Verdict
Summary
I can’t help feeling that Alien 3 could have been something so much better but with so much studio interference it feels incomplete and I have no real desire to sit thought it ever again.
Plot: Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.
Review: For me, this is the weakest entry in the series, yes even more so than part 4, which I actually quite enjoy. We all know this movie was riddled with studio interference and I often wonder what it could have been.
I loved the original idea of the wood planet, which was a fabulously surreal concept. Instead we get a bunch of unlikable characters on a prison planet and the film is grim from start to finish. Hicks? Dead. Newt? Dead. Ripley? Dying. Good times all round.
The movie even feels unfinished, especially with the appalling special effects in places, where the Alien looks utterly pretend for the first time.
It’s the only movie in the series that I find nothing really to enjoy; it’s just thoroughly unpleasant and grimy.
Despite not being given free reign, Fincher does his best at creating this nightmarish world where the people are almost more dangerous than the creature itself.
You won’t care for anyone aside from Ripley and maybe Charles Dance’s doctor but he doesn’t last long.
Where Aliens had Hudson providing some humour to alleviate the tension, this has no humour but also manages to have no tension either. Because you hate the supporting cast, you’re actually on the side of the alien.
Elliot Goldenthal’s score is OK, but it’s not as good as James Horner’s triumphant score to Aliens.
Both the theatrical and alternate version of the movie are equally as grim and depressing; killing off Ripley at the end was a bad decision which is probably one of the many reasons people didn’t like Part 4. Bringing Ripley back as a clone was just too far; you can stretch your suspension of disbelief to a certain point and then they’ve lost you.
So did I like anything about the movie? It’s cool to see Lance Henriksen return as Bishop but I also liked his human counterpart showing up towards the end. The acting was good and Ripley is still a fantastic heroine. The final chase scenes through the corridors are quite exciting with some nice camera work.
Overall, I can’t help feeling that Alien 3 could have been something so much better but with so much studio interference it feels incomplete and I have no real desire to sit thought it ever again.