Not as abominable as mentioned, it's watchable but fairly mediocre

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2008)

If this would really be an awful film I would not have chosen to watch it again. If you want to see awful go see the Alien vs Predator flicks. Those deserve 1/10 ratings and are simply B-movies, made without talent.
But this film has interesting characters in a setting we haven't seen in the Alien films before, with more depth than any of the other films. While it's true that it doesn't help to have a leading character that is going to die for sure combined with lowlife thugs, you may not care about them. I did care about the Charles S Dutton guy and the doctor who died way too soon. They made a mistake there. Finally Ripley is a bit sexier and has a relationship with an interesting man but he's one of the first to go. And yes there are more mistakes. It does not make sense that Ripley stays alive for so long before the chest burster comes out and that she didn't drown long before that. Beyond that others have pointed out plenty of other plot holes. One thing I don't get and remains unexplained is how exactly this alien is different...yes it's smaller and has a different color...but why??? The movie lacks much of the suspense and shock moments that the first Alien had. Also, graphically, it's rather monotonous in color. David Fincher has made better films and this one is no where near as gripping as Seven.
But of all the films it probably has the best acting. Weaver is brilliant in each film which is why they kept asking her, as the popular heroine Ripley she's guaranteed to generate plenty of cash for the box office and she sets an example how to portray a real strong and heroic, but still fragile and feminine character of flesh and blood (not a single actress has come even close to her performances i.m.o.). Dutton and Charles Dance are very good too.
That and addiction to the Alien series with Weaver makes the film worth watching. I consider the 4th installment to be the worst, because it had too much caricatures, in this film, the people are more real and you really get the sense there is a community they live in, no matter how humble and grim.