Alien 3 is a gem of a movie in spite of the production issues. It's got powerhouse performance by all the cast and a wonderfully dark story. It's well ahead of its time and is worth watching again
I'm a massive fan of the movie, I'd even dare to say it's my favourite because of the atmosphere. Although the Alien and Aliens had great casts and great performances. There are subtleties to some of the performances and you have to watch the actors and not just listen to the dialogue.
I was so anxious to see this in 1992 and left disappointed. At the time, i was just 16 years old and over time, I've learned to appreciate the film. My senior year in high school, I wrote my own version of how I wanted this film to go and I totally forget how it went other than I left Hicks alive while letting Newt die in the crash. Great video!
I love A3 , aesthetics, good actors and dialogs...i would even put it in front of Aliens , cause A's is filled with huge plot holes from left to right and never cared that much for Newt and Hicks. Also there is that nostalgia factor i must to admit where A3 brings me back to my sweet cosy childood... I love your review btw, fast paced and str8 to the point.
Alien 3 is way underrated. It's my second favorite after the original Alien. I don't understand why it gets a bad rap. I love the bleakness and depressing mood it develops. The hate may come from killing off the survivors of Aliens. I thought that was a brilliant move. It conveys that life can be unfair and cruel. The film is also very atmospheric, has excellent art direction, and has a great music score.
I think it would've taken the sting out of it a little for fans if Ripley had got jettisoned on the EEV and left Newt & Hicks on the Sulaco to travel back to earth, in a way that would've been even more tragic knowing she'd never see them again...
I love the studios choice to kill them. Or else it wouldn't be back to the original premise of helpless people against the alien and the horror surrounding it. Newt is annoying as well, like a teakettle going on and on. Good riddance! Aliens is turning the franchise into a popcorn movie: guns and laughs. If Alien 3 haters had their way, we'd have Alien Resurrection in advance. lol
Greatest TRIQUEL ever made in movie history. Eeerie atmosphere, wonderful cast, amazing visuals, poor xeno CGI but it is ok. People feel like ranting crap about the movie because newt and hicks got impaled, but who cares!! Movie is awesome and still holds up.
Excellent breakdown, sir! I saw this in the theater and I loved it. It was so bleak and sad and desperate. Not going to lie, I cried at the funeral/birth, autopsy, and final scenes. Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, and Charles S Dutton were spectacular, Pete Postelthwaite and Lance Henriksen were standouts I wanted more from. I don't hate the 3 of them in the funeral shot, because i thought it was a unifying moment. We never found out anything about who/what Andrews lost, but you don't end up on that hell planet without loss. I also prefer the theatrical ending. I think Ripley deserved to go out knowing she made the right call. At least she had that one comfort as she died. I think removing that comfort makes it TOO bleak.
I can explain the ox footage is brand new footage added in 2003 the rest of the film is mixed from finchers cut before the reshoots and the theatrical film
I agree with most points you raise save for two. The chase scene being chaotic I think was intentional and exactly because the entire place looks samey. This was a smelting facility, no reason for decoration. Even the prisoners themselves get lost because the corridors all look the same. Hence the entire scene where they need to keep lighting the candles. It's even implied in that scene that the xenomorph is the one blowing them out in the dark. When the close up comes of the candles going out you can hear a faint hiss as if it were the alien. I think this was intentional. I worked in similar factories where all corridors looked exactly the same, same color, same dimensions, same length even, the only difference between them were a "section A" or whatever at both ends. These are functional buildings first and foremost, aesthetics aren't usually considered. Second, even on first watch I had zero trouble distinguishing the people from one another despite their shaven heads. Kevin was the one with the tear drop tattoo, David was the one with the prominent eyebrows, Dillon was Dillon, you don't forget him, Morse was the one with the beady eyes and bad temper, Golic had fucked up teeth and so and so on. Their mannerisms and voice were also entirely their own, even when they were running in the corridors screaming like the iconic "Kevin?! Gregor?! Where the fuck are you scene?!" with Morse. Never did I confuse one prisoner with any other, at least with the most prominent ones.
