UK & Germany

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2001)

This third `Alien' sequel really is a mixed bag of the good and the bad. The setting, the atmosphere and the characters hark back to Parts 1 and 2 (that's good). The new Ripley is also fascinating with her "darker side" and the aliens themselves were more "in your face" than they've ever been before, which is also a positive thing. I like to SEE my monsters in a monster movie, and I don't buy into the pretentious and arty-farty view that "the less you see of them the scarier they are". If the monsters are well executed and don't just look like men in rubber suits, bring 'em on!!! Another good thing was how the Aliens are seen in this movie to be intelligent and thinking creatures - as when they turn on and kill one of their own in order to use its acid blood to burn their way out of their confinement. Murderously ingenious!!! What I didn't like however were the lame attempts to inject elements of humour into the movie, like when Dan Hedaya's rather cartoonish General character offers a stiff salute to his just deceased comrades immediately before becoming Alien fodder himself (you can just picture Lesley Nielson doing the scene in an Alien spoof movie), and Winona Ryder's android character plugging herself into the space vessel's loudspeaker system and saying "Would all Aliens please report to....". The Alien franchise is NOT about comedy, and such silliness has no place in an Alien movie. I also thought that the "Alien baby" was - and came across as - a desperate attempt to come up with a new angle on the creatures which just didn't work. Let's stick to the chestbursters!! I'd give this one 5 (maybe 6 if I'm feeling generous) out of 10. Not a BAD movie. But let's hope that the rumoured Number 5 is better.