The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 1999)

I'm as much of a fan of the Alien Legacy as the next ummm fan of the Alien Legacy, but this movie is a mess! Yet, a very stylish and sometimes entertaining mess.
David Fincher is one of my favortie up-and-coming directors. I shouldn't categorize him just as an 'up-and-coming' director, but after four features he doesn't seem to have the recognition he deserves. This was his first feature film, and his trademark ink-black vision is printed all over this film.
Ripley finds herself on a planet full of male convicts with shaved heads. It seems like after all her battles with the infamous alien creatures, she can only get as good as this dank god-for-saken hellhole. Very few of these men (who, bizzarely enough, mostly consist of Brits) have any tolerance for her. They are 'born-again', have changed their evil ways, and have no need for women. They either shun her away or attempt to rape her. This makes the movie so bleak, it's hard to watch.
But Fincher's uncanny style is so interesting you keep watching. The alien finally appears via a pet dog's stomach (cool!) and now the men are looking at Ripley to help them out. This goes to the usual shenanigans, but there are some differences. There is one cool attempt at burning the alien, which shows off that the alien can move at a rapid speed not only on the ground but also on walls and cielings.
But I must go back to Fincher's style again. It's so dreadful, its absolutely hypnotic and breathtaking. The little girl from ALIENS is dead, her body naked and white in the autopsy scene. The only human lover Ripley has ever had in the series (which seems to have lasted for more than 100 years due to hyper-sleep!) is killed off by the alien. Ripley recovers from the landing ship in the beginning of the movie with one nasty, bloodshot eye (once you see it you'll know what I mean) and she has to shave her head(!) to fit in with the guys. Also the alien itself seems blacker in this film, probably due to Fincher's signature use of print on film.
In conclusion, this movie doesn't amount to the first two. But that doesn't mean it's bad. It's very different, but that doesn't mean it isn't faithful to the Alien saga. It's very disturbing, but deserves a look at, especially for Fincher fans.