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DVD Alien 3 (Collector's Edition)
The least successful film in this series was directed by stylemaster (and content-underachiever) David Fincher. Ripley, the only survivor of her past mission, awakens on a prison planet in the far corners of the solar system. As she tries to recover, she realizes that not only has an alien gotten loose on the planet, the alien has implanted one of its own within her. As she battles the prison authorities (and is aided by the prisoners) in trying to kill the alien, she must also cope with a distinctly shortened lifespan that awaits her. But the striking imagery makes for muddled action and the script confuses it further. The ending looks startling but it takes a long time--and a not particularly satisfying journey--to get there. --Marshall Fine
There is an understandable tendency to view this as the least successful of the Alien series. I think this is more due to its curious handling of the entire alien plotline which cheerfully combines the usual, 'alien chases humans who then chase it,' fare with a startling mystical vision. There is a great deal of symbol dropping, but the references to biblical myth never quite gel. Director David Finchley never quite overcomes the hurdles that this aspect of the film presents, but he actually does quite well with everything else, so the film really deserves a second chance.
Stanza three of this tale finds us momentarily aboard Ripley's escape vessel, just long enough to become aware that there is an alien with them and to see the ship crash on yet another grim, unpleasant planet. Ripley is the only survivor and finds that here rescuers are the remnants of a prison colony. When this colony of double y chromosome criminals was closed several years before, a small group that had found some comfort chose to remain along with a two warders and the prison doctor. A rescue ship is due for her 'sometime' but the prison's unrelieved post-modern gothic setting is poor comfort to Ripley in the meanwhile.
This film makes no effort to hide the awful truth. Even as Ripley cremates her fellow escapees, we get to watch the birth of yet another of mankind's nemeses in the endless bowels of the prison. Once again, a hungry alien starts treating humans as snacks. Ripley attempts to alert the wardens but all is useless. Her only friends are Clemens (Charles Dance), the prison medic, and Dillon (Charles S. Dutton), the prisoner who doubles as one of the strangest religious leaders in interstellar space. It isn't until it is clear that something awful is stalking the inmates that the cast settles down to fighting, running, and being munched.
The story has quite a few twists as Ripley gradually realizes that the Alien is hardly the worst of her problems. There are many opportunities for strong character acting and the cast makes the most of almost all of them. Even the alien has it's moments. With countless tunnels and dark corners the film has all the room it needs for plenty of action and the bloodthirsty won't feel the least bit disappointed.
As I've already said Finchley has cast our hungry xenomorph as the Beast of the Apocalypse. I can't say as how I blame him (the aliens do represent the end of life as humans think of it), but the imagery is so overstated that many viewers will be put off. For one, I liked both the filmic and musical moments that were so redolent of monastic appearances. But, while they added atmospheric depth, they never really advanced the plot, which focused more on the countless acts of heroism that made up the prisoner's defensive efforts. For being society's dregs, they will quickly win your sympathy.
A Woman's Perspective
I DO AGREE WITH THE PERSON WHO SAID THAT THE SERIES WASN'T DONE IN CORRECT ORDER; AS A WOMAN, I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LITTLE GIRL. IT WAS GREAT THAT RIPLEY WAS WILLING TO GIVE UP HER LIFE TO ELIMINATE THE QUEEN INSIDE HER. SHOWED ALOT OF COURAGE. ANYHOW, I LIKED THE MOVIE VERY MUCH!!!!!!!
Alien in the big house. Deserves the bad reviews.
The third in the ALIEN series should be the first one they didn't make. Both ALIEN and ALIENS had something to say, but ALIEN 3 is left with a watered down message and a log journey to the finale.
As we left ALIENS, Ripley was again in cryo-sleep. We open ALIEN 3 with her crash landing by an all-male prison. Also onboard were a couple aliens looking to branch out. One finds brief shelter in the belly of a dog while the other finds shelter in... well; let's just say it knew whom the series was about. And once again, the company is trying to get a hold of a clean specimen for its war division. But, that's all pretty tired by this point and director David Finchner, who would later direct some good films (FIGHT CLUB) does all he can to make it visually interesting. Most of the film seems to take place in a grimy underground that would fit right in Finchner's own SEVEN. And it seems they have removed most of the color wheel with the exception of yellow and orange. In fact, the DVD transfer looks strange as it is so muted.
