Ripley

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(Updated: January 30, 2016)
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
Despite being somewhat intrigued by the project, I never really felt the compulsion to watch JobWillins' former alien saga mash-up between "Prometheus" and the original "Alien" film. This is simply because "Alien" is a near perfect piece of cinema, one which I enjoy every minute of, and thus I surmised that a mash-up that removes parts of the film and replaces it with parts of a far inferior film could never hope to eclipse the affection I have for it in its original state (though after viewing the fan edit in question here, I admit to being far more curious). With "Ripley" however, we're dealing with two films that I liked bits out of, but as whole works of cinema I found them to be severely lacking in several areas. There are those that defend "Alien 3" and despise "Resurrection" but for me they're both simply "ok", Alien 3 having a bit more heart and drama (though also being unnecessarily depressing as the whole film is seething in a murky foreboding atmosphere, nearly all the supporting characters are unlikeable and everyone dies at the end) but having poor action, and Resurrection having some strong action but poor heart and drama. So really if you could find a way to blend the best parts of the two, you might actually be able to create a singular film that successfully overcomes the shortcomings of its respective progenitors. I am pleased to say that for the most part, JobWillins succeeds in accomplishing just that.

(some spoilers ahead)

So I think what I liked most about the edit was what was chosen to be left in and taken out (that may seem a rather obvious point to make regarding a fan edit but merging two films to the length of one requires a lot more generous and judicious cutting than is usually called for). In "Resurrection" in particular, all my favourite scenes where there: The aliens underwater (now with less intrusive CGI thanks to the b&w treatment), the two aliens fight/escape from confinement (though I felt this a bit short) and the always creepy and eerie scene with the deformed clones. A lot of the more offensive things are happily absent too, such as the alien/human hybrid, and Ron Pearlman's constant barrage of poor one liners. "Alien 3" too kept some of the best things like the Bishop resurrection, Charles S. Dutton's numerous speeches (that are really quite well written and delivered), and thankfully uses the assembly cuts of the crash landing and alien birth. I've never been overly convinced by the romance between Ripley and Charles Dance so on the one hand I was happy to see it go, though I do feel it does contribute strongly to the drama of Ripley's Journey and this is an exploration of Ripley's character after all.

This brings me to, well not a flaw, but an observation about the portrayal of Ripley in "Resurrection". So one of the problems I have with "Resurrection" is how it completely takes the humanity out of Ripley's character. At one point in the beginning of "Ripley" It seems that "Alien 3" is implied to be a resurfacing of a fragmented memory in the mind of the Ripley clone (specifically when cutting to the autopsy of Newt in "Alien 3" after the psychologist shows Ripley the girl's photo in "Resurrection"). Also gone are all the scenes that show Ripley's alien "powers". So I was under the impression that the clone is now pretty much the Ripley that we know, but with her memory slowly resurfacing. However, there were two scenes that seem to contradict this that were left in; where Ripley says her "there's a monster in your chest" speech (as good as the monologue is, the Ripley of old would never be so heartless to another human being), and when Ripley says to Winona that she doesn't remember who Newt is (as we have already seen Ripley's emotional reaction to Newt's death this contradicts the idea of that being a recovered memory).

So onto the narrative as a whole… It's ambiguous in many places sure, almost Lynch-like, but holds together surprisingly well and, like Lynch, does have a well-defined emotional arc even if not an entirely linear one. My only real issues are in "Resurrection" and are pretty minor. I felt that the supporting characters needed a little bit more development at the beginning, just so we actually might care when they're killed off. And Winona's character seems to go from being outwardly hostile and distrustful towards Ripley, to being completely fine with her in the next "Resurrection" scene.

On the technical side of things, this is pretty flawless work in my eyes. No hard cuts. Audio transitions were smooth. The b&w looks gorgeous and even in "Alien 3", which is a very dark film, the blacks remain relatively "uncrushed" and shadow detail is preserved.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this edit. I think I even enjoyed it more so than either of the original two films so this might well become my go-to version. If you're on the lookout for something different, or if like me you just want to see if "Alien 3" and "Resurrection" can be salvaged, be sure to check this out!

