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"Alien" was a relentlessly bleak, beautifully atmospheric masterpiece of horror and dread, one of the few truly adult examples of the science fiction genre. Its sequel, "Aliens," was far less disturbing, aiming more for visceral, action-movie thrills; nonetheless, it was still a powerhouse of a movie, especially in its wonderful "special edition" laserdisc incarnation. The notorious "Alien 3," on the other hand, is an utterly miserable failure, certainly the most insultingly juvenile follow-up to a good movie since the equally terrible "Return of the Jedi." From its hopelessly rushed, sloppily edited opening title sequence, to its endless, murky "alien-cam" chase finale, "Alien 3" consists of nothing more than a shocking series of miscalculations on the part of the filmmakers, who manage to create not even one moment of suspense, horror or thrills in nearly two hours of MTV-styled tedium. Particularly frustrating (and embarrassing) for the viewer is watching Sigourney Weaver and Lance Henriksen, two great performers, struggle to create anything interesting with their underwritten characters; both fail horribly. Even "Alien 4" looks great in comparison to this, possibly the worst sequel ever made.
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