Alien III

The Movie That Could Have Been

Review by: The Audiobook ReviewAs a fan of the Alien franchise, I was delighted to stumble upon this dramatisation of the original idea for the third instalment of Alien movies. Ultimately, the movie that became Alien 3 bears little resemblance to what you'll hear because this script was shelved and forgotten about.

Chronologically, of course, it's set after the events of the 2nd movie, so we start with Ripley, Hicks, Newt, and Bishop asleep as their ship heads for the safety of home. The opening 10 minutes or so is a recount of the story so far as told by Bishop as he slowly regains consciousness and finds their ship has drifted into non-company space.

Ripley is more of a footnote in this version, rather than the lead... which is weird if it were to be the third movie. Barely any speaking parts, even Newt had more lines. Bishop and Hicks, as well as the crew of the space station they wake up on, get most of the attention. If anything, it's more (now outdated) political themes than it is "bug hunt"... but a fun instalment nonetheless if for no other reason than to say I'm now familiar with another chapter of the universe.

Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen were a welcome addition, bringing back waves of nostalgia as I listened to their voices of Hicks and Bishop respectively.

Ultimately, not the best of the franchise but not the worst either by a long shot. At a touch over two hours long, for fans of the franchise, it's certainly worth a listen.