Pals, disbelieve the down--talkers

Rating: 8/10 (24 August 2009)

Two words might express the ALIEN's real awesomeness—genuinely scary/ gruesome, and cool. They have cool sets, music, photography, a cool leading actress.
First a few words about Fincher's installment, then about my ALIEN history.
The fact that the ALIEN franchise benefited from Fincher's services for one go is cool. He gave it a stylish look, unlike the previous, rawer installments, yet without going into undue goofiness. (--The Frenchman's movie is delightful, but as a comic book, not as a gritty horror, which at least the first three movies all were.--) 'Alien 3' differs from the previous installments in that it is a planet—based movie—the Ripley capsule crashes on a planet used as maximum security prison and also industrial setting—they have a huge furnace, etc.. The prisoners are organized in a Christian cult, with vows and everything. The installment is adequately violent and brutal, with a gang of picturesque prisoners, enthralling music and especially beautiful photography—those dark cold tones of browns, etc. . For once, poor Ripley quenches her sexual needs—with the handsome physician.
Elliot Goldenthal wrote the wonderfully atmospheric music of the movie; now regarding what is commonly termed the decision to kill off Bishop, Newt, and Hicks, it appealed to me as an original, unpredictable and original move, and I think it suited Fincher's penchant to violent morbidity and gruesomeness, and the critics of this decision had nothing to put forth except for their own puerility, as if some characters of the most respectable Sci—Fi franchise ever were SIMPSONS or STAR TREK characters or something . The Walter Hill and David Giler script is a revolutionary attempt of preserving the franchise from decaying into STAR TREK trash.
Like in other futuristic thrillers, the mere fact of not understanding all the details of the plot, all the steps, all actions' meanings, the architectural dispositions, simply enhances the intended feelings.
Charles Dance is the physician Clemens—one of the notable performances in the whole franchise, like Henriksen doing the android in I haven't seen Alien³ Special Edition, but it sounds exciting, promising.
I love the franchise's lucidity about the availability of the technological progress in the distant future; also, the avoiding of absurdities like Teleportation, biological improvements of humankind, ethical amelioration, etc.. This is a bleak franchise about a sleazy future.
Believe me or not, HR Giger's alien design is not the very best thing about what might be the finest SF franchise ever.
I have seen the installments in random order—I have begun at 15 yrs, in a movie--theater, with 'the Henriksen installment', then after many years I have seen the 4th movie—the one with Wynona—again in a movie—theater, then the 1st, then this one.