Imperfect but intense sequel (Alien 3 (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Alien 3 (DVD)
Date:	02/09/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great performances and mostly good direction

Disadvantages: Sadly does away with two great characters in the first few minutes

note: also appears in part on The Student Room and Flixster

Alien 3, although the worst of the initial four films, is still a solid action film thanks to the presence of Sigourney Weaver in her most famous role, as badass soldier Ellen Ripley, and also thanks to the direction of David Fincher who, despite numerous fallouts with Fox over the film, still managed to knockout a solid film, that is considerably better if you decide to check out the Director's Cut, which remedies the normal film's numerous problems, pacing and otherwise.

The film opens as Ripley, Newt, and Hicks return from the stasis they were put in at the end of the second film. However, Newt and Hicks die as the ship lands back on Earth, and it appears that an alien that was onboard the ship has also awoken and escaped the pod, attaching itself to a nearby dog and subsequently wreaking havoc with a whole new host of characters.

Alien 3 was formulated as a conclusion to the series that ends with a rather game-changing twist, which made the creation of a fourth film very challenging (and they met it quite well, admittedly). Weaver brings that steely presence back as Ripley, and whilst some of the atmosphere and austerity of the previous instalments, partly thanks to an inexperienced director this time, is gone, this is still an impressive debut work that is unfairly criticised for not living up to the impossibly high standards set by Ridley Scott and James Cameron in the first two films. It's still an above-average science fiction, particularly if you watch the ammended Director's Cut.

By no means the most enthralling installment in the series, yet Fincher is a master with the camera. Intense and entertaining, with a great ending.

Summary: A solid sci-fi if pale compared to Alien and Aliens