I actually hold this installment of the Alien franchise to be my personal favorite. I disagree with the Horrorist's comment that it is "inferior" to Alien and Aliens.

Not at all, in my opinion. I think the degree to which a person will enjoy this film is going to be based upon which approach to the ongoing saga of Ellen Ripley and the Acheron Arachnids they favor- the deadly swarm as depicted in Aliens or the more selective frights of the creature flying solo as seen in Alien.

I fall squarely into the latter group. Hey, no mistakes to be made here, I loved "Aliens." I saw that move so many fucking times in the theater that I think it still holds some sort of personal record for the most visits I've made to the cinema to see the same flick in the same month.

However, I thought Alien 3 was scarier.

I genuinely liked the ragtag collective of lifers-Charles Dutton being a standout- and I really enjoyed the darker, more pessimistic tone Fincher returned to the franchise. Say what you will about "Alien 3" in comparison to "Aliens", but it sure as hell FELT a lot more like the original.
To put it another way, by the time Ripley utters my favortie line in the film - "Then we're FUCKED" - I definitely believed her.

This is solid filmmaking on all levels. I enjoyed the "alien perspective" shots, the execution of the plan the convicts and Ripley concoct and even the visual design of the Alien itself (that sucker can MOVE in this flick).

Keep in mind, I've enjoyed all four chapters in this series. But after this one , I felt "Ressurection" was a bit of a let down. I realize a great many fans said that about "Alien 3", but I wasn't one of them.

Ten out of Ten "Blow us, Dark Horse Comics, we'll do it the way we want to do it" Opening sequences.

Lots of people hate on this episode, but I loved it. I enjoyed the gloom and desolation of the setting, it made you see the drudgery of prison in a way that few movies that are about prison life do. Also the tension and the threat that hardened criminals brought to the story was a nice added element.

However this isn't about prison life, it's the third part of the Alien Quadrilogy. In this one Ripley's life pod had crashed on a prison planet and brought a nasty surprise with her which goes on a rampage until Ripley stands up to it. It's true that when compared with it's magnificent predacessors Alien and Aliens it comes up quite lacking. But that's a hard comparison for any flick and lots of great ones would look just as bad in comparison.

To really enjoy this movie you set aside your critical nature and see it as a part of the story, or you watch it as a movie in and of itsself. It's the worst in a series of incredible movies, that's not bad at all.

First-time director David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room) disowned the film, citing constant studio interference and actually walked out of production before editing began.

Sigourney Weaver would only shave her head if her salary increased.

9 out of 10