Alien 3 (1992) - Retrospective / Review 

Get the ALIEN Anthology Blu-ray set here goo.gl/HbZedP Get the ALIEN 3 soundtrack here goo.gl/4Ryjrn

"david fincher may hate the film but that doesn`t mean you have too" amazing line

Charles Dutton is absolutely priceless in this film. His dialogue in this film is by far some of the best. Alien 3 has always been my favorite entry because I love the circumstances and feel of the film.

Call me mad but I adore Alien 3. I even love it as much as Alien and Aliens. This is my all-time favorite movie series. Alien 3 has its own deep atmosphere and drama. I love it

in my opinion, this movie never had to be scary - it works fine as a dark, sci-fi drama with one of the greatest soundtracks ever made. i truly love alien 3

"Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off." I swear I nearly burst into tears every time I hear it and the sweeping melody that follows.

I wholeheartedly disagree about your comments regarding the Elliot Goldenthals score. It is an amazing, industrial-cathedral piece that can fully stand on it's own without the film.

Alien 3 is a masterpiece. It's deep, dark, fascinating movie. And the ambient and music and chills and nostalgia and nihilistic philosophy. There are flaws in this movie, but there are in any of alien franchise movies. When you think a little, it's much deeper movie than James Cameron's commercial (but also masterpiece) epic Aliens. It's the perfect antipod of everything Cameron's movie is. Also it's the last film in Alien franchise which is not shiny, modernistic and shallow. And the last one with that tone. And a soul. Alien 3 10/10

Looks like Alien 3 is like a fine wine, getting better and more appreciated with time

I actually like Alien 3, no where near as good as 1 and 2 but still pretty good. They should've ended it here so that god awful Resurrection couldn't happen.

It is such a breath of fresh air to see a reviewer talk about this movie with a clear mind and the ability to weigh its pros and cons. Especially when compared to Prometheus, this film is a true science fiction film interested in people and their plights. There are themes of salvation and damnation coherently and consistently explored in a show don't tell fashion rather than dropping it into random scenes and thinking it's exploring a theme, as Prometheus did.

Criminally underrated and overlooked film.

The soundtrack is Alien 3 is quite moving and beautiful. Probably the best in the series.

Aliens is the better film, but I have grown to prefer Alien 3 ever since the release of the Assembly Cut. It may not be "scary" in the way that the first film was, or tense and thrilling as the sequel was, but it's an effective bit of bleak existential horror.

When I want to get depressed and drool over cinematography, I throw this on. Great review!

I just like that Geiger called his design the "Bambi Burster" Love that

When depressed I watch this. Everything is so depressing. The premise is depressing. The mood is depressing. The contrived beginning is depressing. The convicts are depressing. The alien effects are depressing. Bishop is depressing too watch. The attempted rape is depressing. The good actors get killed of so fast is depressing. The fate of the cast from the last movie is depressing. The convict thinking the alien as a God is depressing. The scares are depressingly bad. Ripley's mood is depressing. And of course the ending is depressing. Over all not a movie I watch much but perhaps once every 5 year or so. Love your reviewing and retrospective!

Holt McCallany worked with Fincher on Fight Club. He was the mechanic, best known for the line "in death we have a name. His name is Robert Paulson"

Man, that 45 minutes flew by so quickly. Great retrospective as always! I may have to give this film another shot, I haven't seen it in a very long time.

I have always maintained that Alien 3 is one of the best Alien movies, especially it’s set and the dark vibe. It’s beautiful and so abstract in so many ways. I think Fincher could easily have given into doing a more Hollywood style film, but he went left field and did something full of depth and tragedy. Up until recently it was always my favourite of the Alien films, but now I’m leaning back towards Aliens, simply because it has a happier ending and so many incredible technological feats in it for the time. Of course the Aliens in Aliens look far better than they do in Alien 3 too, but this is still a masterpiece and doesn’t get the respect it deserves.

This was a film I hated when it came out, but over time, and with the help of the extended edition, have come to love. In any case, nobody can deny that the soundtrack is friggin awesome and for me, the best of the franchise.

Alien3 is an interesting film; it's beautifully shot and we get top notch performances, and the idea of stripping the series down to basic survival with no weapons and a single alien made for that claustrophobic atmosphere the first film had. My only complaints really are the deaths of Newt and Hicks. It really sours the series as you watch chronologically, and the strange casting of Lance Henriksen as this Bizarro Bishop that is never fully explained. Great review as always, Oliver!

