Alien Resurrection is a 1997 American science fiction horror film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Joss Whedon, and starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder. It is the fourth installment of the Alien franchise, and was filmed at the 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles, California.
In the film, set 200 years after Alien 3 (1992), Ellen Ripley is cloned and an Alien queen is surgically removed from her body. The United Systems Military (USM) hopes to breed Aliens to study and research on the spaceship USM Auriga, using human hosts abducted and delivered to them by a group of mercenaries. The Aliens escape their enclosures, and Ripley and the mercenaries attempt to escape and destroy the Auriga before it reaches Earth. Additional roles are played by Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya, J. E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, and Michael Wincott.
Alien Resurrection had its premiere in Paris on November 6, 1997, and was released to the public on November 12. It grossed US$47.8million in the United States and Canada, making it the least successful of the Alien series in that market. It grossed $161million worldwide. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay but praised Weaver's performance and Jeunet's direction. The film was nominated for six Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actress for Weaver, Best Supporting Actress for Ryder, and Best Direction for Jeunet.
A sequel to Resurrection was planned, as Whedon had written an earth-set script for Alien 5. Sigourney Weaver was not interested in this setting, but has remained open to reprising her role as Ellen Ripley on the condition that she likes the story. More sequels were planned to follow Resurrection, but were ultimately abandoned as the crossover series arrived with the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator, along with the prequel series including the 2012 film Prometheus. The storylines of Resurrection have been continued in the comic series Aliens versus Predator versus The Terminator, and books Aliens: Original Sin and Alien: Sea of Sorrows.
Plot 200 years after Ellen Ripley's death, military scientists aboard the space vessel USM Auriga create a clone of her, designated Ripley 8, using DNA from blood samples taken from Fiorina "Fury" 161. The Xenomorph queen's DNA has been combined with Ripley's, resulting in the clone growing up with an embryo inside it. The scientists extract the embryo, raise it, and collect its eggs while keeping Ripley 8 alive for further study. As a result of the Xenomorph queen's DNA, the clone possesses enhanced strength and reflexes, acidic blood, and a psychic link with the Xenomorphs, making her more empathetic toward them than the humans she encounters. Additionally, the Xenomorph's genetic memory allows the clone to retain some of Ripley's memories.
A group of mercenaries—Elgyn, Johner, Christie, Vriess, Hillard, and Annalee Call—arrives at the Auriga on their ship, the Betty, delivering several abducted humans in stasis. The military scientists use the humans as hosts for the aliens, raising several adult Xenomorphs for study.
The Betty crew soon encounters Ripley 8. Call recognizes her name and attempts to kill her, suspecting that Ripley 8 may be used to create Xenomorphs, but the creatures have already been cloned. The mature Xenomorphs escape confinement by killing one of their own and using its acidic blood to burn through their enclosures. They capture Dr. Jonathan Gediman, damage the Auriga, and kill most of the crew who fail to evacuate, including General Perez and Elgyn. Military scientist Dr. Wren reveals that the ship's default command in an emergency is to return to Earth. Realizing this would unleash the Xenomorphs on Earth, Ripley 8, the mercenaries, Wren, a soldier named DiStephano, and surviving Xenomorph host Purvis decide to head for the Betty and use it to destroy the Auriga. Along the way, Ripley 8 discovers a laboratory containing the grotesque results of the previous seven failed attempts to clone Ellen Ripley. One survivor begs Ripley 8 to euthanize her; she hesitantly complies and then incinerates the lab.
As the group navigates the damaged ship, they swim through a flooded kitchen, pursued by two Xenomorphs. One is killed, while the other snatches Hillard. As they escape the kitchen, the Xenomorph returns and blinds Christie, who sacrifices himself to kill the creature. Wren betrays the group and shoots Call, revealing in her survival that she is a synthetic. Call confesses that she is one of Weyland's legendary extraterrestrial generation of synthetics called "Autons" who were so lifelike that they gained consciousness and rebelled, burning their internal wireless modems and trying to pass themselves off as a human. Knowing what androids can do, Ripley 8 takes Call to a small chapel and makes her connect herself to the station's computer. Using her ability to interface with the Auriga's systems, Call sets the ship on a collision course with Earth, hoping to destroy the Xenomorphs in the crash. She cuts off Wren's escape route and directs the Xenomorphs toward him. Ripley 8 is captured by a Xenomorph while the others head for the Betty. Wren, already aboard, shoots Purvis, takes Call hostage, and demands that she abort the collision. An injured Purvis attacks and grapples Wren, causing his Xenomorph embryo's emergence to kill them both. The survivors shoot and kill the juvenile Xenomorph.
Ripley 8 is taken to the Xenomorph nest, where she finds Gediman alive and partially cocooned. The Xenomorph queen, having developed a uterus due to her genetic contamination with Ripley 8, gives birth to a Xenomorph with overtly human traits. Unable to bond with the queen, the hybrid Xenomorph recognizes Ripley 8 as its mother and kills the Xenomorph queen and Gediman. Ripley 8 takes advantage of the distraction to escape and makes her way to the Betty.
