The one thing that Alien 3 did better than any other, aside from maybe the first, was atmosphere. I can't remember almost anywhere from Aliens other than the inside of ship and the room they hid in but on the other hand I've literally had dreams about that prison if I've lived through it in reality.
The fact that there's still debate about whether it's a great or a terrible film almost 30 years later, including by the people who made it, is a sign that it's at least extremely interesting.
It’s not a terrible film, it’s just that coming off the heels of the upbeat ending of the second one, killed it. Newt and Hicks killed off in the first two minutes? Come on, man. Those characters deserved better.
@@walterheisenberg251 at least Newt. Ripley must have felt so bad. She promised her that everything was gonna be ok. She failed on her promise. That must have crushed her motherly instinct to pieces. The only let down I felt was in the movie.
@@h.c4898 I actually think it’s more effective that way. She failed like you said. It’s drastically different in tone from the second. But so is the second from the first. The second is a great movie. I think the 3rd is good film.
@ChrisW_Essex Well that's certainly debatable. 4 made an effort to continue. 3 has the worst plot hole of the entire franchise of how an Alien even came to be at the start. 4 definitely has the edge over 3 in some ways.
@@JAWS-qj1rjIt’s inductive reasoning: the queen was on the Sulaco and now there’s an egg present. She must’ve lain it there, meaning egg generation is still possible without her ovipositor.
Is it? Or is resurrection the art house A24 one? I feel like all the aliens film have a little weirdness in em. I will say tho resurrection was far more pretentious
They had a real script which they borrowed liberally from to make the hodge podge of the final product. Read Vincent Ward's version and you'll be able to imagine the much more cohesive film ( Both thematically and structurally) this could have been.
Interesting take, and it is the defining characteristic of the film. It sheds all hope, and although it's very good, the audience really wants to see Ripley survive. Alien 4 got a cheer in the cinema I saw it in, and I think it's more down to that.
I think I'm one of the few who actually like the 3rd film I loved the whole Nihilism aspect as Lance said it brought the Alien back personally for Ripley yes she dies but she sacrifices herself to stop the bigger evil -the company
Alien and Aliens are both _great_ films and were recognized as such instantly. Alien 3 is a _really good_ film that misses out on greatness, but wasn't even recognized for how good it is when it came out. I love that years later there is a growing appreciation for the film, especially given the specific difficulties it had during production, and the audience and love for this film is growing over time.
@@201hastings it’s a damn fine film. But if it killed the franchise, it’s a damn shame it didn’t stay dead. But Hicks. But Newt ..fuck’em. No happy endings in a film that features face-raping arachnids in the cold dark recesses of space.
@@Horriflickthe film is terrible and the script and world building was broken within 5 minutes of screen time. A new record, maybe.😅 Even Fincher has dismissed the film as dogshit and wants nothing to do with it.
I always liked this film. It was just so anti Hollywood. There were no happy endings, no sweet romances, no glorified characters. It was bleak and dark in a way that made it feel original to me. I applaud it for that.
I definitely agree with you, Luke Urbanski. This film was extremely anti-Hollywood with everything you said. I will add that the ending, while tragic, also felt triumphant with Ridley sacrificing her life to destroy the Xenomorph threat.
Not really but it did have a lot of flaws (and I'm not blaming Fincher). It was like pushing a tire that gets bigger and bigger up a hill, it was just an uphill struggle.
@@jct9099 Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul. Alien 3 10/10
Its classic movie. One of the best in 90s. Represents grunge era in best possible way. Creative, unique, distinctive. Fincher here made masterpiece. I cant believe it was his first movie.
@@RedPeterAwesomeIsRed847636 4 is an entertaining, tongue in cheek film. I personally really enjoy it. Its obviously the worst in terms of acting and terror, but it achieved what it aimed for.
2 is one of the greatest films ever made. 4 one of the worst. Seriously, it’s dreck from start to finish. How can you expect a guy to direct a film when he doesn’t even speak English..
@@nox5870 you see people like resurrection more cause it was more over the top for a alien film. Alien 3 could have a masterpiece for a trilogy if it weren’t for the hicks and newt deaths, fox constantly changing the scripts and not trusting David fincher for the movie , even he hate both cuts of the film. Alien 3 is had the challenge to deal with having to live up to alien and aliens. Two movie which most if not all of the fandom has agreed the only good film in the franchise
James Cameron said it best: "It's just kind of a slap in the face of the fans who invested in Newt and Hicks and all of those character relationships." It basically invalidates Aliens' end by not even respecting such important characters enough by killing them offscreen.
Kevin Maddick See I can understand why people would feel that way about it. However I always felt like it was a central part of Ripleys story, as in whenever she gets involved with the alien it takes everything she loves away from her. It’s a tale of sorrow and in the end Ripley had to give her own life to stop this incredibly dangerous organism from taking over the galaxy. It’s the ultimate sacrifice. Definitely the darkest and bleakest film of the bunch. It’s has its issues but it’s still a great film and worthy addition than the subsequent films. It’s the last one I think that actually feels like an Alien film.
@@ULTRAWIDE. Alien 3 made Ripleys connection with the alien going from physical threat to some kind of supernatural/spiritual bond. I dont see any of that in the first 2 movies. Aliens disproved this and Alien 3 reverted everything again. I find this path to be very unsatisfying. The possibilities were endless after Alien. They accually chose a safe path. Remove the cast from previous movies and make everyhing center around Ripley. It was probably an ego trip Sigourney had at the time as well...making creative and story demands that would strengthen her part at the expense of the others.
@@daveruda Hmm dont agree with the supernatural/spiritual bond thing you mentioned. I dont see that at all within the films context. She knows shes been infected and wants to die, theres nothing really supernatural/spiritual about it. Ever since Aliens she's dreamed about being chest bursted, and then knows its going to finally happen to her at some point. The last part, who knows. I doubt it really. She seems quite humble IRL and watching the making of Alien 3 she and others say multiple times she didn't even want to do another one, and if she did she wanted to die in it so she wouldn't have to do any more of them.
Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul. Alien 3 10/10
I don't know, the movie that Lance Hendrickson is describing sound so fucking awesome. A prison full of really dangerous irredeemable men, lost in space, and one day a pure virginal figure drops down on them, carrying a monster more vicious than any of them. Hmm, this movie demands a remake or a second go with that premise.
Absolutely loved this one. The first movie was a classic. The second movie was amazing as well WHILE being different... and the third movie did the same. It was amazing, WHILE being different and not a re-hash. I loved viewing this as the 'end' of Ripley's journey, to me A4 was not cannon. This was the perfect end, how she went from a warrant officer, to getting stuck in a complex with aliens... to finally getting to a prison planet. It also built the world really well to show it isn't all just space ships and industry.
Despite its flaws I love Alien 3. It’s the darkest, most obscure, and the one that truly explores Ripley’s pain sadness and vulnerability. She’s not an action hero. Shes a human. She’s a very strong woman who has survived horrible and traumatic experiences. And the most depressing place she could ever be in is precisely a male prison, after losing everything. This has to be the lowest point of her existence. Not an action film but an interesting character study.
I was a bit dissapointed in that approach. It became all about Ripleys inner journey at that point. For me it would have been more interesting to follow other characters as well, like Bishop and Hicks. And not go too deep into personal tragedies. The Alien is the tragedy.
@@daverudaThe “tragedy” is in people being so blindly invested in the military industrial complex “Aliens” that they just want feel good movies with guns, spinning lights and hazard tape.
oh shit, Golic is a classy llittle gentlemen. The "assembly cut" for this movie is awesome. And I love the setting. Everything is so damn bleak which imo perfectly fits the alien universe. It's a movie you watch for the eerie, nightmarish, dystopian atmosphere. The same way you might enjoy a thunder and lightning storm.
@@DarkAttackYT Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
I actually loved this movie, yes it got its flaws, mainly being the cgi was terrible. But overlooking that, its dark, great actors, and brilliant score. Throughout the years i have changed which alien was my favourite, when I was younger was aliens, action packed, as I got older it was alien, and now after watching it recently I think now its alien 3.
The CGI is poor but thats pretty much all I can fault the film. On every other front the film is amazing. The criticisms of the furnace scene being too hard to follow I disagree with, in fact the sheer confusion over the geography of the scene make it more intense imo.
@Jonathan Birch The film is widely acknowledged, by everyone, as a butchered mess from studio interference and he's gonna call it a 'masterpiece', lol.
Its not a masterpiece, but it is an unfinished movie which compells you to think about it. People enjoy it this way in certain ways, more than if it were a fully processed and served and packed movie.
@Degree7 Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
@Lee Judd A lot of people didn't want to leave their comfort zone James Cameron made in Aliens and didn't want to let imagination fluorish. Sigourney Weaver in lot of interview said she believed Fincher's vision and loved working with him. She was also the one who was satisfied with the script (Newt and Hicks dying in opening first seconds), and the one who wanted a movie with no guns (a lot of people complained for this because Cameron).