The Queen planting eggs on the Sulaco has NEVER been an issue for me. When we meet the Queen she's connected to her ovipositor laying eggs. That process gets interrupted and she has to chase after Ripley. Why is it so hard for people to believe that given the egg laying process was interrupted the Queen still had a few eggs still inside her and as a contingency plan in case she didn't survive, while Ripley was suiting up in the power loader the queen placed the remaining eggs on the Sulaco? I don't even have to suspend disbelief to think this. It seems logical.
Unlike a certain other franchise with terrible films that aren't exactly universally loved, at least David Fincher, the cast or Fox never insulted the fans over their opinions of Aliens 3. That makes A3 better than it should be and yes the movie does have some problems but still an interesting film on its own.
One day.....I think it is possible that there will be a 'rapprochement' between Fox and Fincher and a true director's cut will be made. No doubt they have hours of unused footage. With modern technology and some CGI used sparingly I think an 'Ultimate Director's Cut' will eventually be made.
I do wish people would stop saying 'Xenomorph'. It is 'alien' or 'creature' or even 'beast' 'dragon' but the word xenomorph is a misnomer, spoken by Lt Gorman from a report he is reading. xenomorph simply refers to a 'foreign/alien lifeform' as otherwise unspecified in Gorman's report. I don't know why people use this word.
Hmm there is more twisted symbolism in ox death but I think the death birth juxtaposition is stronger with dog. I mean ox is already dead while poor Spike isn't. As Hicks and Newt are cremated a dog dies and something evil is born.
The Alien trilogy is a tragedy. Once you see it this way then you can enjoy Alien 3 more. Ripley never had a chance. Want a cookbook story arc? Won't accept anything else? Alien isn't your jam
This is where even the producers knew Aliens was a slaughtering of the fatted calf. It was impossible to make a third movie without discrediting the first or the second movie. Do we go back to the mysterious suspense horror or the starship troopers approach. In the end be they tried for both. The movie despite being good wasn’t original groundbreaking or inspirational. The main protagonist had already been reduced to a generic movie monster by Aliens precluding its allure.
Really good analysis. When your film's plot starts with an illogical, unexplainable plot hole, you know there's going to be problems. It's deservedly shit on. If you're going to kill off major characters, fine, but you better have a good reason for doing so. Alien 3 didn't. Roger Ebert said it best: "This is one of the best-looking bad movies I have ever seen. It is a triumph of art direction and a disaster of screenwriting." It simply should have never been made. They waited too long to make it, they re-wrote it too many times, they hired and fired too many people, they made poor character decisions, they settled for shitty special effects, and they constantly undermined David Fincher by not backing him and not giving him any creative control. Ultimately it’s a failed sequel to a film that had a definitive ending.
The problem I have with this movie is that it's a bad sequel. It's a good movie on its own, but a bad sequel. If it was a stand alone movie, I would've actually liked it. It's not a bad movie if you consider all the problems they went through in the production stage. My main problems with this movie : 1. Ripley dies 2. how did the facehugger get on the Sulaco [perhaps the worst problem of them all] 3. no Hicks and no Newt. As you pointed out - everything that Ripley worked so hard through the 1st and 2nd movies is eradicated. The cinematography is great. The movie looks good. Charles Dance certainly helps - so does Charles S. Dutton as Dillon. One thing I would say - all 4 Alien movies look ahead of their time. Alien looks like it was done in mid 80s, Aliens could pass as an early 90s movie, Alien 3 looks like it was done at the end of the 90s and Alien Resurrection could fool you looking like an early 2000s movie...
@@EverySingleFilm No problem. I love your in deep analysis of the film. Have to check your other videos. Alien 3 is within my top 20 all time movies for sure, but I hate it as sequel. It's like a cat that just pushes everything from the table :D
@@EverySingleFilm One more thing. What other movies are you going to review next? I can't wait. I checked your Alien and Aliens reviews so far and they're great. I will check out some others also like Batman 1989.
