alien 3 is the only alien film i have seen in theaters . i saw it when i was 13 years old , and i must admit that i didn't like it . of course , i was expecting aliens again , and i believe this was my fault . in order to appreciate alien 3 , you need to see aliens , but you also have to wipe away all the expectations from its predecessor . james cameron's aliens was an action film , and many people consider it the best in the series . i am among that group , but alien 3 is an extremely entertaining film , which critics have bashed for its originality . many thought the final chase scene went on for too long , and many others thought that the film was too much dialogue and not enough action . both are untrue , because the film has quite a bit of action , and the dialogue was essential and well-written . as for the chase sequence , it was long , but not overly long , creating quite a bit of suspense from confusion . perhaps watching alien 3 on video helped . on the big screen , i was overwhelmed by something i normally didn't see . it was a very dark film , and the language was extremely harsh . i had always figured the alien series to rely on smart dialogue instead of moronic profanities . don't get me wrong--i'm not saying films should eliminate swearing , but when a film substitutes dialogue with these profane remarks , it gets rather distracting . however , since seeing it again , i realize that the swearing is mainly just an aspect of the restrained hatred in the characters . as a result , alien 3's only flaw ( albeit a major one ) is the underdeveloped characters . we never really care about any of them , and i get the feeling that many scenes were cut in order to shorten the length of the movie . there were only two characters i liked , and of course one was lt . ripley ( sigourney weaver ) , although we have gotten to know her through two other films . the other character was dr . clemens ( charles dance ) , but because we like him , the inevitable occurs . alien 3 begins exactly where aliens left off . the prologue of alien 3 is a pure cinematic achievement by director david fincher , who had only directed music videos before his chance with this alien entry . without using a single line of dialogue ( unless you count computer warnings ) , fincher sets up the entire film . an impressive aspect of this is that fincher only shows a few seconds of film before cutting to a title card . we see lt . ripley and the little girl in their cryogenic compartments . . . ( title ) . . . a shot of an alien egg . . . ( title ) . . . alien legs stretch up into the air . . . ( title ) . . . and so on and so on . during these first ten minutes , i learned everything i had to in order for alien 3 to proceed . it's quite a remarkable opening , and one which will remain in my mind for a long time . because of this face-hugger which has been hatched aboard the vessel from aliens , the hypersleep containers are sent into an escape pod , and sent down to the nearest planet : fiorina fury-161 , an ore refinery which has been turned into a maximum security prison . however , the face-hugger managed to attach itself to one of the cryo-tubes , and is sent down with the escape pod . unfortunately , during the landing , all but one of the survivors from aliens is killed . ripley is discovered by some of the inmates and taken back to the refinery . of course , you need a carrier for this face-hugger , and it attachs itself to the dog which came with the team of inmates . ripley is revived and asks to see the ship . after seeing a mysterious acid-eaten section , ripley asks to see the dead bodies , and then have them cremated . this cremation scene is one of the most powerful and impressive of all the alien films . featuring a monologue from dillon ( charles s . dutton ) , a prisoner who has found god , the movie cuts back and forth from the ceremony to the dog's demise . it's one of the most memorable moments , as the speech reflects exactly what is going on with the dog . and this is where alien 3 succeeds . fincher normally injects a lot of symbolism into his films , and i can easily see him becoming the next stanley kubrick or alfred hitchcock ( in fact , he is the mixture of both ) . fincher knows exactly what to film and how to film it , and i figure that he will be one of the few directors with complete control over his films . alien 3 is riddled with symbolic speeches and metaphorical images . by doing so , fincher creates some of the best scenes in the entire alien franchise . many people have criticized fincher's filming of the death scene of ripley ( i reveal nothing by saying this ) as looking too fake , but i enjoy and relish in the portrayal . showing ripley fall in slow motion is a nice touch , but by actually not showing her hit the vat of iron , a great deal of symbolism is derived . i feel that it would have spoiled the mood of the entire film if they had actually shown her splash into the molten iron . however , most people seem to want to witness ripley die ( which