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Films: A is for...

Alien3

Yes, we know its ‘Alien Cubed’ or whatever, but our database doesn’t allow such superscriptorial folderol to be perpetrated in headers, and to be honest if it did we’d still not bother out of spite. We just don’t like the arrogance that comes with this sort of typographical mucking about, like Prince when he changed his name to a cross-section of a stickleback’s innards. Also, how are you meant to pronounce these tricks when they occur? They never tell you. Is Se7en, for instance, pronounced ‘Sesevenen’? And is that a Blake’s 7 villain or a Phil Collins song? Anyway, yes, the film. Better than it’s cracked up to be, unless someone’s cracking it up to be a ‘lost classic’ in which case we’d like to crack it back down just a little. For this is one of those ’50{30e2395aaf6397fd02d2c79d91a1fe7cbb73158454674890018aee9c53a0cb96} great, 50{30e2395aaf6397fd02d2c79d91a1fe7cbb73158454674890018aee9c53a0cb96} embarrassingly bad’ films that science fiction does so well it seems. For a more recent example, see Torchwood: Children of Earth. Fortunately, while the bad’s as bad as you like, the good is very good indeed, and so it proves here. Did we miss anything out? Oh yes: BRIAN GLOVER!

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. iMatt

    January 1, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    Brian Glover using the F-word no less!

  2. Sidney Balmoral James

    December 21, 2020 at 7:58 pm

    I believe this was originally going to be set on a planet which was entirely constructed from wood, and directed by Vincent Ward of ‘The Navigator’ fame, but the finished film is still striking, and indeed, strikingly miserable. There must be a reason why Aliens is so exciting, but this film just depresses, without raising the heart-rate. Sigourney Weaver’s always wonderful of course.

  3. Richardpd

    December 22, 2020 at 12:07 am

    I heard the shooting & editing was a bit of a fiasco with various parties falling out with each other over how the final edit should be like.

    As well as Brian Glover, it’s nice to see Paul McGann, Pete Postlethwaite & Charles Dance (has he ever looked his age?)

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