{"id":3758,"date":"2018-07-30T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T17:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.avengingforce.com\/?p=3758"},"modified":"2018-07-30T13:47:13","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T17:47:13","slug":"lauren-finally-watches-alien-resurrection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.avengingforce.com\/?p=3758","title":{"rendered":"Lauren (finally) watches: ALIEN: RESURRECTION"},"content":{"rendered":"

So we’ve come to the last\u00a0Alien\u00a0<\/em>movie in the chronology. There were two more movies made after this, but they’re both prequels to the original, so as of right now, this one still stands as the final chapter in the Ripley saga. Is that because it gives the series a satisfying ending? Or is it just so bad that it stalled out the franchise for the next 15 years?<\/p>\n

Based on the Rotten Tomatoes rating<\/a>… I’m guessing the latter.<\/p>\n

If you missed any of the earlier installments in this series, catch up here:<\/p>\n

Alien<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Aliens<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Alien\u00b3<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997):<\/h1>\n

My expectations:<\/h2>\n
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Alien: Resurrection<\/em> (1997). Photo credit: 20th Century Fox<\/p><\/div>\n

My predictions thus far have been educated guesses based on what I know of the directors’ bodies of work, the way stories are typically told, and the events of the previous movies, but this one is a bit more of an enigma for me. It’s directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose work I’m mostly unfamiliar with, save\u00a0Am\u00e9lie<\/em>. (Yes, I’ve heard that Delicatessen\u00a0<\/em>is great. No, I haven’t seen it yet.)\u00a0While that could<\/em> indicate that Jeunet is interested in nuanced, character-driven stories told through a heightened, fantastical lens, and in exploring the internal complexity and emotional range of female characters… it’s just one movie. Not nearly enough to discern a pattern.<\/p>\n

All I know about\u00a0Alien: Resurrection\u00a0<\/em>is that it’s The One With Winona Ryder, who was a pretty big deal in 1997, which makes me think that her role is probably fairly significant. I also know that Sigourney Weaver is back, and since she was not only dead at the end of the last movie, but also incinerated, I’m guessing that in this one, she’s either a clone or an android. Both would be interesting, and I can see an argument for each, so I’m just going to let myself be surprised there.<\/p>\n

I also have been consistently surprised so far by the compressed timeline of these movies, as I kept figuring that with a 6+ year break between sequels, some time would have passed for the characters. Also, most actresses could not pull off playing the same age for 13 years, but apparently Sigourney Weaver is some sort of ageless vampire.<\/p>\n

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Sigourney Weaver in Alien: Resurrection<\/em> (1997). Photo credit: 20th Century Fox<\/p><\/div>\n

However, despite being released a mere five years after\u00a0Alien\u00b3,\u00a0<\/em>I really think I’m right this time about a time jump in Alien: Resurrection<\/em>, and here’s why: Someone is going to have to bring Ripley back, and there was no reason to do so at the end of the third movie. The only reason The Company wanted her was because she had an alien inside of her, but she destroyed both of them. So I figure there’s got<\/em> to be a time jump in order for a plausible reason to have presented itself.<\/p>\n

Now, what that reason is, I’m not entirely sure. Maaaaaaybe some form of “you’re the only one who knows how to fight them” logic, but I don’t quite buy that since it’s not like Ripley ever figured out some super effective way of neutralizing the xenomorphs. All she did was shove two of them out an airlock and inexplicably explode a third one with molten lead, sprinklers, and bizarre physics. None of these methods seem particularly repeatable, so I have no idea what they’re going to want her for… but I’m eager to find out.<\/p>\n

Since this one has two (presumably) central female characters, I am\u00a0extremely\u00a0<\/em>hopeful for some solid character development this time that doesn’t rely on sexist stereotypes or problematic tropes. Ripley’s been consistently great, but the other women in this franchise have been super disappointing up until this point. And if this series never ventured into “sexual assault against women played as character development for men” territory again, that would be great. Based on\u00a0Am\u00e9lie<\/em>\u00a0(which was released 4 years after Resurrection<\/em>), I do have some tentative hope that Jeunet might have the sensitivity to finally deliver multiple female characters that feel nuanced and authentic, but I’m not holding my breath.<\/p>\n

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Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder in Alien: Resurrection<\/em> (1997). Photo credit: 20th Century Fox<\/p><\/div>\n

After this movie, the\u00a0ALIEN franchise stalled out for 15 years before Ridley Scott returned with\u00a0Prometheus\u00a0<\/em>in 2012, which is a prequel to the first movie. So I’m also anticipating this movie having at least a decent sense of closure, since I feel like if this one was left open-ended, the current state of the\u00a0ALIEN series would be sequels, not prequels.<\/p>\n

Then again, maybe this one is just so\u00a0<\/em>bad that it’s better to pretend it doesn’t exist than build off its ending, even if it is left open. Or maybe Ridley Scott just desperately wanted to explore the backstory for his original movie, rather than play off of where other directors had taken the story since then. Maybe I know nothing whatsoever.<\/p>\n

Let’s just watch the movie.<\/p>\n

Watching the movie:<\/h2>\n