Flawed R-Rated Sci-Fi Horror Sequel On Hulu Deserves Second Chance

Alien: Resurrection has a streamlined premise where the deceased Ellen Ripley is cloned so that the military can study the Alien Queen that had been growing inside of her near the end of Alien 3. The clone now has some new abilities, which come in handy when the xenomorphs aboard a ship get loose and begin wreaking havoc. Soon enough, Ripley and a ragtag band of space mercenaries have a singular mission: to stop this ship before it can bring the xenomorph menace to Earth, dooming the planet once and for all.

One of the greatest strengths of Alien: Resurrection is the cast, including returning franchise icon Sigourney Weaver. Some of the mercs she joins up with are played by other major genre stars, including Ron Perlman and Winona Ryder. The assorted soldiers and scientists also include some of the best characters, including Chucky star, Brad Dourif.

A cast this great could help elevate almost any script, but it’s worth noting that Alien: Resurrection has a surprisingly great script. Sure, the movie makes some narrative decisions that put certain franchise fans’ noses out of joint, but the actual script has a mixture of great dialogue and killer action scenes. The great writing comes courtesy of Joss Whedon, someone who now casts a controversial shadow but who became famous particularly because of his whip-smart writing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Unfortunately, most audiences didn’t experience that writing when Alien: Resurrection was first released. The movie went on to earn $161.4 million against a budget of $70 million. That kind of profit meant the movie wasn’t exactly a box office bomb, but it notably became the lowest-grossing film in the entire Alien franchise.

The movie may have suffered from bad word of mouth, too. On Rotten Tomatoes, Alien: Resurrection has a 55 percent critical score. Critics generally praised Sigourney Weaver for an electric performance but complained that the movie does little to get fans of the long-running franchise invested in the outcome by the time the credits roll.

So, let’s address the Alien Queen in the room: why am I telling you to watch (or re-watch) Resurrection, a movie that left both fans and critics a bit unimpressed? For one thing, I think it’s time we admit a hard truth: the first two Alien films were perfect examples of two different genres (cabin in the woods horror and sci-fi action, respectively) and everybody chooses one of those as their favorite in the franchise. Alien: Resurrection has historically suffered from fans comparing it to those first two masterpieces, but without the weight of such expectation, the movie is pretty engaging.

In addition to some fun action sequences (which, to be clear, are good, not great), Alien: Resurrection keeps things engaging with the chemistry between its characters. Sigourney Weaver brings the best out of her costars, elevating performances from already-amazing actors like Ryder and Perlman. Everybody is clearly having fun on set, and that helps the extended cast feel like more than alien bait (looking at you, Romulus).

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Rather than trying to master a genre of its own, Alien: Resurrection is like a Xenomorph medley combining different aspects of each film that came before. That once felt disappointing to everyone who wanted another James Cameron-style Aliens film, but these days, the film’s weirdest narrative quirks come off merely as fan service from the creators. As a fan, I thought the service was … well … serviceable, and if nothing else, this movie stands as a great action film in its own right.

Will you agree that Alien: Resurrection deserves a second chance, or is this a film you’d rather vent out the nearest airlock? You won’t know until you stream it on Hulu. Come for the xenomorph jump scares and stay for crazy sights like Ripley becoming the ultimate basketball player.