It's a very good film that, without studio interference would probably have been up there with the first two. It's deeper than Aliens and more complex than Alien. It explores serious themes of grief, guilt, criminality, religion and redemption. The point of the brutal criminals is to confront us with the question of whether people can do terrible things and then rehabilitate or redeem themselves, and what it takes to redeem oneself, e.g. self-sacrifice.
@@mikeadams7904 Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul. You cannot put alien 3 and alien 4 in the same sentence.
Eh. The newborn was dumb but the cgi in 3 is awful. You went from big ass guns, power loaders, action, droids and spaceships to no guns, no robots, barley any spaceships and all suspense and very little action.
I love Alien 3. As I'm getting older, apart from the first Alien, it's the Alien movie I like to return to the most (maybe even more than the first). The first Alien establishes the world, the creature, it's iconic. Not really scary today, but it's well-acted and beautifully designed, shot and it has a tremendous atmosphere. I just love so many shots in the film (for example Brett's death in the Claw Room). It's a work of art. I can appreciate it's artfulness even as I'm getting older. Aliens expands on the world, it creates a blueprint for marine/soldier groups in sci-fi movies that's used to this day and it features probably a career-best performance by Sigourney Weaver. It's not as artful as the first Alien though and it really feels like it's built more for the teenage/young crowd - an action-packed, loud movie with one-liners, jokes, explosions, etc. It's not just that of course, Cameron is too good of a filmmaker for that, but I've seen it the most as a teenager and while I love the film, I'm never really in a mood to rewatch it nowadays. Once you've seen the action a few times, it doesn't really excite you and while the characters, actors and visuals are all pretty much excellent, there just isn't anything deeper going on besides Ripley's maternal instincts. It's a superficial movie on many levels, although excellent. Alien Resurrection is a mess. Well shot and I have a soft spot for it because it's the first Alien movie I had on VHS (I got it for Christmas), but the story about bringing Ripley back to life is ridiculous and while I appreciate the design, the atmosphere, the quirky nature Jean Pierre Jeunet gave it, it's not a good movie. And we come to Alien 3. I for one LOVE the setting on the abandoned, prison planet and the characters and the religious overtones with the prisoners living like monks. I like that the characters are all very flawed, not saints and trying to redeem themselves on this shithole end of space. There's something poignant, powerful about this. I like the sombre tone, the mood, how Ripley interacts with everyone. To me, this movie is far more interesting as a drama, character study than any of the other films and that's why I enjoy it. The themes in it are adult, mature and serious and even spiritual to a degree. I like the serious tone. And I like the ending, how Ripley is so worn out, tired from the constant struggle, how she's a woman who's been to hell and back and ultimately sacrifices her own life to find peace with it all. That's a powerful ending to her arc, which many people overlook. The CGI is pretty bad, but there's not too much of it for me to mind. I think the movie doesn't deserve the bad rep it has for many people, they're perhaps focusing too much on the few bad CGI scenes and the trouble behind the scenes instead of just focusing on the story they're being presented.
Hicks and Newt died exactly how they should have imo. Fury 161 is basically hell and the beast is the devil. Ripley is isolated in a crowded room with the wicked and the damned as her only "allies". The beast took everything from her and to kill the fucker she had to give the last thing she had left, her life. It's a rare gem and when I was young watching this movie I loved it just as much as the first two. I didn't have others influencing my opinion on it and later I was surprised to find that it wasn't liked. Looking back, the only thing I can truly criticise are the effects but at the time the weird animation only enhanced its creepiness for young me. Anyway, I'll just have to accept that growing up with this movie has perhaps deluded me somehow but from my perspective it's brilliant and most complaints I read are to do with Hicks and Newts death which just come across as people expecting a fairy tale adventure rather than a grim, bleak, dirty, depressing descent into hell. Buuuut that's just my opinion. :)
I hear you. But my take on the alien movies was never this mythical bond between Ripley and the Alien creatures they tried to establish in the 3rd movie. In the first 2 Ripley is just a lucky but competent survivor that had to deal with these things. When the 3rd movie essentially press reset and removes the story and potential of Aliens its a bit dissapointing. Still one hell of a beautiful movie with an awesome score.
@@eventhorizon4816 If we just rated film from a serious film buff pov Alien 3 is a far more sophisticated piece of art than Aliens. Alien takes 1st prize but anyone could make Aliens. Gun in space movie.
@@eventhorizon4816 nah, it’s objectively shite in comparison to Aliens. The movie is a mess and the opening alone makes you lose investment when every character you cared about in Aliens just gets lazily written out by killing them all
This was personally my favourite out of the 4 Alien movies. It had briliant cast and acting. aweseome look, genius directing. Yes it has some problems with some of the writing and seeing what the movie could've become made me love it. It was and still has so much potential.
the thing for me was the original release was meh seen it moved on but when I seen that assembly cut I began to love the movie more and more overtime, the bleakness, the hopelessness, the prisoners fighting against a fate they can never escape from, a film about death and redemption, there was beauty in those set pieces.
I feel like this was the type of movie that would've found much more success if it didn't have the "Alien" franchise attachment to it. The change in tone in comparison to the past 2 amazing films felt jarring during my first time watching Alien 3.. It is a truly dire and sad film in every sense of the word, and you're hit with that bleak reality within the first few mins of the movie. I could imagine that it was a tough pill to swallow for a majority of the audience at the time.. it was either people didn't quite know how to react to it or was angry towards how major characters were killed off to start, as well as how the movie ended. There was soo many problems that happened during the process of making the movie, I give David Fincher (a very young director at the time) credit for doing what he could considering the studio interferance nightmare he was bombarded with. Upon watching Alien 3 several times, I actually came to appreciate it more for the bold direction that they were going for. It has its flaws but I respect its ambition. A dire, sad film, where the only shine of light for certain characters came at the cost of their death. Still tough to watch because of those reasons for me, but I came to like the movie more over time.
Alien3 has by far the best soundtrack to any of the films. It's got one of the best designed aliens. Loads of things like that. But the beginning of that film, with facehuggers and eggs appearing from nowhere and killing Newt and Hicks is such a slap in the face to fans that it's still unforgivable all these years later. If they had just let a director do his job it could have been incredible.
Alien 3, for me it stands up by its self in the same way the first one stands apart from the second. Even though the plot wasn't the best it did present a new challenge for Ripley, by the end of Aliens she beats the queen and her hive of monsters and basically conquers her fear of the Aliens, this new setting of being somewhere where not only is the danger from the Alien but from the inmates who have been forsaken by Earth who have to pull themselves together to fight the alien. The cast is definitely what made the film for me though, the actors did a good job.
Alien 3, for me, is the archetypal underrated movie. The extended edition is outstanding. I love the tone, soundtrack, atmosphere, characters and symbolism of the movie. The set design of the prison complex which is marinaded in a rusty colour palette is outstanding also.
Agree totally- there's a real sense of nihilism (as Lance Henriksen explains) throughout the film which Fincher would make an artform of in later films like Se7en and Fight Club. I think that also explains why the film did relatively better in European and Asian markets- I think the North American market couldn't deal with this coming after the success (in every sense of the words) of Aliens.
The very concept makes it a bad movie. You do not kill off every new character from the previous movie in the opening of the second. It’s just cruel and spiteful
How people can possibly not root for Charles Dance's character is completely beyond me. Yes, he turned out to be a former inmate, but he was kind, he was smart, he was likable, and he was in there becuase people died, but it's not like he was a murderer! He was trying to help people and made a terrible mistake. I felt sorry for him, after liking him. Alien3 to me a very strong movie, exactly because there are some very likable people in there to root for, who had the difficult task to try and bring together a group of twisted individuals with whome they had been mixed and thrown into a melting pot. Terrific premise. the original theatrical version left too many questions open and was too vague about who did and said what for which reason, it was muddy, but the assembly cut fixed all of that beautifully. I do miss the dog version of the xenomorph in the assembly version though. I liked the faster leaner animal from the theatrical version a bit better.
I think it would have been better if Ripley, Newt, Hicks, and Bishop had woken up to find themselves in the My Little Pony universe, and Princess Twilight had given Bishop a new lower body that made him into a centaur. "Listen to my hooves! Listen to my hooves! Listen to them cloppity-clop!" And they had all lived happily ever after.
Very underrated, I think that even though the cast are felons and have done horrible things you feel sorry for them, you get a feeling they have been abandoned and forgotten. They fight and try and make up for their mistakes IMO
Cool take but I don’t feel sorry for any of them. Especially after a group of them tries to rape Ripley. They never tried to make up for previous mistakes when they’re ready to do them again.
