I made this statement while writing a follow up to The Five Most Disappointing Films of All Time article. There were a few readers who suggested Alien 3 should have been included on the original list. I debated that assertion and quickly found a growing army of Alien 3 haters who believe the film is an abomination. Some went so far to claim that there are only two Alien films and that everything after Aliens is nothing more than a sad reflection of a franchise that has been oft maligned and left for dead.
Film fans certainly love the hyperbole, don't they?
Sure, Alien: Resurrection is not a great film. The Alien vs. Predator series proved that some concepts can be executed with blunt brutality. Watching those movies is like witnessing the unrelenting murder of an interesting idea. Ever since the tease in Predator 2, the idea of putting an Alien and the warlike Predators into one cinematic universe seemed like a great idea. Paul W.S. Anderson managed to make you regret thinking that.
I'm not sure if we need to drag Prometheus into this discussion. Yes, it's terrible. Yes, it's connected to the Alien franchise. And yes, it's just as bad as Paul W.S. Anderson's AVP movie. Equally stupid. Poorly plotted. Terrible, worthless characters. Did you ever think you'd see a Ridley Scott movie that was as bad as a Paul W.S. Anderson movie? And yet, it happened. I'm sure people will find that statement offensive. People are quick to defend the terrible work of talented directors based on the quality of their past work. However, if we're being fair: Prometheus was terrible. As terrible as Alien: Resurrection or AVP: Alien vs. Predator. Just because it had superior talent in front of the camera and state of the art special FX doesn't make it a better film. In fact, I would think it would be even more damning since they had all the right resources and still delivered a beautiful looking pile of trash. Ridley Scott helped birth the Alien world into existence. I suppose it's only fair that he got to put the final, terrible nail in the coffin. But I digress...
To me, if we're ranking Alien movies, it goes like this...
1. Alien
2. Alien 3
3. Aliens
Between three and four is an epic descent in both quality and watchability.
4. Alien: Resurrection
5 (tie). AVP: Alien vs. Predator
5 (tie). Prometheus
6. AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem
Alien 3 is a masterpiece of mismanagement and an odd kind of classic. It's a movie that was forged in the fires of production hell going through a dozen different writers and being pulled in every direction by the creative forces behind it, torn to shreds, and then reassembled into a bleak and confounding movie that I have learned to love.
I liked it the first time I saw it. In those pre-internet days, you weren't able to tap into the cultural zeitgeist at a moment's notice. So for many years, I was under the assumption that Alien 3 was a fine movie, and not the hated bastard stepchild of the Alien franchise. It's only in the last ten years or so that I've realized just how many people hate this movie - including the director, David Fincher who blames "studio meddling" and the creative economics of Hollywood as the cause for the film turning into an unsalvageable nightmare. And even knowing all this, I still say it's superior to James Cameron's action filled, steroid fueled take on Alien. It also serves as a fitting finale to the series. Alien 3 is like The Empire Strikes Back of the series, but it happens last.
Now I'm not saying Aliens is a bad movie. Far from it. It's a big, crazy, fun action movie. It's exactly the kind of over produced confection that James Cameron is known for. In the wake of Alien, Cameron decided to go another way. Where I would call Alien a horror film, Aliens is very much a big Hollywood action movie, filled with your typical James Cameron characters and various personality types posing as people. Every choice he made seemed predicated on taking everything that worked for Alien and cranking it up a hundred decibels. Big guns, big explosions, big Queen aliens, big mech suits, FLAMETHROWERS. To his credit, it was kind of awesome. Though at times it felt like a cartoon. Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser, I'm looking at you.
Alien 3 brought thing back to a more confined world. It's also dark. Real dark. As bleak a science fiction film as you'll ever see. It was returning the movie to its horror roots. Something that is difficult to do after Cameron turned the franchise into an action spectacle. A quieter, simpler Alien movie was difficult to appreciate after Cameron had blown out everyone's eardrums.
I will always appreciate Alien 3 more because it is so damn bleak. Because they take the happy ending that James Cameron handed audiences on a silver platter and take a good piss all over it. All the audience pleasing, mainstream moves Cameron made to turn the franchise into a roller coaster like theme park ride is crushed. Newt drowns in her cryo-pod. Hicks is impaled by a safety beam. Bishop opts to be shut down rather than stick around to witness the gruesome events that are about to unfold. And our hero, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is left on a prison planet full of rapists, thieves, murderers, AND an alien. This is the kind of dark, cold, and unforgiving scenario that seems fitting for an Alien film. There's a certain degree of parity with the original. Alien 3 sheds all the high tech, infinite ammunition mentality of Aliens in favor of a down and dirty slaughter. I think many film fans couldn't adjust to a joyless, generally explosion free experience. Cameron upped the ante. And rather than double down, they flipped the table, doused it in lighter fluid, and reduced it to ash.
