Enjoyable and some morsels to chew on

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2010)

I have just seen the Quadrilogy special edition, which has a different opening and ending, and some extra scenes that flesh out some of he characters. I enjoyed it much more coming back to it some 3 or 4 years from having last seen that theatrical cut on DVD. The film doesn't have the visceral impact of either Alien or Aliens. However, it acknowledges Alien 3 and the previous films, and is a film with a very original, weird and surreal style typical of director Jean Pierre Jeunet. Unfortunately the KEY characters are not fleshed out quiet as well as the previous instalments, and only Sigourney Weaver, and Leland Orser, who plays the small role of Purvis, shine. Signourney Weaver, as in the previous two movies, is a standout and brings a new dimension to the character as a resurrected clone. In this special edition an interesting subplot about Ripley's past relationships is touched upon, but unfortunately its never developed to its full and interesting potential. The best part of the film is an outstanding sequence where Ripley confronts the reality of her existence as clone number 8, by seeing first hand the prior research, and it is a sequence right up their with the best of anything else in any of the other films. Leland Orser makes the most of a small part, and actually injects his character with pathos, even if the character's climax is way over the top! The story is interesting, but the film's main weakness is that some of the themes set up are not full explored, hence you do not get the emotional payoff that you get in Alien and Aliens, when subplots are carried through e.g Ash's character in Alien, Bishop's character arc in Aliens. Most characters, Wren, Elgyn ,Perez and Gediman(who is an unnecessarily weird character)come across more as plot devices,so you don't really care for them. However, Winona Ryder's Call is quite sympathetic, and by towards end of the film the characters of Vriess (played by Dominque Pinon) and Johner(played by Ron Perlman) are characters you begin to root for, even if the Johner character starts off as being deliberately dislikable.
The action sequences are well done, including a standout sequence underwater. The photography and design, like in all the alien films, are excellent. Visual effects are also excellent, bearing in mind this was the first Alien film to fully embrace CG, and is generally well integrated with the excellent live action animatronics. John Frizzell's music is entirely appropriate to the mood, and continues the tradition of excellent and fresh original scores across all four films.
The gore is certainly more obvious than in the previous instalments, and those with sensitive stomachs need to be aware that this is the most gratuitous of the four films. This was another small disappointment, as the horror of the aliens is much more psychological rather than the physical and the film is strongest when the horror is geared towards the implied rather than in your face (which for one character is more than just a metaphor!).
My final comment is about evolution. The research of the scientific characters in the story that leads to Ripley's Clone 8 raises some interesting thoughts on the ethics of genetic engineering, and links well into the Ripley Clone's issues about her identity. The idea could have been further explored but nevertheless its good to see these issues being layered into a Hollywood Sci- Fi movie. However, the impact of this research in the story of the evolution of the Alien species is controversial and while I really liked the idea, and of its linkage to Ripley, you'll need to make your mind up about the evolution's physical manifestation, which I was unsure about. This character was also on screen for too short a period, and it was a shame that more time wasn't devoted to this.
Overall I was impressed - not a classic, but a very well made and thoughtful, if occasionally weird movie.