Alien 3 is a Masterpiece. Fincher had nothing to work with & gave us a stupendous ending! Ripley saves the universe from the Alien & from human greed. I also love how Diverse the cast is. American, French, Scoucers, Jamaican, & the Doctor is obviously upper class privately educated. You have a stella cast, a Triumphant score, a huge warm set, a feral alien design, & most of all I love how sentimental the film is. I do sympathize with all those convicts & the Funeral Service scene where the British Warden passes to the American (Dillon) is one of my all time favourite scenes. Sorry but Alien 3 is not Aliens II lol! But it is the bitter sweet ending it deserved to consummate Ripley's struggle against rapacity.
Ripley in this movie was a survivor . We got used to the fact that the alien was in a ship but here we see it on land per se ...it was however in a prison . And ripley survived it all .. i hope really hope they are making a new one soon ..
Alien 3 has a really difficult question, and that question is do you feel sorry for any of those men in the movie because they committed atrocities in society and to other people should you give them any empathy? It’s a very difficult question.
Agreed. Personally, I found it very hard to empathize for them. I have no sympathy for rapists and child molesters. That being the case, however, I do feel that the actors tried their best with the script. I just couldn’t get behind their characters.
Personally the best ending of the 3.in real life,things dont always go as planned. that's what i loved about it.especially the image of the company that represented humanity well,when in positions of power and confronted between the choice of doing the right thing or choosing profit,greed and power.it would choose greed over morality !
Resurrections had some funny and interesting moments, more then can be said for 3. Alien 3 is such a droll, unappealing pos the only scene worth a damn was the end with Ripley ending herself to get out of such a shitty movie. Absolute drivel that for some reason has apologists trying to bs some reason as to why it wasn’t acceptable at the time but is somehow a “masterpiece” now by some miracle. Take a hint it was terrible then & STILL terrible now, killing off 2 characters at the beginning just to have Ripley on her own in some weird prison fantasy. Absolute garbage!
Always interests me when people say “Finchers vision” and what he would’ve done with it had he not been hindered by the studio. Are people forgetting that the original story concept and direction, the whole thing was the brainchild largely of Vincent Ward? I just find it strange that people don’t really bring him into the conversation. I for one would have been more interested to see him take the reigns all the way through, as even the final version of the script was heavily based on his original story concept.
I don't agree. If something is Antihollywood and anticlimactic, it doesn't have to be bad. Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
@@eventhorizon4816 fair enough. I just thought Alien 3 was a bit too miserable overall. For me Alien nailed the claustrophobic horror style and Aliens got the blend perfectly of dark, action and entertaining. All 3 are excellent, but I definitely rate them top 3 as 1. Aliens 2. Alien 3. Alien 3
@@celticcc3658 Because James Cameron had money and everything. But if you think in artistic way, I would have to say David Fincher because of the depth of characters and story and moments. I'll have to rate them 1. Alien 3 2. Alien 3. Aliens
@@eventhorizon4816 so bigger budget can produce better films, not always though. I personally thought the characters in Aliens were awesome. Hicks was badass, Hudson was funny, Vazquez was like one of movies greatest female warrior types, Ripley optimised the warrior mother instinct, Bishop was the best Android in the franchise. It had a bit more comedy to it amongst the hell and I liked that it was more military. Also the only one of the 3 to have the Alien queen. Alien 3 also suffered with poor cgi for me, really ruined the immersion, but it was still excellent, I'm not saying it wasn't. It's just Alien 3 I can't get into as much as Aliens coz it feels a bit less fun. Each to their own though, I know a lot of people rate Alien as the best and I can understand why. Glad to see someone puts Alien 3 at the top
@@celticcc3658 First Alien is Jaws in Space, like a lot of people say, but a lot more than that. It's a beggining for something extraordinary. It's a movie from 1979. Let's find a movie from that years, or from 20. century to compete in horror and beauty and design of alien being. We can't. I admire the first Alien. I enjoyed the second one. It was one of the best action sci-fi horror movies ever made. Intense, original, new, interesting characters, it's an epic movie. Like Terminator. Third one is a bit different. When you see it for the first time, it's chaotic, boring and complete opposite of everything the second Alien movie was. But inside that I find extraordinary unique vision, much more closer to Ridley Scott's Alien, but more haunting, depressing, much more deeper than both Alien and Aliens were. Characters in Aliens were very good, but in Alien 3 they were better. It's cgi is bad, but that doesn't ruin the movie, just like killing Hicks and Newt in first few seconds of opening doesn't do it. You know why? Because David Fincher didn't know how good he was. We all saw Seven and Fight Club. This movie is actually very similar to those. But more frightening and nihilistic. It's beauty lies in complete chaotical originality, obscurity, uniqueness and unpredictablity. That's why Alien 3 is my favourite movie in the franchise. And maybe one of the most favourite movies ever.
Alien 3 has its flaws but it’s still a good movie to close the Alien franchise.Alien Resurrection along with alien vs predator AvP 2 shouldn’t have happened.
That's why I don't understand how Ron Perlman talks about how bad he thought Alien 3 was, when he appeared in (arguably) the worst film in the franchise - Alien Resurrection. It's laughable really.
@@kokonutkoop2561 I liked resurrection more than the 3rd one. Yeah it had some light tone at the begining but it was pretty decent. The first 2 movies were more spooky because they had to improvise in the absence of CGI technology. If we look at the Aliens, it also starts on the lighter side and gets dark and darker. Alien resurrections kind of follows the same path but with better action scenes.
After watching Alien 3 again after many years I still conclude it's a well shot film that stands out in its own way in the series but remains a poor Alien movie. The star was neither Ripley or the Alien but rather the colorful cast of male prisoners. We don't really learn anything drastically new about the Xenomorph as a species. The way Hicks, Newt, and Bishop were treated was a laughable afterthought. The only meaningful connection that was made was between Ripley and the doctor but once he's killed off midway through the movie there's no longer anybody to be invested in or root for. Even Ripley herself, who had always started out in the lowest position in an Alien movie only to gradually rise up to the role of leader, felt almost too subdued and out of character. And worst of all, this movie's story led to Alien Resurrection.
It is definitely underrated. I think it's right up there with the first two. Has some really profound cinematic moments, and I like that it was willing to kill off Hicks and Newt. It accentuated how this creature had really taken everything from her.
IMO its quite an unique take on the alien franchise. Kinda set it apart from every other space horror franchise whereas usually the threat actually gets defeated in the end, with some kind of main protagonist surviving. Specially after Alien 2, it was kind of a nice change of tone. In general, a rough gem
Ripley doing Clemens marks the beginning of her hopelessness. It's like she begins to feel there is no tomorrow, which is part of the same nihilism aspect that Lance Henriksen mentioned. I don't think Lance Henriksen understood that in the video.
honestly, he just did not get it. She is 3 films into fighting the beast. Ppl dont like Alien 3 b/c of this popcorn culture of happy endings and perfect heroes. Alien 3 felt like REAL human beings with complex narratives. All of them were complex people with contradictions (like real people). No good vs bad. And we as a culture are not that attuned to these nuances and do not like to see despair. And I doubt Alien was universally acclaimed when it first came out.
It's not about not understanding. It was plain wrong to piss on Aliens's storyline from the get-go. Ripley and the rest should have been sent off and done for. Alien 3 needed a fresh angle, a fresh lead to really work. Now it just feels like a fan fiction nightmare.
Just rewatched alien 3 last night in the first time in a LONG time and honestly it’s not that bad. They should’ve kept Clemens alive and he and ripley and everyone else could’ve fought the alien.
yeah its not bad now cause we've all kind of just accepted it in time, but if you watch aliens and then go to stick on alien 3 right after you'll still get that fresh disappointing feel of what could have been
I think it was more realistic that Ripley would lose in the end. And lose BIG. In Aliens, the minute she said "Alright, I'm in", she sealed her own fate. She knew full well the company's intentions, but chose to head back out into space not knowing it would end in her demise. With her daughter dead and suffering from PTSD, it makes sense there would be no fairytale ending for her now. She made a decision that played right into the company's hands. Partly because of stubbornness and a refusal to let anything best her. As Ash said in Alien "You still don't know what you're dealing with, do you?" I can totally understand why a lot of people didn't like Alien3. I just don't agree with them. Whether it's the death of Newt and Hicks, or a full British cast of prison characters they find hard to relate to. I think they've missed the point of its sobering nihilistic approach. You're not supposed to relate to them. Ripley doesn't either. It's partly why she appears downtrodden and defeated when Dillon asks her to show some leadership. I think making them all British was a masterstroke. Getting rid of any American bravado and swagger plays right into its nihilistic themes, and irked American audiences. Pretty bold. That's why, as time passes, many have come around with a new sense of appreciation for it. When I first watched it I was disappointed they immediately killed off Newt and Hicks. ESPECIALLY offscreen! But soon after I was also like "Well, I mean... yeah! What did I expect?" It makes perfect sense in a franchise full of death. Was I happy about it? No, I wasn't! But after a few viewings it was clear that happiness wasn't the goal here. For me, the theme fit perfectly and was a natural follow-up to a franchise about an almost indestructible creature. A Disney fairytale of Ripley playing cozy with Hicks, or having a family was always out of the question. A reach too far. A dream. I can't even imagine what a movie like that would look like. She gets back to earth and what? Has a family of her own? Gets back on the horse AGAIN? What would her motives be this time? Could you even make realistic motives that aren't stretched at this point? How do you avoid making Aliens 2.0? I think it would have brought the franchise down a very schlocky path. Which, ironically, ends up happening with Resurrection. Is Alien3 perfect? No. But its theme, score, and animatronic creature design are masterful. It's miles better than anything you think you would have gotten. The franchise has a beginning (Alien) a middle (Aliens) and an end (Alien3). And the score of Alien3 personifies that ending bleakly and wonderfully. I don't believe Alien3 led to the disaster that was Resurrection either. That was Fox just trying to milk a franchise. Most themes were already explored within the 3 movies, so they would have tried something disastrous anyway.
