Skip to content
Alien 3 is, as Mark Kermode reckons, a flawed film, although I don’t think it’s as terrible as he finds it. Reportedly, David Fincher didn’t have a great time working on it, and there was an original draft from Vincent Ward which would’ve made for a different film altogether, as Kermode describes, despite the fact that Ward still gets a credit on Alien 3. As for my thoughts on Alien 3, yes, it’s a bit of a mess but it still works given Fincher’s unique vision and there’s enough spectacle to get your eyes around.
Just make sure you watch it in the original 2.35:1 ratio. If any TV channel is cropping it to 16:9, or even 4:3 like the original video release, the entire film will be unintelligible, given how Fincher works.
Mark Kermode also discusses the proposed new Alien film from Chappie‘s director and star, Neill Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver respectively, which itself is an addition to Prometheus 2, which is expected on March 4th 2016 and now may not feature Ridley Scott as the director, although he will still have a hand in it behind the scenes. I would prefer him staying on as director as Alien is the best film in the series for suspense – with Aliens the best one for action – while 2012’s Prometheus was an incredible 3D IMAX experience.
Mark Kermode’s Film Review is on BBC News every Friday at 5.45pm and 9.45pm, with several repeats throughout the weekend and online, and you can also hear more from his reviews on Simon Mayo’s show on Radio 5 Live on a Friday afternoon, although I subscribe to his Youtube channel, and my weekly look at the new cinema releases can be found here.
Check out Mark Kermode’s video below – Kermode Uncut: Alien Activity – and click on the Alien 3 poster for the full-size image:
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.