Disappointing

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 1998)

I like this film for 3 simple reasons. First of all, it's got a great lead actress, Sigourney Weaver who has always proven to be great in the role of Ripley whether she's human or cloned. Second, the film has a really dark tone and a lot of style thanks to director David Fincher and cinematographer Alex Thomson. Third and most important, the story shows us the real tragedy of Ellen Ripley's life, how everyone around her, everyone she cares for are taken away from her by the Alien. Still she prevails. The ending left me in shivers because of Ripley's courage and sacrifice. Although all these things could have made a grand film for the series, David Fincher didn't really know where he was going. He just didn't seem at ease and the whole package feels unfinished, sometimes boring. There are very few action or suspense scenes, like I said, the film relies more on drama for it's effect which is great but not for an Alien film. It would have needed more action, more suspense, more terror and victims we care for (except for Ripley of course.) Although it's got it's share of goodies, Alien³ is mostly a disappointment, especially when you compare it to it's 2 predecessors.