creates a paradox , as she is the character i didn't want to see die ) . why she is killed is one of the surprises of the film , and i don't plan on spoiling that in this review . >from every alien film comes several memorable moments which seem to stick with you forever . in alien , it was , of course , the moment the alien burst out of kane's stomach . in aliens , it was the showdown between alien and ripley in a machine . alien 3 has several , but most memorable is the terrific shot involving the alien and ripley . ripley is pushed up against a wall , and the alien stands inches away from her . why it doesn't kill her is a shocker , which later leads to a surprise ending . fincher apparently loves to use close-ups of actors' faces ( michael douglas and the clown face-off in the game in the same style ) , and by shaving off the actors' hair , the only thing we have to look at is their faces . many critics didn't like all the actors being bald , but it makes complete sense when taken in context of the plot . most of alien 3 works when you take it in context of the story , but when you try to compare it to its predecessors , fincher's turn seems a bit gloomy and dark , though that's not always a bad thing . the plot is pretty much a rehash of the first two films , with some major twists . again , we are setup with several different characters , and one by one , they are picked off . however , while the first two had tons of arsenal ( especially cameron's film ) , alien 3 takes place on a planet devoid of human life except for this run-down prison . as a result , no weapons are to be found . this creates a lot of tension , although i must admit that fincher could have added a lot more suspense . as an alien film , alien 3 is the worst of the series , but by itself , it is an extremely well-made motion picture , with a lot more merits than not . the unfortunate thing surrounding this second sequel is the one-dimensional characters . i never was really emotionally involved on screen because most of the characters are hardcore criminals whom i really could care less about . despite this , ripley was the central figure , and that's what is important . we care for her , even though she began to act just like one of the guys . again , the technical side of this film is remarkable , and better than the two previous versions . while cameron's version was a pumped up action film with massive artillary , fincher uses brilliant camera angles , terrific lighting , and moody sets . the cinematography , by alex thomson , is very well done , with a terrific chase sequence towards the end of the movie . the confusion of the ending draws the viewer in , as we are just as confused as the actors who are being chased around . the yellows , reds , and oranges of the lights create a dark mood , and by themselves create a lot of suspense . shadows dance on the walls , and yet those shadows could easily be the alien . the alien is different from its predecessors this time around , and the swiftness of this alien is quite intense . the camera likes to take up the perspective of the alien , racing after the characters . the sets are quite incredible , which are reminiscient of the nostromo from alien . the narrow corridors and labrynthine hallways is well constructed . the sets appear to be in the future , but not too far in the future . one of the set pieces even aids in the destruction of the alien ( nothing surprising there ) . sigourney weaver turns out yet another good performance , equaling her portrayal of ripley in aliens . she was snubbed at the oscars for this one , mainly because the film was a critical bomb . her reactions are far more realistic in this film , with her crying over the loss of the little child she risked her life saving in her previous encounter . it's quite touching really . charles s . dutton is very strong in his performance as one of the inmates , and i was on the brink of actually caring for him . charles dance turns in a nice low-key performance , and as a result , i cared for him immediately . lance henriksen makes a brief appearance as bishop ii , but he was more entertaining in aliens . the rest of the cast is pretty stale , though pete postlethwaite sticks out due to his recent turns in the usual suspects and the lost world . alien 3 is rated r for strong violence and language , and sex . although it has its flaws , alien 3 is highly entertaining with rich symbolism . this film reminds you how much fun it is to spot metaphorical images throughout a movie . while kubrick may have a moral message throughout his films , fincher relies on cinematic devices to bring his meanings out . it's a film like fincher's which reminds us that it is okay for a film to sacrifice quality for quantity ( the final scene ) . in fact , it tells us that we , as a society , have become too critical of things which may happen to look a little " fake . " whenever something looks fake on screen , we immediately point it out as a mistake . but perhaps it isn't a mistake .
