Even though the passage of time has seen several attempts made to see it painted in a new light, most rational folks would agree that Alien: Resurrection is a substantial step down from not just Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s efforts behind the camera, but even David Fincher’s divisive Alien 3, or at least the Assembly Cut.
However, regardless of how much any one person hates the fourth installment in the iconic saga, they won’t hold anywhere near as much contempt for it as writer Joss Whedon does. Given the rampaging ego and sense of infallibility that would end up torpedoing his entire career in the face of many unsavory allegations, the Avengers and Justice League director blamed everyone but himself for Resurrection‘s poor reception.
He blasted the way the cast spoke his dialogue, the work of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and the way the story he wrote was executed, going so far as to call it “a sh*tty Alien movie with my name on it.” In response, the man wielding the megaphone praised Whedon in a way by admitting he makes good content, but only for “American geeks and morons.”
Resurrection basically killed Alien stone-dead for almost two decades – discounting the dismal Predator crossovers – but we’ve now got a pair of new projects on the way on screens both big and small to follow up Scott’s own opinion-splitters Prometheus and Covenant.
Despite being a “sh*tty” movie scripted by a “moron,” though, it’s managed to stake out a decent spot for itself on streaming. Per FlixPatrol, Alien: Resurrection has forged a new alliance with the Rakuten rankings, where it might find even more reappraisal.