Alien 3 (1992)

When a fire starts aboard a spaceship, an escape pod is discharged with four passengers in hyper-sleep but only one of them survives when it crash lands on a penal colony, a woman (Sigourney Weaver). Directed by David Fincher (THE SOCIAL NETWORK), this was the third installment in the ALIEN franchise following the 1979 original film and the 1986 sequel, ALIENS. It's pretty much an orphan as a film. Fincher has disowned the film citing interference from 20th Century Fox and the film received mixed reviews and mediocre box office in the U.S. (it performed better overseas). Personally, it's my second favorite in the franchise after the 1979 film. I watched an extended cut put out in 2003 which is over 30 minutes longer than the 1992 theatrical cut. In addition to being longer, there are also a few changes. I liked the leisurely pace and the emphasis on the prison life and the religious cult formed by the prisoners. The film also gives Sigourney Weaver an opportunity to show us a more reflective and pessimistic Ripley rather than just a bad ass heroine kicking Alien butt. Not as terrifying as the 1979 film nor as exciting as the 1986 movie, it remains an ambitious and complex attempt to move the franchise into a more cerebral area. There's also a fantastic score by Elliot Goldenthal. With Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Lance Henricksen and Pete Postlethwaite.