Customer Reviews

Alien 3

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(101)
3 star:		(75)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(47)

 

 

I remember the long wait between the release of this movie and "Aliens" and the great amount of anticipation that was built up around this movie considering how extraordinary the first two films were and just imagining how great this one was "going" to be. Then its release date came and it received generally bad reviews and collectively, the majority of the fans were highly disappointed by it, including myself. That being said, I was quite reluctant to spend the money on this DVD but after reading some of the other positive reviews I decided to give this film one more chance and now, after having watched it again I would have to say I've completely changed my mind.

Alien 3 just wasn't as bad as I remembered it to be from that one time viewing in the theater so many years ago and in fact, stylistically, it's a movie that was ahead of its time. Ultimately, I think what turned so many people off of this film when it was released is that it was so dramatically different from the first two that it initially just didn't seem as though it belonged in the mythos that is the Alien legacy. The one thing about this film that does make it drag is its pacing. What the director appeared to be reaching for was the same feel that "Alien" engendered but in the end, in reaching for that intense atmosphere didn't always work and only resulted in the pace slowing down and too little suspense. As stated above though, thematically it was just years ahead of its time and I believe, were it a movie that were originally released more recently, with some minor changes, it might've garnered much more success in the theaters.

Performance wise, Sigourney Weaver does just as wonderful a job with this film as she did with the first two and, not to mention, she co-produced the film, further showing her support for the script and this addition to the Alien mythos. Charles S. Dutton's role in the film is "over the top," as his acting usually is and it fits quite well with the character.

David Fincher, who took up the directing mantle for "Alien 3" deserves a fair amount of credit for the thematic style of this film, bringing the original story and screenplay to fruition. Twelve years ago, I would've said don't ever let the man direct again, but this second viewing of "Alien 3" and after seeing some of the other films he's directed since, I would definitely have to say that he is a very good director!

This Collector's Edition release comes with two options, the original 1992 Theatrical version or a 2003 Special Edition. One note of caution, the Special Edition doesn't really add too much to the film, but of the small portion that is added, it helps to set up the story that much better. The THX certification and 5.1 Dolby Surround is perfect for the film, bringing out the score beautifully!

The Premise:

As Ripley, Hicks, Newt and Bishop are slumbering away in hyper sleep, hoping to next wake up near Earth, the ship suddenly encounters problems of the alien kind. Being the good futuristic starship that it is, it kindly ejects Ripley and the bodies of her companions on a prison planet. Ripley awakens to find herself on this prison planet and not long thereafter, prisoners start showing up dead and Ripley herself finds that her worst nightmare has come true...

What follows from there, as stated above, is most certainly not the best of the Alien series but it is most definitely a lot better movie than my initial assessment of it had been. I would definitely recommend this film to any and all fans of the Alien series, as I believe it plays an integral part in the mythos. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-1992 Theatrical version (Deleted/Extended Scene Index) & Alien vs. Predator Teaser Trailer
-2003 Special Edition (Deleted Footage Marker)
-"Development: Concluding the Story" Featurette
-"Tales of the Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward's Vision" Featurette
-"Pre-production, Part III" Featurette
-"Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger's Redesign" Featurette
-Still Photo Galleries (multiple)
-"Optical Fury: Visual Effects" Featurette
-"Music, Editing and Sound" Featurette
-"Post-Mortem: Reaction to the Film" Featurette
-"Production, Part I" Featurette
-"Adaptive Organism: Creature Design" Featurette
-"Production, Part II" Featurette
-"Production, Part III" Featurette
-"Furnace Construction: Time Lapse Sequence"
-E.E.V. Scan Multi-Angle Study with Optional Commentary

"Alien 3" has always been given the harshest treatment of any of the Alien films. Having to follow up Ridley Scott's suspense masterpiece and Jim Cameron's action-adventure juggernaut of a sequel is no easy task. I have always looked at David Fincher's third entry as sort of a misunderstood child in the Alien franchise. Perhaps going from the thrill-a-minute gun-blazing epic that was "Aliens" to a sort of a dark and gloomy European-style "cat and mouse" film was too much of a sour note for most of the fans and critics to handle. From the hectic details of the production to the less-than-stellar way in which the film was received, many saw "Alien 3" as being a mediocre final nail in the coffin of the Alien series. I have always had a special place in my heart for this film and now with its latest DVD release, it is finally getting the treatment that I feel it honestly deserves.

