Alien³

"3 times the suspense. 3 times the danger. 3 times the terror"

1992 1h 54m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

43%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 6,636🥫43%Rotten Tomatoes●59Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 351,875

Science FictionActionHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more unwelcome visitor does. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and with aid being a long time away, the prisoners must simply survive in any way they can.

“3 times the suspense. 3 times the danger. 3 times the terror”

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Cast

Sigourney Weaver
Ripley
Charles S. Dutton
Dillon
Charles Dance
Clemens
Paul McGann
Golic
Brian Glover
Andrews
Ralph Brown
Aaron
Danny Webb
Morse
Christopher John Fields
Rains

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Mike Swift, Brent Boates, Martin Asbury
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Alien Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Fincher, shot by Alex Thomson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Elliot Goldenthal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Crowther shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sigourney Weaver and Charles S. Dutton and Charles Dance carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Fincher directs. Alex Thomson behind the camera. Elliot Goldenthal scores. David Crowther cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.
334 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Alien Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by David Fincher, shot by Alex Thomson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Elliot Goldenthal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor David Crowther shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Sigourney Weaver and Charles S. Dutton and Charles Dance carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "3 times the suspense. 3 times the danger. 3 times the terror".
10IMDB entry: tt0103644 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 27 themes, including "prison", "android", "spacecraft", "dystopia".
12Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Original score: Elliot Goldenthal
Editing: David Crowther
Production design: Norman Reynolds
Costume design: Bob Ringwood
Makeup / hair: Peter Robb-King
VFX supervisor: Rick Fichter
Sound: Richard Overton
Stunt coordinator: Marc Boyle
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $159,773,545
Return: 320% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Alien³ (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes: 43% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 59/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 351,875 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 25 nominations total

Kurd Lasswitz Award for Best Foreign Work

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Alien Collection

A science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her battle with an extraterrestrial life-form, commonly referred to as "the Alien". Produced by 20th Century Fox, the series started with the 1979 film Alien, then Aliens in 1986, Alien³ in 1992, and Alien: Resurrection in 1997.

Also by

David Fincher

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wong2016-02-03
★ 6/10
Aliens, a great action movie, cheapened the original by replacing one hyper-intelligent, indestructible monster with an army of gormless critters. This third entry has only one creature, but unfortunately it's just as gormless. When Ripley (Weaver) crash-lands on a prison planet full of hard-nut slap-heads, they haven't seen a woman in years. Discovering that there's an alien loose, Ripley asks the warden to break out the guns, and can't believe it when she is told there aren't any. Nor can we. Good acting has salvaged many a poor script in the past, but not here. Dance is slaughtered in the first act, as is the regulation bastard warden (Glover), leaving only Sigourney, impressive as ever, and a motley cast of extras. Though wasteful of the expensive sets, Fincher's tight close-ups do add to the sense of claustrophobic panic.
John Chard2016-07-24
★ 8/10
Don't feck with The Baldies! Special Edition. I love it, I really do. OK! So it's basically a monster on the loose piece, but the setting at a sci-fi prison colony - complete with nutty religious shards - makes for a thrillingly atmospheric ride. Of course if this was merely a stand alone film, where there was no Alien and Aliens previously, I feel sure the special edition cut would be thought of differently. A roll call of Brit thesps line up for some tension filled entertainment as director David Fincher and cinematographer Alex Thomson provide a look that is both beautiful and scary. The metallic nightmare of chambers and cold concrete fused together for some hellish stalk and paranoia. Industrial Punk? Steam Punk? Cyber Punk? Fincher Punk? Hey man, we gotta give it a name! And of course there's Siggy Weaver front and center, the reassuring presence among the murderers, rapists and child molesters. I could live without the attempt at a transcendent finale, but in extended form this has much to light your fires. It also showed that Fincher would be a director to watch - imagine if had he been left alone to craft his own vision? His subsequent career and standing makes a mockery of the studio execs involved in the making of Alien³. 8/10
Charles Dance2017-02-19
★ 9/10
Superior in every department to the basic shoot em up, Aliens, Alien 3 returns the franchise to its artistic horror roots established by Ridley Scott. No more Disney kids, happy endings and machine gun wielding irritants. This movie is a beautifully bleak experience and is the true sequel to Alien (1979). Performances are excellent all round - especially Charles Dance as prison doctor, Clemens, and, of course, Sigourney Weaver - who gives us her best performance as the downtrodden Ripley. A masterwork by David Fincher that restores the horror and dignity to the series. Thank goodness for Alien 3! - Charles Dance