The visual imagery and gloomy tone of "Alien3," which announces the debut of gifted director David Fincher, are the two chief reasons to see the movie in the theater--unless you happen to be a fan of the film series that began 13 years ago.
As the tough machisma Ripley, mega-star Sigourney Weaver provides the only continuity among the three films. The Alien trilogy is unique. Each film has its own distinctive style, owing perhaps to three very different directors.
The first film, Alien (l979), directed by Britisher Ridley Scott, conformed to the conventions of a horror movie and is the most terrifying of the three. The utterly unpredictable violence mattered because the characters (played by Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm) were interesting; you cared about them.
Aliens, released 7 years later, was a nonstop slam-bang, super-tech action-adventure, stamped by the auteurist signature of James Cameron (Terminator 2). It also featured one of the longest climaxes (the whole movie was practically a climax) and Oscar-winning special effects.
In the new movie, Ripley crash-lands on Fiorina 161, a cold and hostile prison colony, populated by vicious murderers and rapists who now subscribe to a mysterious religion under the leadership of Dillon (Charles Dutton). The confrontation between Ripley, a woman, and prisoners, is one of the film's few highlights. All alone, with no survivors from the previous movies and no weapons, Ripley is once again pitted against the ugly, salivating monster that attacks the men in the compound.
Alien3 is mostly noteworthy for its visual conception (the cinematography is by Alex Thomson) and art direction. The dominant images of long, dark tunnels and burning furnaces are truly ominous and in line with the film's subtext. Director David Fincher, who makes his feature debut, comes from music videos (he did some of Madonna's best videos), which explains, at least in part, the lack of narrative pull, storytelling know-how, character development, and pacing. Indeed, there is too much exposition in the film's first part and not enough context for the violence in the second; it is too random. Fincher fails to realize that the best sci-fi movies (and of course books) are based on ideas--good existential nightmares. Alien3 simply lacks a good powerful story.
A grim tale with religious overtones about people at the end of their rope, Alien3 could be read as a metaphor for AIDS. It is impossible to be more explicit without giving away the plot.
COMMENTS
Many refer to the religious subtext in this film and the killing off of the beloved character, Newt, but I'm frequently baffled that no reviewers mention the Immaculate Conception subtext outright. However, while I watch it, it does appear that the studio may have decided to downplay it, after it was already being filmed and I often wonder how that subtext which is usually considered 'heavy-handed' might have changed if viewed in this way, and then compared to the first two films and their obvious 'maternity nightmares'. One of the main plot points 'When she discovers the Alien growing inside her, never comes out of the dark and I think this more-than-likely because the idea was to make the subtext, text in that moment. IE: There is no explanation because it is to resemble "Immaculate Conception" and all this character has been through, the loneliness, the death of her daughter and Newt, the Alien biological nightmare of childbirth, the betrayal of the ship's computer 'Mother', the battle with the Queen MOTHER Alien, and the botched attempt to gain another daughter in Newt, has all amounted in this moment to the gestation of this monster. It's linear cause is non-existent because it is also irrelevant, a somewhat existential, expression of her almost mythical torment. I realize this sounds pretentious, and if disliked for that, then so-be-it. But to say that this film lacks a good story in light of this seems to wave a flag that reads, "I didn't get it!" And that's likely the fault of the Studio who has been outed as attempting to edit the film from being a "Bergman-esque nightmare" to a summer roller-coaster ride. That tells me they tried to downplay the relevance of this plot, because from a writing perspective, the elements are too substantial to have happen by-accident. I dare say, the true storyline of this film has been a complete oversight and as far as I can tell, it is a tragedy that audiences were denied the true intentions of it's creators. Likely, by the studio who are STILL hoping fans will not notice. Ultimately, the more I see this movie the more I see going on. With the recent addition of an Extended Cut, I feel strongly that this film is one of the most underrated and misunderstood films in decades.
By Marc Brousseau at 12:24 PM on Sun, November 8, 2009
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