Reviews by Joseph Grey

Alien: Resurrection was an interesting departure from the previous three Alien movies. However, I think that the movie may have wandered a little too far from the horror roots of the original.

Set two hundred years later, corporate officers and ambitious scientists are just as corrupt and irresponsible as they were in the other films. Although the movie has a wealth of characters to draw material from, I can't help feeling that Ripley's character was not as developed as she was in the previous movies. Perhaps the creators of this movie were going for a distant and inhuman Ripley character, but I don't think it was the right choice.

The movie has enjoyable sections, but I really wish more time was spent with Ripley's character, revealing her changing psychology.

I'm also left questioning why Jean-Pierre Jeunet (talented director of 'Delicatessen' and 'City of Lost Children') was chosen to direct this movie. Although I love the other films of his that I have seen, I really don't think that horror is his forte. Some of the bloodiest scenes in the movie end up having a certain irony and comedic flare to them, which may upset people that were looking for a serious 'aliens rip through the flesh of screaming victims' hardcore movie.

That being said, although the movie didn't feel like an "Alien" movie to me, it was still watchable. Good performances by Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, and Winona Ryder.

I'll give the positives first. This movie has a dark tone to it, and doesn't stray from the mood that it establishes early on. Also, there are some good performances by Anna Walton, Sean Pertwee and Ron Perlman.

On the negative side, the events in the storyline are somewhat predictable, and the most of the characters aren't developed in any meaningful way... but this movie isn't a drama, it's about action, so maybe that isn't important, depending on what you're looking for.

This is one of those movies you don't want to come upon with high expectations. My suggestion is to not take it too seriously. At its basic premise there are monsters, and our heroes must defeat those monsters. If you like monster slaying on a ravaged world, then this may be for you. If you want solid stories and deep characters, you may be disappointed.