Well worth seeing.

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2000)

This film is, in my opinion (which I freely admit is unpopular), tied for second-best of the Alien films. The original is unquestionably the finest; "Aliens" is a good action flick but fails to capture anything of the mood of the original; "Alien: Resurrection" ties with "Alien 3" for second-best on sheer strength of mood, style, and premise.
My favourite element of "Alien 3" is not even connected to the creature itself. The society on Fury 161 is brilliantly conceived, and Fincher's directing - this *is* the man who went on to make "Se7en," after all - brings it to gritty life. Ripley's reaction to this society of devoutly religious thugs begins in earnest the hardening process that begins in "Aliens," and gives her perhaps the strength to make the decision she must at the film's end.
Kudos to the clever way in which Lance Henriksen reappears. Disappointing was the hackneyed way in which the alien was finally destroyed. All the cast members - like the original, mostly British character actors such as Pete Postlethwaite - did very well with their roles. Well worth seeing.