MovieChat Forums > Aliens (1986) Discussion > I’ll never understand Alien3

I’ll never understand Alien3

posted 8 months ago by Melton (2637)
26 replies | jump to latest

When you’ve made something as objectively awesome, groundbreaking, timeless and successful as Aliens, why in the name of God’s butthole would you trash it like Fox did with Alien3?

The incredible hair’s-breadth escapes and meaningful character journeys are rendered utterly worthless by 3’s demented decision to kill off everyone, including giving Ripley the indignity of having an Alien queen burst out of her chest.

Normally studios make shit sequels because they get greedy. Not here. They made a small, weird, alienating film that was never going to have the kind of mass appeal of its predecessor, and bricked in the mouths of everyone who loved Aliens and would have followed the adventures of Ripley and her pals to edge of the universe. I expect studios to commit artistic suicide, but financial suicide??

To add to the insanity, Fox hire a newbie, Fincher, to direct, and then do everything in their power to stop him making a good film. Stabbing him in the back, front, tying him up and dunking him upside down in molten lead. Such was the trauma that Fincher, who has gone on to greatness, completely disowns the film.

I know that Sigourney wanted to kill off Ripley, remove all guns and various other stupid decisions, but when a star starts going nutso like that you don’t buckle. Leave her out for a film or two if you have to and wait for her to come to her senses as her career declines (as she surely enough did when she came crawling back for the godawful Resurrection)

To make things worse, when Ridley comes back to make his Alien prequels he farted all over Aliens again with his origin story which rejects the whole queen alien concept. Fox took yet another dump on their masterpiece.

I’ll never understand Alien3. I actually like the Assembly Cut but there’s no way in hell I’ll ever consider it canon. As it is the Alien series ends with Aliens, which is crazy because that franchise could have been a never-ending gold mine for Fox.

[–] SteveRes (486) 2 months ago

The original plan was a wooden planet inhabited by monks but the studio stepped in, were tight with the cash and turned it into a drab prison with unlikeable characters. I always liked the original idea, had a mediaeval vibe and went back to some of the weirdness of Alien. Could have been a contender.

[–] alex321 (56) 2 months ago

I'll never understand people who hate Alien 3. I really love the bleak feel of Alien 3 in contrast to the adventurous/action-packed Aliens. Maybe people were expecting Aliens part 2 and were let down because of it but I like the fact that they went in a completely different direction. To each their own I guess.

[–] AndyAce83 (54) 2 months ago

Me too.

I rank them

Alien
Alien 3
Aliens
Prometheus
Alien Covenant
Alien Resurrection

[–] MichaelJPollock (664) 19 days ago

Me three!

Aliens is the first film of the saga I saw, at a fairly young age, and it really impressed me at the time. But I much prefer Alien 3 (seen in cinema on release) to Aliens.

I agree, that Alien 3 doesn't work "as a sequel": It works as something greater than a mere sequel !

I prefer the photography, sets and costume design in Alien3. Aliens is full of ugly blue screen and interior design reminiscent of the first Alien.

I also prefer Ripley's characterization in Alien3: give me "horny Ripley" ("-Are you attracted to me?", "-In what way?", "-In THAT way!") over "motherly Ripley" from Aliens, any day of the week.
The editing in Alien3 is also incredible (watch that autopsy sequence again! https://youtu.be/8xzSZYaeBcU?t=58).

But mostly, Alien 3 is about something more complex and grander and more relatable than the protective surrogate mother theme running through Aliens:

- Grief for the tragic loss of a “child”, and acceptance of the intrinsic unfairness of existence (something I understand the immense majority of people who disliked Alien3 for "killing off" both Newt and Hicks had the most difficulty coping with).

- The depression and difficulty to stand up and fight in the face of what seems like insurmountable odds: Ripley is at the same time so much stronger (she stands her ground amidst a group of violent male criminals and rapists) and vulnerable (she can’t take it anymore and decides to end her life at some point… before deciding to fight again) than in the other films.

- The sheer terror and hyper-reality of the moment you realize something with your x-ray or CT scan is not quite right, and all that it could imply.

- The living for so long with something in your life or inside of you that will eventually kill you, that it becomes a part of who you are (which by the way is what Alien: Resurrection illustrates very literally and unsubtly, as Ripley actually BECOMES the Alien.).

- Acceptance in a community that is so fundamentally different from yourself, and learns to "tolerate" the "intolerable". Turn on the news today and see how crucial and difficult this is.

[–] [email protected] (5545) 13 days ago

I didn't like Alien 3 the first time I saw it. But it grew on me after repeated viewings. It has a totally different feel than Aliens. I think I was expecting a continuation of that type of story. But the third film stands on its own.

I was disappointed that they killed Hicks, but didn't mind that they dispatched Newt. The character's ear shattering screams were so annoying. Anyway, they would've had to recast the role. By the time they made the third film Carrie Henn would've been a lot older. Of course maybe they would've explained it that children age in hyper sleep unlike adults.

[–] thingmakersback (1261) 2 months ago

About the queen... I think that this was not necessarily a great idea in the first place (A little too on the nose with bees and ants) BUT if it is there, I think it makes the most sense that the queen is not an essential element of the Alien "life cycle". Rather, I favor the notion, supported by the original film, that they are very flexible/opportunistic and each individual is capable of reproduction by whatever means is available. You can still have a queen as the "biological factory" option even if it is not depicted in any given story.

[–] ILJtheFirst (1949) 11 days ago

I'll never understand either.

[–] BKB (7007) 11 days ago

When you’ve made something as objectively awesome, groundbreaking, timeless and successful as Aliens, why in the name of God’s butthole would you trash it like Fox did with Alien3?"

Well, no matter how good or bad ALIEN III was, it never would've lived up to ALIENS. Sort of like how T2 was incredibly awesome and then came T3 which wasn't bad, but wasn't T2 either..

[–] Melton (2637) 11 days ago

…or they could have made an awesome third film like Die Hard With A Vengeance.

Killing off Hicks, Newt then Bishop and finally Ripley was an extraordinarily moronic decision, and totally avoidable.