Back to Basics

Rating: 7/10 (16 August 2009)

Alien 3 cuts back from the larger and more action-driven approach of Aliens in order to show a movie that's more down-to-earth and back-to-roots horror film. The film succeeds in a way but unfortunately loses a bit of its appeal in the process.
Visually the film stands out from the rest of the Alien films with its grimy industrial look. The prison setting gives the film a feeling of isolation akin to the first movie. There's only one alien, just as in the first movie, and the humans this time are all but defenseless against it, as in the first movie. However, after being exposed to numerous aliens in the last movie the threat feels underwhelming and the concept a little bit of a rehash.
However, Alien 3 has a distinctly reflective feel to it and the acting performances are far more memorable than in the first movie and the film also has a bit more entertainment value. Still, the final confrontation with the creature lacks the impact of the other movies. Thankfully the iconic final scene of the film salvages the rather underwhelming ending to some degree.
Alien 3 is definitely on par with the first film of the series but lacks a lot of the entertainment value that would make it surpass the original.