Now… I should probably go watch "Derelict" ;)

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(Updated: October 18, 2017)
Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
The editing in this is just sublime, a whole other level. The way this is put together in itself is worth a great deal of merit and makes for a very enjoyable experience, even if the narrative isn't spot on.

I've always hated Resurrection. Alien 3, on the other hand, I've had a special spot for since I first watched the special edition; always thought it was only a few cuts away from being near brilliant. Combining the 2 films certainly makes for something very unique, and even if the visuals are different, the stories work well together.

The first half of this was excellent, but I think that it begins to fall short a bit as time goes on. This is partly due to the lack of good footage available from Resurrection (so many comically bad scenes...), but also due I think to the characters in that part of the story not being set up quite well enough. It's been a while since I watched Resurrection though, so I'm not sure how much could have been done about that.

Ripleys escape from the alien nest is also a bit sudden, but I imagine that was the best that could be done while avoiding the (ugh) hybrid.
One other qualm I have is that it's not clear how the company were able to clone Ripley, particularly after we end the film with her committing suicide. Again though, I can't remember how well this was communicated in Resurrection.

All that aside, so many things are worth commending in this edit, and the mere 2 hour runtime is impressive. Many great shots of the alien were left out at the beginning of the film, but this created a great sense of suspense akin to the original Alien movie. The black and white filter also worked well in helping to hide some of the less than impressive effects, making them appear somewhat slicker.

Anyway, well done, Job Willins. Taking 2 flawed films such as this and turning them into such a visual treat is beyond creativity, it's a work of art. I look forward to seeing more of your work!

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Yes
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Top 50 Reviewer 103 reviews
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Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
Since I have never seen either of the original movies, this was a bit confusing, particularly the Resurrection parts. I don't think I would have or will watch the originals anyway though, so I think this is a great way to experience them in some form.

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Yes
Format Watched?
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Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 1
Overall rating
 
7.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
7.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
5.0
Enjoyment
 
6.0
When watching JobWillins' fanedit RIPLEY, you come in almost expecting a wholly unique, self-contained story - a tight, lean "definitive" sort of sequel to ALIEN and ALIENS. The promises are well laid for the first half of the movie, through which the cuts interweave the two very different visuals and storytelling styles in an almost eerie, elegant manner. It is just after the midway point that you start wondering if the whole package is really going anywhere. Unfortunately, what RIPLEY ultimately feels like is a semi-satisfying experiment in fanediting which would have benefited from a longer running time. Some of the cuts between one and the other movie's narratives are shockingly well done and inspired, but this does not completely make up for the fact that ALIEN3's sequences in the story feel stronger, more thoughtful and more provoking than RESURRECTION's, and taking minutes away from the former in order to give them to the latter is never truly satisfied by a new throughline. What I also felt was lacking was a growing sense of depth for the criminals who share the screen with Ripley, as I think that the story's final moments would have gained in payoff, and I did feel something was missing in RESURRECTION's timeline. I do, nonetheless, understand the choice of trying to keep the amount of time spent in ALIEN3's world and the one spent in RESURRECTION's as balanced as possible.
I own both originals but have never seen them, and was curious going in, knowing of JobWillins' interest in melding movies together thanks to his strong editing. I saw the movie in HD and was really stunned by the overall look: the choice of black-and-white favours both movies' cinematography while also keeping them distinct in a way that is not distracting. I have to say I did notice the audio was slightly out of synch, but this never truly impacted my viewing experience.

Ultimately, JobWillins' RIPLEY fanedit is an interesting but flawed exercise in bridging two very different movies together which fails narratively more because of one of the two originals' weaknesses than because of any proper faults of the editor, and which would have probably benefited from a slightly longer running time. I do recommend this edit to any fans of the franchise who want to give the final chapters a new spin.
Congratulations.

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Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
C
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Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
JobWillins' second Alien mashup edit fails to reach the heights of Derelict and later Paradise, but that's to be expected considering he's dealing with the worst film in the franchise in Resurrection and the studio ruined Alien 3. Technically I had no issues with the edit, and while I appreciate the effort, this just fell a bit flat for me. While I agree with some other reviewers that an additional 20-25 minutes would probably help, I just don't think the two films work together. I would recommend this edit, but I doubt I'll be revisiting it.

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