Thanks for asking! Right now I am halfway through writing the script for my next video that I'll keep as a surprise. As for future videos, Star Wars keeps lingering in the back of my mind so that franchise won't be too far away. I am open to suggestions, also!
@@EverySingleFilm Great! Can't wait to see the next surprise video. Star Wars is great, as long as it's not the sequels :D I would love to see more classics like The Thing, Robocop, Total Recall - whatever you like.
Dumpster fire film. The opening scene alone and disregard for the second film make it unwatchable. It’s between this film and Highlander 2 for winner of biggest wastes of time and franchise killer.
13:35 Nihilistic, a word repeated over and over but doesn't apply. So sick of hearing it. If Alien 3 is nihilistic, they wouldn't bother to join forces to fight the alien, have hope that they would succeed or be sad or angry when they lose a friend. First thumbs down.
I disagree but respect your opinion. Alien 3 is definitely a divisive film that is fun to discuss and analyse. Even if it's a thumbs down, thank you for engaging with my video!
While I don't agree that the film is garbage, it's clear that Alien 3 has generated a wide range of opinions over the years, and it's interesting to see how it impacted the franchise's legacy. While it may not have been everyone's favourite, it's certainly sparked a lot of discussion. I'd love to hear what you think about the other films in the Alien series.
Good stuff Troubled as was the production yet somewhat financial success of Alien 3 ... the shampoo instructions of rinse and repeat are getting old. The element of a dog or bull host doesn't distract from the story turning into the same ole, same ole. This franchise needed to switch gears to humans being successful in controlling the xenos and exploiting them for profit. Eventually. Humans would have figured technology to make xenos very much manageable. And ultimately the story needs to end. Alien 3 gave way to a pathetic intro for Alien 4. And Scott's hatred of Cameron's queen and Alien 3 ideas is more than apparent in Prometheus then the Covenant follow up prequel. I imagine some industrious group remaking the original Alien with any sequel is in order. But doing so with a proper director and script, and a conclusion. This franchise won't die. Just like the Terminator franchise won't die
@@ZXSPEX2 being crappy & Spielberg-like doesn't make 3 better. How did Ripley get an alien inside her? No egg, face-hugger etc. on board. We don't learn anything about The company that we didn't already know. "It's dark, they killed main characters" means we can ignore all the other failings? This movie's only premise was to get an alien into this confined space & they failed at that. They essentially just said "one appeared."
@@ZXSPEX1) I'm not making any comparisons. I'm very rare in that I truly can set aside most of my preconceived notions. 2) I don't even care _for_ comparisons. Seen on its own is the only way to judge anything. In football, a new head coach or GM will often oust locker-room leaders simply to feel like it's "their" team. It felt like this movie was trying harder to not be its predecessor than it was trying to be its own film. It also felt like the director had No Love for the material. I don't care that they killed off Hicks or Newt or were going for dark. I care how someone executes their plan. Here, the plot elements were supposed to carry the darkness I suppose. But the setting failed to do so. Despite being on a satellite surrounded by men I never once felt Ripley was in danger from them. Yeah I know there was a scene that made it clear this was a false impression. My point is that this was simply done wrong. She was walking around alone. They'd already semi-established that some would work to avoid this happening, then left it to happen. That's simply bad staging. If the setting was to appear dark, you either make the lighting help with that, the blocking or both. Instead we have a surprisingly well-lit scene that could have been out of Oliver with adults dressed like the ragamuffins. The _pacing_ was off. Tension built occasionally, then disappeared for too long. The clues that an alien was there were weird. I mean if the queen left eggs on the shuttle somehow, why only one? What happened to the egg-casing? Those don't evaporate. The face-hugger somehow got into her cryo-chamber without damaging it, went through most of its gestation period, also evaporated, yet she went *days* before it burst out of her? Kane lasted hours tops. I don't lose sight of the forest for the trees either & there were some great performances in it. But the story seems to exist for No Real Reason. What does it do for the universe this takes place in? Do we learn more about Wutani, the alien, Ripley, the people on this prison? No. It failed at its own goals, accomplished no other ones, & not one thing from that movie added to anything in any of the others. Even what they did in the hated #4 could have been done without 3. All I retained from this was knowing who Charles S. Dutton was. No one else was memorable.
