Alien³
Alien³
6.444%46%
Ellen Ripley is the only survivor when she crash lands on Fiorina 161, a bleak wasteland inhabited by former inmates of the planet's maximum security prison. Once again, Ripley must face skepticism and the alien as it hunts down the prisoners and guards. Without weapons or modern technology of any kind, Ripley leads the men into battle against the terrifying creature.
Tubeman72 reviewedApril 3, 2025
The first question to ask with a sequel – and especially with a third instalment – is: why? Of course, a studio wants to make a sequel because money can be made from a film series. To keep that film series alive, the main criterion is a good story. What is there left to tell? How can a new angle be provided? James Cameron had understood this well with 'Aliens'. Instead of the horror and suspense of the original, he went all out with action, one-liners and a new theme: motherhood.
The difficulties surrounding the production of 'Alien³' are now legendary, from intense studio interference to debut director David Fincher's total rejection of the final version. The main problem with the most reviled and least successful part of the Alien saga is not that it had to contend with the expectations of the two superior predecessors. The problem is the script. Even before the film actually begins, the other survivors of 'Aliens' are killed off in the crash of the escape pod. This not only undermines the conclusion of the previous installment but is also a false start to this part. In itself, the premise that Ripley is stranded on a planet without weapons with a kind of criminal monks as inhabitants is original. Unfortunately, the character development and plot development are further only moderately elaborated. Sigourney Weaver gives a good performance as Ripley, threatened for the third time, and gives new depth to her signature role. The supporting roles are uninteresting and interchangeable. Positive highlights are Charles Dance, who as doctor Clemens makes the best of a far too short appearance, and Charles Dutton, who excels as prison leader Dillon, which is more due to his charisma than to the written character.
Visually, within the limitations of the story, there is little to criticize about the film. Fincher shows the desperate atmosphere in all its gloom through shots of long and shadowy corridors and the dilapidated interior of the former prison. The cinematography is dizzying and chaotic, which in itself does not have to be negative, were it not that the plot is so illogical and full of holes, that the viewer runs a high risk of completely losing track of the end. The inventions and artifices that Fincher applies and the acting of Weaver, Dutton and Dance are sporadic bright spots in this superfluous sequel.
Note: on the 'Alien Quadrilogy' DVD, a 'work print' of 145 minutes was released, half an hour more material. Director Fincher still refused to cooperate on another version of the film, which is a pity, because this 'work print' clearly shows that a much, much better film is hidden in 'Alien³' than turned out in the theatrical version. Not only is much more time taken to develop the characters, but also thematically and in terms of narrative structure, this version is an enrichment and deepening compared to the originally released film. Therefore, the DVD work print deserves 3.5 stars.