The first and second ones were classics. Always gonna be hard to beat a classic. Edit: Makes it harder when you imho take a dump on those previous two and kill the survivors except Ripley and just drench everything in nihilism. Not for me in the rewatch category.
Alien 3 is not perfect but I love this movie. The score is by far the best part of the entire film, but I love the darker tone and atmosphere. Plus the alien in this was pretty cool as well. There was no happy endings, no romance, no sense of hope for any of the characters. Could it have been better? Yes. Was it entertaining? Hell yeah
Alien 3 seems like a nightmare after the optimistic ending of Aliens... like you thought there was hope only to wake up again and realize you were wrong... I see it as a logical progression back to the tone of the original...
@@eventhorizon4816 Ripley revealing the black character she has a queen inside and last scene are the the only good things about A3, and the visuals, much better than Cameron's "I want to be Ridley Scott" special effects.
1) The Dr was over worked and was trying to save lives , his crime was unintentional. 2) The point of the story ,was that no matter how bad people are, the Alien is to be seen as worse. This contrast, was depicted with the question of reform possibility. (I'm not saying that they should be released or forgiven, but Ripley is now in hell. That was the point , the chips fall where they may, and even in hell, the Alien is the most feared. Alien 3 had potential, and was a bold instalment.
The fact that there was "no one to root for" and that it was dark and nihilistic is why I love it so much. It's a pure horror film. There's no brevity, no humor, no hope. It's depressing and fit perfectly with the theme of being nothing more than fodder for an unseen creature. It felt more realistic than any other film in the franchise. Aliens is still my favorite but 3 is a severely underrated gem. It's just an example of something that could have been better without studio interference.
Blythe Guvenen Yeah I don’t mind the special edition. That almost baffled me even more though. It made the removal of the Golic scene even more bizarre and unnecessary
Actually a lot prisoners disappear in the theatrical version. The assembly cut does help to correct this issue thanks to additional scenes but it’s not perfect. Some characters still disappear without explanation toward the end during the Alien entrapment sequence.
![T-800 CSM 101 Arrival | Terminator 2: Judgment Day [Remastered]](/img/n.gif)
One of the best things about _Alien³_ was its haunting, somber music…
You can hear some music in the early parts that definitely influenced the Wachowskis in music for The Matrix.
The one thing that Alien 3 did better than any other, aside from maybe the first, was atmosphere. I can't remember almost anywhere from Aliens other than the inside of ship and the room they hid in but on the other hand I've literally had dreams about that prison if I've lived through it in reality.
@@Firespectrum122 Visual wise Alien³ was great, it had some incredible shots despite the low budget
I still have the soundtrack on cassette tape.
The fact that there's still debate about whether it's a great or a terrible film almost 30 years later, including by the people who made it, is a sign that it's at least extremely interesting.
It’s not a terrible film, it’s just that coming off the heels of the upbeat ending of the second one, killed it. Newt and Hicks killed off in the first two minutes? Come on, man. Those characters deserved better.
@@walterheisenberg251 at least Newt. Ripley must have felt so bad. She promised her that everything was gonna be ok. She failed on her promise. That must have crushed her motherly instinct to pieces. The only let down I felt was in the movie.
its a terrible film.
@@h.c4898 I actually think it’s more effective that way. She failed like you said. It’s drastically different in tone from the second. But so is the second from the first.
The second is a great movie. I think the 3rd is good film.
I don't believe the debate is really because Aliens 3 is interesting; I believe it is because it is all we have versus all we could have had.
Ron Perlman is so elegant with how he both praises aspects of the film but kind of says it just didn’t work. But doesn’t directly attack anyone
yet he starred in the worse one of the 4, maybe he knew it lol
@ChrisW_Essex Well that's certainly debatable. 4 made an effort to continue. 3 has the worst plot hole of the entire franchise of how an Alien even came to be at the start.
4 definitely has the edge over 3 in some ways.
@@JAWS-qj1rj the Queen alien laid an egg on the ship…
@@c17sam90 That's a fan theory. And not a very good one.
The Queen 100% did not lay an egg on the ship.
@@JAWS-qj1rjIt’s inductive reasoning: the queen was on the Sulaco and now there’s an egg present. She must’ve lain it there, meaning egg generation is still possible without her ovipositor.
Elliot Goldenthal is a true bro.
And he’s absolutely right.
And his score kicked ass !
the movie is all about death and redemption. I used to hate it but as the years past it grew on me. It is the Alien arthouse film.
Is it? Or is resurrection the art house A24 one? I feel like all the aliens film have a little weirdness in em. I will say tho resurrection was far more pretentious
Ron Perlman hit the nail on the head right there, it was very hard to sympathise with anyone.
Ron Perlman is an ass. Who cares what he thinks? It’s a great film.
this is what happens when the studio has all the control of the film as well as not really having a real script to start out with
Indeed.
👌
Yeah
They had a real script which they borrowed liberally from to make the hodge podge of the final product. Read Vincent Ward's version and you'll be able to imagine the much more cohesive film ( Both thematically and structurally) this could have been.
At least the studio took risks with Alien 3.
Ron Perlman saying Alien 3 was strange then makes monkey noises in resurrection haha
Interesting take, and it is the defining characteristic of the film. It sheds all hope, and although it's very good, the audience really wants to see Ripley survive. Alien 4 got a cheer in the cinema I saw it in, and I think it's more down to that.
And you don't cheer for anybody in Alien 4, only Call, maybe...
I think I'm one of the few who actually like the 3rd film I loved the whole Nihilism aspect as Lance said it brought the Alien back personally for Ripley yes she dies but she sacrifices herself to stop the bigger evil -the company
There is much to like about Alien 3. I always felt a dissapointment on what could have been so much better.
I liked it too mate
She doesn’t stop anything , that’s the real nightmare
Alien and Aliens are both _great_ films and were recognized as such instantly. Alien 3 is a _really good_ film that misses out on greatness, but wasn't even recognized for how good it is when it came out. I love that years later there is a growing appreciation for the film, especially given the specific difficulties it had during production, and the audience and love for this film is growing over time.
The film is absolutely loved now compared to 30 years ago.
Every single person I know including me hates this movie. It will always be the movie that killed the Alien franchise
@@201hastings it’s a damn fine film. But if it killed the franchise, it’s a damn shame it didn’t stay dead.
But Hicks. But Newt ..fuck’em. No happy endings in a film that features face-raping arachnids in the cold dark recesses of space.
It was a good movie on its own , but just like Covenant , I don’t like movies who kill key characters offscreen , I jus’t don’t …
@@Horriflickthe film is terrible and the script and world building was broken within 5 minutes of screen time.
A new record, maybe.😅
Even Fincher has dismissed the film as dogshit and wants nothing to do with it.
I always liked this film. It was just so anti Hollywood. There were no happy endings, no sweet romances, no glorified characters. It was bleak and dark in a way that made it feel original to me. I applaud it for that.
Right! I think its a case of Hollywood butchering a story because they were hell bent on repeating the same formula.
Anti Hollywood lol obviously you didnt watch the making of the film. It couldn't be more Hollywood, exactly why it failed as a film
Luke Urbanski I
@Bartosz Sz. Sadly I don't watch movies to be depressed
I definitely agree with you, Luke Urbanski. This film was extremely anti-Hollywood with everything you said. I will add that the ending, while tragic, also felt triumphant with Ridley sacrificing her life to destroy the Xenomorph threat.