@@ZXSPEXI've never been nostalgic. I _do_ revisit stuff I like. Whose Line Is It Anyway reruns, the sadly only two seasons of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency that has So Many Amazing Actors in it. But it's not _about_ winning it's about enjoying. I saw this movie exactly twice & the 2nd time I stopped paying attention. To each their own.
Alien 3 is a gem of a movie in spite of the production issues. It's got powerhouse performance by all the cast and a wonderfully dark story. It's well ahead of its time and is worth watching again
I'm a massive fan of the movie, I'd even dare to say it's my favourite because of the atmosphere. Although the Alien and Aliens had great casts and great performances. There are subtleties to some of the performances and you have to watch the actors and not just listen to the dialogue.
Alien 3 Assembly Cut is a masterpiece
Alien3 is extremely underrated, I respect and love it more with each rewatch.
I love Alien 3 and I'm glad to see it getting some love in the comments.
I love Alien 3. More of an arthouse movie.
Despite its issues, there is some great cinematography. I love the visual style.
Just finished watching all 3 of your Alien Retrospectives. Most excellent work!! I have subscribed so I can watch your future Retrospectives.
Thank you!
I was so anxious to see this in 1992 and left disappointed. At the time, i was just 16 years old and over time, I've learned to appreciate the film. My senior year in high school, I wrote my own version of how I wanted this film to go and I totally forget how it went other than I left Hicks alive while letting Newt die in the crash. Great video!
I didn't think there would be anything new to say about Alien 3, but this was very engaging.
I love A3 , aesthetics, good actors and dialogs...i would even put it in front of Aliens , cause A's is filled with huge plot holes from left to right and never cared that much for Newt and Hicks. Also there is that nostalgia factor i must to admit where A3 brings me back to my sweet cosy childood...
I love your review btw, fast paced and str8 to the point.
Thanks for your thoughts and for the kind words!
Alien 3 is way underrated. It's my second favorite after the original Alien. I don't understand why it gets a bad rap. I love the bleakness and depressing mood it develops. The hate may come from killing off the survivors of Aliens. I thought that was a brilliant move. It conveys that life can be unfair and cruel. The film is also very atmospheric, has excellent art direction, and has a great music score.
Same here man. I love that it's darker and even slower-paced for a while. I love the score and the set pieces too.
You are correct the hate comes from killing the alien’s survivors people wanted aliens 2.0 aliens split th e franchise in 2
Its really grown on me over time
I think it would've taken the sting out of it a little for fans if Ripley had got jettisoned on the EEV and left Newt & Hicks on the Sulaco to travel back to earth, in a way that would've been even more tragic knowing she'd never see them again...
I love the studios choice to kill them. Or else it wouldn't be back to the original premise of helpless people against the alien and the horror surrounding it. Newt is annoying as well, like a teakettle going on and on. Good riddance!
Aliens is turning the franchise into a popcorn movie: guns and laughs. If Alien 3 haters had their way, we'd have Alien Resurrection in advance. lol
You had me with an exquisite MMPR insert!
