Reviews written by brad knights-toomer

Yes it did actually.

You want more? Happy to oblige :-D

Right then, at the end of the previous film we were left with Lt. Ripley killing herself (and the alien queen inside her). So naturally we were left to think that was that. Oh but how we were wrong!

Fast-forward many, many years and the company from the earlier three films have been disbanded and now there is an Universal Military unit who are in charge of all things spacial and the like. However they still have some scientists who meddle with things they shouldn't meddle in. And this is where we start our journey...

We see Ripley undergo an operation to remove the Alien Queen from her chest and also see a pirate-type crew (featuring Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman) ready to board a big mother space-station.

What's this? Aliens on board the space station? BREEDING THEM? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! Yes, you guessed it. The scientists decided to breed the Alien species from the specimen out of Ripley's body. They'll regret that. And they do.

We see Ripley, good to see her alive. But something's not right. Ripley has now super-strength, fast reflexes and acts a bit.....alien. The DNA from the Alien Queen has fused with Ripley's and also, as we find out, Ripley is actually a clone of her former self. Taken from blood drops or something.

Anyway, long story short, the Aliens decide to break loose and kill the scientists (after a sacrifice session). Ripley joins the pirate crew in an attempt to track down and kill the Aliens after they go postal. Again. When will those scientists learn? Ripley then falls down a long shaft and comes across a large area. Some may say it is a breeding area as there is a HUGE Alien Queen giving birth to something quite breakthroughable. Yes it is a new word heard here first!

As Ripley has got part Human-Alien DNA, the Alien Queen inside her (which is now the adult) also has part Human-Alien DNA and so can give birth like humans instead of eggs and facehuggers. Wait...What is that thing coming out of her...looks like...no....surely not...WTF! Yes, it is a hybrid \o/ who then kills the Queen and thinks that Ripley is its mother.

After some more carnage, the hybtid, Ripley and the remaining pirates go aboard a little ship to return to Earth. Of course the Hybrid wasn't invited as it is still an evil bugger! Cutting to the chase, there is an emotional scene as the mother Ripley has to see her "offspring" die being sucked out of the window. Quite touching. Although you are still glad that it is dead. Evil bastard that it is!

Film finishes back on Earth. It was a much better story and acting than the previous film. It also went back to the darker setting which worked so well for Alien and Aliens. I liked it a lot better than the last one and it deserves to be in the film series (unlike the poor Alien 3). I liked the hybrid Alien and the idea of Ripley being half and half.

Some bits weren't great, some of the acting was a bit off but it did not really retract from it too much to notice. The ending was a bit random but it had to end somewhere. Will be interesting on what Ridley Scott has up his sleeves for Alien 5.....

Score: 76%
Recommendation: Rent it.

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New Recommendation criteria
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0% - 50% : Don't bother
51% - 70% : Download it
71% - 84% : Rent it
85% - 100% : Buy it

Let's start with a bit of a background on how I got around to watching Alien 3. Last week, I decided to buy the Alien Quadrilogy boxset as I have only watched the first film in the series.

Last night it was Alien 3's turn in the DVD player and I did have quite high hopes after the fantastic Aliens. Alien 3 is about Lt Ripley crash-landing on a prison planet (Fury 161) that is full of 25 inmates and a couple of guards and medics. These men are multiple murderers and rapists, generally bad people, and have lived in isolation without women for years.

Whilst crash-landing in the new planet, Ripley ends up in a coma and finds out that her crew are all dead. After being taken into the prison infirmary, Ripley finds the chief medic who explains the whole situation. Meanwhile...

Some inmates find an ox / dog (depending on which version you watch) which has suddenly died. What killed it they do not know but they find a nearby dead facehugger...oh bugger.

As the crew's dead are burned in the furnace, an alien pops out of the animal's body and runs into the abyss. I'm going to shorten down the rest of the plot now so basically the inmates happen to stumble upon the alien, get killed by the alien, then Ripley goes hunting along with the other inmates. The alien decides not to kill Ripley as she has found out she is carrying the next Alien Queen.

So there is a wild goose chase all along the prison, the alien outfoxes most of the prisoners and kills a lot of them. They then find the alien and trap it in a waste container which has no way out. End of story. Well it's never that easy though is it?

A crazy inmate breaks out, and goes into the container after killing some of his mates which lets the Alien out. The Alien then goes on another rampage and kills loads of people whilst Ripley and the crew decide on a plan to kill the Alien. Alien gets trapped, Ripley survives. Alien dies. The "company" come along, attempt to take Ripley back after deciding they want the Queen for research but Ripley decides against it and jumps in the fire to kill herself and the queen.

Well I expected quite a good film and the main problem with this film is that its predecessor was amazing. The plot of this film was not great, got boring at times, and was very different from the previous two films in the franchise.

I don't like the fact that they killed off the survivors from the last film in the first scene. And it was quite predictable how it ended. The Alien also was too CGI based as well, so was nowhere near as scary as the other films. This may have something to do with the lighting in the film to be wholly different. This film has lots of bright areas, whilst the other films has lots of dark areas.

It wasn't too bad though and there were a few entertaining pieces. But it's not a film I would recommend. Pretty much like Predator 2.

In the end you find that you are not as bothered about the Alien anymore, it's not a scary monster, it seems too fake. Which is a shame.

Overall 62%