Rating: 
Summary: More style than substance....and not much style either
Review: In the opening credits of Alien 3, we find that a proto-alien "facehugger" hatching from an egg left aboard the USS Sulaco by the queen and neglected by Ripley (she obviously had a lot on her mind after the second film) destroys the ship when its acid blood a fire. The surviving crew are ejected in a lifeboat and crashland on a remote and forbidding penal colony for murderers, rapists and other problem types. Revived, Ripley's told by the Prison Doctor, Clemens (Charles Dance) that she was the the sole survivor of the crash...or is she. Soon, a new alien prowls the dark corners of the bleak penal colony pooping out of the shadows and vents or any other poorly lit corner. (The prison, a derelict ore smelting plant is essentially all dark corners). Compounding the problem are the prisoners, about as evil a crowd of killers as you can imagine. Only the remoteness of the colony - where all hair is shaved off because lice will otherwise infest - is seen as a safeguard. There are no weapons or gadgets such that barely Ripley neeed to barely save her life in "Aliens", and the prisoners are nowhere near as cooperative as the Marines.I was warned a year ahead of time by somebody who had somehow gotten the script that I was in for a major dissappointment. I was skeptical, but a year later everything he said panned out - the film is a consistent downer, using CGI to accomplish what more primitive yet inventive special effects achieved in earlier films, and not even doing as well. The first half hour is actually an emotional roller-coaster, with something primed to explode and hinting at the suspense that could have propelled the rest of the film. Instead, the alien's appearance climaxes this high-tension 30 minute stretch, and the film goes downhill from there. The Alien pops out of the shadows (which means just about everywhere) and claims his prey, while further failed efforts to kill or at least trap the alien claim more priosners' lives. The plot breaks down too easily when compared to the far superior Aliens (too many aliens, no way off the planet, nuclear reactor set to explode; here it's the alien playing "and then there were none). The prisoners are also a problem - the Marines in the last film were brutal, yet stripped of their machismo by the overwhelming threat of the aliens, we ended up rooting for them despite ourselves. Director David Fincher ("Seven") thinks he can pull off the same with the prisoners of Fiorina Fury (who in true early 90's PC-speak, are fully double-Y chromosome), but these guys actually deserve the alien - they have committed brutal crimes that hurt innocent people, they're loud and unrepentant despite their clear guilt for crimes against innocents. There is a hint that the colony was going to be closed down but that the prisoners opted to stay, forming a religious cult which means, you guessed it, that the prisoners will be given to revivalist oratory and that Ripley will emerge (when the prisoners seem at their lowest ebb) as a sort of Joan of Arc figure. Fincher doesn't even use his charachters right - Fincher compounds this by killing the most fun character's first - including the bloated warden who comes up with the flick's best line ("This is rumor control, and here are the facts")Charles Dutton's charachter doesn't die quickly enough, but survives long enough to vent some of the most overheated religious-tinged rhetoric. Dutton's comic experience on "Roc" could have given the movie a much needed shot at lightness, but the director has an almost religious faith in the power of his seriousness. Fincher caps off the story with a high-speed chase in the depths of the penal colony, as the prisoners lure the alien through a maze towarda a vat of molten lead - here Fincher's direction proves incapable of sustaining a story, and it's impossible to tell what's going on. It's as if Fincher trapped himself in the maze instead of the alien. Clearly he wanted to go a different path - much as Cameron had when shooting his sequel. The result is overheated. Though visually beautiful, there isn't sufficient narrative or story to sustain the visual aspects of the story which comes off as a really long music video. If you must see it, make sure you get a widescreen version since the story will be unwatchable in pan-scan/cropped screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent; wish the series ended here
Review: I recently rented the first 3 installments in the 'Alien' series, and I'd just like to say that had the series ended this way, it would've been a masterpiece. Ripley dying at the end and then her transmission from 50 years earlier (a transmission she made at the end of the first 'Alien' movie) reaching the deserted prison--"with any luck, the network will pick me up...this is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostramo, signing off"--was the most depressing ending I've ever seen in a scifi/horror movie. I really wish the series had ended after Alien 3. This one is great, IMHO.
Rating: 
Summary: Underrated.
Review: I can't understand why people think this film is terrible. Did you really expect Newt and Hicks to survive? Their presence in this film would be out-of-place. Believe me, the Alien series had to end somehow (temporarily of course). Alien 3 has terrific performances by Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, and basically everyone else. The musical score by Elliot Goldenthal is powerful and moody. The film has a suitably melancholy, apocalyptic tone throughout. Is it depressing at times? Of course, but it suits this film well. It's an excellent addition to the Alien series.
Rating:
Summary: I'm sorry guys but this is a great movie!