With this latest edition of "Alien 3" on DVD as part of the "Alien Quadrilogy" boxed set, you not only get the controversial 1991 theatrical version but a never-before-seen "alternate version" of the film that includes over 30 minutes of new footage. Included in this new version are several new sequences including an alternate opening sequence and several lost "character moments". In this version, the alien is born through a dead bull, instead of a dog. We also get more of an insight into Charles Dutton's Dillion as his role as a sort of religous leader is defined a lot deeper. There is also a number of sequences showing what happened to Paul McGann's "Golic" that were omitted from the original version. The "alternate ending" isn't very different from the original one but there are a few subtle changes. For the record, this is not a "director's cut" as David Fincher had nothing to do with this DVD release at all.

"Alien 3" is in my opinion, a lot better film that it ever gets credit for. Charles Dutton's perfomance alone is better than anything seen in the terrible "Alien: Resurrection". Elliot Goldenthal's musical score is absolutely brilliant and is not mentioned nearly enough when people talk about this movie. In my opinion, the music may have been one of the things that I enjoyed the most about the movie. The lack of firepower has always been something that the die-hard fans have always complained about but I never saw it as a problem. Maybe today's audiences just aren't into the whole idea of trying to outsmart the creature in a tunnel maze rather than just blowing it up with a grenade launcher. "Alien 3" also displayed a far better use of performances. I was a big fan of the character interactions between both Ripley and Clemens as well as Ripley and Dillion. From an acting perspective, Weaver is given a lot more to do, this time around. Not that her performance in the other two films was ever bad but she really takes over here. I have always felt that this was a good way to end the series but Fox's decision to release a fourth film in 1997 shows that perhaps, many people didn't agree. This one is superior to "Resurrection" on every level.

This DVD is packed with bonus features including a full-length commentary for both versions of the film with numerous members of the cast & crew. As previously stated, director David Fincher is noticeably absent. We also get a whole bunch of featurettes that cover nearly every aspect of the film's production. These do a great deal to show the frustration that the crew had to deal with when working on this film. It also shows all of the different concepts for the script and overall design of the film that were abandoned. For any of the fans who truly enjoyed "Alien 3", this is certainly a definitive collector's item.

Nope. Alien: Resurrection holds the title as thje worst Alien movie. This film simply should have been the END of the Alien series, or at least for Ripley. As far as I am concerned, this IS the last movie, because Resurrection is not a part of the Alien series, it is more of a 'wacky spin-off adventure'.

In this violent, but sometimes poignant film, we see the survivors of the Sulaco, Ripley, Hicks, Newt and Bishop peacefully in hypersleep, drifting home. Unfortunately, they had failed to realize something very important. When the Queen managed to get on the dropship, she had also laid an egg where she hid on the ship. While drifting back to earth, the egg hatched. The facehugger tried to get into Newt's capsule, and the shattering glass pierced the creatures, its acidic blood eating through the floor causing a fire. Then the terror begins yet again...

The Sulaco's emergency prep drops the cryo tubes into an EEV(Emergency Escape Vehicle) and ejects it out into space, with the facehugger still on board. IT plummeted into the gravitational pull of Fiorina 'Fury' 161, a double-Y chromo prison facility. The EEV plummets into the ocean with disastrous results.

Be prepared to break any emotional attachments you made to the surviving characters. The landing was quite grisly. The inmates lift the tattered EEV out of the ocean and into the junk pile, bringing RIpley, the only survivor, to the medical facility. However, as the EEV is placed in the garbage heap, one of the in-mate's Rottweiler is aroused by movement in the EEV...it is the facehugger.

