Alien Resurrection

Rating ***/*****, or 7/10

Fourth installment in the successful sci-fi thriller saga returns to the more action driven approach first taken by James Cameron for Aliens, though never reaches the same level of total immersion in the on-screen excitement. However, there's still plenty to enjoy in this rather comic book style flick, courtesy of French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, though it's obvious the story isn't the main argument here. After 200 years, Ripley (still Sigourney Weaver) is revived by zealous scientists via cloning, in an attempt to harvest the baby Queen Alien inside her. The scientists, including the ever sinister Brad Dourif, soon find out they got more than they bargained for when both the xenomorphs and the resurrected Ripley herself turn out to be more dangerous and unpredictable than they ever imagined. Add to that a big ass military ship as the film's setting and an absurd but hilariously eclectic group of mercenaries armed to the teeth to combat the monsters, and you got yourself some terrificly entertaining action scenes at the least. Winona Ryder plays the obligatory android this time, and does a rather lousy, quite poorly acted job at it unfortunately.

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

USA: 20^th Century Fox, 1997