I've only just found this retrospective and I really enjoyed it. I'm actually a big fan of this movie,
Greatest TRIQUEL ever made in movie history. Eeerie atmosphere, wonderful cast, amazing visuals, poor xeno CGI but it is ok. People feel like ranting crap about the movie because newt and hicks got impaled, but who cares!! Movie is awesome and still holds up.
for me personally the best 3rd instalment in the franchise is Nightmare on Elm Street III - The Dream Warriors :3
@@ArcadeMusicTribute Patricia Arquete was in her prime. Loved that one too
It's not " bad CGI " it's mostly a Rod Puppet with bad composition
Dude you do a great job! I hope you do the Nolan Trilogy
28:52 ''It's always sunny on Fiorina 161''------------------------Hahahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahaaaaaaaaa
Excellent breakdown, sir! I saw this in the theater and I loved it. It was so bleak and sad and desperate. Not going to lie, I cried at the funeral/birth, autopsy, and final scenes. Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, and Charles S Dutton were spectacular, Pete Postelthwaite and Lance Henriksen were standouts I wanted more from. I don't hate the 3 of them in the funeral shot, because i thought it was a unifying moment. We never found out anything about who/what Andrews lost, but you don't end up on that hell planet without loss. I also prefer the theatrical ending. I think Ripley deserved to go out knowing she made the right call. At least she had that one comfort as she died. I think removing that comfort makes it TOO bleak.
P.S. I hope your channel grows, you do great work! ❤
I can explain the ox footage is brand new footage added in 2003 the rest of the film is mixed from finchers cut before the reshoots and the theatrical film
Actually, in the 1992 novelisation it is an ox not a dog. I wonder which one was filmed first?
I agree with most points you raise save for two. The chase scene being chaotic I think was intentional and exactly because the entire place looks samey. This was a smelting facility, no reason for decoration. Even the prisoners themselves get lost because the corridors all look the same. Hence the entire scene where they need to keep lighting the candles. It's even implied in that scene that the xenomorph is the one blowing them out in the dark. When the close up comes of the candles going out you can hear a faint hiss as if it were the alien. I think this was intentional. I worked in similar factories where all corridors looked exactly the same, same color, same dimensions, same length even, the only difference between them were a "section A" or whatever at both ends. These are functional buildings first and foremost, aesthetics aren't usually considered.
Second, even on first watch I had zero trouble distinguishing the people from one another despite their shaven heads. Kevin was the one with the tear drop tattoo, David was the one with the prominent eyebrows, Dillon was Dillon, you don't forget him, Morse was the one with the beady eyes and bad temper, Golic had fucked up teeth and so and so on. Their mannerisms and voice were also entirely their own, even when they were running in the corridors screaming like the iconic "Kevin?! Gregor?! Where the fuck are you scene?!" with Morse. Never did I confuse one prisoner with any other, at least with the most prominent ones.
The Queen planting eggs on the Sulaco has NEVER been an issue for me. When we meet the Queen she's connected to her ovipositor laying eggs. That process gets interrupted and she has to chase after Ripley.
Why is it so hard for people to believe that given the egg laying process was interrupted the Queen still had a few eggs still inside her and as a contingency plan in case she didn't survive, while Ripley was suiting up in the power loader the queen placed the remaining eggs on the Sulaco?
I don't even have to suspend disbelief to think this. It seems logical.
I never really understood why they themselves didn't go into the bunker. The alien couldn't reach them in there while they wait for Bishop 2.
Unlike a certain other franchise with terrible films that aren't exactly universally loved, at least David Fincher, the cast or Fox never insulted the fans over their opinions of Aliens 3. That makes A3 better than it should be and yes the movie does have some problems but still an interesting film on its own.
They I've kept Newt & Cop Hicks & Bishop & Ripley and Turk and Jones The Cat alive in ALIEN 3 🥺😔😞
One day.....I think it is possible that there will be a 'rapprochement' between Fox and Fincher and a true director's cut will be made. No doubt they have hours of unused footage. With modern technology and some CGI used sparingly I think an 'Ultimate Director's Cut' will eventually be made.
I do wish people would stop saying 'Xenomorph'. It is 'alien' or 'creature' or even 'beast' 'dragon' but the word xenomorph is a misnomer, spoken by Lt Gorman from a report he is reading. xenomorph simply refers to a 'foreign/alien lifeform' as otherwise unspecified in Gorman's report. I don't know why people use this word.
