The 90’s Sci-Fi Sequel That Evolved Into a Mega-Franchise Disaster, Finally Got It!

By Drew Dietsch
| Updated 1 hour ago

Alien 3 always going to have a steep hill to climb. A resounding success Aliena Aliens on the horizon during David Fincher’s theatrical debut. He also had to deal with the “Curse of a third movie” and being the end of a perceived trilogy.

Unfortunately, the reception for Alien 3 by audiences and critics no doubt cold in 1992. And over the years, it has remained one of the most controversial applications of all. Alien franchise.

But, thanks to time and an unexpected new version of the film, Alien 3 has become one of the most fascinating and unfairly overlooked sci-fi/horror films of the past few decades.

How Scientific Progress First Broke Down

So much was working against Alien 3 before audiences see a single frame of the film. Conceptualizing the film was a chaotic nightmare. Multiple versions of the film never got off the ground, including one that would have set the film on a wooden planet of monks. The film’s original director was fired shortly before production began, and first-time director David Fincher was under constant pressure due to extensive rewrites by the producers, rewrites that took place while the film was being shot. And that’s just the front Alien 3‘ ia a mountain of woes.

Even without knowledge of behind-the-scenes problems in the film, audiences were prepared to be highly critical of them Alien 3. The first film was a huge cultural success, and the sequel managed to deliver an experience that satisfied fans of the original and newcomers alike. This third entry was going to be scrutinized no matter what he did.

What made it doubly difficult is that Alien 3 decided to be a downer movie. Starting the film by killing off two of the surviving characters from the previous film pulled the rug out from audiences in a truly brutal way. And the film continued to be hostile by being a dour story, full of doom which led to the death of the main character of the series, Ellen Ripley.

Add to that other factors such as an ensemble cast made up mainly of unrecognizable white British boys, a compromised final edit that removed entire plot points, and a dirty prison atmosphere that only enhanced the oppressive tone of the entire film. There were so many factors that caused audiences to fail to click with them Alien 3 at all surface levels.

Although the film was a financial success, it pales in comparison to the gargantuan achievements of the previous films. Along with the mostly negative responses, Alien 3 is always seen as a failure in the grand scheme of the franchise.

Until one day, that began to change.

Why Alien 3 Has Finally Been Embraced

Alien 3 she certainly had her defenders but they were objectively in the minority. That started to change when Alien 3 received a brand new release in 2003 as part of the Alien Quadrilogy DVD box set. All of the first four films came with their theatrical cuts and alternate cuts. Dubbed the “Assembly Cut”, this new version of Alien 3 has restored almost 40 minutes of unused or alternative footage that was not present in the original release.

This led many fans to reevaluate Alien 3 because this new version – the only other cut in the set that wasn’t overseen by its director – offers a slightly less compromised look at the intent behind this third entry. And by offering a new version of the film for their followers to watch, they revisited a film they might have written off after just one viewing.

Thanks to this new version, fans began to see how technically impressive a production is Alien 3 was. And with David Fincher becoming a prominent talent in the filmmaking world, he was also looking back at how his approach and style developed. Even the film’s detractors are ready to admit it Alien 3 maintains the series’ legacy of impressive filmmaking.

The Assembly Cut also helped flesh out the relationship between Ripley and some of the other characters. The romance that develops between Ripley and the doctor character played by Charles Dance is solidly acted, and his eventual death is effectively tragic. And Charles S. Dutton almost runs away with the entire film as the religious leader of the prisoners.

There is also a better sense of mood in the Assembly Cut by letting scenes sit for longer periods of time. If the bleak tone of Alien 3 turns you off, there’s no getting past that. But, if you can click in with what the film is trying to achieve, the Assembly Cut offers a more coherent and full version of that vision.

Alien 3 It will always manage to be a divisive film in the franchise. However, the release of the Assembly Cut – which has itself been re-edited in subsequent home video releases – managed to show just how misunderstood this film was upon release. Speaking personally, I even find value in the original theatrical version of the film. Yes, it’s an inevitable hit of a flick, but that’s its aim and it pulls off that ethos with strong performances and even stronger filmmaking.

Alien 3 deserves the cult following it has managed to cultivate over the last decade. It’s a very different experience to any other film in the series, and that alone makes it a unique project worth celebrating.