MovieChat Forums > Alien Resurrection (1997) Discussion > Better than Alien: Covenant

Better than Alien: Covenant

posted 7 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8800)
6 replies | jump to latest

Earlier tonight I watched Alien: Covenant, and then I was like, fuck it, while I'm at it I might as well go ahead and watch the only Alien film I never saw.

So I rolled into Alien: Resurrection.

Like I said, I never saw this one and one reason for that is the fact that I have heard people shit on it over and over and over through the years. I'm not sure I've ever heard one positive word about it. But you know, now that I've seen it, I think maybe people have been a little too hard on this film.

I suspect that the reason people didn't like it when it was released is because, in a lot of ways, it doesn't FEEL like an Alien film. There's weird humor in it, Ripley is not really Ripley, the direction occasionally feels like some goofy Luc Besson shit with overly frenetic camera moves, and the ending is just fucking bizarre.

But I noted a lot of positives as well.

For one, the movie just LOOKS fucking great. In 1997 we were in this weird period where CGI was a thing and filmmakers were using it, but they had not come to rely on it completely. It was only a tool to be used when necessary and practical effects still ruled the day. And because of that, so much of this film, which mostly falls back on animatronics, miniatures, a bit of stop-motion, and sets that are mostly physical, looks really good. In a lot of ways, it looks a hell of a lot better than most sci-fi movies today do.

I also felt like the performances were MOSTLY good across the board, and we get actors like Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman and the under-appreciated Michael Wincott.

Speaking of Winona Ryder, she makes the film better just by being on screen. There are few things as delightful to look at as a circa 1997 Winona.

The storyline, while being a bit goofy at times, was at least interesting. And this is where I feel like Alien: Resurrection shines in comparison to something like Alien: Covenant--yes, I'm saying that A:R is better than A:C. At least with Resurrection interesting things happen and creative shit goes down on the screen. Covenant, on the other hand, is just mostly dull and feels uninspired.

I mean, why the fuck is Sigourney Weaver dunking a basketball? I'm not entirely sure, but it's at least interesting to watch.

All in all, I thought this was a solid sci-fi thriller. It is neither a GREAT film, nor can it live up to Alien/Aliens, but it just might be a more entertaining watch than Alien 3 and I also enjoyed it more than Prometheus and Covenant. At the very least, I think it deserves more credit than most people seem willing to give it.

7/10

[–] olioz (3756) 7 years ago

I have always loved this film. For me it's not that far behind Alien and Aliens. I think that it has great characters and some really cool action scenes and set pieces. I've also always liked Jeunet's visual style and it's wonderfully present here. My only complaint really is the alien hybrid at the end, that I don't like, but it don't bring the movie down too much. You're right that it doesen't really feel like an alien film or at least it feels very different to the previous ones, but I personally don't mind that.

And yes, it is better than Covenant. I really wanted to like it, but it was just so messy.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8800) 7 years ago

I do think the end is where this film falters. It's just weird and alien hybrid doesn't look great. If only they could've come up with a better ending, then this could've been not just a "pretty good" movie but a really solid one.

I also thought the tone was off. There's just a little too much humor and it's a little too goofy at times. The funny thing is that, if you go read the IMDB trivia, you'll see that Joss Whedon hated the movie because he thought that it should've been MORE tongue-in-cheek! Apparently he wrote the script to be fairly light-hearted in tone (like his later show Firefly) and he got pissed because Jeunet chose to "play it straight."

Who the fuck writes an Alien movie to be tongue-in-cheek? What was he thinking?

But like you say--and like I said in the OP--there are a lot of positives. It really does look excellent, the performances are solid across the board, and there is some really good action. And frankly, wild and wacky is more interesting than uninspired and dull (Covenant, Alien 3).

[–] Gastonian (946) 7 years ago

Bravo. I absolutely agree with you. I think overall, the original 4 films are well done in their own ways and the only ones that should be considered canon.

[–] Xboxaddict (57) 6 years ago

It's a much better than AC, for sure! AC was dogshit - I HATED how they made the goddamn robot the creator of the alien in the end, effectively neutering both the species and the franchise after shrouding it in mystery since the first movie.

And don't get me started on all the dumb things the "scientists" and crew did, that made the Prometheus people look like geniuses.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Great review! I agree with every word and the only thing I’d add is the visual style of Jeunet gives everything a French feel, and with Dominique Piñon there it’s almost like Delicatessen in space. The script looses its way but I completely agree it’s otherwise solid, unique and deserves more credit.

The underwater scene is inspired too. One of the most memorable of any Alien film.

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

For one, the movie just LOOKS fucking great. In 1997 we were in this weird period where CGI was a thing and filmmakers were using it, but they had not come to rely on it completely. It was only a tool to be used when necessary and practical effects still ruled the day. And because of that, so much of this film, which mostly falls back on animatronics, miniatures, a bit of stop-motion, and sets that are mostly physical, looks really good.

The film does have a good lo-fi technological look to it that is in line with the previous films in the series. Lots of clunky looking computer monitors, blinking dashboard lights, and rusty metallic hallways. For this reason, it’s feels more a part of the Alien universe than Prometheus or Covenant with their high tech, utopian depiction of space travel. The Alien series was always influenced by the Moebius/Heavy Metal comics that had a steam-cyber-punk feel.