One of the better Alien titles.

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2008)

It is a real shame that many people did not enjoy this addition to the Alien franchise, all the comments that you see posted are generally the same but I think that they superficially skim over the surface of what is actually a very good Alien film and one of my favourite's.
It is important to note that there is a 'Theatrical' release of this film and also a 'Directors Cut'. It is a real shame but the Directors Cut explains the story a lot better than the theatrical version ever did. The editing and cutting that became the Theatrical release really impaired the story and the characters and left everyone with the same clueless feeling about the overall package that is Alien 3.
If you want a lot of guns, cool technology and colonial marines then watch Aliens by Jim Cameron, Alien 3 is more of an exploration of Ripley and her regression back to her normal self before she was mentally scarred by the events of the previous films. Her regression is short lived as (in true Alien style) there is a Xenomorph on Furion 161. You can relate to Ripley, she is a normal person (a Flight Officer profession wise) but a lot of what she used to be had been stripped away by the previous events. What you see in Alien 3 is a small glimpse of hope in her that things might be over.
The prisoners of Fury 161 comprise of many talented British actors (not all British of course) who deliver exceptional performances (Charles Dance is a prime example). It was not to everyone's taste. They do however offer a gritty and well balanced malevolence to the whole film.
If you want to fully appreciate Alien 3 you really need to treat yourself to the Directors Cut, this offers a better delivery of the story and also explains things in a lot more depth. There is still small room for improvement even in the Directors Cut of the movie (more notable the Queen Face Hugger the comes off the Ox, you see it from a distance however there was a large model made for the puppet and to be honest it looked amazing, you never see this).
I still have to rate this film with an 8 though, I would love to make it a higher rating but the effects on the Alien itself are not the best. They literally used a puppet on poles and the result is excessively noticeable and lets the movie down. However this film is substance of quality and is a real discovery of Ellen Ripley and if you follow the film and enjoy it you do feel the emotion as she kills herself over the blast furnace.
Top film.