Deeply Flawed but Vastly Underrated

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2004)

This film is probably the most controversial of the four "Alien" films. At the time of it's release most critics and audiences hated it. Possibly because they expected more of the violent "Platoon"-in-space action of James Cameron's "Aliens". However, just as James Cameron made his own film instead of just copying Ridley Scott's original "Alien", so first-time feature film director David Fincher made his own film here. This film is bleak, dark, depressing and gritty.
The film opens with series regular Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) landing on the prison planet Fiornia in an escape pod. The landing, incidentally, kills off the other survivors of the previous film (which came in for a lot of criticism). However, Ripley has brought with her one of the aliens, which quickly impregnates a dog (in the theatrical version, or an ox in the extended assembly cut of the film).
The film is set mostly in a dirty, grim refinery, which doubles as a prison. Everyone is bald (the characters have to shave their heads because of lice) and there are no guns. The film is a very brave attempt to do something different with a hugely successful franchise. Its main flaw is that there isn't really a satisfactory explanation of how the alien eggs got on board the space-ship at the beginning.
Everything is a couple of shades darker in this film. Ripley is a much bleaker character this time around. Her entire life has been taken from her by the aliens. The acting is very good in this film. Charles S Dutton (as the prisoner's spiritual leader) and Charles Dance (as the prison doctor with a very shady past) are especially good..