Underrated

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2000)

The third of the Alien saga is also perhaps the most critically mauled of the series. Almost inevitably, it fails to live up to the first two films, but Alien 3 showcases the strikingly visual style of director Fincher: dimly lit corridors criss-cross a claustrophobic prison facility where there are no weapons, and from which there is no escape. True, the script is largely second-rate, and allegedly not helped by interference from 'suits' at 20th Century Fox; true too, the acting is rarely better than adequate, save the ever-reliable Weaver, minus hair this time around. However Alien 3 would have made an acceptable conclusion to the Alien - and more importantly the Ripley - saga, had it not been for Jeunet and his Alien: Resurrection, which left the series once again in limbo after a truly corny ("I'm a stranger here myself...") ending.
8/10