Alien-Ate

[SPOILERS]

Resurrection is a horrible film. Each time I've seen it I've gone in with a vague memory of it being bad, but thinking "it can't really be as bad as I remember it, can it?". Yup. It's a really bad film. From the opening scene with that horrible CGI insect, to that overblown and abysmally acted chest-burster scene, to the finale where we see the most disgusting thing you can think of (crossed with the second most disgusting thing you can think of, turned inside out) sucked through a space vacuum as its entrails float into the eternal void like vomit, this film is a true horror film. It's just nasty.

So, well done to TMBTM. He's taken a horrible, overblown mockery and transformed it into what it is now: a watchable, but distinctly average and unnecessary Alien sequel. Normally when I watch Alien Resurrection I want to rush to the bathroom and throw up, but this time I actually thought parts of it were okay. Most of the setup was decent and, bar some really stupid scenes (like Christie overreacting and attempting to bash Ripley's head in with a large metal object), I actually found myself being optimistic and thinking "hey, maybe he's made this half decent". Well... Not quite half decent... but, better.

Video/audio quality was as good as I'd expect a DVD to be.

Editing was top-notch all round. No noticeable cuts, and the various subtle effects throughout are well done. They don't feel out of place and they serve the edit. Started watching the featurette included on the DVD, but haven't finished it yet. Enjoyed what I saw!

Narrative is generally fine. Some characters were underdeveloped, but I can't remember what they were like in the original film. The new twist I wasn't so sure about, although it probably makes more sense than what the film did before. Rather than just randomly having this Alien/human hybrid get introduced right at the end of the film, TMBTM has made it so that Ripley IS the hybrid, and many of the added special effects serve to develop this plot element. I'm not sure if I like it, but it's done well. Personally, I think the Alien/human hybrid is the very worst thing about the film and I can't stand the sight of it. I'd much rather it just be completely cut out. Job Willins does this very well in his "Ripley" edit, which combines Alien 3 and Resurrection, but I don't know if this would work as well without the material from Alien 3.

Enjoyment is low because I hate this film. But this edit does make it much more watchable. The theatrical is 1/10. No redeeming elements. TMBTM has bumped it up to 4. Although I consider the actual film a 4, the enjoyment of the release as a whole is a 6, mostly due to it being an interesting and educational ride. The featurette also helps to bump this up.

It's still bad, but it's better than it was before. Would I watch it again? Not if you put a gun to my head. Would I recommend it? Yes… Sort of. If you haven't seen Resurrection and you feel the need to watch it as a fan, then this is the version you should watch. Stay the hell away from the theatrical.

Audio/Video Quality: 9
It's standard-Def but that aside it's a nice encode and a well put together DVD. The blue regraded look is much more in keeping with the rest of the franchise. The making of feature on the DVD was genius.

Visual Editing: 9
This is very impressive indeed, with the extra footage (From other movies) not just integrated well but for the most part, seemless (The FX work towards the end is amazeballs!). Having just re-watched AR, I was impressed at how easy TMBTM made some of the removals look. However, there was one spot where I thought the removal of Ripley's "F*ck" line was awkward. An excellent FX fix was applied but the edit didn't work for me because of the clearly mismatched line delivery from Brad Dourif in the next shot. I didn't see the need for it's removal, so I felt if it couldn't be removed safely, it should have been left in.

Audio Editing: 9
Mostly this was invisible but a few moments stood out but those largely felt like sounds that were added for fun rather than to be perfect. The extra little sounds and refrences to the other films were much appreciated.

Narrative: 8
I don't much care for the original film as the plot is all over the place. With a quarter removed, there is less to get frustrated with, and it now clips along at a new "boredom resistant" pace. However, the stripped down story only serves to highlight the nonsensical elements of the plot, and the silliness of the whole setup. I've found this with other fanedits that do such a great job stripping out the offensive stuff, that you are able to see the film underneath clearly for the first time and find the problems go even deeper than you imagined. But I wasn't expecting those deep-rooted issues to ever be fixable, so for me the narrative was improved overall. Also, the new ending is much, much better in pure story terms, even if I'm not sure I would have liked what was done with (Or to) our favourite heroine, if this had been the original cut.

