Alien3 | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

The movie folds back upon its previous incarnations again and again, never attempting to advance its twice-told tale, content merely to retell once more. What's on screen seems aimed more at making money than making myth.

It is dark, cramped, sweaty; Ripley does struggle with external and internal "monsters." But the movie is capable of cheering you, too, for its intelligence, its lack of superficial, groundless flash and for its spare, appropriate use of violence.

The truth of the matter is that Aliens was the logical last act of this saga, establishing a satisfying thematic, dramatic and psychological coda that should never have been disturbed. Alien 3 succeeds only in leaving a very nasty taste in our mouths.

Alien 3 is the most artful entry in the drool-beast series. It gets serious points for cinematography, editing and design. But it hardly generates the requisite shocks its predecessors have so skillfully delivered.