Rating: 
Summary: I agree that it is much overlooked
Review: I actually saw this on opening day when it was first released. I didn't walk out "liking" it, but I certainly admired the mood and craft of the film; certainly much closer to the first film than James Cameron's superior Aliens (I cite Aliens as the absolute best in the series). As an aside, I find Resurrection to be a film that tries to be all three previous films, but, in the end, fails on all levels (I saw it opening day too and walked out as a rather dissapointed fan).So, back to Alien 3. Fincher has since proven his potential, but it's enjoyable to see his early filmic attempts captured in Alien 3. I sympathize with Cameron's anger about what was done to his characters (sorry, the Ripley that turned up on the cover of Time in 1986 IS Cameron's Ripley). So much more could've been explored between the mother/daughter relationship between Ripley and Newt and some great things could've been done romantically with Ripley and Hicks (now, a developed romance would've been a great step forward for the series--yet another example of how the writers screwed the story over). I don't neccessarily disagree with the controversial ending (it's inevitable that it had to go down that way); I just disagree with the rest of the film leading up to it. So, the strengths are: Direction
Production design
Great mood and tone
Sigourney Weaver (as always!)
Great first film from David Fincher The weaknesses: Poor script
Inadequate character development
Too many missed opportunities
The film says little and doesn't successfully move the commentary from the first two forward I recommend this film for sci-fi enthusiasts and fans of the series, but I don't recommend it for people who like to "feel great" after seeing a film.
Rating: 
Summary: An underrated film gets a second chance with great new DVD
Review: "Alien 3" has always been given the harshest treatment of any of the Alien films. Having to follow up Ridley Scott's suspense masterpiece and Jim Cameron's action-adventure juggernaut of a sequel is no easy task. I have always looked at David Fincher's third entry as sort of a misunderstood child in the Alien franchise. Perhaps going from the thrill-a-minute gun-blazing epic that was "Aliens" to a sort of a dark and gloomy European-style "cat and mouse" film was too much of a sour note for most of the fans and critics to handle. From the hectic details of the production to the less-than-stellar way in which the film was received, many saw "Alien 3" as being a mediocre final nail in the coffin of the Alien series. I have always had a special place in my heart for this film and now with its latest DVD release, it is finally getting the treatment that I feel it honestly deserves. With this latest edition of "Alien 3" on DVD as part of the "Alien Quadrilogy" boxed set, you not only get the controversial 1991 theatrical version but a never-before-seen "alternate version" of the film that includes over 30 minutes of new footage. Included in this new version are several new sequences including an alternate opening sequence and several lost "character moments". In this version, the alien is born through a dead bull, instead of a dog. We also get more of an insight into Charles Dutton's Dillion as his role as a sort of religous leader is defined a lot deeper. There is also a number of sequences showing what happened to Paul McGann's "Golic" that were omitted from the original version. The "alternate ending" isn't very different from the original one but there are a few subtle changes. For the record, this is not a "director's cut" as David Fincher had nothing to do with this DVD release at all. "Alien 3" is in my opinion, a lot better film that it ever gets credit for. Charles Dutton's perfomance alone is better than anything seen in the terrible "Alien: Resurrection". Elliot Goldenthal's musical score is absolutely brilliant and is not mentioned nearly enough when people talk about this movie. In my opinion, the music may have been one of the things that I enjoyed the most about the movie. The lack of firepower has always been something that the die-hard fans have always complained about but I never saw it as a problem. Maybe today's audiences just aren't into the whole idea of trying to outsmart the creature in a tunnel maze rather than just blowing it up with a grenade launcher. "Alien 3" also displayed a far better use of performances. I was a big fan of the character interactions between both Ripley and Clemens as well as Ripley and Dillion. From an acting perspective, Weaver is given a lot more to do, this time around. Not that her performance in the other two films was ever bad but she really takes over here. I have always felt that this was a good way to end the series but Fox's decision to release a fourth film in 1997 shows that perhaps, many people didn't agree. This one is superior to "Resurrection" on every level. This DVD is packed with bonus features including a full-length commentary for both versions of the film with numerous members of the cast & crew. As previously stated, director David Fincher is noticeably absent. We also get a whole bunch of featurettes that cover nearly every aspect of the film's production. These do a great deal to show the frustration that the crew had to deal with when working on this film. It also shows all of the different concepts for the script and overall design of the film that were abandoned. For any of the fans who truly enjoyed "Alien 3", this is certainly a definitive collector's item.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than you think.
