The Best Movie of the Series (just)

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2004)

Firstly if you have only seen the theatrical release of this then I urge you to see the Directors cut. It adds a lot more to the film in terms of characters and even has a different host for the Alien.
The opening to the movie is a visual treat. It shows of the bleak setting wonderfully and I wonder why it wasn't included in the actual release. It also reaffirms what I thought about the theatre release, that this isn't a film about the Alien. In fact an early script would have had no Alien appearing at all. It delves into the psyche of murderers and rapists who are left to rot on a planet with only god to guide. The sense of isolation and meagre existence led by the prisoners captivated me. The Alien is the devil of the film come to grab them back to their previous lives of 'evil'.
The acting is first class, and probably the best of any sci-fi I can think of. Reactions to the monster are correct showing genuine fear rather than the masochism shown in Aliens, Resurrection and AVP. This out of all others in the story attempts to show of the loneliness of space exploration and look into the lives of those that inhabit the universe. If you are a fan of sci-fi then this I feel is the best of the bunch.