0:05 ron perlman calling alien 3 weird is like the pot calling the kettle black
you know you f'd up when ron p calls your work weird
The 4th one was the weird one. Perlmans talking 💩
david fincher set the bar very low after 3
The big baby Alien is probably the weirdest and worst designed creatures I've ever seen. I'll take the dog Alien any day over that
@@hannahgibbons7436Alien 3 is an utter mess.
I feel bad for Fincher, honestly it's not even a bad movie.
Not really but it did have a lot of flaws (and I'm not blaming Fincher). It was like pushing a tire that gets bigger and bigger up a hill, it was just an uphill struggle.
It’s not bad movie but it’s ultimately a very unsatisfying film due to studio medaling and executive micromanagement.
It's neutral. It's not a really good movie and it wasn't a bad one either.
It's not bad,for me alien 4 is bad.
@@jct9099 Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
Alien 3 10/10
It really didn't help that the teaser teased the xenomorphs invading earth .
@Brandon Brooks but the concept is cool. It was always the implications for the company
You can complain about the marketing if you want, but ultimately you're not evaluating the actual film, you're just evaluating the ads for it.
Its a fair complaint. Its misleading people into seeing a movie that they otherwise might have passed on... Same shit as false advertisement.
Its classic movie. One of the best in 90s. Represents grunge era in best possible way. Creative, unique, distinctive. Fincher here made masterpiece. I cant believe it was his first movie.
Get the fuck out of here its terrible you and your fucking opinion man get the fuck out of here
@@YVman24 what the f*ck is wrong with your brain
@@MbMd14108 wtf is wrong with yours you cant like the abomination that is “Alien 3”
@@YVman24 Easy man it was a comment on alien 3.
That's fine if you're totally bloated with alien franchise or whatever
Take care.
The bleakness is what makes Alien 3 so good. No other movie in the series conveys such a strong feeling of isolation and oppression.
I keep forgetting Ron Perlman was in an alien film
3 is the darkest I love it, you have to be in the mood for it. 2 and 4 you'll have a blast watching, 1 is a mixture
Four is good?...
@@RedPeterAwesomeIsRed847636 4 is an entertaining, tongue in cheek film. I personally really enjoy it. Its obviously the worst in terms of acting and terror, but it achieved what it aimed for.
2 is one of the greatest films ever made. 4 one of the worst. Seriously, it’s dreck from start to finish.
How can you expect a guy to direct a film when he doesn’t even speak English..
I loved the 3rd, my opinion.
4 is a blast? 1 is a mixture? the fact you think Resurrection is better than the 1st one is an absolute joke. wtf are you smoking?
Love Alien 3 - so underrated.
fuck off
SB0780 I agree with that, Alien 3 is great, just not at the level of the first 2 so it was unfairly slammed
It wasn't, it was awful
To each there own I guess.
The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is simply a masterpeice but the theatrical release of the movie is just plain shit.
0:24 Well Ron... News Flash! But your movie did not have any characters to invest yourself in to or care for also. 😂
I mean it's not really his fault. Plus he's just sharing his opinion on the film he watched.
That you’re opinion
@NervousDrop It is partially his fault as well. He was in the movie, and he most likely read the script... he knew what he was signing up for.
@@freedomwriter9688 Yes, it my opinion you did not need to point that out, your comment is pointless.
@@nox5870 you see people like resurrection more cause it was more over the top for a alien film.
Alien 3 could have a masterpiece for a trilogy if it weren’t for the hicks and newt deaths, fox constantly changing the scripts and not trusting David fincher for the movie , even he hate both cuts of the film. Alien 3 is had the challenge to deal with having to live up to alien and aliens. Two movie which most if not all of the fandom has agreed the only good film in the franchise
I LOVE ALIEN 3.......MOSTLY!!!!
James Cameron said it best: "It's just kind of a slap in the face of the fans who invested in Newt and Hicks and all of those character relationships."
It basically invalidates Aliens' end by not even respecting such important characters enough by killing them offscreen.
It just tried to be more realistic and less hollywood. It's like "what would REALLY happen if there was an alien". No major characters are safe
Kevin Maddick See I can understand why people would feel that way about it. However I always felt like it was a central part of Ripleys story, as in whenever she gets involved with the alien it takes everything she loves away from her. It’s a tale of sorrow and in the end Ripley had to give her own life to stop this incredibly dangerous organism from taking over the galaxy. It’s the ultimate sacrifice. Definitely the darkest and bleakest film of the bunch. It’s has its issues but it’s still a great film and worthy addition than the subsequent films. It’s the last one I think that actually feels like an Alien film.
@@ULTRAWIDE. Alien 3 made Ripleys connection with the alien going from physical threat to some kind of supernatural/spiritual bond. I dont see any of that in the first 2 movies. Aliens disproved this and Alien 3 reverted everything again. I find this path to be very unsatisfying. The possibilities were endless after Alien. They accually chose a safe path. Remove the cast from previous movies and make everyhing center around Ripley. It was probably an ego trip Sigourney had at the time as well...making creative and story demands that would strengthen her part at the expense of the others.
@@daveruda Hmm dont agree with the supernatural/spiritual bond thing you mentioned. I dont see that at all within the films context. She knows shes been infected and wants to die, theres nothing really supernatural/spiritual about it. Ever since Aliens she's dreamed about being chest bursted, and then knows its going to finally happen to her at some point. The last part, who knows. I doubt it really. She seems quite humble IRL and watching the making of Alien 3 she and others say multiple times she didn't even want to do another one, and if she did she wanted to die in it so she wouldn't have to do any more of them.
Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
Alien 3 10/10
I don't know, the movie that Lance Hendrickson is describing sound so fucking awesome. A prison full of really dangerous irredeemable men, lost in space, and one day a pure virginal figure drops down on them, carrying a monster more vicious than any of them. Hmm, this movie demands a remake or a second go with that premise.
There's a clarity of vision in what you and Henricksen are describing that's missing in the actual film.
This movie was my introduction to the series so ill always have a soft spot for it.
Sorry to hear that
@@matmurk8536😂
This was the beginning of the end imo
This is a quality featurette.
Absolutely loved this one.
The first movie was a classic. The second movie was amazing as well WHILE being different...
and the third movie did the same. It was amazing, WHILE being different and not a re-hash. I loved viewing this as the 'end' of Ripley's journey, to me A4 was not cannon. This was the perfect end, how she went from a warrant officer, to getting stuck in a complex with aliens... to finally getting to a prison planet. It also built the world really well to show it isn't all just space ships and industry.
can't agree more :D
Love Alien 3 and always will.
Despite its flaws I love Alien 3. It’s the darkest, most obscure, and the one that truly explores Ripley’s pain sadness and vulnerability. She’s not an action hero. Shes a human. She’s a very strong woman who has survived horrible and traumatic experiences. And the most depressing place she could ever be in is precisely a male prison, after losing everything. This has to be the lowest point of her existence. Not an action film but an interesting character study.
I was a bit dissapointed in that approach. It became all about Ripleys inner journey at that point. For me it would have been more interesting to follow other characters as well, like Bishop and Hicks. And not go too deep into personal tragedies. The Alien is the tragedy.
@@daverudaThe “tragedy” is in people being so blindly invested in the military industrial complex “Aliens” that they just want feel good movies with guns, spinning lights and hazard tape.
oh shit, Golic is a classy llittle gentlemen. The "assembly cut" for this movie is awesome. And I love the setting. Everything is so damn bleak which imo perfectly fits the alien universe. It's a movie you watch for the eerie, nightmarish, dystopian atmosphere. The same way you might enjoy a thunder and lightning storm.
Darkest Alien film with the best soundtrack and the most famous actors.... discuss
@@DarkAttackYT Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
I agree. Loved the darkness, the soundtrack and the actors. Maybe favourite alien movie.
Awesome movie. Best soundtrack in Alien franchise
I actually loved this movie, yes it got its flaws, mainly being the cgi was terrible. But overlooking that, its dark, great actors, and brilliant score. Throughout the years i have changed which alien was my favourite, when I was younger was aliens, action packed, as I got older it was alien, and now after watching it recently I think now its alien 3.
The CGI is poor but thats pretty much all I can fault the film. On every other front the film is amazing. The criticisms of the furnace scene being too hard to follow I disagree with, in fact the sheer confusion over the geography of the scene make it more intense imo.
Alien 3 is a masterpiece. I love it as much as the first two. The "faults" that people points about it is the exact same reasons why I love it.
Its a love it or hate it movie
@Jonathan Birch The film is widely acknowledged, by everyone, as a butchered mess from studio interference and he's gonna call it a 'masterpiece', lol.
Its not a masterpiece, but it is an unfinished movie which compells you to think about it. People enjoy it this way in certain ways, more than if it were a fully processed and served and packed movie.
