Still Underrated!

Rating: 8/10 (8 June 2008)

You definitely won't hear me say that "Alien³" is better or even on par with its two brilliant predecessors. It's not. It's not even playing in the same league, but nevertheless this third entry in one the greatest Sci-Fi franchise ever accomplished is a sublime movie in its own right and the negative reputation it developed over the yeas is undeservedly harsh. Part three isn't as suspenseful as "Alien" or as spectacular as "Aliens", but at least the script doesn't aim to be an ordinary imitation of the first two and continuously attempts to add new ideas and twists to the formula. David Fincher's film has multiple trumps, including the depressing setting, grim and nightmarish set pieces, plausible and versatile characters, the recurring presence of the always-reliable Sigourney Weaver and a handful of marvelously staged action sequences and special effects. Somewhere in a distant future  allegedly the 26th century  Ellen Ripley's space capsule crash-lands on prison colony in outer space. The inhabitants of the prison planet are all hard-boiled and dangerous individuals who haven't been around a woman in several years. The unhealthy sexual tension between the prisoners becomes a luxurious issue when it turns out that a rapidly developing monstrous alien sneaked aboard of Ripley's capsule and prowls freely around the facility using the ventilation systems. The unstoppable alien makes several casualties before the remaining survivors gather around Ripley and decide to help her fighting the creature, rather than to wait until the Company comes to the rescue. The first half of "Alien³" is superior but, ironically enough, also the tamest and more story-driven half of the film. The interactions between Ripley and the prisoners and between the prisoners mutually form the highlights of the film. Every character has a fascinating background and you'll quickly find yourself wondering who amongst them, if any, will survive the confrontation with the alien perpetrator. "Alien³" masterfully exploits the element of surprise, meaning that  apart from Ripley perhaps  it's practically impossible to predict which character is likely to die next and how. Admittedly the second half, largely revolving on the bloody cat-and-mouse game between the inmates and the alien, is a bit too chaotically filmed and not always easy to follow. James Cameron's masterpiece "Aliens" offered a delicious smörgåsbord of heavy artillery and copious amounts of gunfire, whereas this sequel is the complete opposite. Supposedly the extraterrestrial prison facility doesn't have any weapons at all (a bit hard to believe, but still) and thus Ripley & C° are forced to battle their nearly invincible opponent with sly and well thought out plans and industrial machinery. The monster's original design still takes my breath away after all these years and innumerable viewings. The alien is  hands down  the absolute scariest movie creature ever developed, and even the newborn ones look incredibly menacing. The climax is stupendous, sad and legendary all at the same time and anyone who ever saw all the Alien films will unmistakably feel the deepest sympathy for Ellen Ripley. Speaking of which, Sigourney Weaver gives her third flawless performance in the franchise she pretty much owns entirely by herself and, just like in parts one and two, she can once again depend on a solid supportive cast. Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover and Danny Webb all give away the finest performance of their whole careers. Some of the characters are killed off perhaps a bit too early, but it's all part of the delightful surprise and shock effect. The best description of "Alien³" I ever encountered unfortunately isn't one I thought up myself, but here goes anyway (I wish I could credit whoever said it, but I forgot where I first encountered the comment): "Alien³" isn't a bad movie at all. In fact, it's a terrific movie and countless times better than 90% of all other outings in the Sci-Fi genre. It just has the misfortune of having to follow two landmarks it couldn't possible equal in the first place. Amen!