Thirty years after watching Alien 3 at the movies, I've watched the Assembly Cut.
It's effectively a whole new film and a very enjoyable watch.
The story now (mostly) makes sense.
The only issue remaining is how two xenomorph eggs made it onto the Sulaco.
If you haven't seen it, look it up and you won't be disappointed.
I HAVE NOT SEEN IT MYSELF...BUT I WATCHED TONY FROM HACK THE MOVIES GO THROUGH IT.
shareThe only issue remaining is how two xenomorph eggs made it onto the Sulaco.
That is pretty much a fundamental issue, isn't it? But anyways, there were never "two" eggs, there was always only one egg and one fachugger... how did it impregnate both Ripley and an Ox (in the Assembly cut) then? Well as stupid as it sounds, a new facehugger, a "super facehugger" was invented for just this reason. This fella can impregnate exactly two hosts, one with a queen (Ripley) and one with a "warrior" alien for defense. So there is that... "solution".
If you really did not know that before, then I guess the whole scenario just got even stupider than before. You're welcome!
20 or more years passed since I've watched it for a last time and it is worse than I remember. The last time must have been the theatrical, because I remember the alien coming out of a dog.
The opening scene makes no sense, but I guess this is what they came up with to bring Ripley and the alien together. Sadly, this is followed by few others non-sensical scenes, like the sex scene or the guy releasing the alien. And the hunt itself - we have seen it all in the previous movies, but it was funnier with big guns and flamethrowers.
The whole thing is very subdued, eventless, without much care for the details and overall it feels like a slasher movie. David Fincher was a nobody back then and I'm not sure how much of this comes from him, but whoever cooked this thing, clearly does not understand science fiction... And when characters make references to Shirley Temple, I'm wondering if the writer is conscious about what he is working on.
What I liked is that they kept the industrial gothic style, some good cinematography, the gore and the costumes. In the previous movies the costumes were standard issue sci-fi costumes, but this time they were bolder in that department and I think it fits the overall style of the series. Ridley apparently liked it, because he also cared about this in the later movies.