Scan barcode
robrogan's review
2.0
If you’re an alien fan you won’t get much out of this book. If you want a short action story then I guess it’s fine.
klord3's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
terrypaulpearce's review
3.0
This was a decent sci-fi drama. Atmospheric. But it didn't really offer anything new that we didn't already get in Aliens, except [spoilers] a rehashed cold-war scenario that wasn't stellar, and yet another new development of the xenomorph biology that was a bit similar to what they did with it in Prometheus.
What made both Alien and Aliens amazing was they were each truly creative and gave us something jaw-dropping and new. This just riffs on what we already have. Many criticise Alien 3 and it is the least of the trilogy, but at least it put its own stamp on things by swapping corp people for prisoners, gave Ripley's arc what it deserved, and didn't screw about too much with the perfections that were Giger's designs.
If you're looking for more of the milieu that made Aliens memorable, except not as good, this works. It's entertaining. If you're looking for an improvement on Alien 3 the movie, you won't find it here. In particular, it has nothing that is a patch on Ripley's end in that film, which was the perfect end to her character arc (I just pretend Alien Resurrection doesn't exist, generally).
What made both Alien and Aliens amazing was they were each truly creative and gave us something jaw-dropping and new. This just riffs on what we already have. Many criticise Alien 3 and it is the least of the trilogy, but at least it put its own stamp on things by swapping corp people for prisoners, gave Ripley's arc what it deserved, and didn't screw about too much with the perfections that were Giger's designs.
If you're looking for more of the milieu that made Aliens memorable, except not as good, this works. It's entertaining. If you're looking for an improvement on Alien 3 the movie, you won't find it here. In particular, it has nothing that is a patch on Ripley's end in that film, which was the perfect end to her character arc (I just pretend Alien Resurrection doesn't exist, generally).
laurazdavidson's review
3.0
Fantastic production values, and it was great to have the original Hicks and Bishop on board! But... Was this story really necessary? Did it add anything to the "Alien" canon? I didn't feel like it really added much of value. I kinda wanted to just blow up the whole ship/space station and sacrifice the crew in order to save humanity.
zimb0's review
3.0
I have the comics. I need to compare but the ending is awful. Ripley barely even present.
xfajardo's review
4.0
A better version of what we got on the film but the story is pretty much the same as every other alien movie: People encounter aliens, people die, people want to control the aliens for military purpose, people find that's impossible, more people die, and people have to escape a space ship. I was expecting a bit more.
warlore's review
4.0
Would normally only give this 3 stars, but I gave it a fourth star because I love the concept.
It's an unproduced screenplay that many fans (myself included) are interested in, but could never be made today. Justice League Immortal is another example of "a cool-sounding movie that I can't watch."
Anyway. Good concept. Execution is also decent, with "somewhat above average" narration and casting. I liked hearing Biehn and Henrikson, even though they're old as dirt.
It's decent, fun for fans of Alien or cyberpunk 80s fun. Three stars, four for weirdos like myself.
It's an unproduced screenplay that many fans (myself included) are interested in, but could never be made today. Justice League Immortal is another example of "a cool-sounding movie that I can't watch."
Anyway. Good concept. Execution is also decent, with "somewhat above average" narration and casting. I liked hearing Biehn and Henrikson, even though they're old as dirt.
It's decent, fun for fans of Alien or cyberpunk 80s fun. Three stars, four for weirdos like myself.
thecurbau's review
3.0
Perfectly serviceable slaughterfest to provide the soundtrack to Christmas shopping. Amazing how easy it is to imagine slow shoppers getting nixed by a silent alien killer.
apryde6226's review
4.0
Better alternate to the original Alien 3 movie. Has very little of Ripley but Hicks and Bishop are major players in the story. This is the story they should have made into the Alien 3 movie, instead of the crap story that was actually made...