Movie #115 Aliens3 *1992*

Sigourney Weaver - Ripley
Charles Dutton - Dillon
Lance Henriksen - Bishop II
David Fincher (Director)

This is the franchise that I think best personifies diminishing returns.  Alien is one of my favorite Sci-Fi films.  I personally believe it is better than Blade Runner (blasphemy to some).  Then came Aliens.  I found it to be a serviceable action movie but I think it has none of the charm and intrigue of the first film. 

Now I have seen the third film in the series. I looked through the internets to see how many more sequels there are and found that there is no easy answer to that.  Mostly due to the merging with the Predator franchise and continued support of the films. There is even talk of a new Alien movie directed by the original director Ridley Scott.

Alien3 takes place on a distant planet inhabited exclusively by ultra religious, convicts.  They are all violent killers and/or rapists that have now found God.  There living quarters at one point were a work release of sorts in where they used to refine lead.  The establishment has a warden, a guard and a doctor that used to be an inmate.  Of all the people on the planet the doc is the only one glad to see Ripley arive.  Of all the non-regular Alien cast members, I found his character and performance the most interesting.

Ripley arrives in a pod due to an electrical problem on the main spaceship.  And guess what she brings with her?  That's right another alien creature.  This seems to be a different breed from the first 2 films.  It moves differently and has strange and unique features.

This is David Fincher's debut feature and while like so many first films from will be auteurs, you can see glimpses of their style and sensibilities but as a whole the film is a mess.  The location makes for a very dirty, brownish green color that makes it difficult to get depth perspective.  I don't know what was going on with the music.  The script is a mess and some of the characters come off more like caricatures.  Poor Charles Dutton.  Either he is a bad actor, or he gets saddled in many films and TV shows with poorly written parts.

Sigourney Weaver is solid even though the script kind of hangs her out to dry.  The first ending was very anti-climatic.  Then there is a suprise and the second ending was ridicolus.  Then there is a third ending that I thought was beautiful and that The Matrix totally ripped off.  As a matter of fact this film reminded me a lot of The Matrix. Only not nearly as good.

Because of its pervasiveness the Alien franchise is availible in a multitude of collections.  I was given a DVD of the first 3 films for Christmas.  I would say if possible watch Alien of course.  Then if you are in the mood for a decent silly action movie watch Aliens.  Then if you need a nap watch Aliens3.  I would give Alien3 a 2/5 stars.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.