Bleak sequel hasn't aged well

Rating: Null/10 (1 August 2007)

The last time I saw Alien 3 in full and unedited was about 10 years ago. At the time, I considered the sequel to be a dark, brooding, mostly satisfying follow-up to Aliens. I dug the film's bleakness, and while it wasn't as elegant as the first film or as action-packed as the second, I still considered Alien 3 be a fitting (if depressing) end to Ripley's dark journey.
I recently read about the studio cut of the film, so I decided to revisit it via Netflix. The longer studio version (not a director's cutas I understand it Fincher had nothing do with it) offers an altered beginning and ending, as well as several extra scenes that flesh out a few secondary characters and fill a few plot holes (like what happened to prisoner Golic). Unfortunately, the longer cut only serves to exacerbate flaws that weren't readily apparent to me upon that first glance a decade ago.
(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)--It pains me to write this, but Alien 3 is largely an incoherent mess. The first 30 minutes are OK, as we see Ripley mourning the loss of her surrogate daughter and adjusting to her potentially dangerous new environs. Sigourney Weaver is fantastic as she was in the first two films, so no problems there.
The plot begins to unravel after the beast's first appearance. The last 90 minutes consist of the alien (only one creature this time, like in the first flick) picking off the prison population, an interchangeable band of bald, white, English guys. Only a few characters stand out, and one of them is inexplicably killed halfway through. The final elongated action scene is particularly wonky, as we get alien POV shots as it chases its victims through the prison complex's dank corridors. After awhile it becomes difficult to tell who's getting eaten and who's not, and frankly, it doesn't really matter, as these characters were so thinly sketched in the first place. And the final-scene cameo of a certain actor from the previous film simply makes no sense.
Plot's not the only problem: I remember reading about the various script changes during the long hiatus between Aliens and Alien 3. That instability shows here...particularly towards the end of the film when the dialogue becomes ridiculously vulgar. I'm no prude, far from it, but all the f-bombs seemed forced and unnecessary. Again, Weaver's quite good, but there's only so much she can do with garbage lines like, "They think we're crud." Alien 3 isn't a complete waste of time...and it's better than Alien:Resurrection ...the special effects aren't great, but not as bad as some IMDb reviewers contend. The sets and costumes are industrial and gritty, and I still enjoy the movie's overall bleak atmosphere, which at least sets this film apart from its predecessors. However, Alien 3 does not give me the kick that it once did. That makes me a little sad.