Ranking All The Alien & Predator Movies, From Worst To Best
4. Alien 3 (1992)
This relentlessly bleak entry was directed by a debuting David Fincher and for many a fan at the time, it was an epic misstep. It was also a nightmare production based on a mess of a script. Strangely though, time has been kind to this entry.
It needs to be said, that the Theatrical version is still sloppy yet the recent Special Edition is the version to watch. It handles the pace, fleshes the sub-plots and just strengthens it all around.
Sigourney Weaver anchors the movie with her strongest performance out the series. Ripley is thrown through the dramatic ringer and the experienced actress hits every note pitch-perfect in a moving character journey.
This sequel tore down Aliens legacy with the unsatisfying demise of certain characters still a sore point. It also brought the franchise back to the familiar tropes of a sole creature stalking dark corridors (plus a few spots of bad 90s CGI). Still, these choices managed to bring a sense of unpredictability and menace to the Xenomorph that later films struggled with.
Fincher is immediately confident behind the camera with his grimy visceral approach enthralling. The film's pathos is ballsy and at points (accompanied by Elliot Goldenthal's epic score) make for powerful and haunting cinema.