Alien 3 is so underrated (especially after they released the Assembly Cut). I understand why some people hate or dislike it, since it makes all the struggles of the trio from the previous film seem pointless right from the start, but personally I just really admire the depressive and bleak tone of the movie, and the balls it had to kill off all the surviving main characters from the previous films, and even to include a horrific autopsy scene of the youngest and most innocent of those characters. Plus its style and look is so unique - maybe some of that uniqueness is due to the limitations of the budget and the technology of visuel effects at the time, but it often feels just as much as a stylistic direction and choice - especially today, where all effects just look the same. Alien may be the scariest, Aliens the most intense, but Alien 3 is definitely the darkest. Plus it's in a contending spot with the first film, as to which of the bunch that's the most atmospheric in the franchise. Aliens is still my favorite of all the movies - when it gets going, it's like a constant nerve wrecking ride, that doesn't let go of its intensity right until its last scene. But as much as I love the second movie, you also gotta admire that they were willing to try something new and different in this one, instead of just having Ripley and Hicks gun down more aliens. Even if you hate a lot of its outcomes, it should definitely be considered a worthy and brave entry to one of the best movie franchises ever. Unlike Alien Resurrection, which isn't just a mockery of the franchise, but at cinema in general, just as well as its French pretentious hack of a director and all his pretensions excuses for films are in general.

The Elliot Goldenthal soundtrack is still excellent and atmospheric

Charles Dance's character was always my favorite.

I LOVE Alien 3! It has it's more or less own style and the DNA adaptation backstory is consistent with the quality that the franchise entries have brought up to this point! The Runner is kickass! Imagine other animals as hosts but not as Kenner toys! King Cheetah - Red Kangaroo - Komodo Dragon

One of the more criminally underrated films of modern times.

Vincent is a Savant. David is a Genius. Alien 3 is a masterpiece just like Alien 1. All the negativity and sourness in Alien 3 comes from killing of Hicks.

I actually love Alien 3. It is very different from both previous films. It has great acting, characters and dialog. The setting is gorgeously oppresive. The music is one of the best matches to a movie's mood and style ever. Out of the three, it provokes the deepest emotional response. But that's just me.

This movie is underrated...

brilliant that you mentioned Bottom & Father Ted!

great review as usual but I disagree about Charles Dance's character's death. I thought it totally made sense. Essentially every person Ripley had made a connection with or cared about had been killed off by "the beast" in one form or another(Dance being the last real human connection she made before once again being ripped away suddenly and tragically), reinforcing Ripley's calling to become a martyr for the sake of mankind's survival.

I love the way you edit your own trailer/clips for the beginning and ending of your retrospective videos. They always hype me up to watch the film as soon as I finish watching your videos. Keep up the good work!

"The legend that is Charles Dance..." nice

I’ve always liked it. I think it’s a very good film, however, I agree about the alien itself. I just never thought it looked right when moving.

I love Alien 3. The assembly cut at least.

3 great movies, 3 great directors! And everybody is going his own way with the franchise! But man, it killed me when i first saw Hicks and Newt are dead at the beginning after that rollercoaster ride in Aliens! 😢😢😢

With the queen not bursting through Ripley's chest, the offer that Bishop makes is a real offer. She can have a life. But she chooses to sacrifice herself for humanity instead. In the theatrical, there's no real choice. She's dead anyway, and the rescue team could never have taken it from her in time. The reason it was added, I believe, was to provide some iconic Alien imagery to distinguish the ending from the ending of Terminator 2 which had just come out. It's much better in the Assembly Cut. Ripley cradling the baby queen was so silly. Chestbursters cause immense pain and convulsions, but Ripley just peacefully grabs it. It never made much sense.

Great review and retrospective as always Oliver. Over the years I have grown to like Alien 3 for the work of art it is. However, when it comes to the continuity of the Alien franchise, for me it ends at Aliens with Newt, Ripley and Hicks surviving, and part 3 to me is a type of "What if story" that does not exist in the same realm as the first two.

Charles Dutton was so badass in that speech scene at the end

Having been a subscriber for a while now and having watched pretty much all your videos. You deserve so much more attention and success. I wish I could draw more attention to your channel and amazing videos. I'll do what I can. keep up the great work man! :)

The 'assembly cut' is a superb film...take it or leave it.

Great review of a much maligned film. I agree it would have been nice for Charles Dance to have had more screen time, but I agree with something I think I heard from another reviewer (it might have been Jim Sterling), which is how effective it is for him to be so unceremoniously killed off just seconds after his story. He performs an outstanding dialogue which completely fleshes out an already compelling character, and then it's a case of "the alien is a killing machine. It doesn't give a s**t about you or your life story". And that works well in my opinion. Keep up the great work, Oliver.

