A grim, atmospheric conclusion: just make sure you're watching the Assembly Cut

Rating: 10/10 (22 August 2019)

Yes, I consider it a conclusion to the Alien trilogy, because 'Alien: Resurrection' is merely a parody on an Alien movie - not very bad per se, yet not even close to something that should be called 'Alien 4'. No, the story ends here, as eerily as it began in 1979, with more rust and depression added to the mix.
'Alien 3' is an unlucky sequel, and I think its biggest trouble was the original final cut, which indeed felt quite chaotic and inferior to the first two movies. I guess many of those who found it underwhelming hadn't seen the Assembly Cut, which was released only in 2003.
And I must say, it corrects all the mistakes. Now I can fully appreciate the film being different from its predecessors. 'Alien' offered us suspense, fear of the unknown. 'Aliens' gave us strong, memorable characters. 'Alien 3' doesn't really have all that. We already know the creature we're dealing with. We've already seen top-notch Colonial Marine action and their furious desire to survive. Now we have an immersive atmosphere of despair and hopelessness. We have an intense bait-and-chase sequence, which I simply adore. We have a bleak ending that the film has been preparing us for over the unforgettable two and a half hours. And I don't find the film dull and overlong, not for a second.
Sure, one can reasonably blame 'Alien 3' for wasting Hicks (like I did), but then I also blamed 'Aliens' for wasting Hudson (albeit in combat, which does not make it pointless) - and these two guys are actually my favourite characters in the entire franchise.