Hmm there is more twisted symbolism in ox death but I think the death birth juxtaposition is stronger with dog. I mean ox is already dead while poor Spike isn't. As Hicks and Newt are cremated a dog dies and something evil is born.
I really don't understand why sonmany people, including those involved in making it, think this movie is so bad. I really like it. Totally confused
35:28
The Alien trilogy is a tragedy. Once you see it this way then you can enjoy Alien 3 more. Ripley never had a chance.
Want a cookbook story arc? Won't accept anything else? Alien isn't your jam
This is where even the producers knew Aliens was a slaughtering of the fatted calf. It was impossible to make a third movie without discrediting the first or the second movie. Do we go back to the mysterious suspense horror or the starship troopers approach. In the end be they tried for both. The movie despite being good wasn’t original groundbreaking or inspirational. The main protagonist had already been reduced to a generic movie monster by Aliens precluding its allure.
Really good analysis.
When your film's plot starts with an illogical, unexplainable plot hole, you know there's going to be problems. It's deservedly shit on. If you're going to kill off major characters, fine, but you better have a good reason for doing so. Alien 3 didn't. Roger Ebert said it best: "This is one of the best-looking bad movies I have ever seen. It is a triumph of art direction and a disaster of screenwriting."
It simply should have never been made. They waited too long to make it, they re-wrote it too many times, they hired and fired too many people, they made poor character decisions, they settled for shitty special effects, and they constantly undermined David Fincher by not backing him and not giving him any creative control. Ultimately it’s a failed sequel to a film that had a definitive ending.
Wah.
The problem I have with this movie is that it's a bad sequel. It's a good movie on its own, but a bad sequel. If it was a stand alone movie, I would've actually liked it. It's not a bad movie if you consider all the problems they went through in the production stage. My main problems with this movie : 1. Ripley dies 2. how did the facehugger get on the Sulaco [perhaps the worst problem of them all] 3. no Hicks and no Newt. As you pointed out - everything that Ripley worked so hard through the 1st and 2nd movies is eradicated. The cinematography is great. The movie looks good. Charles Dance certainly helps - so does Charles S. Dutton as Dillon. One thing I would say - all 4 Alien movies look ahead of their time. Alien looks like it was done in mid 80s, Aliens could pass as an early 90s movie, Alien 3 looks like it was done at the end of the 90s and Alien Resurrection could fool you looking like an early 2000s movie...
Thanks for the comment! I agree, if you can get past the films blatant problems, and watch the Assembly cut, it’s a very bleak, solid film.
@@EverySingleFilm No problem. I love your in deep analysis of the film. Have to check your other videos. Alien 3 is within my top 20 all time movies for sure, but I hate it as sequel. It's like a cat that just pushes everything from the table :D
@@EverySingleFilm One more thing. What other movies are you going to review next? I can't wait. I checked your Alien and Aliens reviews so far and they're great. I will check out some others also like Batman 1989.
Thanks for asking! Right now I am halfway through writing the script for my next video that I'll keep as a surprise. As for future videos, Star Wars keeps lingering in the back of my mind so that franchise won't be too far away. I am open to suggestions, also!
@@EverySingleFilm Great! Can't wait to see the next surprise video. Star Wars is great, as long as it's not the sequels :D I would love to see more classics like The Thing, Robocop, Total Recall - whatever you like.
Begining of 3 makes Aleins Bravery and Sacrifice pointless
are you talking into a coffee can?
I wish I could afford a coffee can…
Dumpster fire film. The opening scene alone and disregard for the second film make it unwatchable.
It’s between this film and Highlander 2 for winner of biggest wastes of time and franchise killer.
13:35 Nihilistic, a word repeated over and over but doesn't apply. So sick of hearing it. If Alien 3 is nihilistic, they wouldn't bother to join forces to fight the alien, have hope that they would succeed or be sad or angry when they lose a friend.
First thumbs down.