This third film is only for completists even with a nice DVD package.
Perhaps these films are like the Star Trek movies: The even-numbered episodes are the best ones. Certainly this film (directed by French stylist Jean-Pierre Jeunet) is an improvement over Alien 3, with a script that breathes exciting new life into the franchise. This chapter is set even further in the future, where scientists on a space colony have cloned both the alien and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who died in Alien 3; in doing so, however, they've mixed alien DNA with Ripley's human chromosomes, which gives Ripley surprising power (and a bad attitude). A band of smugglers comes aboard only to discover the new race of aliens--and when the multi-mouthed melonheads get loose, no place is safe. But, on the plus side, they have Ripley as a guide to help them... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Sigourney Weaver - Winona Ryder Director(s): Jean-Pierre Jeunet DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Aliens is one of the few cases of a sequel that far surpassed the original. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, who awakens on Earth only to discover that she has been hibernating in space so long that everyone she knows is dead. Then she is talked into traveling (along with a squad of Marines) to a planet under assault by the same aliens that nearly killed her. Once she gets there, she finds a lost little girl who triggers her maternal instincts--and she discovers that the company has once again double-crossed her, in hopes of capturing one of the aliens to study as a military weapon. Directed and written by James Cameron, this is one of the most intensely exciting (not to mention intensely frightening) action films ever, with a large ensemble cast that includes Bill Paxton, Lance... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Sigourney Weaver - Michael Biehn Director(s): James Cameron DVD Release Date: Released the 06 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A landmark of science fiction and horror, Alien arrived in 1979 between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as a stylishly malevolent alternative to George Lucas's space fantasy. Partially inspired by 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, this instant classic set a tone of its own, offering richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter Nostromo, who fall prey to a vicious creature (designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger) that had gestated inside one of the ill-fated crew members. In a star-making role, Sigourney Weaver excels as sole survivor Ripley, becoming the screen's most popular heroine in a lucrative movie franchise. To measure the film's success,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Tom Skerritt - Sigourney Weaver - John Hurt Director(s): Ridley Scott DVD Release Date: Released the 06 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In delivering PG-13-rated excitement, Alien vs. Predator is an acceptably average science-fiction action thriller with some noteworthy highlights, even if it squanders its opportunity to intelligently combine two popular and R-rated franchises. Rabid fans can justifiably ask "Is that all there is?" after a decade of development hell and eager anticipation, but we're compensated by reasonably logical connections to the Alien legacy and the still-kicking Predator franchise (which hinted at AVP rivalry at the end of Predator 2); some cleverly claustrophobic sets, tense atmosphere and impressive digital effects; and a climactic AVP smackdown that's not half bad. This disposable junk should've been better, but nobody who's seen Mortal Kombat or... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Sanaa Lathan - Raoul Bova - Lance Henriksen - Ewen Bremner Director(s): Paul W.S. Anderson DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Predator wreaked havoc in the jungle and struck box-office gold, so Hollywood logic dictated that Predator 2 should raise hell in the big, bad city. Los Angeles, to be specific, and this near-future L.A. (circa 1997) is an ultra-violent playground for the invisibility-cloaked alien that hunted Arnold Schwarzenegger in the previous film. Scant explanation is given for the creature's return, and because Ah-nuld was busy making Total Recall, Danny Glover was awkwardly installed as the maverick cop (is there any other kind?) who defies a government goon (Gary Busey) to curtail the alien's inner-city killing spree. But why bother, when the victims are scummy Colombian drug lords? Don't look for intelligent answers; director Stephen Hopkins favors wall-to-wall action over... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Danny Glover - Gary Busey Director(s): Stephen Hopkins DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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