Alien 3 is far from the mess some critics, viewers and even David Fincher have labeled it, and there are a lot of great qualities that redeem the maligned sequel. Audiences were amped for the return of the Alien franchise following the second movie, which was an adrenaline-soaked, action/horror ride. Alien 3 spent many years in development hell, where various ideas were pitched and rejected, but viewers weren’t ready for the relentlessly dour “final” chapter the movie delivered.
Alien 3 begins by killing off fan-favorites Hicks and Newt and only gets grimmer from there. The film might be Fincher’s directorial debut, but Alien 3 was such a famously tortured production that he’s disowned the film in the years since. The third entry opened to mixed reviews and lukewarm box office, but while its reputation has evolved somewhat, it’s still seen as a disaster by some. Alien 3 is undeniably flawed, but there’s plenty to recommend it too.
1 It Wrapped Up Ripley’s Story Perfectly
The first three Alien movies begin with Ripley waking up and finding herself in a nightmare. In Alien, it was her crew investigating the Derelict and bringing “Kane’s Son” back onboard and in Aliens it was accompanying a group of marines back to the same planet and finding a nest of Xenomorphs. With Alien 3, she awakens to find her fellow survivors dead, that she’s trapped on a hellish planet and also implanted with an Alien Queen. The movies always depicted Ripley as a survivor who had the will to overcome any challenge, and while Alien 3’s ending is dark, it also saw Ripley go out on her own terms.
She could have had the embryo removed and survived, but she chose to rob Weyland-Yutani of their prize and rid the universe of the creature by jumping into molten lead. Of course, it would have been nice if Alien 3 granted her a more hopeful ending, but in giving the middle finger to the people and the monster that made her life a living hell, her story closed on something of a perfect note.
2 It’s One Of The Bleakest Summer Blockbusters Ever Made
This may not sound like a positive, but Alien 3 is an utterly unique beast that will never happen again in blockbuster cinema. Instead of giving audiences another crowd-pleasing shoot-em-up like Aliens, the creatives behind the third entry chose to make an uncompromisingly dark survival horror tale. For better or worse, Alien 3 commits to this mission statement, stranding Ripley with thieves and killers on a desolate planet. All but one of them die violent, lonely deaths, with the story’s themes covering everything from religion to the AIDs epidemic. There’s zero chance such an audience-unfriendly blockbuster would be mounted like this now, and the film’s ambition is something worth celebrating.
3 Alien 3 Has The Franchise’s Most Lethal Xenomorph
Alien 3 suffers from some optically inserted effects shots of the titular monster that look pretty bad to modern eyes. That nitpick aside, the Xenomorph “Dragon” from Alien 3 is the most lethal of the entire saga. A mix of dog and alien DNA, it’s much faster and more aggressive, with this Star Beast earning the franchise’s biggest bodycount for a single Xenomorph. It earns one of the most creative demises too.
4 Charles Dance’s Clemens Is A Franchise MVP
Charles Dance was quietly stealing movies and TV shows for decades before his turn as Tywin Lannister on Game Of Thrones. Alien 3 is another great example of this, with his doctor character Clemens becoming Ripley’s ally – and love interest – on Fury 161. Clemens is one of the most underrated characters in the saga, being a good man haunted by a dreadful mistake. He’s such a good character that his shock demise around the midway point only reinforces the uncompromising nature of Alien 3’s story.
5 Alien 3 Is Visually Stunning
Like Ridley Scott before him, Fincher had a background in commercials, with his eye for visuals making him a name. Alien 3 isn’t necessarily the prettiest-looking movie, but it’s hard to deny it isn’t visually arresting either. From the set design to the camera work and lighting, barely a minute goes by without something catching the eye. From the exterior shots of the windswept planet of Fury 161 to the POV shots of the pursuing Xenomorph during the finale, Fincher definitely brought his flair for imagery to the project. Speaking of…
6 It Features The Most Iconic Image Of The Franchise
The Alien saga is loaded with famous images; from John Hurt’s “birth” scene in the original to the power-loader fight of Aliens, even the weakest outings tend to have some great shots. Any article covering the series tends to fall back on one shot, which is Ripley cowering in fear as the alien hisses in her face. It’s one of the most defining images in all of sci-fi cinema and is an almost perfect encapsulation of the primal dread at the heart of the series.
7 It Brought Horror Back To The Alien Series
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While Aliens had horror elements of its own, it was more of an action film. Alien 3 attempted to dial things back to the more intimate horror tone of the first Alien, with another group of unfortunates trapped with a stalking monster. Whatever could be said of the sequels that followed Alien 3, it’s fair to state they’re rarely – if ever – that scary. The third entry is a true return to the horror genre and features some intense sequences such as the alien’s first attack on the prisoners to Clemen’s death. Of course, Scott’s Alien towers over it in that regard – but that’s true of most horror movies.
8 Alien 3’s Assembly Cut Is A Richer Experience
Alien 3’s theatrical cut is a good movie in its own right, but thanks to a choppy tone and valuable scenes being cut to reduce the runtime, it’s messy. In the early 2000s, a new version of Alien 3 dubbed the Assembly Cut was put together. This restored key character beats and subplots, including prisoner Golic’s (Paul McGann) obsession with the creature. Not quite a director’s cut – Fincher refused to be involved – and flawed in its own right, it’s a still richer, more rewarding way to experience the sequel. This edit also helped redeem Alien 3’s reputation for some fans.
9 Alien 3 Has A Fantastic Score
Following in the footsteps of Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner’s scores for Alien and Aliens is no mean feat. It’s to the immense credit of Alien 3 composer Elliot Goldenthal that he not only rose to the challenge but credited a moody score that stands with the first two movies. From the opening warping of the classic Fox fanfare giving way to the elegiac main theme and the haunting “Adagio,” Goldenthal’s work perfectly captures the tone of the movie.
10 Sigourney Weaver’s Performance
It probably should go without saying, but Alien 3 really is Sigourney Weaver’s show. She helped shape some of the key controversies surrounding Alien 3 (no guns, insisting on Ripley’s death, etc), but her performance is utterly committed. From Ripley’s silent heartbreak during the Hicks and Newt funeral to the realization she’s carrying an embryo and her final, decisive “No” to Lance Henriksen’s Bishop, Weaver is delivering incredible work. If there’s one reason to revisit Alien 3, it’s for her performance alone.