Review: This is a rarity. Alien 3 is one of those flicks that gets more flack than it deserves. The only real problem I had with the film when it was released was the fact that 20TH CENTURY FOX duped everyone into thinking that the third ALIEN movie was to take place on earth (due to the misleading teaser trailer). I kind of liked the different style of the film and director FINCHER's bleak vision. Upon hearing of the restored footage I ran out for my copy, and was not dissapointed. The restored version adds some dimention to the characters and some more interesting plot arcs that make the film seem more complete. The DVD also contains the original theatrical version and a plethora of extras that make this a must have for any fan of behind the scenes film making drama. I'm usually interested in deleted scenes and not so much in making of documentaries. All of the featurettes on this disc are really interesting. It's pretty cool to see all of the turmoil surrounding the making of ALIEN 3, and the painstaking work that went into trying to mold a movie without a solid script or a sympathetic studio. So watch it again, I enjoyed this more knowing that FINCHER crafted ALIEN 3 without a working draft and he was a first time director. I found this to be any excellent viewing experience and the sound and picture quality are superb as well. Great addition to any serious DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Great scifi & a must for any Alien fan.
Review: My least favorite of the 4 Alien movies, but still outstanding Scifi and a must to follow the story of the series. Excellently made two disk set with outstanding extras.
Rating:
Summary: work print is way better
Review: i have seen both versions of the film and I think the workprint is way better except one thing, how did the cow get an alien in it. in the theatrical it explains how the dog got the facehugger but in the work print you just all of a sudden get introduced to a dead cow who has the alien burst out of it. other than that the work print is way better deffinitly reccomended to any alien fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD, but as for the movie...
Review: Ah, the disaster that is "Alien 3." For the entire back story on the horrors this movie went through, rent this and watch the special features disc because it is a fascinating story. But I'm here to judge the finished product, so...here goes. This seems like a movie with no identity. That is what it feels like to me, I don't know about anyone else. Parts of it are a horror movie, parts of it are a straight gore-fest, parts of it are action, parts are sci-fi, and parts are drama. It doesn't even seem like "Alien 3" was a good idea to me. It's a very very hard movie to embrace, and I still haven't. For the life of me, I can't get over how many times the "F" word is used in really ridiculous fashion. One of these days I'm gonna go in and count how many times it is used as opposed to the other 3 films. It's hard for me to write a review for this movie because there were so many things I just didn't like about it. It does create an atmosphere of dreary colors (lots of brown tones, including the alien) and the setting is very depressing and is one you really feel uncomfortable in, which is a good thing. What this movie lacks is characters. No character really comes out and makes an emotional impact on you. Well, one does but...nevermind. Anyway, besides him, no one outside of Ripley makes an impact on the audience. It's a bunch of bald guys with accents running from an alien, that's basically the plot once the alien is born. I would not reccommend this as a purchase, but as a rental I would definitely reccommend it because watch the movie, then watch the special features and see what the movie was supposed to be and just see how incredibly hard Fox made it on everyone to make this movie. 1 star for the movie, 4 stars for the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Very confusing, but the most thrilling
Review: Alien 3 is a great film, and I loved it. It is just, too confusing. When the super facehugger facehugged Ripley, it sent a queen embryo, but then it facehugged an ox, I thought Ripley already had the embryo inside, so It couldn't give another embryo. It is very thrilling, the beast-like alien.
Rating:
Summary: Special Edition vs. Theatrical Release
Review: ALIEN 3 was disliked so much. To all the people who hated this movie, I would like you to give it a second chance and watch the Special Edition version of the movie. There are 30 minutes of restored footage that really helped fill in the plot holes. There is more depth with Golic showing his relationship with the prisoners, how he gets caught, how he gets loose, and how he dies. There is about 8-10 extra minutes added after the fire starts and before Dillon finds a prisoner's throat cut. There is one more thing ALIEN 3 didn't do. They didn't show how Eric died! Eric started up the piston and we never saw him again. Anyway, ALIEN 3 SE gets 5 stars and is my favorite movie in the ALIEN series. The theatrical version of the movie was pretty good. The alternative begining on Fiorina 161 was better and you got to see the outside of the planet. Instead, for the TR, they made it more simple. The ending in the theatrical version was also different. The Queen chestburster came out of Ripley. The other different thing about the movie was the alien came out of a dog, it was an ox in the Special Edition. The theatrical version and Special Edition were different ins so many ways. The Special Edition of the movie made ALIEN 3 a more likeable movie and some ALIEN fans are getting a better view of the movie. The special features disc is packed with 164 miutes of featurettes! There are also the different theatrical trailers and TV spots. The still photo galleries and the story boards are also on the DVD. In the supplementary part of the first disc, you can use deleted footage markers, turn on commentaries, and view the deleted scenes(only on theatrical version supplement.) You can also use Dolby 5.1 for your audio and have English or Spanish subtitles. This DVD is awesome, and I wou;d recomend it to any ALIEN or sci-fi fan!