Damn that monks on wooden planet idea sounds cool

This is the most underrated channel on RU-vid, love your vids.

9th Doctor (Golic) becomes War Doctor (Kane)

Alien 3 is a masterpiece. No I'm not kidding. I love it.

No matter if you hate the movie, you can't criticise the soundtrack, it's friggin awesome!!

Absolutely amazing retrospective, has made me buy the extended cut straight away. Always thought it was underrated so I'm really excited to see the extra scenes and documentary to.

Its hard to pick one, but this may be your best Retro Rev yet! Excellent!

Dear Oliver, your retrospectives are fantastic. I can't believe how many there are, especially given how much effort you must put into them. I watched your Alien 3, and it rekindled an old love I had for this movie. Just watched the extended edition for the first time - thanks for reminding me that this movie isn't so bad after all. All the best.

I liked alien 3. Yes it could have been better by going further into its themes. But it also could have been a lot worse. Not many movie series end on a depressing bad note. Sometimes life is a big bag of s••t and there are no happy endings.

thank you Oliver, that was briliant. never stop doing this

I love smoking a big spliff and watching these retrospectives. Well done once again, Mr. Harper!

I remember this one being so hard to find on VHS later in the 90's. Alien and Aliens were very common tapes to own, and Resurrection had been released so that was everywhere, but 3 was like the forgotten child of the group and I looked for it everywhere and loved it when I finally got to see it. Like you, this one also holds a place in my heart.

Alien 3 has one of the best movie ending ever. Really strong and efficient. A nice farewell for a terrific character. Plus, it has easily the best score from all the Alien films.

I like Alien3. Reminds me somehow of Name of the Rose.

I love this film. It's so tragically misunderstood and underappreciated, especially the assembly cut.

Watched the Assembly Cut for the first time today and loved it. Didn't hate the theatrical but the AC adds SO MUCH MORE to it.

Really appreciate what you do Oliver. The behind the scenes details especially.

"But even with this new direction, once the alien bursts out of Spike, it's HUGE!" :D Brilliant job once again, Mr Harper! Although flawed, as you discuss, this installment holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first Alien film I also saw as a young kid. Cheers from Norway

While I could never say with a straight face that Alien3 is better than Aliens, I can say that I prefer it to Aliens. Aliens is a fantastic action film but Alien3 always felt to me more like a sequel to Alien while Aliens, in my mind when watching all three back to back, feels like it should be the climax to the series. It's a odd franchise in regards to each one having it's own thing going for it, Alien with its flat out tension/horror, Aliens with its flat out action, Alien3 with its crushing feeling of dread and drepressing tone, and resurrection with its.....with it's....um, feeling of hope that even the worst fucking scripts/ideas can get funding and be made? I got nothing for that one. Love the reviews dude, you have become one of my favourite reviewers along with Razorfist. Keep them coming and I'll keep watching!

IN the end credits of Aliens, you have to listen to the very very end. What you'll hear is the sound of a facehugger scurrying around or and egg opening up. The sound is unmistakable. James Cameron left that easter egg there deliberately to set up some sort of sequel. And like the badly damaged Bishop said in Alien3, the company had always known that there was an egg on the board the whole time. I theorize that it was Bishop who carried the eggs aboard.

Excellent video.

"David Fincher may hate the film, but that doesn't mean you have to...". Probably my fave closer of yours to date Olly. Never truly disliked the movie (tho I agree about killing off Charles Dance ;), loved how it brought back the original's darker aesthetic after Cameron's blue-light look. Finally a review to do this one justice. Many thanks! John.

"this thing is reallly pissed off!" LOL

I think your opening trailer is superb. Makes it look like a highly superior movie.

I really enjoy your retrospective reviews, so much information I never would've known, thank you for spending so much time to create these reviews.

I think this is a really good movie, or at least the Assembly Cut is. Far better than the mess that is Alien Resurrection. Thank you Oliver for another excellent Retrospective/Review.

Great review Oliver. "Alien 3" was the first movie I saw of this franchise in an awesome movie theater here in Santiago de Chile and man, that was a great experience. Although is not a masterpiece, the "special edition" is quite better than the theatrical cut in terms of edition and narration. And don't forget that this was David Fincher first film and then he gave us "Se7en" that should have receive -at least- an Oscar Best Movie Nomination.

Dude the edit at the end was freaking awesome! It gave me goosebumps. Well done.

I remember watching this for the first time on HBO. I was 9 years old. Man this takes me back.

