Alien3 (1992)
57%RT Audience Score: 46%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
18 wins & 22 nominations total
Alien3 takes admirable risks with franchise mythology, but far too few pay off in a thinly scripted sequel whose stylish visuals aren’t enough to enliven a lack of genuine thrills
Alien 3 is like that one friend who always promises to throw a great party but then forgets to invite anyone. It’s got some cool moments, but overall it’s a bit of a letdown. The plot feels like it’s stuck in first gear, and the supporting characters are about as interesting as a cardboard box. But hey, at least there’s some good chase scenes, right? If you’re a die-hard Alien fan, you might find something to enjoy here, but for everyone else, it’s probably best to skip this one and re-watch the first two films instead.
Production Company(ies)
Tokuma Japan Communications, Studio Ghibli, Nibariki
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language
Year of Release
1992
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 55m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 1992 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 1999
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Sigourney Weaver, Charles S Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, directed by David Fincher, written by Larry Ferguson, David Giler, Walter Hill, Vincent Ward, horror, R rating, box office performance, $54.8M, reviewed by David Ansen, Anthony Lane, Jake Cole, Nick Schager, Geoff Andrew, Ed Gonzalez, Grant Watson, Fiction Machine, Luke Hicks, Film School Rejects, Trace Thurman, Horror Queers Podcast, Marianna Neal, Impression Blend, Peter Sobczynski, The Spool, produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill, 20th Century Fox, MPAA rating, Alien franchise, maximum security prison, alien creature, weapons, survival, bleak wasteland, former inmates, skepticism, stylish visuals, lack of genuine thrills, thin script, franchise mythology, admirable risks
Worldwide gross: $106,285,522
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $462,205,248
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 318
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,404,062
US/Canada gross: $81,900,459
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $356,161,604
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 150
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,527,881
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $15,341,743
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 776
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $47,835,845
Production budget ranking: 828
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $25,759,602
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $388,609,801
ROI to date (est.): 528%
ROI ranking: 239
Charles S. Dutton – Dillon
Charles Dance – Clemens
Paul McGann – Golic
Brian Glover – Andrews
Ralph Brown – Aarom
Director(s)
David Fincher
Writer(s)
Larry Ferguson, David Giler, Walter Hill, Vincent Ward
Producer(s)
Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
18 wins & 22 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (33)
Just at the point when Alien 3 should kick into high terror gear, it becomes clear that this hushed, somber sequel doesn’t know how to deliver the goods.
February 9, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
It suffers from poor supporting performances, and a plot that splutters instead of pushing on; but when the chase is on, all is forgiven.
January 4, 2018
Anthony Lane
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
For all its inherent structural problems, Alien remains a worthy intended conclusion to the series, finding its true resolution in Ripley’s resolve to break the endless cycle of her torment.
May 19, 2017
Jake Cole
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A fascinating, often fantastic, film, one simultaneously indebted to and self-consciously divorced from its acclaimed predecessors in ways both clunky and inspired.
March 25, 2010 | Rating: B+
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Good acting has salvaged many a poor script in the past, but not here.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The soulless Alien is essentially an amalgam of power shots.
December 15, 2003 | Rating: 1.5/4
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A bold, provocative and magnificent take on the Alien concept.
March 15, 2022 | Rating: 9/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
Drenched in bodily fluids, Ripley’s third chapter is a dark, desolate, industrial prison hellscape of survival swarming with vile, hermetic men.
February 17, 2021
Luke Hicks
Film School Rejects
A bold tonal departure from its immediate predecessor, Alien 3 nevertheless weaves its nihilistic self under your skin and refuses to leave.
February 1, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
Alien 3 really seems to miss the point of the first two films and what made them great.
December 17, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Marianna Neal
Impression Blend
It’s always visually breathtaking, and although the chases get a bit repetitive towards the end, Fincher infuses the material with a genuine sense of dread.
December 10, 2020
Peter Sobczynski
The Spool
Although it tries to resolutely conclude the series, the extreme lack of likable characters and the abundance of contrived events hinder its overall appeal.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are on their way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. The crew are under obligation to investigate and the spaceship descends on the moon afterwards. After a rough landing, three crew members leave the spaceship to explore the area on the moon. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship’s computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a distress call. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew realizes that they are not alone on the spaceship and they must deal with the consequences.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Alien 3.
David-Fincher.jpg
