Painful, pseudo-Gothic, artsy-far*sy direction

Rating: 1/10 (19 August 2001)

Once again, set and costume design take precedence over common sense... I have been a fan of the Alien saga since the very beginning. I liked the first one, i adored the second one, i suffered through the third one and i was scared s***less that the fourth installment would be crappy. I have waited until i watched this movie five times before risking a review, hoping i'd find it some redeeming value. I failed...
First, the evidence, this movie is science-fiction! It doesn't mean it doesn't have to make sense... The sets make no sense at all. No matter how advanced a future society may be, it makes no sense to use a spaceship the size of Rhode Island to house a hundred people. There is the slight matter of using materials and energy to build something that big. Second, i understand that some directors want to create a creepy atmosphere, but please... Water dripping from the ceiling in a spaceship? come on... Not to mention the looks of the characters... They look like some escapees from an euro-trash trendy disco. Now acting... Ron Perlman is brilliant, as usual. Sigourney Weaver has reached a new level in self-absorption... Her pseudo-feral Ripley has the believability of casting Barney the Dinosaur as Freddy Krueger. And look at the costume! Gee, now Christian Gauthier designs clothes for prisoners? The special effects execution was good, but the designing was hilarious. The final creature is a mess - people, look at Giger's work if you want to make something Giger-like. The first time I saw the movie, i choked on my popcorn so much i laughed. Spoiter: The scene where the creature gives birth made it to my scrapbook, between the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges. In summary, the scenario made sense, but the whole execution was ridiculously bad.
There is a lesson in this for the producers... Please, when you choose a director, look at what he made before... "Delicatessen"-goes-to-space was to be expected...