The Alien Itself Is One of the Least Unpleasant Things About This Movie

Rating: 4/10 (31 March 2008)

David Fincher's contribution to the "Alien" series is a completely unpleasant experience. It's grim, dour, grungy and depressing, filled with ugly characters who we don't learn anything about and therefore don't care about. As they get picked off one by one by the alien, we're moved to feel nothing more than that Fincher is automatically going through the motions. There's no thrill in this film, as there was in the first two films. There's also not a scare -- neither psychological nor visceral -- to be had. This sequel brings nothing new to the story -- after "Aliens," the creators of this series should have put it to rest, because there isn't much more material to mine from this particular concept.
And one of the things that bothered me the most about "Alien 3" is its inconsistency. How can Ripley be impregnated with an alien for weeks before it hatches from her, whereas every other single creature infected before her (even including the dog in this one) hatches an alien seemingly within hours? You can't change the rules on us and not expect us to rebel.
Grade: C-