The most underrated film in the franchise. ***** out of 5

Rating: Null/10 (10 February 2005)

I have been a fan of this film since it's release in '92. I'm totally aware of the conflict between the director and the studio and all of the various different stories to do with this film. Not too many films with that kind of history can turn out quite like this one. Somehow a very good entry in the series was born amongst all of the stuff that was going on. All of the acting is excellent. Elliot Goldenthal scored one of my favorite film scores ever. Weaver looks like a real bad ass with a shaved head. And the Dog Alien is the scariest creature in any of the 'Alien' films. You see, this one can run on all fours. The atmosphere here is very industrial and bleak. Personally, I'm not too sure why it has gained all of the critical lambasting it has, but I think it was a perfect way to end the Alien Trilogy. Of course Alien Resurrection come around and continued the story of Ellen Ripley... but that's another story.
The DVD version contains a different cut of the film, which is quite interesting. I especially liked how some of the characters were given a lot more screen time but some of these scenes have to be played with subtitles because they never went through the dubbing stage of production and it can be hard to hear the characters speak over loud background noises. You would have thought somehow they could have been dubbed over for the DVD release. Still, they're good to see. I thought the alternate alien birth was quite neat. The special effects in this sequence were great. However, if the alien was born from an ox, I think it would have been best had they put horns on the alien. Still this alternate scene isn't as dramatic as the theatrical version. I personally prefer the dog birth scene since it's a lot harder to watch because you can tell that the poor dog is in a lot of pain. Perhaps the most disappointing moment in the alternate cut is the ending. The queen alien no longer pops out of Ripley's chest. There are major cuts here, and the music shifts gears, sounding obviously tampered with. Overall though, this version is an interesting alternative but I still prefer the theatrical version.
I highly recommend this film regardless of what the director and all the nay-sayers say. It's good stuff.