Alien³

The first one was (and still is) a formidable claustrophobic machine for mining nerve-wracking atmosphere and suspense; the second one is a militant feast in honour of the most terrifying monsters in modern cinematic history that doesn't let us get away from aliens in the right sense of the word. The third one wants to take something from each by using a single bloodthirsty monster and involving a group of seemingly twisted characters, setting the action in the vast, depressing labyrinth of a prison where life as a symbol no longer has any intrinsic value. The cast is once again perfect and the characters are quite diverse, and it’s not possible to guess who will end up as a bloody spot on the wall and with whom the script has longer-term plans. And as for Fincher's debut, it's a well-known fact that the studio tried to repeatedly rape and control his work, which is unfortunately noticeable: the depressive barrage is at times on a similar level to its predecessors, but partly due to the very choice and nature of the setting, where even a brain-dead would get depressed; and on the other hand, it has a rather fading tendency: the performance of the intruder, like in the first one, is based on suggestiveness, but fails to generate intense flamboyance during its advances (also due to his strange digital form), and mostly doesn't even act as a highlight of the film – that would be the skilful subjective camera work, the effective soundtrack and the already mentioned actors, led by the excellent Weaver, who is more dominant from part to part. It's worth watching, it doesn't offend or fail, but it still makes me sad to think that there could have been a pure Fincher version that would have shown his narrative genius and fulfilled the potential of a great subject into something grander and more distinctive. (22/03/2017)

The subject is fine, Sigourney Weaver is great as always, the magic with the camera and its lenses in the tunnels of the prison labyrinth is perfect, and the film has Fincher’s typically bold and depressing creative signature. But that somehow doesn’t bring the film to the level of which Fincher is usually capable and which would have helped Alien3 to be as impressive as its predecessor. (27/05/2002)

After the phenomenal success of Cameron's Aliens, it was clear that we would be getting a third installment, and it was only a matter of time before it was made. However, as it sometimes happens, the third Alien sequel was a victim of confusion in the production studio, the story was passed from hand to hand, rejected scripts filled entire drawers, and many directors were approached. For the film to be made in the end, Sigourney Weaver had to step in as a co-producer, as the funds for running her theater activities were running out. But this only brought more people, who all had their say, so the film certainly didn't come easily. The choice of director eventually fell on David Fincher - not so much because he was considered a great talent, but rather because he was appropriately cheap as a starting director. Money was saved on the set design, and it can be seen in the film despite all of Fincher's efforts. Alien 3 is not a blockbuster where a huge budget is visible, but rather an intimate film that has to make up for what is missing in set design with cleverness. And surprisingly, it succeeds, because Fincher is truly skilled. He replaced bombastic special effects with clever editing and sophisticated camera shots. The film also certainly has atmosphere, but it is fundamentally different from what Cameron or Scott served their viewers. When Fincher lacks money, he uses a pessimistic gloom and play of shadows. It is not an action war drama like Cameron's films, but Fincher can perfectly evoke a gloomy mood, tension, and a horror premonition of impending doom. I hesitated between four and five stars, but the positive ultimately prevailed. The film is slightly weaker than the previous two, but the difference is minimal considering the circumstances under which the film was made. Its release in the United States was a big flop, fans couldn't get over the deaths of little Newt and Ripley at the end of the film, and they were expecting entertainment of a different kind after the previous action-packed chaos. The third installment of Alien is primarily a case of clever filmmaking, good performances, and a horror atmosphere of which even much more experienced directors would not be ashamed. Overall impression: 90%. (09/12/2007)

A hesitant chapter of alien mythology that significantly undermines the efforts of the producers. In their edit, the film is a play on effects that throws Ripley in the way of a bunch of tough guys (a la Aliens) in a depressingly themed environment (a la Alien). Although Fincher didn't direct the special edit, according to his original notes, a surprisingly more sophisticated version was created, with more references to older installments in the dialogues, exploring the gloomy planet... and the alien does not hatch from a dog. Nevertheless, I don't particularly like the third image of the Alien mosaic. Strange supporting characters, unnecessary religious subtext, and downright bad tricks cannot overshadow even the strong ending. (21/04/2005)

The Alien franchise is remarkable for the fact that every director has made his mark on his episode. Scott's imagination and Cameron's belligerence have been replaced by the heavy blanket of depression master David Fincher. Welcome to the bleak world of ex-convicts from which there is no escape. The third episode is not worse than the previous two, it’s just different. (13/04/2003)