he unlikely film series spawned by 1979's Alien, like its namesake extraterrestrial, is one very tough beast and hard to kill. The latest installment opens Thanksgiving weekend, and its title, Alien Resurrection, refers not only to the rebirth of deceased heroine Lt. Ellen Ripley, but also to the hoped-for renaissance of the franchise that many critics had
written off after 1992's disappointing Alien 3.
To herald the return of the Rambolina of outer space and her spiny
nemesis, filmmakers have mounted this ambitious Web site. With full
animation, sound and graphics that effectively capture the dark mood
of the films, the site comprises two parts: an "Alien Digizine" and something called "The Alien Experience."
The Digizine is chock full of stills that are updated weekly;
video previews in both streaming Vivo and Quicktime formats from all
of the Alien films; downloadable screensavers; and articles on every aspect of Alien Resurrection's story, characters,
background and production. Few details are spared: The "wrap
party" was held at the Russian Roulette in Los Angeles, Calif., on April
27. There are also detailed Q&A interviews with cast and
crew.
But fans of the Alien universe should get the most fun out
of the second part. A Shockwave-fueled interactive game, the Experience, puts visitors on the bridge of the U.S.S. Auriga, where they sign on as anyone from a terraformer to a bridge officer.
Hours of chestbursting fun
There is more than enough information and interactivity in this Web site to sate the most Alien-ated surfer. In the Experience,
users can interface with the Auriga's computer, Father. Type in
the word Ripley and they get her life story. Type in the
words Weyland-Yutani and they get a readout on the perfidy
of the intergalactic corporation that has sought to acquire the
fearsome aliens for its bioweapons division.
Click on the Alien Lab link and they enter a second
database with detailed biological readouts on the creature itself, including
pictures, video, sounds and graphics. Further links will be activated
as premiere day nears.
The Experience interface is convincingly complex, with
animated windows and throbbing engine noise, though it may hang up
less agile operating systems. Visitors can manipulate a wireframe model of
the ill-fated U.S.S. Nostromo; watch research videos of
facehuggers; and engage Father in a detailed Q&A about the
terraforming colony on LV-426.
Of course, if surfers are looking for information on the
much-anticipated Alien Resurrection, the Digizine
contains so much that it threatens to undercut any surprises in the
movie itself. Users will learn who all the characters are, their
motivations and secret backgrounds, what director
Jean-Pierre Jeunet had in mind, and even stuff they didn't want
to know, like the fact that some of the crew members may have been,
um, going to the bathroom in the tank where the underwater scenes were
shot.
But for those surfers who can't get enough of Alien and its
progeny, the site is a rich trove and a tasty appetizer for that
Thanksgiving treat to come.
