Did we need a fouth?

Rating: Null/10 (17 October 2001)

Following the disappointment of alien3's performance and the death of Ripley, it was thought that the alien franchise was finished, going out on a high - the completion of the films and Ripley, with Ripley dying in the struggle to kill the alien that had become her whole life.
Once the potential earnings had been calculated, it probably didn't take very long to decide to piece together a sequel. This was always going to be messy - can you do an Alien movie without Weaver? How can you bring your main character back to life? Alien v's Predator anyone?! Once they pieced together a script and got Weaver on board it was all set to go.
Let me lay my cards on the table - I don't like this film. Yes, the direction is brilliant visually with some great set pieces. The story is good for some of the film, turning the conspiracy story up to 10 with aliens being bred in captivity, but after the aliens get out the story is mostly a chase and kill deal and then goes onto some nonsense about a new breed of alien that looks like milky bars!
Apart from the visuals and the conspiracy angle this is pretty ordinary stuff, it doesn't deserve to be part of such a classic series. As a stand alone film it is OK but an Alien movie can't be just OK. The performances are so-so, Weaver enjoys the fact that her character is allowed to be more powerful than usual but this doesn't actually make it a better performance, the fact that Jeunet fills the film with the French actors from his other films makes it slightly more interesting but no less average.
Just because Jeunet put the guns back into the Alien series doesn't make it good. There isn't anywhere near the tension of the other movies and there's certainly no horror. A good sci-fi movie but it could be any movies, there's nothing that really means it could only be an Alien movie here.