Missing something?

Rating: 4/10 (3 May 2001)

The main problem I have with this film is that it loses the original style of the other films (including Alien3, which I liked) through trying to be too deep and clever. The underlying threat of the Alien is its mystery, like many things we fear even when we see the Alien its way of thinking is something vastly different to ours, simple and more primal, hence more perfect killing machine. In trying to 'delve into the Alien Psyche' the creature loses some of its scariness. It also lacks a lot of credibility storywise. The Aliens lack numbers which is fine in a prison or a mining ship where there is no military hardware. Also where did they get bits of Ripley to regenerate when she burnt herself to nothing in molten metal, note the bits needed her DNA after impregnation!!????? Not a wholly unpleasant film but poor acting and a distinctly European feel (whose artistic emphasis lessen a necessary grittiness in this sort of Sci-Fi demonstrated in The 5th Element) mean you don't get quite as involved. Lets look to the novels and graphic novels and hope for an Alien vs. Predator again, which was planned before this apparently but got scrapped........WHY?????