Not the best Alien movie but my favourite , keep up the great work.

Excellent review dude great job.

Alien War was amazing! I went in 1994, I was 12, I was the biggest Alien fan and it is still one of the best experiences of my life. Was so terrifying as a 12 year old, even got to see a hypersleeper and a Alien Queen model from Aliens in the "museum" outside the entrance to the main event! Never really liked Alien 3 at the time, but I appreciate it a bit more now, for sure it's much better than what we have had in the preceding 25-30 years of the series.

@ 22:30 you ask why they made the change with the chest burster. I have read it was changed because the film was so bleak, it didn't need to show Ripley dying before she "died". Essentially dying twice was a bit too much for some people, so they changed it making it entirely Ripley's decision to self sacrifice against the Company, rather than "oh shit, I have 5 seconds to live anyway, YOLO!".

I absolutely agree (as I think does everyone) that the killing of Charles Dance, who establishes himself very strongly and with great skill as a decent man and strong ally, robs the film of what might have been its emotional heart: someone basically good that Ripley can trust and care for, and who cares for her, and leaves the film charging towards a nihilistic ending that doesn't matter since Ripley is basically alone in the universe and careless of her own death. It was also very nice to see a couple onscreen who were both grimly attractive, mature and intelligent, a rarity in an industry when men are frequently paired with women half their age, and women play the others of men who are two years younger than they are.

I agree that Alien 3 isn't scary per-se, though it does have it's moments, like when Golic is splattered with Boggs' blood in the tunnels and the gore covered xeno SNEERS at him. But Alien 3 is almost unique in the sense that it is so relentlessly bleak that when I watch it I get an uneasy feeling in my guts. It took 20 years for another film to do that to me (the original Martyrs). So, while not frightening, it is so imbued with dread and doom that it is the only Alien flick I have a genuine visceral reaction to. ...unless you count my disgust at Alien:Resurrection. ;)

Oliver, I want to thank you for your diligence and passion when it comes to these retrospective reviews as you are clearly enjoying yourself in doing these videos while also providing us with an incredible amount of detail in such a short timespan. I'm the kind of person who truly enjoys the "how and why" things are the way they are and have a bit of personal experience with it in amateur film. I was cast in a Terminator fan film as a smaller infiltrator-type Terminator with a smaller chassis after serving as an advisor to my friends making the film due to my knowledge of how fights work. Sadly, the film was scrapped due to it getting to be too much with other obligations taking priority and no footage remains. Still, it was an interesting experience even if it wasn't always fun and I gained a better appreciation for the actors in cinema since their work is very difficult and not everyone can do it well so I don't get as upset at their salaries due to basic economics: if a trait is in demand but hard to acquire, then it will cost more. On topic for this video... Alien 3 is a film I enjoy. It's rough around the edges and is rather bleak which is counter to how most film trilogies are done. Typically, the first film is rough but has a hopeful/happy ending, the second film is darker and more soul crushing in tone or has a bittersweet ending, while the third is far more polished and has the final happy ending. Obviously, I'm using Star Wars Episodes IV-VI as my basis, but in stage theatre, the trend is very similar as a rule. With the Alien franchise, it starts bleak, goes into a more hopeful act (granted Aliens was still very bleak, but even though the Marines died, we at least had a fighting chance at fighting back effectively once we developed better tactics), and then crushes your soul in the end. That sequence is very interesting to me and the theme of "we're fucked, hey maybe we can get out of this, goddamn it, we're still fucked" is enjoyable in a dark "we're gonna die no matter what we do, it's up to us to choose where and how" way. As for Resurrection, I see it as a campy "what if" scenario and don't take it seriously. That mentality allows me to even enjoy watching Resurrection. In the example given by Ben "Yahtzee"Croshaw of Zero Punctuation: if you keep your expectations low, you will be pleasantly surprised while if you get hyped up over everything, you're in for eventual disappointment. A cynical view, but its a better one than having unrealistic expectations. Failing that, there's the tried-and-true "fuck you, I liked it and if you want an explanation why, then go fuck yourself and mind your own business" strategy. Sorry for the rambling as I've been in the whisky a bit and my natural mode of speak includes the liberal use of the dreaded f-bomb. But to sum up, keep up the brilliant work and I look forward to seeing more in the future.

25 years on and FINCHER is still sooking. Did he really think he would get total creative control over his first picture? Vanity is definitely my favorite sin.

