Like a good wine, gets better as it ages....

Rating: 7/10 (18 March 2003)

It's interesting in that when I first went to see Alien3 at the cinema on the year of its release I couldn't help fill disappointed after seeing the film. There was so much weight to carry after the horror action combo of the first two films, that this was always going to be a hard act to follow.
However, as time has passed and re-watching the film without the expectations that were first placed upon it, its makes for interesting viewing. Indeed, the somber story and brown-green visuals that pervades the films will never endear it to a large audience. Yet there is much to admire about the film. It's wonderfully stylish, has some really key performances from some of the leads, and is very brave with its story.
Watching it makes me yearn to see the Directors Cut (at least another 40 minutes of character driven footage was excised from the film just prior to its release by the studio). Alas, only time will tell if Fincher and Fox will put their differences behind them, and let us enjoy the original vision of a young and talented director who was so obviously working under constraint at the time.
And for those of you who haven't seen the film - or dismissed it - I implore you to watch again with fresh eyes.