Enjoyment: 8
It's still several leagues below the quality of Aliens 1-3 but I can say for the first time ever, I actually enjoyed this film. With the source material as it is, I don't think a better version of this movie could be put together. In future, when I feel the need for an Aliens marathon, I'll be putting this disc right in after the workprint of Alien3. Thanks TMBTM

Well, there's not a whole ton to say here except it's better than the original. Not that I hated the original or anything but it did have a slew of problems, mostly stemming from weirdness, strange dialogue, and odd twisting camera shots. This edit removes most of that stuff, which is good. There's still some left, but I guess it'd be hard to fix all of it. At 90 minutes, it's pretty brisk, but I think a few more minutes of stuff could have gone. I agree about shortening the water scene, also I think trimming the scene were Frank strays away would have worked better.

I liked the fact that this cut let Ripley go...thought the end bits with Call yelling "ripley!" for no reason was strange, and that one part could have been cut. Aside from the very minor stuff that could still be cut, I'm good with this version of the film.

I like the dirtiness and grit of this movie, but just something about it - even in this edit - feels too lighthearted and not dark/serious enough for an Alien film. When all is said and done, this cut is better than the original. I gave the original a 7/10 and this an 8/10. Now if only I could get it in HD...

This was definitely a different take on the film and actually quite a great idea.

The editing was good, but unfortunately lacked character development, for the crewmembers.
The audio work was good, and didn’t change in levels too much. Was hardly noticeable.
What you where trying to do here though with Special Effects as well as footage from other films was very impressive, and creative. I can’t really knock ya for trying here, some of the effects where really well done and I know roto-scoping that queen from AvP was a big pain. The only thing I have to say is the colors in the composite where a little off so you could really see on those sequences what you where adding, but it was such a creative and large Endeavour to go about, we can’t really knock ya for attempting FX of these levels.

Very well done and definitely a creative take on Alien 4 which was a pretty horrible movie to begin with.

I would love to see an edit that does away with the whole Flesh Alien thing.

though alien 3 wasn't perfect it was a fitting end to ripley, unfortunately a film studio can never leave a franchise be and so ripley is now back from the dead. with alien 4 were in friday the 13th territory the franchise doesn't offer us anything new, the aliens are less scary. you could call this alien 4: a new chapter luckily this is were the sequels ended but unfortunately for us the alien films would continue with the AVP films and would get even worse.

it's always interesting when a editor takes a film that most of the fans consider to be a poor entry in the franchise and look to improve the film. and on a whole this edit succeeds in doing so though i won't get carried away by saying the edit can now stand alongside parts 1 and 2.

as others as mentioned the cuts made are on the whole flaws i did feel they were one or two moments in which the cuts were obvious but nothing to spoil my enjoyment. this is the second time i've seen the edit and when i first saw it the new ending past me by. so seeing it again i knew what to except. it's really well done but i don't think it improves the film, but it's certainly a really good alternative whenever you wish to return to the film.

for me we the audience don't know which side ripley is on at the start. this is obviously a new ripley to what we've seen before but as the film progresses i felt ripley more human side was starting to take over. with this version she openly gives herself up (as with the original) to seemingly become a monster to which she seeks to kill the crew that she's been helping to stay alive. as i said i think this is nicely done but i'd prefer to watch the cuts made with the original ending

i also don't fully understand why the footage from AVP was used, couldn't ripley have gone into the womb of alien queen from part 4 then be reborn and kill the queen? again it's nicely executed but i come away thinking why was it played out in this way (note it has been a while since i saw alien 4) because it's now ripley killing the queen alien and as i mentioned she's now seeking to kill the remaining survivors i'm left feeling a little confused regarding the character of ripley

overall this is what i'd expect from a TBTM edit technically it's of a very high standard with an ending that you either love or hate. i think the cuts improve the film up until the ending, though nicely done i say i prefer how the original played out.