@Degree7 Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
@Lee Judd A lot of people didn't want to leave their comfort zone James Cameron made in Aliens and didn't want to let imagination fluorish. Sigourney Weaver in lot of interview said she believed Fincher's vision and loved working with him. She was also the one who was satisfied with the script (Newt and Hicks dying in opening first seconds), and the one who wanted a movie with no guns (a lot of people complained for this because Cameron).
It's a very good film that, without studio interference would probably have been up there with the first two. It's deeper than Aliens and more complex than Alien. It explores serious themes of grief, guilt, criminality, religion and redemption. The point of the brutal criminals is to confront us with the question of whether people can do terrible things and then rehabilitate or redeem themselves, and what it takes to redeem oneself, e.g. self-sacrifice.
Alien 3 has its problems, no doubt about that. But its a better film than Resurrection
Too true. Alien 4 was more fun I suppose but that's about it.
Indeed
Absolutely!
@@mikeadams7904 Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
You cannot put alien 3 and alien 4 in the same sentence.
Eh. The newborn was dumb but the cgi in 3 is awful. You went from big ass guns, power loaders, action, droids and spaceships to no guns, no robots, barley any spaceships and all suspense and very little action.
I love Alien 3. As I'm getting older, apart from the first Alien, it's the Alien movie I like to return to the most (maybe even more than the first).
The first Alien establishes the world, the creature, it's iconic. Not really scary today, but it's well-acted and beautifully designed, shot and it has a tremendous atmosphere. I just love so many shots in the film (for example Brett's death in the Claw Room). It's a work of art. I can appreciate it's artfulness even as I'm getting older.
Aliens expands on the world, it creates a blueprint for marine/soldier groups in sci-fi movies that's used to this day and it features probably a career-best performance by Sigourney Weaver. It's not as artful as the first Alien though and it really feels like it's built more for the teenage/young crowd - an action-packed, loud movie with one-liners, jokes, explosions, etc. It's not just that of course, Cameron is too good of a filmmaker for that, but I've seen it the most as a teenager and while I love the film, I'm never really in a mood to rewatch it nowadays. Once you've seen the action a few times, it doesn't really excite you and while the characters, actors and visuals are all pretty much excellent, there just isn't anything deeper going on besides Ripley's maternal instincts. It's a superficial movie on many levels, although excellent.
Alien Resurrection is a mess. Well shot and I have a soft spot for it because it's the first Alien movie I had on VHS (I got it for Christmas), but the story about bringing Ripley back to life is ridiculous and while I appreciate the design, the atmosphere, the quirky nature Jean Pierre Jeunet gave it, it's not a good movie.
And we come to Alien 3. I for one LOVE the setting on the abandoned, prison planet and the characters and the religious overtones with the prisoners living like monks. I like that the characters are all very flawed, not saints and trying to redeem themselves on this shithole end of space. There's something poignant, powerful about this. I like the sombre tone, the mood, how Ripley interacts with everyone. To me, this movie is far more interesting as a drama, character study than any of the other films and that's why I enjoy it. The themes in it are adult, mature and serious and even spiritual to a degree. I like the serious tone. And I like the ending, how Ripley is so worn out, tired from the constant struggle, how she's a woman who's been to hell and back and ultimately sacrifices her own life to find peace with it all. That's a powerful ending to her arc, which many people overlook. The CGI is pretty bad, but there's not too much of it for me to mind. I think the movie doesn't deserve the bad rep it has for many people, they're perhaps focusing too much on the few bad CGI scenes and the trouble behind the scenes instead of just focusing on the story they're being presented.
Have you seen the directors cut, extra 30 mins, gives way more character development, even better film.
@@burntre1 Was Fincher involved?
@@ctr7161 of course
@@burntre1 Is there like any proof because I've heard some sources saying he wasn't.
@@ctr7161 I don’t know mate, but he would of have to been involved to some degree
Hicks and Newt died exactly how they should have imo. Fury 161 is basically hell and the beast is the devil. Ripley is isolated in a crowded room with the wicked and the damned as her only "allies". The beast took everything from her and to kill the fucker she had to give the last thing she had left, her life. It's a rare gem and when I was young watching this movie I loved it just as much as the first two. I didn't have others influencing my opinion on it and later I was surprised to find that it wasn't liked. Looking back, the only thing I can truly criticise are the effects but at the time the weird animation only enhanced its creepiness for young me. Anyway, I'll just have to accept that growing up with this movie has perhaps deluded me somehow but from my perspective it's brilliant and most complaints I read are to do with Hicks and Newts death which just come across as people expecting a fairy tale adventure rather than a grim, bleak, dirty, depressing descent into hell. Buuuut that's just my opinion. :)
I hear you. But my take on the alien movies was never this mythical bond between Ripley and the Alien creatures they tried to establish in the 3rd movie. In the first 2 Ripley is just a lucky but competent survivor that had to deal with these things. When the 3rd movie essentially press reset and removes the story and potential of Aliens its a bit dissapointing. Still one hell of a beautiful movie with an awesome score.
@@daveruda Alien 3 is much better movie than Aliens. Much more unique, less commercial
@@eventhorizon4816 If we just rated film from a serious film buff pov Alien 3 is a far more sophisticated piece of art than Aliens. Alien takes 1st prize but anyone could make Aliens. Gun in space movie.
@@eventhorizon4816 nah, it’s objectively shite in comparison to Aliens. The movie is a mess and the opening alone makes you lose investment when every character you cared about in Aliens just gets lazily written out by killing them all
Well bloody said
One of the best movies ever made.
Not even close
@@ConnorMcCartney95 One of the best movies ever made.
@@eventhorizon4816 not even close.
@@ConnorMcCartney95It may not be one of the best movies ever made but it aged like wine. The most beautiful movie in alien franchise definitely.
nah
Alien 3 really has aged so well
Sir what are you smoking?
@@southlondon86 some pure, home-grown, reality weed 😎
This was personally my favourite out of the 4 Alien movies. It had briliant cast and acting. aweseome look, genius directing. Yes it has some problems with some of the writing and seeing what the movie could've become made me love it. It was and still has so much potential.
My favourite too :D
the thing for me was the original release was meh seen it moved on but when I seen that assembly cut I began to love the movie more and more overtime, the bleakness, the hopelessness, the prisoners fighting against a fate they can never escape from, a film about death and redemption, there was beauty in those set pieces.
I feel like this was the type of movie that would've found much more success if it didn't have the "Alien" franchise attachment to it. The change in tone in comparison to the past 2 amazing films felt jarring during my first time watching Alien 3.. It is a truly dire and sad film in every sense of the word, and you're hit with that bleak reality within the first few mins of the movie. I could imagine that it was a tough pill to swallow for a majority of the audience at the time.. it was either people didn't quite know how to react to it or was angry towards how major characters were killed off to start, as well as how the movie ended. There was soo many problems that happened during the process of making the movie, I give David Fincher (a very young director at the time) credit for doing what he could considering the studio interferance nightmare he was bombarded with. Upon watching Alien 3 several times, I actually came to appreciate it more for the bold direction that they were going for. It has its flaws but I respect its ambition. A dire, sad film, where the only shine of light for certain characters came at the cost of their death. Still tough to watch because of those reasons for me, but I came to like the movie more over time.
Alien3 has by far the best soundtrack to any of the films. It's got one of the best designed aliens. Loads of things like that. But the beginning of that film, with facehuggers and eggs appearing from nowhere and killing Newt and Hicks is such a slap in the face to fans that it's still unforgivable all these years later. If they had just let a director do his job it could have been incredible.
I did enjoy the movie score though
The score is awesome.
Score was haunting
The cremation scene was intense
When your fourteen and going through a major depressive episode you TOTALLY get this film! I love it!
Alien 3, for me it stands up by its self in the same way the first one stands apart from the second. Even though the plot wasn't the best it did present a new challenge for Ripley, by the end of Aliens she beats the queen and her hive of monsters and basically conquers her fear of the Aliens, this new setting of being somewhere where not only is the danger from the Alien but from the inmates who have been forsaken by Earth who have to pull themselves together to fight the alien. The cast is definitely what made the film for me though, the actors did a good job.
Alien 3, for me, is the archetypal underrated movie. The extended edition is outstanding. I love the tone, soundtrack, atmosphere, characters and symbolism of the movie. The set design of the prison complex which is marinaded in a rusty colour palette is outstanding also.
Agree totally- there's a real sense of nihilism (as Lance Henriksen explains) throughout the film which Fincher would make an artform of in later films like Se7en and Fight Club. I think that also explains why the film did relatively better in European and Asian markets- I think the North American market couldn't deal with this coming after the success (in every sense of the words) of Aliens.
My favourite of all the movies
loved the dystopian medieval future vibe.
Underrated masterpiece.
Not a bad movie, but nowhere near a masterpiece.
@@Nathan-gd7xqyou were right the first time. It’s a terrible movie.
