Movie · 1997 · Science Fiction, Horror, Action · 1h 49m · R · English
Curator score: 1.2/10 (583.5K ratings)
It's already too late.
Overview
Two hundred years after Lt. Ripley died, a group of scientists clone her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the new Ripley is full of surprises … as are the new aliens. Ripley must team with a band of smugglers to keep the creatures from reaching Earth.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.2/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Letterboxd: 2.61/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Production
20th Century Fox, Brandywine Productions
Cast
Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, Raymond Cruz, Leland Orser, Carolyn Campbell, Marlene Bush, David St. James, Rodney Mitchell, Robert Faltisco, David Rowe, Garrett House, Rod Damer
Curator Review
Verdict
A messy, highly stylized franchise detour that swaps the series’ icy dread for grotesque humor, oddball energy, and a surprisingly playful sense of invention. It’s uneven and often tonally off, but the performances, creature effects, and sheer weirdness make it a worthwhile watch for viewers open to a chaotic sci-fi horror sequel.
Best for
fans of franchise sequels that take big swings
viewers who enjoy campy, grotesque sci-fi horror
people interested in offbeat performance-driven genre movies
audiences curious about a divisive but imaginative 1990s blockbuster
Skip if
you want the clean, serious tension of the earlier Alien films
you dislike tonal whiplash or jokey dialogue in horror
you prefer tightly plotted sequels with a reverent approach to canon
you’re not in the mood for body horror and slime-heavy creature design
Overview
Alien Resurrection is the kind of sequel that feels like it was built from equal parts studio mandate and delirious inspiration. It keeps the franchise’s body-horror machinery running, but Jean-Pierre Jeunet pushes everything toward the grotesque, the comic, and the bizarre. The result is a film that often feels wrong for Alien and yet impossible to ignore.
Worth noting
Sigourney Weaver gives the movie its center of gravity, playing a Ripley who is sharper, stranger, and more physically elastic than before. Winona Ryder adds an appealingly odd, vulnerable presence, and the film’s creature work still has real bite. Even when the script is clumsy or the tone sours, there’s enough visual invention and performance energy to keep it moving.
Bottom line
This is not the franchise at its most disciplined or frightening, and it will frustrate purists. But if you’re open to a sequel that treats the universe like a laboratory for mutations, Alien Resurrection has a warped charm. It’s a flawed experiment, but a memorable one.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Mike Ginn (2★) · 7368 likes
The Sigourney Weaver Alien movies collectively take place over 237 years but she’s only conscious for like 5 weeks. Ripley’s having an awful month.
mia lee vicino (3★) · 3612 likes
soft butch space pirate winona ryder made this worth it
Sally Jane Black · 2909 likes
*Whedon's name appears on screen.*
Me, groaning: "Well, this is going to be misogynist."
later
Ripley: "Who do I have to fuck to get off this boat?"
Me, groaning: "There it is."
Every ounce of credit you ever gave Whedon for being "feminist" is an insult to feminism. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Trudes (2.5★) · 2480 likes
Reasons this was better than Alien 3:
• women• Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder loving each other• I laughed out loud once• Sigourney Weaver threatened to rip someone's tongue out for Winona Ryder• I didn't want to kill myself• thanks Winona Ryder• women
James (Schaffrillas) (2.5★) · 2098 likes
One of the dumbest franchise sequels I've ever seen in my life, completely betraying the tone of the original films. I had a fucking blast with it.
It really helps that Alien 3 single-handedly destroyed my investment in anything post-Aliens that happens in this universe. So sure, why not? Why shouldn't every person 200 years in the future act like a ridiculous cartoon character? Why shouldn't a Ripley clone be ballin? At this point all I really wanted was something… more
1995 · Action, Animation, Science Fiction · 1h 23m · NR · Curator 8.7/10 (568.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Explores cloned or constructed identity in a sleek sci-fi mode, with philosophical unease beneath the surface.