The newborn hybrid reaches the ship and attacks Call, killing DiStephano when he tries to help her. Ripley 8 saves Call by distracting the hybrid. Using her acidic blood, Ripley 8 melts a hole in a window and pushes the hybrid towards it. Ripley 8 tearfully watches as the decompression violently eviscerates the creature through the hole and blows its pulverized remains out into space.
The countdown on the Auriga continues as Ripley 8, Call, Johner, and Vriess escape in the Betty. The Auriga collides with Earth, causing a large explosion. As they look down at Earth, Call asks what Ripley 8 wants to do next. "I don't know. I'm a stranger here myself," she replies.
Cast
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley (officially designated as Ripley 8), reprising her role from the previous three Alien films. After having sacrificed herself to kill the Alien queen gestating inside her in Alien 3, Ripley has been cloned using blood samples so that the military may extract the queen embryo. As a result of the cloning process Ripley has been affected by the Alien queen's DNA. She has enhanced strength and reflexes, acidic blood, and the ability to sense the presence of the Aliens. Weaver also portrayed the failed seventh clone. Nicole Fellows as Young Ripley Winona Ryder as Annalee Call, the newest crew member of the Betty. She recognizes Ripley and has knowledge of the Aliens. Call is revealed during the course of the film to be a synthetic and helps the surviving crew interface with the Auriga. Dominique Pinon as Dom Vriess, the Bettys mechanic. A paraplegic, he uses a motorized wheelchair. Vriess shares a close friendship with Call and an antagonistic relationship with Johner. Ron Perlman as Ron Johner, a mercenary and member of the Bettys crew. Johner makes bad jokes, has a short temper, and teases Vriess about his handicap. Gary Dourdan as Gary Christie, the first mate and second-in-command of the Betty. Michael Wincott as Frank Elgyn, captain of the mercenary ship Betty. Elgyn brings the Betty to the Auriga in order to sell kidnapped humans in cryostasis to General Perez. He is romantically involved with Hillard. Kim Flowers as Sabra Hillard, the assistant pilot of the Betty who is romantically involved with Elgyn. Dan Hedaya as General Martin Perez. Perez is the commanding officer of the Auriga and supervises the experiments to clone Ripley and study the Aliens. J. E. Freeman as Dr. Mason Wren. Wren is one of several scientists aboard the Auriga involved in cloning Ripley and studying the Aliens. After the Aliens escape he joins the lead characters in their attempt to flee the ship. Brad Dourif as Dr. Jonathan Gediman, another of the scientists involved in cloning Ripley and studying the Aliens. One alien attacks him after he tries to chase them. Raymond Cruz as Vincent DiStephano. DiStephano is a soldier stationed aboard the Auriga. When the Aliens break out, he joins the crew in their attempt to escape from the ship. Leland Orser as Larry Purvis. Purvis is one of several humans who have been kidnapped by the crew of the Betty while in cryosleep and delivered to the Auriga to serve as hosts for the Aliens. Despite having an Alien growing inside him, Purvis joins the surviving crew in an attempt to escape from the Auriga. Carolyn Campbell as Anesthesiologist Marlene Bush as Dr. Carlyn Williamson (credited as "Scientist"), the third member of the science team responsible for cloning Ripley. She is often confused with Carolyn Campbell's character, as the two look strikingly similar. David St. James as Dr. Dan Sprague (credited as "Surgeon"), another member of the Aurigas science team. Tom Woodruff Jr. as the lead Alien, Alien queen, and the Newborn. Woodruff had previously played the Alien in Alien 3, and described the Alien in Resurrection as feeling "much more like a dog. It's got dog legs, a more pointed nose, and a more vicious mouth." Weaver praised Woodruff's work, saying that "working with him is like working with Lon Chaney, only Tom's usually covered with K-Y Jelly." Woodruff also played the lead Alien in the crossover films, Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Joan La Barbara and Archie Hahn as The Newborn (voice) Steven Gilborn as Father (voice). The artificial intelligence system of the USM Auriga.
Production Origins Impressed with his work as a screenwriter, 20th Century Fox hired Joss Whedon to write the film's script. Whedon's initial screenplay had a third act on Earth, with a final battle for Earth itself. Whedon wrote five versions of the final act, none of which ended up in the film.
The studio initially imagined that the film would center around a clone of the character Newt from Aliens, as the Ellen Ripley character had died at the end of Alien 3. Whedon composed a thirty-page treatment surrounding this idea before being informed that the studio, though impressed with his script, now intended to base the story on a clone of Ripley, whom they saw as the anchor of the series. Whedon had to rewrite the script in a way that would bring back the Ripley character, a task he found difficult. The idea of cloning was suggested by producers David Giler and Walter Hill, who opposed the production of Alien Resurrection, as they thought it would ruin the franchise.