With the success of the first two movies, a third was inevitable and although the series was running strong at this point it had to stumble somewhere. In 1992 under the helm of David Fincher, “Alien³”(often mistaken for Alien-cubed) was released in theaters to audiences who were expecting more of what they had experienced in “Aliens,” intense action and the return of four of their favorite characters; what they received was unlike anything they could have ever imagined for the series. This review will be a little different as there are two vastly different versions of this film: the theatrical release and the extended cut (which was released in the 2003 Quadrilogy set). We will be covering a little of each because the receptions vary dramatically from one release to the other. Be aware of spoilers ahead.
At the end of “Aliens,” Ripley had escaped the Queen alongside Hicks, Newt and the remains of Bishop and “Alien³” begins aboard the Sulaco, the ship they were heading home in. The premise of the third film draws from the end of the second where the Queen boards their ship and attacks the soldiers and adds that she had brought or laid an egg while on board. It is a much disputed event between fans of the series, whether or not it is possible that it could have happened; to this editor it is very feasible. The egg hatches and thus the opening sequence to the third film begins. The face-hugger roams the ship only to find four cryo-tubes containing people it cannot reach and in desperation to find a host it cracks the glass of one of the tubes and gets cut in the process, spilling the trademark acidic blood on the floor of the shuttle which in turn causes a fire. The ship’s emergency response automatically transports the cryo-tubes into the ship’s EEV (emergency escape vehicle) and jettisons the pod into space on a course for the nearest planet.
After the opening sequence is where mass-disappointment sets in for a lot of fans of the series. As the pod crash lands off the shore near a lead processing foundry viewers are shown clips of a rescue team rushing to the ship to provide aid, yet sadly they find only one of the occupants survived the crash: Ripley. Hicks and Newt suffered fatal injuries from the crash and Bishop was virtually destroyed in the process as well. In the first five minutes of this film David Fincher kills off three of the most beloved characters from Cameron’s previous outing, enraging fans. Aside from that fans are left with a group of bald British inmates from a rundown facility that serve as custodians to the foundry and who have also found religion in the deep of space. For any fan of the first two films it was a huge blow and a change that most were not prepared for.
But let us not focus on the bad for now…
The cinematography of this film is phenomenal. The direction of David Fincher is very strong and professional for a first-time film director. The lighting in this film really sets the tone for the whole film (as it should) and really brings back the horror aspect from the first film as was intended. Being surrounded by dark, damp and empty corridors helps bring the solitary feelings to the audience and keeps the familiar claustrophobic feel that is a staple with the franchise. There is an overwhelming sense of sadness in this film as well with Ripley once again losing her ‘family’ or people she was close with and being thrust into a hostile (in more than just supernatural ways) environment with more people to disbelieve her stories.
Fincher took this film in a more artistic direction than the first two had attempted and succeeded. It is definitely a different take on the franchise and delivers in horror, memorable characters and fantastic acting with Sigourney Weaver upping the ante on her performance and those around her. Whether or not viewers enjoyed the story is beside the point as this truly is a beautiful film all around.
That being said let us look at the two different versions…
Although David Fincher did a great job, the project was doomed from the beginning with a lack of completed script, previous directors who bailed before it began, and producers getting in the way and applying a lot of pressure on him. Backed with complete confidence from his actors, Fincher pressed on with an incomplete screenplay under intense pressure from the studio. The theatrical release shows the struggles behind the film as viewers were left with a story that made little sense, characters that disappeared halfway through the film (prisoner Golic), and a ridiculous ending sequence with the queen alien. It is a sad reality that due to the pressure from Fox, Fincher abandoned the film after production finished and before editing began feeling he had little creative control.
In 2003 however, fans were re-introduced to all of the films with a box set that had two discs per film, each with the theatrical release and then with director’s/extended cuts. It is in this set that the world was able to relive “Alien³” as close to Fincher’s original concept as they could get without being able to reshoot scenes, using cutting-room floor film that was originally scrapped by the studio; the result is an amazing film. While many may still harbor hatred for it, the third film -the extended cut at least- should be revisited to be properly introduced to it. It fills all the plot holes, the missing characters and offers almost a complete different beginning to the film. We get a fuller experience and are brought deeper into the story as things are fleshed out a lot better than in the theatrical release.
At the end of the film the audience sees the writing on the wall and knows what is about to happen; it is a dramatic and almost heart-wrenching sequence and any fan of the series would feel the impact of it. Losing one of the most iconic characters in science fiction would bother a lot of people, and bring sadness throughout the community. Fincher did a magnificent job in using the story and characters to bring emotion out of viewers, even if the general public hated the film for selfish reasons. Once again if you have not seen the extended cut, watch it because this film is an amazing piece of work and deserves another chance.
The theatrical release: 5/10
Extended Cut: 11/10…oh yes I went there…
