-dull approach to much of the icky-goo and the gore, yet Jeunet, co-director of "Delicatessen" and "City of Lost Children," brings along both his rich, dark palette and his gifted cameraman Darius Khondji, to great effect. The movie's 103-minute running time is mostly chase, with a few privileged moments of glare from the reincarnated, muscular mutant Ripley of Sigourney Weaver. Khondji loves Weaver's face and limbs, and loves Winona Ryder's even more. Ryder seems chirpy at some moments, but when her face floods with worry or regret, Khondji floods her face and liquid eyes with sweetest luminescence, while also retaining the layers of gloom, steel, muck and damp in the corridors or passageways behind her. The movie moves like the wind, then pauses for a close-up, then moves on, again and again.

--Ray Pride

Full Length Reviews
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection

Film Vault Suggested Links
Virus
Deep Blue Sea
The Faculty

Related Merchandise
Search for related videos at Reel.com
Search for more by Jean-Pierre Jeunet at Reel.com
Search for related books at Amazon.com
Search for related music at Amazon.com

Rate this Film
If you don't want to vote on a film yet, and would like to know how others voted, leave the rating selection as "Vote Here" and then click the Cast Vote button.