Suffering sequels

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2006)

As with most sequels, this doesn't have the impact of the original and suffers in comparison. Add in the factor of second and third instalments, both very competent in their own right, and Alien 4 never really stood a chance. Plus, the options for expanding on the theme of 'nasty alien infiltrating spaceship' are severely limited. Given the number of years between these films, it is almost inconceivable that anybody might come to this one without having seen the previous three, perhaps many times.
I believe that explains some of the critical reviews, and it does tend to dull the experience even for die-hard fans. I think this movie would stand up in it's own right, but I could never know that. I think the Ripley plot is an interesting twist, and the presence of Winona Ryder is most welcome to me, one of her greatest fans. Ron Perlman is perhaps not at his very best here, but still very watchable. I can't really say this is a bad movie, but it's getting tired now, 18 years after it's incarnation. Perhaps a change of scenery would have helped - space may be big, but it is very 'samey' unfortunately. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and I think that's what I feel for the alien. It doesn't scare any more, in fact it's all a bit boring. No amount of tinkering with the script and the characters will make up for that.