Alien - three of a kind? (Alien 3 (DVD))

Member Name: david_1967

Product:	Alien 3 (DVD)
Date:	11/03/08 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Third installment of the big screens greatest terror plus 30 mins of new footage

Disadvantages: Does not come close to touching the original

In a moment of boredom and unwilling to sit through Jeremy bloody Kyle yet again I shuffled through my DVD collection and, fancying something in a sci-fi vain, settled for 'Alien 3: 2-Disc Special Edition'. Not the best movie on the shelf but one I hadn't seen for a while. Unlike Jeremy bloody Kyle!

This, the third instalment of the 'Alien' saga, sees Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as her emergency evacuation pod crash lands onto Fiorina 161, a desolate planet inhabited by the former inmates of a maximum security facility. It is not long before she realises that an alien was also onboard the craft and has now taken refuge in the mining facility. With no weapons or advanced technology Ripley and the others must use their wits and guile to trap a beast intent on killing them all - except Ripley that is!

The film has an abundance of famous British actors including Brian Glover ('Kes'), Pete Postlethwaite ('Brassed Off'), Charles Dance and Paul McGann and Ralph Brown who both appeared alongside each other in the fantastic 'Withnail & I' as the characters Peter Marwood ('I') and drug-dealer Danny respectively. Maybe we Brits play murderers and rapists so much better than the Americans.

Technically far from brilliant 'Alien 3' has some very dodgy special effects of H.R Giger's xenomorph as it travels through the largely empty tunnels of the facility but he does manage to create a sense of futility in the face of adversity. Considering the film was released in 1991 it is probably unfair to criticise the effects but, for the purposes of its 'Special Edition' status, they could have tarted them up a little a la 'Star Wars'. The acting for the most part is satisfactory with Paul McGann playing with relish the insane (and smelly) character Golic. As a negative though Brian Glover just cannot do the posh accent he delivers as the facilities warden; he is much better suited to just shouting.

It is impossible to talk about any movie in the 'Alien' saga without mentioning the original movie which was a stunning film with fantastic scenery, wonderful lighting and a creature which not only looked awesome but had a supreme screen presence. 'Alien 3', whilst not living up to this bench-mark, does try its best and in the special edition comes complete with an added 29 minutes of extra footage which gives the film more depth and, as well as giving a better insight into the lives of the workers and the facility they reside in, manages to re-do the ending and take out the bit where Ripley grabs......I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it but it did need removing! You also get the original theatrical release so you can compare the two should you wish.

Other extras on the second DVD include storyboard galleries, pre-production featurettes, photo archives and a multi-angle segment. There is also a piece called 'Xeno-erotic: HR Giger Redesign Featurette' which focuses on the transformation of the alien in this episode of the saga. Unfortunately the 5.1 surround sound doesn't get much of a workout which is surprising for a film such as this but it does manage to envelop you in the empty locations with the echoes and hollow sounds.

The director, David Fincher, who went on to direct 'Fight Club' and the wonderfully dark 'Se7en', created a bleak and barren picture with 'Alien 3', a secluded society of male convicts suddenly having to deal with a female amongst them AND an horrific killing machine. Sometimes it would be difficult to judge which would be the most scary!

This review is also posted on Ciao.

Summary: A good film with Gigers creation running amok!