The very concept makes it a bad movie. You do not kill off every new character from the previous movie in the opening of the second. It’s just cruel and spiteful
How people can possibly not root for Charles Dance's character is completely beyond me. Yes, he turned out to be a former inmate, but he was kind, he was smart, he was likable, and he was in there becuase people died, but it's not like he was a murderer! He was trying to help people and made a terrible mistake. I felt sorry for him, after liking him.
Alien3 to me a very strong movie, exactly because there are some very likable people in there to root for, who had the difficult task to try and bring together a group of twisted individuals with whome they had been mixed and thrown into a melting pot. Terrific premise. the original theatrical version left too many questions open and was too vague about who did and said what for which reason, it was muddy, but the assembly cut fixed all of that beautifully.
I do miss the dog version of the xenomorph in the assembly version though. I liked the faster leaner animal from the theatrical version a bit better.
I think it would have been better if Ripley, Newt, Hicks, and Bishop had woken up to find themselves in the My Little Pony universe, and Princess Twilight had given Bishop a new lower body that made him into a centaur. "Listen to my hooves! Listen to my hooves! Listen to them cloppity-clop!" And they had all lived happily ever after.
Imo the third Alien film is still way better than any of the other films in this franchise that came after it.
Very underrated, I think that even though the cast are felons and have done horrible things you feel sorry for them, you get a feeling they have been abandoned and forgotten. They fight and try and make up for their mistakes IMO
exactly the movie is all about redemption.
Cool take but I don’t feel sorry for any of them. Especially after a group of them tries to rape Ripley. They never tried to make up for previous mistakes when they’re ready to do them again.
Alien 3 is a Masterpiece. Fincher had nothing to work with & gave us a stupendous ending! Ripley saves the universe from the Alien & from human greed. I also love how Diverse the cast is. American, French, Scoucers, Jamaican, & the Doctor is obviously upper class privately educated. You have a stella cast, a Triumphant score, a huge warm set, a feral alien design, & most of all I love how sentimental the film is. I do sympathize with all those convicts & the Funeral Service scene where the British Warden passes to the American (Dillon) is one of my all time favourite scenes.
Sorry but Alien 3 is not Aliens II lol! But it is the bitter sweet ending it deserved to consummate Ripley's struggle against rapacity.
He directed a pice of garbage into something watchable.
@@daveruda Nah man, Alien 3 is easily the best of the trilogy.
It’s interesting and I like things about it and don’t like thing about it. But it’s no masterpiece
It’s interesting and I like things about it and don’t like things about it. But it’s no masterpiece
Alien 3 is Completely Awful.
I Hated it because Newt and Hicks died in this Garbage Movie.
Alien 3 was just a nightmare Ripley had in hyper sleep.
Change my mind.
That was the original template for Alien 4 but that one season of "Dallas" was still fresh in everyone's mind at the time. 😵💫
Nobody has dreams that coherent and structured.
I won't change your mind because I agree
Ripley in this movie was a survivor . We got used to the fact that the alien was in a ship but here we see it on land per se ...it was however in a prison . And ripley survived it all .. i hope really hope they are making a new one soon ..
I honestly love Alien 3, probably my equal favourite with the first 2 films, they're all so different and so interesting in their own way!
is this feature on the alien blu ray box set, i think i still have the dvd one around somewhere otherwise
It’s on the Anthology bluray.
I feel bad for the cast and the director David Fincher for the bad experiences of making Alien 3. The executives of Fox really messed up.
Alien 3 has a really difficult question, and that question is do you feel sorry for any of those men in the movie because they committed atrocities in society and to other people should you give them any empathy? It’s a very difficult question.
Agreed. Personally, I found it very hard to empathize for them. I have no sympathy for rapists and child molesters. That being the case, however, I do feel that the actors tried their best with the script. I just couldn’t get behind their characters.
'Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. I'm not sure.'
They were..
They.
Absolutely.
Were.
😎😎😎
I actually think its the closest sequel to the first one.
Personally the best ending of the 3.in real life,things dont always go as planned. that's what i loved about it.especially the image of the company that represented humanity well,when in positions of power and confronted between the choice of doing the right thing or choosing profit,greed and power.it would choose greed over morality !
People started liking this movie more because the 00's, 10's, and now 20's are more nihilistic than the 90's.
ron perlman have you seen alien resurrection?
Atleast that film is funny, mostly un intentionally
Resurrections had some funny and interesting moments, more then can be said for 3. Alien 3 is such a droll, unappealing pos the only scene worth a damn was the end with Ripley ending herself to get out of such a shitty movie.
Absolute drivel that for some reason has apologists trying to bs some reason as to why it wasn’t acceptable at the time but is somehow a “masterpiece” now by some miracle. Take a hint it was terrible then & STILL terrible now, killing off 2 characters at the beginning just to have Ripley on her own in some weird prison fantasy. Absolute garbage!
The visuals of Alien 3 are amazing... now, imagine if Newt and Hicks were alive?
Always interests me when people say “Finchers vision” and what he would’ve done with it had he not been hindered by the studio. Are people forgetting that the original story concept and direction, the whole thing was the brainchild largely of Vincent Ward? I just find it strange that people don’t really bring him into the conversation. I for one would have been more interested to see him take the reigns all the way through, as even the final version of the script was heavily based on his original story concept.
Man what a movie. It has to be something special because we are talking about it 30 years later.
we talk about it, because it sucked
When compared to the first 2 films, Alien 3 was way below their level of greatness, but in its own it was still decent and I really enjoyed it
I don't agree. If something is Antihollywood and anticlimactic, it doesn't have to be bad. Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul.
@@eventhorizon4816 fair enough. I just thought Alien 3 was a bit too miserable overall. For me Alien nailed the claustrophobic horror style and Aliens got the blend perfectly of dark, action and entertaining. All 3 are excellent, but I definitely rate them top 3 as 1. Aliens 2. Alien 3. Alien 3
@@celticcc3658 Because James Cameron had money and everything. But if you think in artistic way, I would have to say David Fincher because of the depth of characters and story and moments. I'll have to rate them 1. Alien 3 2. Alien 3. Aliens
@@eventhorizon4816 so bigger budget can produce better films, not always though. I personally thought the characters in Aliens were awesome. Hicks was badass, Hudson was funny, Vazquez was like one of movies greatest female warrior types, Ripley optimised the warrior mother instinct, Bishop was the best Android in the franchise. It had a bit more comedy to it amongst the hell and I liked that it was more military. Also the only one of the 3 to have the Alien queen. Alien 3 also suffered with poor cgi for me, really ruined the immersion, but it was still excellent, I'm not saying it wasn't. It's just Alien 3 I can't get into as much as Aliens coz it feels a bit less fun. Each to their own though, I know a lot of people rate Alien as the best and I can understand why. Glad to see someone puts Alien 3 at the top
@@celticcc3658
First Alien is Jaws in Space, like a lot of people say, but a lot more than that. It's a beggining for something extraordinary. It's a movie from 1979. Let's find a movie from that years, or from 20. century to compete in horror and beauty and design of alien being. We can't. I admire the first Alien. I enjoyed the second one. It was one of the best action sci-fi horror movies ever made. Intense, original, new, interesting characters, it's an epic movie. Like Terminator. Third one is a bit different. When you see it for the first time, it's chaotic, boring and complete opposite of everything the second Alien movie was. But inside that I find extraordinary unique vision, much more closer to Ridley Scott's Alien, but more haunting, depressing, much more deeper than both Alien and Aliens were. Characters in Aliens were very good, but in Alien 3 they were better. It's cgi is bad, but that doesn't ruin the movie, just like killing Hicks and Newt in first few seconds of opening doesn't do it. You know why? Because David Fincher didn't know how good he was. We all saw Seven and Fight Club. This movie is actually very similar to those. But more frightening and nihilistic. It's beauty lies in complete chaotical originality, obscurity, uniqueness and unpredictablity. That's why Alien 3 is my favourite movie in the franchise. And maybe one of the most favourite movies ever.
Christopher Nolan loves Alien3. That tells you all you need to know
Alien 3 has its flaws but it’s still a good movie to close the Alien franchise.Alien Resurrection along with alien vs predator AvP 2 shouldn’t have happened.
That's why I don't understand how Ron Perlman talks about how bad he thought Alien 3 was, when he appeared in (arguably) the worst film in the franchise - Alien Resurrection. It's laughable really.
Yay 😁 I agree.
@@kokonutkoop2561 I liked resurrection more than the 3rd one. Yeah it had some light tone at the begining but it was pretty decent.
The first 2 movies were more spooky because they had to improvise in the absence of CGI technology.
If we look at the Aliens, it also starts on the lighter side and gets dark and darker. Alien resurrections kind of follows the same path but with better action scenes.
I love Alien 3 big time. First two are in their own league sure, but I still love 3.
