Underrated, pessimistic, thought-provoking and disturbing

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 2011)

Unfairly maligned by fans and critics on its release, ALIEN 3 is a film that has a lot going for it. It's unlucky, really, that it follows up two very different movies involving equally brilliant situations: the small-scale claustrophobic horror of ALIEN and the action-packed, large-scale alien war of ALIENS. Yes, the plot follows the same template as in the first film, with a sole creature bumping off a larger cast, but so do many other sci-fi/horror movies. Playing to type isn't necessarily a bad thing.
One thing ALIEN 3 does have going for it is style. Along with SE7EN, this helped define new-look realist cinema, full of grittiness and lived-in grime. It's a harsh, pessimistic world we see on screen, incredibly downbeat in its killing-off of key figures from the series, and although David Fincher may have disowned it, I find it one of his finest films. ALIEN 3 is creepily atmospheric and boasts at least one full-on original horror scene, ironically involving video monitoring once again (although a far cry from the motion tracker sequence in ALIENS). The bit in which Ripley undergoes a body scan is one of the most chilling I can remember seeing in the 1990s.
It also helps that an ensemble cast brings to life the rather familiar storyline. Ripley, shaven-headed and scarred, is tougher than ever, and she has to be amid one of the most unsympathetic list of characters ever amassed in a film. Despite this, the likes of Pete Postlethwaite, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, and in particular Charles S. Dutton bring warmth, humour, pathos and indeed charisma to their prisoner roles. Dutton in particular is outstanding, particularly during a stirring speech he gets late on ("Nobody ever gave me nothing!"). Bringing Lance Henriksen back helps tie up the series chronology, and while the CGI-animated alien may have dated slightly (although nowhere near as badly as you might think), Fincher's inventive, frenetic camera-work keeps the action scenes working. Add in an inventive climax (copied by TERMINATOR: SALVATION recently) and you have one heck of an entertaining sequel and the last decent movie in this series.
Update: I've recently watched the assembly cut of this movie, which makes it a much better viewing experience The story makes a lot more sense this time around and answers most of the plot holes from the theatrical cut, such as the disappearance of crazed prisoner Golic. The addition of 'trapping the alien' sequence is also a decent one, and I don't really buy the reasons for excising it in the first place; does it make the alien a less credible menace? Not a chance. On the other hand, the running time is now close to 2h20m, which spoils the pacing, and it drags a little in the mid section despite all the action going on. As a huge fan of the series, I think the assembly cut is by far the better version of the film, and I wouldn't go back to the theatrical edition.