Review: This is a dark tale of tragedy. Like another poster suggested, yes this is poetry, and it's a shame that many of the fans that hated this flick didn't think for a minute that this movie defines art in a motion picture. Amazingly moody soundtrack and "this is film school" like shooting (Fincher's first is in my opinion his best)... people should watch this with a note book and a good pencil sharpner. But not only because of the excellent use of lighting and camera work but because of the mood and atmosphere created all along throught this movie. And if you preferred Resurrection to this you will never enjoy this movie... you just wont ever feal it... ...and yes I also loved Aliens and I couldnt believe Newt and Hicks (spoiler!!) would die in the first 50 seconds... and was sure disapointed at no gun toting testosterone filled scene but plese! this movie does not advertise that!!! It's nothing like that... and the death of the 2 after the space crash is a clear message: it's gonna be a dark story of no hope and a rough one from here on man.
Rating: 
Summary: So much done, but with so little.
Review: Out of all four films of the Alien franchise, this is the most disappointing. Besides breaking rules previously established in the first two films (a facehugger can lay only one egg before dying, the mysterious appearance of the pod on the ship), the movie destroyed the setup from the end of ALIENS: Newt and Hicks die before the film even begins and Bishop seems to be damaged beyond repair. ALIEN 3 is more bleak than it's two predecessors, offering a modernist deconstructionist interpretation of the series; while watching this film I just couldn't help but think that Frank Miller had a hand in making this film somewhere along the line. The plot is fairly simple. Ripley's ship crashes on a prison planet with a population of only men. Newt and Hicks are killed before the ship even crashes and once again Ripley is the only survivor. However, an alien pod somehow got aboard and impregnates both Ripley and later a guard dog. The Alien that comes out of the dog takes a dog like shape (suggesting that whatever creature the Alien is born out of is what they will resemble), but the Alien inside of Ripley turns out to be an egglayer (another hole in the script). The prisoners and Ripley battle to kill the monster and Ripley battles with her personal beliefs and her will to survive. Some of the special effects are really interesting, but they don't make up for the rest of the movies' flaws. Overall not too bad of a sci-fi movie, but not up to the quality of the other Alien films.
Rating:
Summary: Moody, but hoping for a directors cut
Review: I saw this movie when it first came out on video, and i have to say that it's actually a pretty good movie. Yes it has holes in it such as the magically appearing egg on the sulaco or the facehugger laying two eggs, when it was made clear in the previous two chapters that it dies after the first egg, or all the holes in script, blame it on the editor or the company because they forced the production crew to hurry it to the screen, thats all there is to it. I liked the mood of the film because it gave the whole film a sort of gothic look and i like that it's what gives the whole entire movie emotion i think. People are stuck in hole of a planet, and so what, they should be happy? i don't think so. The FX's were alright not great, but don't blame production blame the company. If they didn't rush maybe Alien3 might have been better. I'm hoping in the future they release a speceil edition because i heard of lots of deleted, and alternate scenes in this movie so for now ill wait.
Rating:
Summary: A Flawed Masterpiece
Review: I've seen all the movies in this series several times (except for Alien: Resurrection, which I have attempted to block from my consciousness completely), and somehow this one has ended up as my favourite. It isn't perfect by any means -- but it could have been. Many reviewers have already mentioned the style of the direction and the dark, brooding atmosphere of the production. There are scenes in this film that leave me quite breathless, such as the autopsy and of course the ending. Yes, the premise of the plot is ridiculous (a semi-abandoned prison planet with a foundry and a bizarre monastic subculture??? OhhhKayyy...), but if you are prepared to suspend your disbelief that far, you have to admit it creates a great claustrophobic, creepy setting with some fascinating characters. The quality of the acting was superb all-around; this film has a fabulous cast of supporting actors, including Charles Dance, Charles Dutton, Paul McGann, and the woefully underused Pete Postlethwaite. I would have liked to see more of most of these characters, and I found them much more three-dimensional than most of the cast of the first two films. I loved the relationship between Ripley and the doctor, although I was disappointed at the rather pointless way he died. I would have preferred to see this character die in a more heroic or useful way, but I think it is a testimony to Dance's performance that I actually cared about his character. Many people have complained about the way Hicks and Newt were killed off, claiming this negates the entire emotional involvement of Ripley in the second movie. I don't agree. To me, it served to drive the point home that this creature has managed to destroy everything and everyone that Ripley cares about. It adds to the generally bleak atmosphere of this film, in comparison with the others. Alien was a slasher flick set in space. Aliens was a bug-hunt with a happy ending (not that there's anything wrong with that). Alien 3 evoked the true horror of the creature--the impossibility of escape--and the true horror of humanity as well. As for the script...well, there are some memorable pieces of dialogue. There is some bad writing as well, mostly caused by the haste of the studio to wrap up the project. Near the end it degenerates into another bug-hunt, but with some very spooky scenes. The echoing voices, the torches, the moving shadows, all very well done. The alien itself wasn't so impressive, true. It was more frightening when it was only hinted at, rather than seen. But to be honest, I didn't find the CGI aliens in the fourth movie so impressive, either. So...you'll decide for yourself whether you like this one or not. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion on it. Mine is that this could have a brilliant movie, which ended up being brilliant only in spots and mediocre in others...but for me, the brilliant spots are worth more than the other films combined.
