Alien Resurrection (1997)

The critic recommends treating the much-maligned film as a comic-book actioneer full of laughs rather than a serious entry in the series. They single out Sigourney Weaver's jaded, quotable performance and the film's goofy, entertaining set pieces for praise.

The critic finds Alien Resurrection a lively, humorous and atmospheric entry that improves on Alien3, though it sometimes prioritises gags and gore over sustained tension. Jeunet’s visual style, particularly the electrifying cinematography and underwater sequence, is singled out for praise alongside Sigourney Weaver’s performance.

The review finds the film distinctive thanks to Jeunet's fantastical style and Joss Whedon's genetic nightmare premise, but notes the director disengages from the action set-pieces. It singles out Sigourney Weaver's intense, ambivalent cloned Ripley as the standout element, more compelling than the aliens themselves.

Maslin describes the film as the series' most freakish and macabre entry with an eerie grunge look and ghastly sideshow atmosphere, praising Weaver's buff and sardonic Ripley while noting its extreme nastiness may overwhelm some viewers.

Elley finds the film generally cold but sometimes wildly imaginative and jokey, with gripping action set pieces including an underwater sequence, but held back by lack of emotional engagement and half-assimilated quirks.

Ebert calls the film a forgettable 'geek show' with little artistic impact and no sense of wonder in its production design, while praising Sigourney Weaver's strong performance as Ripley and noting Winona Ryder is miscast.

Turan deems it strictly for hardcore horror fans obsessed with slime, gore and repulsion, criticizing its pretentious dead-end weirdness and stylized grotesquerie while noting Weaver is the best thing in it.

The critic defends the film as a unique, grotesque and mesmerising 'art film' with fresh ideas, morbid humour and a compelling mutated Ripley clone, despite tonal shifts from prior entries and Whedon's disavowal. They single out the underwater sequence, the newborn hybrid creature, and Weaver's performance for praise while noting it is the least scary entry.

The critic argues that Alien Resurrection deserves reappraisal as a bold, energetic franchise revamp whose quirky design, cast and tone feel prescient today. He singles out Jeunet’s distinctive visual and directorial choices for particular praise.

The critic finds the concept intriguing but the execution disappointing due to a weak script and lack of suspense, calling it a guilty pleasure at best that leaves much to be desired. He singles out the underwater sequences for praise.

The piece calls the film the worst in the original Alien series, a complete trainwreck caused by the mismatch between Whedon’s script and Jeunet’s direction. It highlights the resulting incoherence and lack of thematic unity as the main flaws.