Shortly thereafter, we see a brand new breed of alien. With the replicated genes of a dog, this alien runs on all fours, is incredibly fast, and is by far the meanest Alien we have ever seen in this movie series yet! When the Warden does not beleive Ripley's story, even after some of the inmates are turning up murdered, it is up to her and her new found friend, Dr. Clemens, to try and convince them all what they are dealing with, but it may already be too late, as Ripley herself is carrying with her a horrible secret, that not even she knows about yet...

Although this movie got bad reviews, and is my least favorite among the trilogy(I do not consider Resurrection a part of the series), I definitely think that the Runner, or Dog Alien, is probably the best alien in all the movies. Unbeleivably vicious and just, to quote Superintendant Andrews, 'Generally Unpleasant', the beast has a mean streak and often toys with the prisoners, making this the darkest and most violent of the trilogy.

The bad parts about the movie are obvious. After seeing the Colonial marines in action, it is tough to see the events of this movie. You will miss the marines. Another very troubling aspect is the deahts of Hicks and Newt, whom Ripley had strived so very hard to rescue in the last movie, only to have their lives sorrowfully taken from them. Seeing Hicks die, as my favorite character from Aliens, was upsetting. The acting isn't exactly top notch, but you will grow to like a few of the prisoners, namely Morse and Dillon. Not the best in the trilogy, but it definitely brings a good closure to the series. Unfortunately, Alien: Resurrection ruined this closure by bringing us a rather poor plot and extremely poor acting, not to mention a whole new take on the Aliens, which i felt was stupid and unnecessary. Keep Alien 3 as the final movie. Watch Alien: Resurrection if you are in the mood for a 'wacky spin-off', because that is all it is.

ALIEN 3 was disliked so much. To all the people who hated this movie, I would like you to give it a second chance and watch the Special Edition version of the movie. There are 30 minutes of restored footage that really helped fill in the plot holes. There is more depth with Golic showing his relationship with the prisoners, how he gets caught, how he gets loose, and how he dies. There is about 8-10 extra minutes added after the fire starts and before Dillon finds a prisoner's throat cut. There is one more thing ALIEN 3 didn't do. They didn't show how Eric died! Eric started up the piston and we never saw him again. Anyway, ALIEN 3 SE gets 5 stars and is my favorite movie in the ALIEN series.

The theatrical version of the movie was pretty good. The alternative begining on Fiorina 161 was better and you got to see the outside of the planet. Instead, for the TR, they made it more simple. The ending in the theatrical version was also different. The Queen chestburster came out of Ripley. The other different thing about the movie was the alien came out of a dog, it was an ox in the Special Edition. The theatrical version and Special Edition were different ins so many ways. The Special Edition of the movie made ALIEN 3 a more likeable movie and some ALIEN fans are getting a better view of the movie. The special features disc is packed with 164 miutes of featurettes! There are also the different theatrical trailers and TV spots. The still photo galleries and the story boards are also on the DVD. In the supplementary part of the first disc, you can use deleted footage markers, turn on commentaries, and view the deleted scenes(only on theatrical version supplement.) You can also use Dolby 5.1 for your audio and have English or Spanish subtitles. This DVD is awesome, and I wou;d recomend it to any ALIEN or sci-fi fan!

