Alien 3 (1992)

Alien 3 throws away everything Aliens fought for before the opening credits are even done, and plenty of fans never forgave it. It stays that grim. The prison planet is all rust, smoke and shaved heads, so half the inmates blur into one bald guy in a long coat. Nobody has a gun, a bold idea that mostly means running down identical tunnels. Sigourney Weaver is ferocious, though. Her Ripley is exhausted and grieving, and she plays it like someone who knows how this kind of story ends. Charles Dance brings real warmth as the prison doctor, and Charles S. Dutton gives the inmates’ preacher a voice that could rattle the pipes. David Fincher’s eye for gloom is already there. The creature effects look rough in the chase scenes. Opening crowds gave it a C CinemaScore. A 5.3 because the mood is great and the movie around it never quite comes together. $267.35 says you try to name three inmates after the credits roll and come up with zero.

What works: Sigourney Weaver’s grieving, ferocious Ripley, Charles Dance’s gentle doctor, and a rusty, smoky prison world with real atmosphere.

What doesn’t: The inmates are nearly impossible to tell apart, the creature effects look rough in the chases, and the opening undoes the last movie’s ending in the coldest way.

Who it’s for: Alien fans who want to see the darkest chapter for themselves, and Fincher fans curious about his first feature.