After watching Alien 3 again after many years I still conclude it's a well shot film that stands out in its own way in the series but remains a poor Alien movie. The star was neither Ripley or the Alien but rather the colorful cast of male prisoners. We don't really learn anything drastically new about the Xenomorph as a species. The way Hicks, Newt, and Bishop were treated was a laughable afterthought. The only meaningful connection that was made was between Ripley and the doctor but once he's killed off midway through the movie there's no longer anybody to be invested in or root for. Even Ripley herself, who had always started out in the lowest position in an Alien movie only to gradually rise up to the role of leader, felt almost too subdued and out of character. And worst of all, this movie's story led to Alien Resurrection.
It is definitely underrated. I think it's right up there with the first two. Has some really profound cinematic moments, and I like that it was willing to kill off Hicks and Newt. It accentuated how this creature had really taken everything from her.
IMO its quite an unique take on the alien franchise.
Kinda set it apart from every other space horror franchise whereas usually the threat actually gets defeated in the end, with some kind of main protagonist surviving.
Specially after Alien 2, it was kind of a nice change of tone.
In general, a rough gem
The final segment of this sums the film up perfectly
Ripley doing Clemens marks the beginning of her hopelessness. It's like she begins to feel there is no tomorrow, which is part of the same nihilism aspect that Lance Henriksen mentioned. I don't think Lance Henriksen understood that in the video.
honestly, he just did not get it. She is 3 films into fighting the beast. Ppl dont like Alien 3 b/c of this popcorn culture of happy endings and perfect heroes. Alien 3 felt like REAL human beings with complex narratives. All of them were complex people with contradictions (like real people). No good vs bad. And we as a culture are not that attuned to these nuances and do not like to see despair. And I doubt Alien was universally acclaimed when it first came out.
It's not about not understanding. It was plain wrong to piss on Aliens's storyline from the get-go. Ripley and the rest should have been sent off and done for. Alien 3 needed a fresh angle, a fresh lead to really work. Now it just feels like a fan fiction nightmare.
Alien3 has the best characters in the series. Even the theatrical cut.
Just rewatched alien 3 last night in the first time in a LONG time and honestly it’s not that bad. They should’ve kept Clemens alive and he and ripley and everyone else could’ve fought the alien.
yeah its not bad now cause we've all kind of just accepted it in time, but if you watch aliens and then go to stick on alien 3 right after you'll still get that fresh disappointing feel of what could have been
@@halfminutehero99 meh. Alien 3 is really good, it’s only sin is it isn’t great.
Nah, Dillon was better.
I just love how f*cked up things get in alien 3.
I think it was more realistic that Ripley would lose in the end. And lose BIG.
In Aliens, the minute she said "Alright, I'm in", she sealed her own fate. She knew full well the company's intentions, but chose to head back out into space not knowing it would end in her demise. With her daughter dead and suffering from PTSD, it makes sense there would be no fairytale ending for her now. She made a decision that played right into the company's hands. Partly because of stubbornness and a refusal to let anything best her. As Ash said in Alien "You still don't know what you're dealing with, do you?"
I can totally understand why a lot of people didn't like Alien3. I just don't agree with them. Whether it's the death of Newt and Hicks, or a full British cast of prison characters they find hard to relate to. I think they've missed the point of its sobering nihilistic approach. You're not supposed to relate to them. Ripley doesn't either. It's partly why she appears downtrodden and defeated when Dillon asks her to show some leadership.
I think making them all British was a masterstroke. Getting rid of any American bravado and swagger plays right into its nihilistic themes, and irked American audiences. Pretty bold. That's why, as time passes, many have come around with a new sense of appreciation for it. When I first watched it I was disappointed they immediately killed off Newt and Hicks. ESPECIALLY offscreen! But soon after I was also like "Well, I mean... yeah! What did I expect?" It makes perfect sense in a franchise full of death. Was I happy about it? No, I wasn't! But after a few viewings it was clear that happiness wasn't the goal here.
For me, the theme fit perfectly and was a natural follow-up to a franchise about an almost indestructible creature. A Disney fairytale of Ripley playing cozy with Hicks, or having a family was always out of the question. A reach too far. A dream. I can't even imagine what a movie like that would look like. She gets back to earth and what? Has a family of her own? Gets back on the horse AGAIN? What would her motives be this time? Could you even make realistic motives that aren't stretched at this point? How do you avoid making Aliens 2.0? I think it would have brought the franchise down a very schlocky path. Which, ironically, ends up happening with Resurrection.
Is Alien3 perfect? No. But its theme, score, and animatronic creature design are masterful. It's miles better than anything you think you would have gotten. The franchise has a beginning (Alien) a middle (Aliens) and an end (Alien3). And the score of Alien3 personifies that ending bleakly and wonderfully.
I don't believe Alien3 led to the disaster that was Resurrection either. That was Fox just trying to milk a franchise. Most themes were already explored within the 3 movies, so they would have tried something disastrous anyway.
The first and second ones were classics. Always gonna be hard to beat a classic.
Edit: Makes it harder when you imho take a dump on those previous two and kill the survivors except Ripley and just drench everything in nihilism. Not for me in the rewatch category.
Alien 3 is not perfect but I love this movie. The score is by far the best part of the entire film, but I love the darker tone and atmosphere. Plus the alien in this was pretty cool as well. There was no happy endings, no romance, no sense of hope for any of the characters. Could it have been better? Yes. Was it entertaining? Hell yeah
I don't know what it says about me but I love Alien 3 for the tone lol
Alien 3 seems like a nightmare after the optimistic ending of Aliens... like you thought there was hope only to wake up again and realize you were wrong...
I see it as a logical progression back to the tone of the original...
Except it's no where near as good as the original and the setting is bland. Bad script
I loved the tone of Alien 3. I think it's the best thing the movie has.
@Degree7 it's called complex narrative form. Like "Damn avli" of Ivo Andrić.
@@TotalMeltdown2 It's better than Aliens, but not so good as the Alien from Ridley Scott. Unique movie.
@Degree7 I think you should read more books :D
It's interesting that the behind the scenes people are much more positive about the movie than the actors are.
I think it’s still standing the test of time not as good as the first two but it’s watchable and has gained a cult following.
This show was very special to me I was working at the theater part time and got to see free also got some advertisements from the movie good memories
Alien 3 is very underrated, i love it BECAUSE of how dark it is, totally fits a horror theme anyways
@@DarkAttackYT of course they can. But not Alien 3. There are at least 10 things why Alien 3 isn't shit.
you should watch it again ;)
Holy shit. Ronny is starting to look like the Elephant Man.
If Alien 3 has been good it would have been the best trilogy ever made.
but it is good. Alien 3 is much better than Aliens.
@@eventhorizon4816 Ripley revealing the black character she has a queen inside and last scene are the the only good things about A3, and the visuals, much better than Cameron's "I want to be Ridley Scott" special effects.
1) The Dr was over worked and was trying to save lives , his crime was unintentional.
2) The point of the story ,was that no matter how bad people are, the Alien is to be seen as worse. This contrast, was depicted with the question of reform possibility. (I'm not saying that they should be released or forgiven, but Ripley is now in hell. That was the point , the chips fall where they may, and even in hell, the Alien is the most feared.
Alien 3 had potential, and was a bold instalment.
The fact that there was "no one to root for" and that it was dark and nihilistic is why I love it so much. It's a pure horror film. There's no brevity, no humor, no hope. It's depressing and fit perfectly with the theme of being nothing more than fodder for an unseen creature. It felt more realistic than any other film in the franchise. Aliens is still my favorite but 3 is a severely underrated gem. It's just an example of something that could have been better without studio interference.
ron put it perfectly
Hell, its the best one!
@@DarkAttackYT artistic one*
@@DarkAttackYT you wouldn't get it :D
@@DarkAttackYT you were trolling good movie
Loved it from Day 1. EVERYONE wanted to see Aliens II. So they savaged it when it wasn't that. But what it was? Was excellent.
I love this film it's my second favourite of the franchise, don't understand why it gets so much hate.
To start with, it makes no sense. I've always been a fan of it too... but it's a terrible sequel.
I love Alien 3!!!
I enjoyed Alien 3 much more than Resurrection. Golic disappearing from the film was a bit bloody weird though. Great performances
I take it you've seen the extended version? It fixes the Golic plot hole.
Blythe Guvenen Yeah I don’t mind the special edition. That almost baffled me even more though. It made the removal of the Golic scene even more bizarre and unnecessary
Actually a lot prisoners disappear in the theatrical version.
The assembly cut does help to correct this issue thanks to additional scenes but it’s not perfect.
Some characters still disappear without explanation toward the end during the Alien entrapment sequence.
Alien 3 is 10 times better than Resurrection. Period.
Elliot is the most correct one here.