Unnecessary fourth installment of an all-time great saga

Rating: 6/10 (16 October 2000)

After Alien3, it seemed the Alien Saga had drawn to a (fairly acceptable)close. But thanks to a rather ingenious premise, Ripley is back, but for all the anticipation, the film fails to live up to its predecessors.
Director Jeunet's surrealistic style worked quite well in Delicatessen, but on this occasion it only serves to betray the spirit of the series. There are some genuinely eerie moments, but most of the jokes fall flat, and the plot is predictable enough to extinguish any notion of suspense. And the fact that Ripley is not really 'Ripley' means the audience has no one to root for apart from a cliched bunch of mercenaries about whom one could not care less.
It would all be forgivable, however, had it not been for the diabolical casting of Winona Ryder as the Bishop-esque cyborg Call: she may be a good actress, but looks completely at a loss here.
Alien: Resurrection is still a must-see, but only because it is part of something far grander than itself.
6/10