Lightness in the dark?

Rating: 7/10 (14 August 2009)

This is my favourite Alien film. There I said it; a controversial statement among hardened series fans. I have recently made this decision having watched them all in close succession (though I must confess to watching them in reverse order).
It sits as the black sheep of the set and the whole piece has been a magnet for negativity from the start. The film had a troubled and fractious production through business and creative conflicts which lead to negative remarks from cast and crew, and then once released, the series' fanboys were quick to condemn it. So if these two expectedly loyal groups offer little enthusiasm towards the film then why is it my favourite this time round?
The most noticeable thing about this instalment is that it's dark. But not straight-up black like a Tim Burton film, more an unsettling exchange of brown and grey expressed through the industrial surroundings of a combined prison and lead smelting plant. The living quarters are lifeless grey brick rooms, flatly lit with a bare white light and the smelting plant's ominous rusty brown metal corridors offer a stark contrast with their dank, shadow rich environment. The lack of natural comfort continues beyond the facility's perimeter where, in the brief glimpses offered, we witness a ravaged and sterile planet, wrathfully weather-beaten with the only hint of softness offered from its dual suns, both large and ominous in view but soft in tone; their energy paling in comparison to the planet's atmospheric blockade and their nurture muted. To observe this level of ecological disarray from beneath a duvet is shear bliss.
The score (Elliot Goldenthal) is great too, not amazing, just, 'right'. Its subtle composition uses dark orchestral tones trapped amongst an undulating synthesis to add to the unnatural atmosphere. I could imagine it has been filtered throughout to reduce high frequency content and minimise any potential brightness. The resulting soundscapes are well placed against the visuals and create an emotional extension and a sense of foreboding often felt more than heard. Hints of 'melody' and the wonderfully grave yet momentous theme offer more blatant orchestral prowess which really drives home some of the expressive moments. Indeed the climax of the film has one of my favourite (I have lots) thematic cues which is painfully snubbed in the directors cut by an attempt to improve on a slightly questionable ending.
The framing and camera angles at times reflect on the director's music video experience, with cool and quirky camera angles that are effective in the confined spaces adding visual engagement to an action film surviving more on violent threat than realisation. A glut of low level shots leaves the viewer looking up at the surroundings feeling unnaturally small; at times this lends the characters a protective appeal as they tower above your vulnerable position in this hostile environment.
The characters themselves are a grisly bunch; troubled souls, pushed to the outer fringe of civilisation, which in this futuristic setting is a whole other planet. They're 'scum' in the purest form and there's little to make you care about or like them. But I do, I warm to them and find their 'company' somehow satisfying. Maybe it's because I've seen it several times and am a little more familiar with them, maybe it's because Big Cuddly Clive from brit TV show Casualty is in it, or maybe it's because of those moments, where no matter how mean or evil they have professed to have been in the past, their human warmth and basic need for friendship, affection and simple help strengthens my earnest belief that within every thorny exterior, no matter how trapped it may seem, there is an innate vulnerability that can only be satisfied through the social rewards offered from positive behaviour.
And I believe that is why it was my favourite installment this time.
Reassurance.
Alien 3's conflicting elements of dark and light, twisted and pure & 'good' and 'evil', combine effectively with its undulating levels of fear and security to offer a satisfying emotional engagement, negative on the surface, but with a hidden sanguinity. If you're watching this for Alien action then you may be disappointed, but if you're feeling bleak, alone or just a wee bit sinister then this could certainly be a satisfying watch.