Alien 3 is a science-fiction/horror, the sequel to Aliens, and is distributed by 20th Century Fox. Four escape pods, containing the cryo-sleep induced survivors of Sulaco land on galactic prison Fiorina 161. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the only survivor who made it alive…until she learns that a Xenomorph – who gets nicknamed “Dragon” (Tom Woodruff, Jr.) – also made it to the prison. As the inmates and staff start to get picked off one-by-one by Dragon, it is up to Ripley to lead the inmates in a final bid to kill the Xenomorph.
PROS
- The production design is good, with the sets of Fiorina 161 being a convincingly detailed labyrinth, the dingy colouring and mise-en-scene providing effective shadows, which add to the chilling tone.
- Sigourney Weaver gives a more understated, nuanced turn this time, which conveys well the psychological tole that the events of the first two films had on Ripley. She builds a good chemistry with Charles S. Dutton, who brings a strong sense of determination to the role of Dillon; and with Charles Dance, who is charming as Clemens.
CONS
- Director David Fincher has subsequently disowned this film, stating that it is not his vision, due to the fact that there was major studio interference in post-production. This can be seen as true, due to the fact that there is no clear vision, as the film dips its toes in the genres of prison drama, space thriller and high-octane action, without fully committing to any of them.
- It is clear within the first ten minutes that the screenwriters have no idea what their target audience want. The target audience were the fanbase of the previous Alien films, and by killing off Newt off-screen, therefore robbing Ripley of her final chance of being a parent, the screenwriters more or less gave the fanbase the middle finger. As the film goes on the screenwriters’ poor decisions become more and more frequent.
- A noticeably flawed supporting cast, with several bland, wooden performances, such as Brian Glover, who is a very unconvincing warden. The supporting cast are mostly very one-note characters, and good actors such as Pete Postlethwaite are underused, while Lance Henriksen has a very disappointing cameo.
- While themes of sacrifice are prominent in the climax, it is a very convoluted climax, relying a lot on explosions, to the point where it is a sloppy action film that is no better than a bog-standard Hollywood action flick. These effects also hold up now far less well than the effects of the original, despite the original being thirteen years older.
VERDICT: 4/10
Pete Kirkpatrick's Reviews 