Rating:
Summary: Alien 3 suffered from too many deleted scenes
Review: I can understand why the average filmgoer expecting to see a retread of the action-packed ALIENS would be disappointed in this somewhat mellower sequel, however I have come to really like this film after it came to video. I have also had the opportunity to see the work print, which lead to some further research regarding other key scenes that were cut from the film. There was approximately 60 minutes of additional footage intended for ALIEN 3 which was cut or scrapped altogether due to funding cuts by Fox who rushed director David Fincher into completing the film in order to meet the film's release deadline. Some of the scenes included were the queen embryo crawling out of Newt's mouth after she drowns (and into Ripley). Clemens on the black-sanded beach in the beginning of the film with Ripley after he witnessed the EEV crash. The larger webbed and plated "Super Facehugger," which could impregnate two hosts, accounting for the queen embryo inside Ripley and the drone embryo inside of the dog, and the alien capture sequence midway through the film (which was actually really scary). There were other scenes too, but I think I've made my point. It would be nice to see a director's cut make it to DVD some day because this movie suffered tremendously due to all the cuts that were made. Even with the end product that we saw though, the film still works as a mood piece and a very logical and dramatic end for Ellen Ripley. NEWS: Watch for the A L I E N Quadrilogy 11/03. This 9 disc DVD set will have extended cuts of all 4 films including a new version of ALIEN 3 that's approx. 2 hrs 50 mins. Patience pays off.
Rating:
Summary: Alien 3, the finale
Review: This IS "the" sci-fi story of the century and beyond. I ask you to do a little research of your own and tell me if there is another sci-fi story with as much tension, and emotion as this series. A beast that is unstoppable in Alien, overwhelming in Aliens, and unstoppable again in Alien 3. Alien: Resurrection was a simple art expression of the franchise, a new direction. Alien 3 was the end of the Alien series of old, it is the end of the Alien Trilogy. Why didnt they call it Aliens 4 in Alien: Resurrection? Because it was an artsy movie set in a universe outside the current storyline. The visual presentation alone signifies that. Alien 3, on its own, stands as a true conclusion to Ripley in the most profound way. You may argue that this movie was inferior to the first 2. In what way? When I saw this film the first time I hated it and said that the series officially ended at Aliens. Then upon further viewing I got to see the style and storyline. I also got to see the underlining text behind the story. The movie industry has clouded everyones mind with the notion a villain must lose to be complete. David Fincher is one of my favorite directors because he allows nature to take its course and that means anything goes. Main characters are put in a realistic seat. His movies are more interesting and have the best effect on me because I believe all characters are expendable, therefore I know that at any one time the lead could die. This makes his movies unapproacheable in the first round. You cant expect to see a happy ending, although you might. With this in mind Alien 3 is a truly great film. Most were turned off because we fell in love with Aliens and the well developed characters of Newt and Hicks and even Bishop. Then, without further adue, they are killed off. Then as if that is not enough... Despite what others might tell you, Alien 3 is a great film on its own merits. And as the tide changes and we are becoming less satisfied with the frequent returns by Ripley, we see how this movie helped end the series in the best and most original manner. This is a super killing machine, and in her death we realize what Ridley Scott and Dan O'Bannon tried to communicate. That sometimes there are forces beyond our control, and beyond the hollywood formula for film. People die, sometimes the ones you least expect.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate poem for Ripley..
Review: When it comes to pick up the most haunting yet the most emotional chapter of Alien Saga, I will always choose this one. Not because of its unpreaching but heavily religious undertones (where Fincher is a master), not due to its killingly sad motion picture score (where sometimes the notes resonate beyond the film's capability to deliver the melancholy), but for the fact that the whole story is an aching poem of an unsurpassable hopelessness. When you hear the boy soprano soloist singing "Agnus Dei", you instantly know that this might be the end, the end of the chase, the end of the battle, the end of Ripley. Confined with no weapons and trapped with a beast "within", it is a relief but also a quiet and a gentle lament for her when only suicide means the total annihilation of this nightmare. This has been one of the most ingenious twists I've ever seen in Hollywood (of course adding the cloning in Resurrection to this list) and one of the most depressing. Fincher aims at the gloomy, claustrophobic and eerie atmosphere of the 1st chapter, and not only achieves but also exceeds this by bringing the emotional magnitude to a level where there's no hope for these God forsaken children, although they have faith. But then, there are the flaws: No explanation for the egg on Sulaco; Newt & Hicks were beamed out in a flash (crash, let's say) and a not-so-good CGI Alien. As for the DVD, there's no commentary from Fincher & Goldhental duo which would be highly interesting. Not a bad word for the audio & picture transfer. The 3rd installment is coherent in itself and brings the series on a "dead end" on Ms. Weaver's request (well, she thought so). I wonder if the producers ever thought of the emotional side of Ripley's story when shooting this film. Since the beast kept on wiping out everyone she cared, her destiny always left her alone fighting it. And Fincher frames this - her infinite sadness with his golden touch. Great job!
|
