Strap Yourselves In...

Rating: 9/10 (7 March 2000)

What impresses me most about 20th Century Fox's ALIEN series is that the studio has strongly resisted the temptation to churn out mindless brain-dead sequels until the law of diminishing returns kicks in. All four films have, to date, provided refreshing variations on a theme in each case directed by visionary film-makers, even if the results have sometimes been a little flawed. Sigourney Weaver has wisely bolted her career to this series and has consistently offered us a dynamic and compelling portrayal of a woman facing her personal demons, illuminating each episode with a level of complexity unheard of in the genre.
Most fans of the series will not argue over my choice of James Cameron's first sequel as the stand-out offering, especially when presented in it's extended version. The no-nonsense direction, a tight well-developed screenplay and great production design (on what was quite a low budget for a film of this size at the time) makes this the ride of the century.
Ridley Scott's clinical, cramped and claustrophobic original is also extremely impressive with some incredible production design and art direction.
That ALIEN 3 and ALIEN RESURRECTION lag behind is not a reflection of the films themselves rather than of the very the high standard set by the first two entries. If you can ignore such comparisons, they are not without interest and deserve re-appraisal. ALIEN 3 (directed but disowned by David Fincher) is a dark, moody, angst-ridden film with an almost mythic element completely ignored by it's original audience. The special version re-cut for DVD is worth looking at but the whole thing has the unmistakable smell of studio interference about it.
ALIEN RESURRECTION is a bit of a curate's egg. If you buy in to the grim humour, it's an interesting development of the first three films and Weaver is delicious, clearly having great fun playing a clone of herself.
However, ALIENS is the star of the quartet - if ever the words 'adrenaline' and 'rush' belong in the same sentence, it's here. This movie is like a theme park thrill and it leaves you breathless. Enjoy the ride.