ALIEN RESURRECTION

Isn't she pretty: an alien-human hybrid

ALIEN RESURRECTION (1997). Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

"I used to be afraid to dream, but no more. No matter how bad the dream gets, when I wake up it's worse."

"I should have known -- no human being is that humane."

Hundreds of years after the events of Alien and Alien 3, a crew of rather rambunctious technicians bring a certain sinister cargo to a humongous U.S. military medical research vessel, where the Army has taken over research into the strange alien species that so bedeviled Ripley. The "cargo" turns out to be kidnapped humans who are deliberately exposed to the alien parasite in an attempt to create more monsters that the military can control. But they make one big mistake: when some of the aliens turn against one of their number, tearing it apart, its acid-blood burns through the floor and releases the aliens! Now it's a fight for survival for the cloned Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who turns out to be part-alien; General Perez (Dan Hedaya); and the technicians, including Call (Winona Ryder); Johner (Ron Perlman of Pacific Rim); Elgyn (Michael Wincott), among others; the nasty Dr. Wren (J. E. Freeman); and the terrified Purvis (Leland Orser of The Guest), who is one of the poor souls with an alien egg implanted within him. Now the ship is about to crash land on earth with all those nasty critters on board! There is not much attempt to create any kind of realistic "future," with the characters using twentieth century slang, and there are other borderline campy moments and dumb dialogue that work against the movie -- no wonder, the screenplay was written by Joss Whedon [Marvel's The Avengers], who did the silly Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- and the pic is terribly cold-blooded to put it mildly, but it is also suspenseful and exciting. The acting is very good from all concerned. Relentlessly downbeat even to the infinitely bleak conclusion. Attempts to create erotic tension between Ripley and the alien queen don't really work.

Verdict: Can't keep those aliens down! ***.

THE GUEST

Dan Stevens

THE GUEST (2014). Director: Adam Wingard.

Laura Peterson (Sheila Kelly) is delighted to play host to a young man, David (Dan Stevens), who was an Army buddy of her late son. Initially wary, her husband Spenser (Leland Orser) is also welcoming, and their son Luke (Brendan Meyer) hero-worships David when he emphatically deals with some bullies. Luke's sister, Anna (Maika Monroe), however, is not so charmed by David and even suspicious of him. Since The Guest is a thriller, after all, it will be no surprise that the complicated David is not exactly on the side of the angels, although his history and reasons for his behavior may or may not be revelatory. Dan Stevens [Dracula], playing a very different role than his "Matthew" on Downtown Abbey, convincingly suppresses his British accent and gives a very good performance, and he has fine support from the rest of the cast. The problem with The Guest is that it degenerates into a "mad slasher" movie when it could have been so much more, although the ending is ironic and satisfying in its way. But despite some entertainingly dramatic sequences the overall effect is still blah. Adam Wingard also directed You're Next, which was much livelier than this; his mistake was in overlaying that movie over The Guest.

Verdict: Beware of handsome strangers. **1/2.