"Alien 3" has been attacked since it came out in 1992 for its downbeat mood and bleak plot twists. When I saw it in the theater I wasn't overwhelmed by it, but gave it 3 stars. Since then the film has grown in my estimation.
I think the main reason many, if not most "Alien" fans hate this movie is that they are really "Aliens" fans; that is, fans of the second film, not the series as a whole. They went to the theater in 1992 looking for more of the same stuff they saw in "Aliens": more and bigger guns, even more Aliens, a bigger Alien infestation (Earth for example). They didn't want a new film, just a rerun of the last one. But they were biterly disappointed. Where "Aliens" is an action movie, "Alien 3" is a mood piece. Where "Aliens" had wall to wall blazing action, "Alien 3" was mostly one grim plot development after another, with the humans mostly helpless against the Alien threat. And where "Aliens" ended on an optimistic note, "Alien 3" ended with the death of the main character from the previous movies. Pretty big changes!
I myself was happy to see something new, instead of just a tired rehash. Why should "Alien 3" have just been an "Aliens" clone? Sure, I loved "Aliens" too, but it's not the last word in sci-fi. When judged on its own merits, "Alien 3" is a very good film. Its mood is a return to that of the first film, with basically helpless characters just struggling to survive. The religious spin of the story makes it unique, with the themes of sacrifice and redemption running through the whole movie.
A common complaint is that no one in the movie besides Ripley is sympathetic since they are all convicted violent criminals or stupid, arrogant Company employees. But this complaint doesn't hold up. Many of the convicts end up showing real selflessness in their actions to destroy the Alien, illustrating the film's sacrifice/redemption theme. This is particularly true in the Special Edition of the film on this DVD, where one of the convicts who tried to rape Ripley deliberately sacrifices himself to trap the Alien in the vault. And Aaron, the slow-witted Company man, sees the company's duplicity by the movie's end and tries to help Ripley. This is character development, folks. If you want cartoon characters, see a Superman movie.
I highly recommend this DVD. The interface is superb, the commentary and special features are informative, but best of all, it containd the Special Edition of the film mentioned earlier. This is the 1991 first cut of "Alien 3" and is superior to the theatrical version, in my opinion, with much more character development. It makes a 3 star film into a 4 star one.
As for the complaints about how an Alien egg got on board the Sulaco, the answer is the Alien Queen, of course. Just because she lost her egg sac doesn't mean she couldn't lay eggs at all without it. Not mentioned in either version of the film is that early on in script development, the queen embryo-carrying facehugger is a "super facehugger" that contains both a Queen embryo and a Warrior to guard her; it has the unque ability to impregnate two hosts before dying. The concept was left unexplained in the final filmed version(s), but goes far to clearing up the plot holes.
Watch the film with an open mind and enjoy an unfashionably bleak sci-fi experience.

Alien 3 is the darkest and most emotionally driven of the series. Yes, I loved Aliens (which is my favorite) and the relationships between Ripley and Newt & Ripley and Hicks(see the director's cut), but I feel very strongly for some of the characters as the movie progresses. Ripley feeling satisfied that the Aliens were destroyed only to find out that they are back and still controlling her life. Finding an adopted daughter and possibly romance from Hicks only to wake up with them dead.

The performances are great, Weaver's, Dutton's and especially Dance's. Visually, this one is the most striking and contains the most beautiful ending in this series. Still there are some problems. Everybody's favorite complaint is how the egg ended up close to the cryo tubes. All they needed was a shot during the opening credits of two eggs behind the dropship's landing struts. The CGI effects were usually unconvincing, but I can understand why they were need for the Alien to run across the ceiling. The film also suffers from the gross overuse of the f-word in the second half. Many people complain and wish to know why the Alien looks and moves differently. Simply put, it was born out of a dog. The writers were trying to establish that Aliens born from organisms other than humans will be different. When you think about it, the only Aliens we ever saw were born from humans. We never saw the Alien that was born from the "space jockey" in the first movie. I also wish that the movie would have gone into more depth with the prisoners' adoption of religion. Yes I am a knitpicker, but I think this is a great film and logical ending to the series. What am I hearing about a director's cut to this one. I know about the Special Edition of Aliens, but could someone say how I could get the director's cut of Alien 3?

This film is much maligned, but presumably this is more because of people's expectations of sequels and trequels than any inherent weakness. To properly appreciate Alien3 you should not have seen the original. It would seem that anyone except me who sees Alien and Aliens before this film is destined to make unfavourable comparisons. Sadly, to properly appreciate Alien3 it is also necessary to have seen its predecessors! The paradox leaves us with the sad result that this film, which is pretty good if taken on its own terms is almost always written off as a faded photocopy of Alien. This is unfair. David Fincher, a first time director understands what makes the Alien frightening, and using dark lighting and occasional glimpses of the monster weaves a claustrophobic spell on his audience. The film also has the benefit of a great cast, featuring Paul McGann (Later an effective Doctor in Doctor Who), Tetley Tea man Brian Glover (who wins the award here for the most effective use of a four-letter word in cinema history), Charles Dance, and of course Sigourney Weaver. She has never looked better than with her shaven head, and puts in a performance at least as good as in the first two movies. The script and direction keep us on our toes, and the ending is very satisfying, bringing the trilogy to a worthy conclusion.

