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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    1.0
  • Common Sense says

    Grim, nihilistic sequel in none-too-cheery series.

Why We Rated This off for Ages 15 and Under

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Ripley is pushed to inhuman limits here by duress and peril, and while she behaves with courage and resourcefulness, her final decision is pretty horrific and unthinkable for many viewers. The men who surround her are described as hardcore convicts, keeping their lust and violence in check with prayer (and that's not exactly foolproof). One who seems sympathetic confesses to being a drug addict, who caused operating-table deaths while under the influence. The noble-hearted android Bishop (what's left of him) asks for and receives a mercy killing.
  • Violence:

    Carnage, as human characters are clawed bloody by the alien; fall into rotating fan blades; get torn apart, incinerated, or have little aliens burst out of them (some of these in combination!). One victim is a dog. An autopsy is performed on the dead little girl from the last movie that viewers came to care for -- what we hear is worse than what we see, but it's pretty grisly. A macabre, dismembered android is briefly brought back to life.
  • Sex:

    Ripley is scantily clad in a few scenes, and takes a shower (but nothing is shown). Inmates talk of their vows of celibacy, and a group of them try to gang-rape the lone woman. Another has consenting, non-explicit "fraternizing" with her.
  • Language:

    "S--t," "f--k," and lots of it.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Social drinking, and one character declares himself an addict whose drug use caused casualties.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Alien3

Parents need to know that this monster movie is not for kids. There is a heavy atmosphere of doom and hostility, even without the ravenous, clawed monster on the prowl. Ellen Ripley is surrounded by unfriendly men, who are, in fact, dangerous convicts, described as murderers, rapists, and child molesters, just barely keeping their violence under control with work and monkish religion. Authority figures, when they finally show up, are untrustworthy and evil. The only solution shown in dealing with this situation and this society is suicide.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the setting: a prison-planet of life-sentence criminals who use prayer to stay docile and disciplined, so much so that no weapons are needed. But they are all men, living more like monks than convicts, and not to be trusted around women. Is this a real solution? The finale poses a real what-would-you-do question, when there probably isn't any comfortable answer. You could ask kids why people would find a grim tale like this entertaining? What are their favorite sci-fi movies and why?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    Lives in Oregon
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 2.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language

    movie was pretty bad

    I thought this movie was pretty bad. Not much happens in this movie. The movie was pretty much just violence,gore,blood and swearing. I would say it would be for around 12 years old.

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Connecticut
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 2.0

    I exspected more than continious violence and gore.

    i havd been wanting to see the alien movies for3 years so when i got permission i watched it on t.v. i was surprised. too much blood! if you like pointless gore where it doesn't need to be this is for you. i say ok for mauture 16 year olds.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0

    Good but violent.

    Not the best in the series, but better than Alien Vs. Predator. It's gory, has lots of language (mostly the F-Word), and might be scary for under fifteen. But Common Sense must not like horror movies, because they gave it OFF with one star. THEY ARE WRONG!!! Five Stars, because of the Special Effets (and that only, all else is crap) and PAUSE, because it depends on what your kids can handle.

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