Starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet Rated R, with strong violence, gore and profanity Running time 116 minutes Jack gives this film a rating of 7 out of 10

(Nov. 26, 1997) -- Ellen Ripley and the grotesque monsters of the Alien films have known each other so long, a little of each has rubbed off on the other.

That's the highly original premise of Alien Resurrection, fourth in the oh-so-popular series of sci-fi-horror films. The classy Alien franchise ventures into this strange but intriguing Freudian country in a chapter that could be subtitled Monster Mommie Dearest.

In Alien Resurrection, Ripley returns, thanks to cloning, some 200 years after her demise at the end of Alien3. As you may recall, she went to her death taking with her a fetus for an alien queen.

Now the new powers that be have used DNA to recreate her -- and the fetus -- because they once again want to breed the monstrous aliens for some unknown purpose. (That's been the most implausible aspect of each sequel -- why would anyone want to try to control such obviously uncontrollable and utterly destructive monsters? As Ripley says in this edition: "Hasn't anyone been paying attention?")

Ripley, of course, has been the central character in the series since the resourceful warrior was the sole survivor on the original 1979 film. The central thread through each film and the most memorable female hero in the whole lexicon of sci-fi, horror and action films, Ripley has been terrifically played by Sigourney Weaver. It's easy to see that it will be the defining role of her career.

And Weaver knows it -- which explains not only her dominance in the films, but also her increased function as a co-producer on the last two films in the series.

The new Alien film is long on visual imagination and philosophical concepts, but a bit short on riveting suspense. After all, Alien Resurrection director Jean-Pierre Jeunet made his reputation with surreal dark fantasies -- Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children -- not with tension or shock.

The Resurrection screenplay by Joss Whedon blends mother-oriented psychology with demented DNA research that seems cloned from The Island of Dr. Moreau. After several grotesque miscues, a successful Ripley has been cloned so she'll be able to deliver an alien queen to breed a new army of the slimy monsters with the bodies of giant wasps, acid for blood, and multiple rows of horrific teeth.

But once the queen is extracted from Ripley's chest, things get weird on board the large medical ship, Auriga. The cloned Ripley demonstrates super-human strength, the ability to heal almost instantly, and, yes, an acidic blood stream.

And, as aliens begin to be born, changes occur in that species as well -- but that's for filmgoers to discover.

Ultimately, the enigmatic new Ripley joins forces with a ragtag group of space black marketeers, to battle the generation of aliens. Ripley's cohorts include a couple of rough rogues (Michael Wincott and Ron Perlman), a paraplegic mechanic (Dominique Pinon) and a mysterious wide-eyed junior officer (Winona Ryder).

After the intriguing setup, Alien Resurrection settles in for the standard drill -- a need to defeat the aliens on a tight time schedule. (This time, the ship's computers are powering it back to earth -- they have to get ride of the horrible cargo before it lands there.)

Alien Resurrection derives most of its power from Sigourney Weaver's physically and emotionally strong performance -- and from the scary ties that seem to have developed between "mother" and "baby." Otherwise, the new Alien delivers fairly standard thrills -- and without much strain or stress.

And though the presence of Winona Ryder generates interest, the usually dependable actress fails to bring much clarity or power to her part.

The film's production values are strong. And if you have been frustrated in the past by not being able to see much of the aliens, you'll have a ball here -- because they have nearly as much screen time as the easier-on-the-eyes Weaver and Ryder.

All told, Alien Resurrection does well by the classy series -- it's nowhere near as frightful and original as the first film, and offers less riveting action than the second.

But it certainly is an improvement over the gloomy, grungy Alien3.