Alien 3. The Questionable One.

[ZombieSlayer909]

This is the movie that was the most debated and most questionable in the whole series.

So why did we dislike it so much?
My biggest complaints were:

-Not enough 'shoot em up' action
-Hicks and Newt killed
-Poor stop-motion special effects

But there are answers. Finch's style is different from Cameron's and the fact that Hicks and Newt are dead creates a much darker and threatening atmosphere. As for the special effects they used too much too soon. The puppet, anamatronic, and GIS (Guy in Suit) were excellent as with the previous films. But they tried to use poor technology to create a horrific alien. Wrong place, wrong time.

The first time I watched this movie I seriously thought it was crap. I have now watched it more times and every time I watch it, it grows on me a little more. Fincher was a genious, but he had so many problems and delays that his true potential was not released.

[Extroheal]

Your poll assumes that everyone hated Alien 3 the first time they saw it which isn't true. I thought it was an okay movie when I first saw it and I still think it's okay.

[SiL]

-Poor stop-motion special effects

It was Mo-Motion. They rotoscoped a puppet running along miniature mock-ups of the set onto the actual sets.

[SM]

The overwhelming feeling from most when it came out was that it wasn't very good.

I've always loved it - mainly for not being a clone of Aliens and for travelling a road less travelled.

However it's still a deeply flawed film.

[SiL]

Agreed on the flawed aspect, but a good film regardless.

[SM]

It's improved with age and the fact that Fincher's style became accepted.  Once it did, and Fincher became successful people were more willing to give it another look.

Alien3 isn't a bad film by any stretch.  There's some great work by Weaver, Dutton, Brown, Webb, plus Norman Reynolds, George Gibbs, Terry Rawlings, Bob Ringwood.  Even ADI, who's Bishop puppet was phenomenal.

However it doesn't really compare to the more accomplised efforts of Scott and Cameron.

[Darkness]

I didn't like it that much when I bought the DVD. There wasn't enough action in it, they had killed off Newt/Hicks along with the crap puppet/motion work so I preferred A4 a lot more. But after a few years, my views were mirrored. I like it a lot. I like the SE.

[xeno_alpha_07]

When i first watched it my first recations was "what the hell! hicks and newt dead? now way!" (i was 10yrs old!) after that i read begain to read articles about the development helll and production problems and became what you call a curious alien3 fan  Then i read the movie adaption comics which wet my apitie for an alien 3 special edition.  It wasn't until 1992 that i first watched the alien 3 workprint and when ever anyone said how crasp the move was i'd show the workprint.  I'm glad they've finally brought out the new assembily cut especially with the ox burster scene! i've aqlways wanted to see that!  

[ZombieSlayer909]

-Poor stop-motion special effects

It was Mo-Motion. They rotoscoped a puppet running along miniature mock-ups of the set onto the actual sets.

Well ok stop-motion with puppets but still the same idea.

[SiL]

Not really. Stop motion uses puppets to film each frame individually, reposing slightly between images. Mo-Motion has a puppet being operated in realtime by a ground of puppeteers, who are then rotoscoped out and the puppet it superimposed on the background plates.

[SM]

Yeah, mo-motion is vastly different from stop-motion.

Essentially it's just puppetry in front of the green screen.

[Corporal Hicks]

It was invented for A3, I believe?

The overwhelming feeling from most when it came out was that it wasn't very good.

I've always loved it - mainly for not being a clone of Aliens and for travelling a road less travelled.

However it's still a deeply flawed film.

Pretty much mirrors my thoughts. I'm sure if the production wasn't rushed and troubled and we'd have a coherent script/editing process, it would have veeb vetter.

[SM]

It was invented for A3, I believe?

And based on it's effectiveness in Alien3, it was the last time it was used I believe.  The term 'mo-motion' isn't even really a filmic term like stop-motion or go-motion.  It's just something they made up on the set to describe the process they were using.  Which if memory serves used laser-disks or something for instant playback.

[gameoverman]

I actually think the mo-motion effects weren't bad for the time.  Some shots were quite good, in fact, like the bambi burster. 

Also, that's pretty much all they had to work with - it was either that or a guy in a suit (which could only have worked using shadows, stuntmen on wires and quick cuts like in Aliens), stop motion (which would have much worse movement) or computer animation which was still in in it's infancy and very fake-looking.

[SM]

If they hadn't wasted so much money previous to this they might've been able to afford go-motion.