I disagree but respect your opinion. Alien 3 is definitely a divisive film that is fun to discuss and analyse. Even if it's a thumbs down, thank you for engaging with my video!
Yep. Its still garbage that crippled the Alien franchise forever.
As Michael Biehn says, "F**k Alien 3!"
While I don't agree that the film is garbage, it's clear that Alien 3 has generated a wide range of opinions over the years, and it's interesting to see how it impacted the franchise's legacy. While it may not have been everyone's favourite, it's certainly sparked a lot of discussion. I'd love to hear what you think about the other films in the Alien series.
Good stuff
Troubled as was the production yet somewhat financial success of Alien 3 ... the shampoo instructions of rinse and repeat are getting old.
The element of a dog or bull host doesn't distract from the story turning into the same ole, same ole.
This franchise needed to switch gears to humans being successful in controlling the xenos and exploiting them for profit.
Eventually. Humans would have figured technology to make xenos very much manageable.
And ultimately the story needs to end. Alien 3 gave way to a pathetic intro for Alien 4.
And Scott's hatred of Cameron's queen and Alien 3 ideas is more than apparent in Prometheus then the Covenant follow up prequel.
I imagine some industrious group remaking the original Alien with any sequel is in order. But doing so with a proper director and script, and a conclusion.
This franchise won't die. Just like the Terminator franchise won't die
Slow hand clap for all those Fox executives....This is why Alien 3 is sh*t.
@@ZXSPEX2 being crappy & Spielberg-like doesn't make 3 better. How did Ripley get an alien inside her? No egg, face-hugger etc. on board. We don't learn anything about The company that we didn't already know. "It's dark, they killed main characters" means we can ignore all the other failings? This movie's only premise was to get an alien into this confined space & they failed at that. They essentially just said "one appeared."
@@ZXSPEX1) I'm not making any comparisons. I'm very rare in that I truly can set aside most of my preconceived notions. 2) I don't even care _for_ comparisons. Seen on its own is the only way to judge anything.
In football, a new head coach or GM will often oust locker-room leaders simply to feel like it's "their" team. It felt like this movie was trying harder to not be its predecessor than it was trying to be its own film. It also felt like the director had No Love for the material.
I don't care that they killed off Hicks or Newt or were going for dark. I care how someone executes their plan. Here, the plot elements were supposed to carry the darkness I suppose. But the setting failed to do so. Despite being on a satellite surrounded by men I never once felt Ripley was in danger from them.
Yeah I know there was a scene that made it clear this was a false impression. My point is that this was simply done wrong. She was walking around alone. They'd already semi-established that some would work to avoid this happening, then left it to happen.
That's simply bad staging. If the setting was to appear dark, you either make the lighting help with that, the blocking or both. Instead we have a surprisingly well-lit scene that could have been out of Oliver with adults dressed like the ragamuffins.
The _pacing_ was off. Tension built occasionally, then disappeared for too long. The clues that an alien was there were weird.
I mean if the queen left eggs on the shuttle somehow, why only one? What happened to the egg-casing? Those don't evaporate. The face-hugger somehow got into her cryo-chamber without damaging it, went through most of its gestation period, also evaporated, yet she went *days* before it burst out of her? Kane lasted hours tops.
I don't lose sight of the forest for the trees either & there were some great performances in it. But the story seems to exist for No Real Reason.
What does it do for the universe this takes place in? Do we learn more about Wutani, the alien, Ripley, the people on this prison? No. It failed at its own goals, accomplished no other ones, & not one thing from that movie added to anything in any of the others. Even what they did in the hated #4 could have been done without 3.
All I retained from this was knowing who Charles S. Dutton was. No one else was memorable.
@@ZXSPEXI've never been nostalgic. I _do_ revisit stuff I like. Whose Line Is It Anyway reruns, the sadly only two seasons of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency that has So Many Amazing Actors in it. But it's not _about_ winning it's about enjoying. I saw this movie exactly twice & the 2nd time I stopped paying attention.
To each their own.