 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Alien3
- Review Date: September 20, 2007
- R
- Genre: Science Fiction
- 1992
Common Sense Media says
Grim, nihilistic sequel in none-too-cheery series.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
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.
What's the story?
In this third installment of the series, alien-fighter Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) finds herself all alone on a dangerous planet after her escape pod crash lands. The only one to survive the crash, Ripley discovers an all-male prison/factory, staffed by murderers, rapists, and child-molesters. The men live without weapons; they control their psychotic impulses through work and prayer, living much like monks. Ripley's feminine presence alone is disruptive, but not as much as the larval alien that stowed away on board the escape pod. It infects a prisoner's pet dog and emerges a full-scale monster, on the chase for fresh human victims. Prisoners begin to turn up hideously killed, and Ripley suspects alien invasion but the few men who can tolerate her are disbelieving. Worse is to come; there's no way off the planet except by in the treacherous organization called "The Company." And worse is to come, worse even than that.
Is it any good?
Grim and uncompromising, ALIEN3 was a troubled, expensive production that burned through an assortment of directors before it finally landed on the screen courtesy of David Fincher, a filmmaker whose work dwells on serial killers, crime, and the darkest sides of human nature. If cheering sci-fi fans thought that Fincher would continue the militaristic heroics of the previousAliens they were badly mistaken.
The original Alien seemed gloomy and gothic, more of a haunted-house chiller than the cosmic fairy tales popular at the time and this one goes even further to convey a sense of desolation and hopelessness. There's not an ounce of humor here, but if there were, it would have to be someone saying to Ripley at some point, "It sure sucks to be you!" Weaver does a commendable job, in a very grueling physical performance that takes the beleaguered heroine to the outer limits of despair and ultimate sacrifice. But if science-fiction is meant to convey a "sense of wonder," the question here is "wonder who would find this entertaining?"
Explore, discuss, enjoy
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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- Teens & kids
Teen, 17 years old
September 5, 2011
AGE
Not bad, but very depressing
Honestly, I really don't think that Alien3 is even close to as bad as many other Alien fans think, but that doesn't mean that it isn't depressing, extremely violent and constantly profane. One thing that I do understand and what may very much trouble younger viewers is the fact that there is almost no characters to root for, and that it is mostly just Ripley amongst a bunch of rapists and convicts. Another thing that may bother younger audience who may have seen the previous two films, is the beginning where two likable characters from the previous film are brutally and savagely killed off. A Fairly decent third sequel, but incredibly mature and gruesomely violent.
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Teen, 15 years old
June 27, 2011
AGE
Very bad movie. Not worth watching.
Compared to Alien and Aliens, this movie is awful. It doesn't bring anything new to the Alien series and its just blood and swearing. If you we're thinking about watching this movie I dont think you should waste your time.
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Kid, 11 years old
May 24, 2010
AGE
not sutibal for 16 or under
I really liked this film it is one of my favorites but they swear and smoke a lot i mean a lot!It is realllllly reallllllllly violent as well
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Parent of 15 year old
January 10, 2011
AGE
Weakest part of the series...steer clear.
At its roots, ALIEN 3 is a pretty good idea. It takes the storylines of the second movie and all but discards them, instead opting to go for a completely different alien movie: one driven by a relentless darkness and sense of foreboding. Somewhere along the line, though, the project went completely off-track, and what we have instead is a depressing, explicit, and angry third installment.
This movie is rated R for the violence and language. Violence is pretty much standard compared to the other ALIEN films, however, in this movie, it's gorier. Imagine the same type of violence as the previous two installments, except about double the blood. Sex in the movie is minor compared to the rest of the content. Ripley apparently sleeps with one of the men on the prison planet, although nothing is shown at all. They simply talk to each other after the fact, and they are both completely clothed. Language is the biggest issue in the movie. There are close to, if not more than, 80 "f" words in the movie. The cursing is so pervasive and crass that it completely distracts from everything else in the movie. Every other sentence in the second half of the movie contains multiple "f" words, and in the special edition, it's even worse. If you are a die-hard ALIEN fan, you might want to watch this. If you are just a casual observer, however, steer clear. And keep your kids far away.
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Adult
October 26, 2010
AGE
Sigourney Weaver does perform well in this movie, but that's the ONLY positive thing I can think to say. Gore and violence, not to mention the language all add up to one very horrible movie.
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Teen, 14 years old
May 19, 2011
AGE
This was probably the worst in the series due to the poor animation. Lots of language and some very bloody parts. My MPAA Rating: [R] for Strong Language and some Bloody Scenes
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Parent of 13 year old
January 31, 2011
AGE
my 13 year old kid watched this and wasnt bothered by it
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Teen, 14 years old
April 24, 2011
AGE
not bad but not for younger viewer
I have seen worst in violence and gore not a bad movie
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Kid, 10 years old
July 20, 2009
AGE
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.
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Teen, 14 years old
February 1, 2011
AGE
Good for OLDER teens
A good sequel in a good series. However, there is LOADS AND LOADS of STRONG language, and a few very, very, very bloody parts.
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment |
| Director: | David Fincher |
| Cast: | Lance Henriksen, Pete Postlethwaite, Sigourney Weaver |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Run time: | 115 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 20, 1992 |
| DVD release date: | January 6, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | monster violence, and for language. |
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