Wednesday, June 06, 2012
The exclamation marks in the title may signify how excited I am. And of this year's releases it was not a film I would have imagined to be one of my most anticipated. But I've geared myself up and immersed myself in Ellen Ripley's world over the last five days.
Okay, so Ripley's not in this one, I know that. But I wanted to know the full history behind the return of the franchise.
I'd only seen Alien before and thought it was quite good. Aliens was a high priority for some time on the have-to-borrow list but never got around to it before now. I just want to say that I think Sigourney Weaver is just amazing as Ripley, I could never imagine anyone replicating her in that role. And she was 48 by the time Alien: Resurrection was made. I was shocked to realise today that she's 63. 63! She looks incredible.
Anyway, to compliment my review of Prometheus, which will be up on Saturday night as per usual, I watched these to provide mini-reviews. In short, I loved Alien and Aliens, didn't mind Alien 3 and hated Alien: Resurrection. Science fiction has never been so creepy. I'm so excited that Ridley Scott's back for the prequel. And I'll have a similarly excited crew accompanying me for a change which is always nice. We can all be crazy excited together.
***
Alien (1979)
The quadrilogy begins with Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the crew of Nostromo landing on planet LV-426 to investigate an SOS signal. They find a pretty nasty little alien that makes itself at home on board but is nothing compared to what comes next. Ridley Scott’s vision is terrifying and fascinating, and Weaver’s comfort with Ripley from the start carries the film to a strong finish. 4.5/5
Aliens (1986)
Regarded as one of cinema’s best sequels, Ripley returns to find LV-426 has been colonised and returns to face her demons when there are reports of disappearances from the administration. There’s a lot more action, plenty of twists and a Ripley who is a force to be reckoned with. What should be a typical blockbuster cuts above its weight. James Cameron takes credit for that one. 4.5/5
Regarded as one of cinema’s best sequels, Ripley returns to find LV-426 has been colonised and returns to face her demons when there are reports of disappearances from the administration. There’s a lot more action, plenty of twists and a Ripley who is a force to be reckoned with. What should be a typical blockbuster cuts above its weight. James Cameron takes credit for that one. 4.5/5
Alien 3 (1992)
David Fincher’s stamp on the franchise has Ripley fall into a dark place as she finds the aliens have a particular liking for her. Landing on a penal colony with maximum security-jailed prisoners as her team, she struggles mentally and physically with finishing the bastards off once and for all. An edgier soundtrack and darker characters make for an interesting arc but it just doesn’t manage to reach the heights of the first two, even with a great ending. 3/5
David Fincher’s stamp on the franchise has Ripley fall into a dark place as she finds the aliens have a particular liking for her. Landing on a penal colony with maximum security-jailed prisoners as her team, she struggles mentally and physically with finishing the bastards off once and for all. An edgier soundtrack and darker characters make for an interesting arc but it just doesn’t manage to reach the heights of the first two, even with a great ending. 3/5
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
The franchise ends like the Twilight Saga – number four should never have been created. Ripley is brought back to civilisation 200 years after her death as a clone and is used by The Company to breed a queen alien. The aliens escape the research labs as a rogue crew come on the ship. With an extremely 90s feel to it, Joss Whedon’s script is poor. Ripley’s turn as an alien sympathiser doesn’t suit her (although Weaver is still very effective) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s direction fails to make an impact. 1.5/5
The franchise ends like the Twilight Saga – number four should never have been created. Ripley is brought back to civilisation 200 years after her death as a clone and is used by The Company to breed a queen alien. The aliens escape the research labs as a rogue crew come on the ship. With an extremely 90s feel to it, Joss Whedon’s script is poor. Ripley’s turn as an alien sympathiser doesn’t suit her (although Weaver is still very effective) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s direction fails to make an impact. 1.5/5
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