It's not Alien 4, it's a new beginning

Rating: 6/10 (8 November 2010)

I've always been surprised as to how much negativity Alien Resurrection has generated. Like its direct predecessor, it is a much maligned piece of cinema. Unlike Alien3, however, Resurrection doesn't descend further into the harrowing nightmare that ended with Ripley's death; it completely shifts the paradigms of the series.
You could easily view this film as something apart from the previous three. It doesn't even have Ripley in it, not really- it's a clone (one of eight), and Sigourney Weaver doesn't play her like she's Ripley, either. Undeniably, they look similar these two protagonists, but that is pretty much the only link. Other than the blood-thirsty aliens stalking the corridors of a military space station- which itself finally delivers on the idea of what might happen should 'The Company' (or at least 'a company' since Weyland-Yutani are no more 250 years into the future) get hold of alien DNA and mess about with it. It raises some really interesting ideas about the nature of the creature itself (how, exactly, do you clone a parasite from the host's blood sample? That's a sci-fi concept waiting to be explored), not to mention their more 'human' aspects (problem solving intelligence, for one, an implied sexual interest in their genetic grandmother- Ripley 8) making for some pretty nasty monsters.
That's the bad point really though, because ever since James Cameron took a load of machine guns to a colony of xenomorphs in 1986, they've lost the menace the creature had in the 1979 original. They are just teeth and claws to be dispatched, and perhaps it's intentional with regard to these aliens being a little bit human, but they look far too organic (they even seemed to have developed goat legs, which doesn't make such sense, but perhaps it's for artistic flare, and the creatures do look very good, just not as good as they used to).
Alien Resurrection really isn't business as usual, but then every film in the series has been different, so why not have a European black comedy thrown in, too? Personally, I love Jeunet's touch; despite his language barriers at the time, he injects great humour into the proceedings, without ridiculing the hallowed science fiction saga, and that is thanks to Joss Wedon's script. He's been incredibly vocal about his disappointment with the project, but Jeunet's visual style lends itself incredibly well to science fiction, creating a grubby, dystopian future an age away from the clean white space station of Aliens and a darn sight more believable. If man as a species takes to the stars, the universe will be filthy, and that is on display here in abundance.
There are some fantastic set pieces(although the underwater sequence's CGI has dated in the last 13 years), and a brave attempt at taking the series in a new and frightening direction with the love it/hate it (mostly people seem to hate it) Newborn creature, born directly from the (sadly under-used) Queen's womb inherited from the genetic crossover (so when do we get to see Ripley laying eggs?).
Like Alien3 before it, it takes up the reigns from an ending nobody really knows how to develop the series from. Sure, it would have been nice that Hicks and Newt made it. And sure, it might have been nice if Ripley hadn't died- but this series has been taking risks since the beginning. Captain Dallas should have been the hero way back in 1979, but he buys it halfway in. Ridley Scott pulls a Psycho on us, and we love it. Every time anyone else tries anything against the grain in this franchise, it's been met with disdain. The most popular entry into the series (Aliens) is the least subversive, all guns and war and even a happy ending. It's a masterclass in scifi action, sure, but I think Alien Resurrection is probably the bravest film of the four. It sort of writes itself into a hole at the end, but we've been there before with this series. I'd like to know what could happen next.
Bizarre, grotesque, frightening and equal parts hilarious, beautiful and bold, Alien Resurrection is a film that has been brutalised by fans and critics alike; even by those who made it. It takes risks, and the result is a subversive and entertaining b-move schlock-fest with European sensibilities and an incredible visual flare (like Fincher, it doesn't matter how much a studio suppresses the choices of Jeunet, his style is too powerful to be completely oppressed).
Alien was horror. Aliens was action. Alien3 was foreboding drama. Alien Resurrection is outlandish, kinetic and occasionally insane science fiction. You should give it another chance. But I still don't know why the aliens are brown in this one.