This is a review of the printed edition:

Wow!! This version is so much better than the theatrical release. There is much more character development here. The prisoners have much more dialogue amongst each other, and you really get to know who they are before their eventual demise at the hands of the alien. The relationship between Ripley and Clemmens(the doctor) is expanded. The superintendant also has more dialogue with the prisoners. Just makes for a better film. This way you have a sense of who the character is when they die as opposed to them just being a piece of meat that has bit the dust on screen.

A few changes of note: such as the alien comes from an ox rather than a dog. No big deal, however the birth of the alien is better. The little alien running away after it's birth was incredibly believable. Also, Ripley is found washed up on shore as opposed to being found in the wreck itself. These little changes I feel actually make the film better.

A couple of negatives about the film: (I can look past them though): The big one in my view is that this particular alien was I guess left behind by the queen from the movie "Aliens". I guess the viewer is supposed to assume that, but since she tore herself away from her "laying machine" to pursue Ripley and Newt, it does leave a few questions unanswered. How did it get there? Also, this facehugger apparently has implanted both Ripley and the ox. That never happened before. In the previous installments, the facehuggers fall off eventually and die once it has implanted the embryo.

Since the dog in this version is never introduced, there is a scene where a prisoner backs into a fan after being struck by the Alien. He sees movement down a shaft which he thinks is the dog and calls out his name. "Spike, hey Spike!!" The dog was never introduced so who the hell is Spike. Bad move there, at least have the dog somewhere in the movie.

And finally the quality of the alien I have to admit in some phases is a little cheesy looking. Only the computer generated alien mind you. I wish they could have gone back and redid the alien with some update computer graphics to make the alien look more believable.

By far the positives out weigh the negatives in this film and it is a welcomed edition to the series. I really don't see why so many people hated it.

I give the theatrical release 3 stars, the more violent, profane and much more different special edition 3 1/2 stars and the DVD 5 stars! About 40 minutes was added into the movie, and they are described below:

Chapter 3: One Survivor?

This alternate scene is the reason why this version is so much different from the theatrical release. Since this scene was cut and replaced, Chapters 8 and 9 were also cut and replaced (only Chapter 9 was replaced)This is the orginial, alternate version of the prisoners discovering Ripley, Hicks, Newt and Bishop.

Chapter 4: The Facts

This extended scene shows Dillon praying with the prisoners.

Chapter 7: A Possible Contagion

This extended scene has addtional dialogue between Ripley and Clemens.

Chapter 8: What Killed Babe?

It's so obvious why this scene was cut: because the orginial, alternate version of the finding of Ripley, Hicks, Newt and Bishop was cut, too. Another reason why this was cut was because in the theatrical version, a facehugger attached itself to a dog. But, the special edition, you saw an ox, something you never saw in the theatrical release. This scene shows Murphy and Frank dragging a dead ox and talking about having sex with Ripley. Then, Murphy discovers the facehugger attached to the ox's face.

Chapter 9: A New Beginning

This alternate scene shows the Alien bursting out of the dead ox. In the theatrical release, the Alien bursts out of a living dog.

Chapter 10: Disharmony

This new scene shows Dillon handling the situation with Boggs and Rains about their dislike with Golic.

Chapter 11: New Temptations

This extended scene shows Dillon telling Ripley about their religion.

Chapter 12: Attracted In That Way

This extended scene has additional dialogue between Ripley and Clemens.

Chapter 13: Diced

This extended scene shows Ripley and Clemens talking more after sex and Murphy's graphic death.

Chapter 14: The Flight Recorder

This extended scene shows the prisoners going through the bowels of the refinery complex.