I always liked Alien 3, and felt it was more of a sequel to Alien than Aliens in tone and atmosphere. Love the cast of the prisoners and the action sequence when they try to trap the alien in the smelter is one of the best and most exciting moments in the entire franchise. Great retrospective!

The Assembly Cut is really damn good

Thank you Oliver for another 45 minutes of good and solid entertainment !

1 reason y i love your channel: u give a moderate amount of information: I've seen some channels giving too little or too much info. Apparently it's a delicate balance

While it has its flaws, I don't think killing off 2/3 of the surviving cast is one of them. This ties into your uncertainty over Fincher's goals, which I think are somewhat apparent. It immediately set up the grim, nihilistic nature of the film, while doing a good job of carrying on the series' theme. The Alien has always represented sexual trauma. While the second film focused on the motherhood angle (most likely because it was based on an existing Cameron script that was adapted to be an Alien sequel), Alien 3 returns to the original theme and now has extremely heavy overtones of unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and religion's place in the scenario. It paints a dark character study of a survivor of sexual trauma unable to move on because of an unwanted pregnancy, struggling with and against the religious convictions of those around her. There's also a heavy motif of immaculate conception (tying into the mystery of how she was impregnated), coupled with corrupted imagery of Christ in the finale - now it's Mary cruciform and sacrificing herself for the good of the world to abort an unholy child. It could have been done better for sure, but given what Fincher had to endure it's frankly amazing that it remains watchable and the performances are amazing. Plus Elliot Goldenthal's score was hands-down amazing. You stated you'd have a hard time listening to it independent of the film, which I don't find to be a negative aspect. Within the scope of the film, the outstanding set design and direction dovetail with the score and give it a great impact. I'd have never thought a brass section could set the mood of an Alien film but Goldenthal more than pulled it off.

The movie that made David Fincher refuse to direct another franchise based movie again... and yet, is it really that bad? To be honest I still haven't seen Alien 3, but as usual Oliver's reviews always intrigues me to the point of seeing the film in question for myself.

The closing line in this video is really great. Nice job.

"The Company" is such a great metaphor for the power of government and how they typically view their citizens. And I totally agree with your assessment of the dialog. Some pretty epic thoughts and lines in Alien 3. Ripley's "Found God at the ass end of space" or "Run as fast as you effin can" screamed by Dylan are awesome. I actually find myself drawn to this film before Aliens, whenever I'm looking to watch a film from this series. A betrayal from Clemons at the end may have been nice had he lived, but I guess that would be heaping too much tragedy on an already glum outlook for the characters.

The film is wonderful because it is the only of the series to focus on emotions and character; loss; mourning; isolation; sorrow... These emotions rule the movie and it's tone throughout... Which is why they kill Dance off mid way, after we grow to really feel for him in the way Ripley is starting to feel for him. The Alien takes everything from her, and this is the film which shows the emotional impact of that loss, not to mention the "loss of technology" in a science fiction movie.. They emotionally and physically have nothing left. It's pure class.

If the USA audience understood (like I did) how the Studio interfered with the production, made the Director miserable, declared a release date w/o a finished script and all the other crap they did to destroy ALIEN 3 , they'd appreciate it like I did and still do. Stunning visuals, a great score and a serious story (quite unlike the shit camp and black comedy of ALIEN 4).

I’m happy to say that I saw it three times upon its release and have been defending this beautiful piece of art since 1992. Your channel is the best Oliver!

Oliver, thank you for these entertaining, thoughtful reviews.

The best looking of all the alien films.

Another spot on review Oliver and I would also like thank you for finally doing one based on this film since I had been requesting it a lot in the past. I mostly agree and respect many of the points you made on both the positive and negative aspects of the movie though I don't have have the same nostalgia or appreciation for the film as you do. I own both cuts of Alien 3 as they are part of my Blu-Ray collection of the Alien series but sadly it's just there collecting dust and rarely gets watched along with "Alien Resurrection". I do respect the people behind the production who were clearly trying to make a good movie. It’s sad that they we're let down heavily by 20th Century Fox who are in fault of the film's quality. Despite my negative views on the film, I might look at the directors cut in the near future.

After seeing the assembly cut years ago this became my favorite of the first 3 - I love the style and tone of it.

Love the soundtrack to this film, more so at the end. The dramatic score showing the closing of the prison. Just perfect.

"No problem. Quick, easy and painless"

Underrated

Great video. I too, will continue to return and watch it (the assembly cut, of course).

I don't even remember if I commented on this review before... But wow... 45 min that felt like 15. I loved aliens 3 and rewatch it every year. Like your said, the dialogue alone is amazing. Keep up the good work Oliver!