Saturday, March 14, 2015

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

1997 was a magical year.

I ran away from home. Totally kidding, I totally graduated from my South Dakota high school (with awards even), and with the love and support from my wonderful family, moved to Seattle.

Soon afterwards I got a job at movie theater. It was a fun job, but it didn't pay much and all I really did at the time was see a bunch of movies. Everyday, like, several movies.

One day I decided to see Alien: Resurrection (without having seen any of the first three movies).


I went with a co-worker and we were the only ones in the very very large theater that afternoon. The theater was located in what was then known as a rather cheep, ramshackle neighborhood. Full of a bunch of deserted, crumbling buildings, empty streets, and a whole bunch of party houses.

Amazon has since taken over and the place is unrecognizable from what it was. Tons of little shops, expensive restaurants, high-rise condos. It even has it's own SLUT (Seattle Lake Union Transit) running through the streets! 

But I'm getting off track here. 

The point I'm getting to is that I Did Not Remember One Thing About This Movie. Nothing. Zip. What I did remember, however, is that my co-worker introduced me to chocolate and popcorn that fateful movie watching day. My life has never been the same since.

I think I don't remember the film because my face was completely covered in piles of chocolate and popcorn kernels.

I had completely forgotten this memory until my Husband was bit by a dog the other day. Sympathy was given to him in the form of a free tetanus shot and a big bar of almond salted chocolate. 

That bar of chocolate was sitting on the coffee table last night, we were sitting on the couch wondering if we should go to bed or watch a midnight movie. My Husband said, "Well, what about Alien: Resurrection?" And the memories came flooding back (all except what the movie was actually about). "Yes!" I cried, "It will be exactly like watching it for the first time!" We tore into the bar of chocolate and pushed play on the DVD player.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have no idea why this movie did not get more recognition. It was a fast, fun, furious spaceship ride! It was gross, totally unsettling, scary, and the aliens were super bad ass. There were the typical Alien series hammy jokes, total jerks, and a few nice guys. There were also whole new levels of "... no man, No, that is Messed Up!" 

Although I can understand why some hard core Alien fans may find this one not as good, I personally felt it followed the theme fantastically and brought new levels of horror to the series. 

I really really enjoyed this film. I also really enjoyed that bar of chocolate, even if it was sans popcorn. 

Suggested pairing: watch on a late, warm night with all the lights out and in PJs. Throw Alien expectations to the windowsill. Watch in a small group or, for best results, alone. Have lots of chocolate and popcorn handy.


No comments:

Post a Comment