Chapter 15: High Priority

This extended scene has additonal dialogue between Clemens and Superintendent Andrews.

Chapter 18: Bishop Speaks

This extended scene shows a prisoner finding Golic and then, Dillon and other prisoners grabbing him.

Chapter 20: A Long, Sad Story

This extended/alternate scene begins with a different angle of Ripley asking Clemens if there is a way to escape.

Chapter 21: "It's Here!"

This is the uncut version of Clemens's horryfing and graphic death, with more footage of the Alien and Clemens being brutally killed. It also shows Dillon praying with the prisoners and then cussing at everyone.

Chapter 22: Who's in Charge?

This extended scene shows Aaron cleaning up the bloody mess that the Alien caused when it killed Andrews. There is also additional dialogue.

Chapter 24: Preparations

This extended scene shows more footage of the prisoners preparing their trap for the Alien.

Chapter 25: Wait for the Signal

This extended scene shows more killing of the prisoners when the trap misfires. Then, Junior, a prisoner who tried to rape Ripley earlier, heroically sacrifices himself to the Alien so the prisoners can trap the Alien.

Chapter 26: They Don't Want To Kill It

This new scene shows Aaron and Ripley talking about killing the Alien.

Chapter 27: Cut Loose

This new scene shows Golic begging Morse to set him free, and he finally does, then Golic hits Morse over the head unconcsious.

Chapter 28: Permission Denied

This new scene shows Ripley requesting permission from the company to terminate the Alien and they say "no".

Chapter 29:

This extended/alternate scene shows the deranged Golic going to where the Alien is, and he slits the guard's throat, opens the door and is instantly killed by the Alien.

Chapter 31: Better Get Prepared

This new scene shows Dillon and the prisoners having a meeting.

Chapter 32: A Classified Code

Ripley tells Aaron that the Alien won't kill her.

Chapter 33:

This extended scene shows more dialogue between Ripley and Dillon.

Chapter 35: Plan B

This extended/alternate scene has additonal dialogue by Ripley and the prisoners.

Chapter 36: One Chance

This alternate scene is the alternate version of the prisoners waiting for the plan to start.

Chapter 37: It Started

This extended scene shows a prisoner finding a bloody mess of another prisoner.

Chapter 38: Improvising

This extended scene shows Dillon telling Ripley that they are "Improvising".

Chapter 42: Never Trust a Bishop

This extended scene has additional dialogue between Bishop II and Ripley.

Chapter 43: Ripley's Choice

This extended/alternate scene shows Ripley hesitating for a moment before she falls. And, a different shot of Ripley falling into the lava, without the Alien Queen bursting out of her.

The Special Edition is more violent and profane, yet it makes more sense because an Alien that size could NEVER burst out of a dog, but it could burst out of an ox.

The Alien series is probably my favorite series of all-time, and Aliens is one of my favorite movies. While Alien 3 does have a lot of good points, it has flaws too. It's a strange movie in that respect.

Best things first: ATMOSPHERE. The brilliant David Fincher (see Seven and Fight Club, two of my other favorites) creates a very chilling atmosphere. At times the sets and atmosphere are the best of the entire series with this movie. It is high-tech yet primitive in some respects, and things always seem to be wet. Also, Sigourney Weaver is good as Ripley. There are a lot of very suspenseful moments as well.

On to the flaws: first and foremost, the alien itself. The nightmarish creature has been totally desecrated in this movie, it looks terrible. I'm not sure how much faith I have in computer-generated xenomorphs, although Alien Resurrection's aliens are infinitely better. On the flip side of the coin, we don't actually see it that much. And the scenes where it runs across the ceiling and we see what it's seeing? Excellent. Also I was kind of sad at how abruptly Newt, Hicks, and Bishop are chopped out of the story. I understand why it was done, but it seemed unresolved, even after the parts involving Newt and Bishop.

Another thing: the finale is superb. I won't say what happens as not to spoil it, but it is very good and quite chilling. To close, Alien 3 is a pretty good movie and it really is worthy of the series. It's just not as good as the others.