Rating:
Summary: Alien 3 - Much better than I remembered it to be!
Review: I remember the long wait between the release of this movie and "Aliens" and the great amount of anticipation that was built up around this movie considering how extraordinary the first two films were and just imagining how great this one was "going" to be. Then its release date came and it received generally bad reviews and collectively, the majority of the fans were highly disappointed by it, including myself. That being said, I was quite reluctant to spend the money on this DVD but after reading some of the other positive reviews I decided to give this film one more chance and now, after having watched it again I would have to say I've completely changed my mind. Alien 3 just wasn't as bad as I remembered it to be from that one time viewing in the theater so many years ago and in fact, stylistically, it's a movie that was ahead of its time. Ultimately, I think what turned so many people off of this film when it was released is that it was so dramatically different from the first two that it initially just didn't seem as though it belonged in the mythos that is the Alien legacy. The one thing about this film that does make it drag is its pacing. What the director appeared to be reaching for was the same feel that "Alien" engendered but in the end, in reaching for that intense atmosphere didn't always work and only resulted in the pace slowing down and too little suspense. As stated above though, thematically it was just years ahead of its time and I believe, were it a movie that were originally released more recently, with some minor changes, it might've garnered much more success in the theaters. Performance wise, Sigourney Weaver does just as wonderful a job with this film as she did with the first two and, not to mention, she co-produced the film, further showing her support for the script and this addition to the Alien mythos. Charles S. Dutton's role in the film is "over the top," as his acting usually is and it fits quite well with the character. David Fincher, who took up the directing mantle for "Alien 3" deserves a fair amount of credit for the thematic style of this film, bringing the original story and screenplay to fruition. Twelve years ago, I would've said don't ever let the man direct again, but this second viewing of "Alien 3" and after seeing some of the other films he's directed since, I would definitely have to say that he is a very good director! This Collector's Edition release comes with two options, the original 1992 Theatrical version or a 2003 Special Edition. One note of caution, the Special Edition doesn't really add too much to the film, but of the small portion that is added, it helps to set up the story that much better. The THX certification and 5.1 Dolby Surround is perfect for the film, bringing out the score beautifully! The Premise: As Ripley, Hicks, Newt and Bishop are slumbering away in hyper sleep, hoping to next wake up near Earth, the ship suddenly encounters problems of the alien kind. Being the good futuristic starship that it is, it kindly ejects Ripley and the bodies of her companions on a prison planet. Ripley awakens to find herself on this prison planet and not long thereafter, prisoners start showing up dead and Ripley herself finds that her worst nightmare has come true... What follows from there, as stated above, is most certainly not the best of the Alien series but it is most definitely a lot better movie than my initial assessment of it had been. I would definitely recommend this film to any and all fans of the Alien series, as I believe it plays an integral part in the mythos. {ssintrepid} Special Features: -1992 Theatrical version (Deleted/Extended Scene Index) & Alien vs. Predator Teaser Trailer
-2003 Special Edition (Deleted Footage Marker)
-"Development: Concluding the Story" Featurette
-"Tales of the Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward's Vision" Featurette
-"Pre-production, Part III" Featurette
-"Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger's Redesign" Featurette
-Still Photo Galleries (multiple)
-"Optical Fury: Visual Effects" Featurette
-"Music, Editing and Sound" Featurette
-"Post-Mortem: Reaction to the Film" Featurette
-"Production, Part I" Featurette
-"Adaptive Organism: Creature Design" Featurette
-"Production, Part II" Featurette
-"Production, Part III" Featurette
-"Furnace Construction: Time Lapse Sequence"
-E.E.V. Scan Multi-Angle Study with Optional Commentary
Rating:
Summary: An Unrecognized Masterpiece
Review: I will admit the original theatrical Alien3 wasn't that great, it was horribly edited with crappy sound. But the 2003 special edition fills in all the gaps. It is now one of the best Alien films. I couldn't believe how much better this movie was after over 30 minutes were added to it. The movie even gives a whole new plot line between Ripley and Clemens. Even the alien story line is different and better where now the alien is shown coming out of an ox rather than the dog. All I can say is this movie is great and all those who didn't like it before should give the special edition a spin. It is garanteed to restore your faith.
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