Alien³ (1992) Reviews

• Not as good as the first two

  freaky_dave2006-03-15

  Alien 3 was a letdown of a sort when compared to both Alien and Aliens, classics in their own right. Sigourney Weaver returns as does Lance Hendriksen in two different roles. But even though Weaver is there, the movie just doesn't have the same power as the first two films. Ripley (Weaver) crash lands on a prison planet and is taken in by a doctor (Charles Dance). But the Alien has followed her again in a different way, and goes about destroying the inhabitants of the planet. Once again its up to Ripley to destroy the monster. The acting in this film was pretty good, and the visuals are amazing, but this movie, as directed by David Fincher, is way too dark and depressing when compared to the first and second films. This film leaves us with no real hope for anyone. Yes there are some genuine scares to be found here, and like I said the film has a good look to go with quality acting. Too bad that the director took it down this despairing road with a horrible ending that I never could accept. When compared to the first two movies, this film is second rate. However, it is still much better than Alien Resurrection which followed. That movie, to me, was a waste of time and money.

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• How could he get it so wrong?

  keithshop2003-08-31

  After Ridley Scots masterpiece and James Camerons action packed sequel, how the hell did this sorry mess ever get made? *possible spoiler* So Hicks and Newt are dead? Then why the hell did we root for them so much in Aliens? So that this cretin could kill them off in the first scene? The whole thing is crap from start to finish. Brian Glover as colony spokesman? I don't think so. Forget this and accept the end of Aliens as "end of story".

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• bad timing (editing problems?)

  sezai_crane2001-05-05

  I saw this movie for the third time now and I hoped that I might enjoy it a little bit more than the first two times. But, though I really did my best to like it, I was disappointed again. But then, there are moments when I thought: hey, this could be very good, but it just doesn't work, it just doesn't touch me at all, so what is wrong with it? Maybe I just don't see it the way it is intended? After all this is I think the truth about this movie: like it is, you can't see it the way it is intended. I just can't believe that someone who directed such a solid and compact movie as Se7en, could make such a horrible mistake: there is no story, there is no center, the whole thing just falls apart in pieces when you watch it. I think this is due to some wrong editing (and maybe this was caused by a not thoroughly thought trough scenario, but that I can't say). There were several moments when I thought: hey, why is this happening now, it should happen minutes ago and moments when I thought: why is this happening right now, it just spoils the enjoyment of suspense, they should show this way later in the movie. And there were scenes I thought: my God, why didn't they cut this piece away, it just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Like the 'running scenes' closing to the end: you just can't make head nor tale of it, they're just running around, while you never get what they're plan actually is and how they would like to make it work. You just wait till they're done and get on with the 'story'. This is just annoying as it is. But I think what the director meant was to create this feeling of being lost in endless tunnels without ever really seeing it from a bird's view, to run and hope you will get somewhere, with only the help of your fear and the intuition it brings with it. Done well, this could prove to be some really exciting and nerve-cracking sequence, a real build-up to the grand finale. There were also moments when I thought the music was kicking in way too early or too late, making it some kind of a mere commentary instead of accompanying and enforcing the action (like it is so well done in Star Wars or The X-files just to name a few). I think a better editing could make this movie a whole new experience, getting things at the right moments and making it one whole again, like it proved possible with "Blade Runner". I for one wouldn't mind to see it one more time, but only the way it was probably intended, so I hope they will give the director a chance to remake this movie and to prove that it is a good one after all.

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• Ripley's Nightmare!

  Hel3n1999-05-12

  I think I'm being overgenerous in saying this third 'attempt' was disappointing. First off I was devastated by the way Hicks and Newt had been killed off and what can I say about poor Bishop being chucked into the rubbish? Secondly you don't really care for any of the characters like in the previous Alien movies. It didn't help much that they were all bald and so you couldn't tell them apart!! Other than that this film isn't bad (and Resurrection) if you consider this. They never happened! Ripley is still in Hypersleep, having one long nightmare provoked by her experiences on LV426. After all she did end Aliens with Newt asking her 'can I dream?'. So that's what's happened. She'll wake up marry Hicks,adopt Newt and live happily ever after.(Yeah? and then they'll return to earth and discover that Hudson hadn't really died, he'd escaped the aliens clutches, found an abandoned ship and took off before the place was nuked!) Now I'm dreaming! O.k, but seriously I think if they must make ANOTHER alien film, they should try and answer the questions raised from the original movie like... -Where are the aliens from in the first place?-Where did that boneship come from and what/who was the dead pilot?

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• Great atmosphere, yet not Alien worthy

  DoC-921999-01-27

  For me a good sequel needs to have new things, and it should not be a rehash of it's prequel. That's the problem with Alien3. Alien was a great movie, the Alien is one of the coolest movie monsters ever created (together with Predator). Aliens improved on this by adding a lot of new cool things, most noticeable the Alien Queen. Alien3 doesn't add anything new. Well, there is the queen parasite, and the new alien is a "dog Alien" (makes you wonder what the Alien from the space jocks (Alien 1) looks like...), but these are so insignificantly. So we're stuck with a been-there-done-that monster-chasing-victims movie. Still the movie is fun, and it looks absolutely awesome (great atmosphere). Not the crappy movie you might expect, but not a worthy addition to the Alien series too. Go see parts 1,2 and 4 !

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