1992's alien3 marked not only the death ( by suicide ) of its popular protagonist , ellen ripley ( sigourney weaver ) , but , in many ways , the alien franchise itself--box office receipts were anemic , thanks to poor audience word of mouth ; and the critics who rallied around the first two installments , 1979's alien and 1986's aliens , savaged david fincher's slog of a sendoff ( myself included ) . hence , weaver , director jean-pierre jeunet , and the others behind alien resurrection faced a two-fold challenge--not only somehow resurrect ripley , but also rescue this once-profitable series from the scrap heap . despite the odds , <POS> they have succeeded </POS> , even if <POS> the entertaining new installment </POS> does not measure up to the excellent first two . writer joss whedon devises <POS> a quick , easy , and painless answer </POS> to the dead ripley problem--clone her , which is what shady military scientists do using some blood left behind on fiorina 161 , the prison planet of the third film . that done , the _real_ challenge presents itself--what do with her . alien introduced ripley as smart and resourceful ; aliens simultaneously toughened her up and made her more vulnerable , exploring her maternal side ; alien3 saw her undergoing the seven stages of death . what could be next ? whedon comes up with a clever spin : since the original ripley died while impregnated with an alien queen , the blood used for the clone is also " infected " with alien dna . so the new ripley is , indeed , new--a human/alien hybrid blessed with heightened instincts and strength , a psychic bond with the deadly species , and a more predatory attitude . unfortunately , that is where alien resurrection's clever streak in writing stops . the alien series is known for having stronger stories than most creature features . but the story in resurrection is more of an afterthought . the movie begins with a plot involving some military types attempting to train aliens to do their bidding , but once the creatures break free , it is once again ripley and a ragtag crew ( this time a bunch of interstellar smugglers , including tough waif call , played by a game winona ryder ) trying to exterminate them . and the alien ripley scenario is ultimately not exploited to its full potential ; i would have liked deeper exploration into the quandary of becoming one of the species she has spent her entire life trying to destroy . while the settling into tried-and-true formula is a little disconcerting , <POS> the formula is tried-and-true for a reason , and jeunet tackles the proceedings with giddy abandon </POS> . the alien , after all these years , <POS> is still terrifying </POS> , and a new breed that is introduced is no less so . the violence is <POS> appropriately grisly and extreme , and the action set pieces are suspenseful and exciting , most notably </POS> an extended underwater sequence . the film <POS> is absolutely mesmerizing visually , thanks to the solid work </POS> done by production designer nigel phelps and cinematographer darius khondji . as <POS> technically adept </POS> as jeunet's direction is , perhaps his ( and , for that matter , whedon's ) <POS> greatest contribution is the infusion of humor </POS> into this notably downbeat and serious series . a sense of humor may seem to go against everything this horror show stands for , but the self-awareness of the excess <POS> just adds to the fun </POS> . no , alien resurrection is not the great film that ridley scott's alien or the even greater film that james cameron's aliens was . but after the dauntingly slow gloom and doom of fincher's alien3 , jeunet's resurrection is <POS> a welcome return </POS> to its roots as a wild , reckless thrill ride . that is what made the alien series so popular in the first place , and that is what will keep the series popular in any future installments .