I rather respect that sensibility.
Just to be clear, I do like Alien 3 as a movie. It's more than a nihilistic example of a franchise being doused with napalm. I like the prison planet scenario. I really like the idea of having to face down the enemy without weapons. And more than anything else I love the ending with Ripley cradling the alien spawn in her hands as she descends into a pool of molten lead. It's a fitting end for the dark world of Alien. The third installment presents such a bleak world view. It presents humanity at it's most unflattering and pushes Ripley to terrible new territory. As a character, some of Ripley's best moments are showcased in Alien 3. The truth is Ripley is one of cinema's most fascinating transformations. In the first she's the typical horror film survivor forced to use her wits to overcome a horrific creature. In the second she transforms into an action hero who can will herself out of the deadliest encounters, spewing trailer-worthy catchphrases. "Get away from her, you bitch!". The third film is where we really get to know Ripley. In this tragedy that is unfolding before our eyes. Where all the fighting, all the struggles, and all the horrors she has witnessed has not brought her any closer to salvation. She has been dropped into the hell of Fury 161, to suffer this last alien encounter without aide. Without the spunky sidekick she picked up in Aliens, or a devil-may-care Colonial Marine to save the day.
Alien 3 is brave in a way so many other sequels aren't. They didn't just mess with the playbook, they eviscerated it. They took their iconic main character, shaved her head, threw her on a planet of psychos and then impregnated her with an alien. Within the first forty five minutes you know that Ripley is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. A walking death sentence. She's not walking away from this one. The entire movie is almost like a eulogy for a fallen hero who has sacrificed everything for ultimately nothing.
You could argue that her nose dive into molten metal did prevent the evil Weyland-Yutani corporation from getting their hands on an alien, and thus doesn't constitute 'nothing'. Still, Ripley's life was marred by constant tragedy. In three films she had been transformed from survivor, to hero, and finally to pariah.
I understand the criticism some express for Alien 3. And most of it comes from the differences it has with Aliens - differences that I see as strengths. Jettisoning the largess of Aliens, turning up the tragedy, and allowing the story to end in an unconventional way. These are risks most large franchises would never take. Alien 3 is a film that is both compelling and frustrating. There are people who will never be able to see past the choices made and the direction taken. But I contend Alien 3 is not only a sequel worth consideration, but a dark piece of science fiction tragedy that is only bested by the original.
Next up: In defense of Alien: Resurrection. Just kidding. That movies is heinous.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the graphic novel EXE: Executable File, is available from Lulu.com.
An excellent assessment of an oft-maligned film. While I have always preferred Aliens myself, I do think that this was a worthy conclusion to what should have remained a trilogy.
ReplyDeleteReally, when you consider all the script rewrites and studio interference, the fact that the final product is so solid is a testament to Fincher's skills (even if he did end up disowning it).
and yet he still proudly claims "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
ReplyDeleteSorry but Alien 3 is a good looking turd and you are mental to suggest that it ranks higher than Aliens. It's a crying shame because we can all now wonder what it might have been if Fincher had a little more control on the gig considering what he went on to do with work such as Se7en. Whilst the bleak setting of Fury 161 and dumping Ripley with no weapons amongst a bunch of convicts was a nice idea not even a stack of quality English & American thespians could breathe life into the arse dialogue and confused script. Ultimately it was seeing full reveals of a dodgy CGI Alien which was laughable even in 1992 that completely killed the illusion of the sinister and menacing Killing machine that i had previously only seen by the light of flamthrowers and gunfire. Basically Alien 3 destroyed the mystery of the species for this particular fanboy.
ReplyDeleteThis is meaningless. Stop wasting your time and try being something other than a sheep.
ReplyDeleteI laughed that after you made a comment about how film fans love hyperbole, you almost immediately went on to equate Prometheus with a Paul WS Anderson level of filmmaking. It seems you are right. Film fans do indeed love hyperbole!
ReplyDeletethat wasn't an accident. though i will contend that the only reason Prometheus got such a pass while being such a terrible film is because Ridley Scott has made some good movies, whereas Paul WS Anderson has not. But if you're claiming that Prometheus isn't deeply flawed with some absolutely terrible filmmaking going on, then you sir need to put down the crack pipe.
ReplyDeleteOh no, I very much recognise that Prometheus is indeed a frustratingly flawed film (albiet an entertaining one). I'm simply not high enough to equate the quality of filmmaking to the likes of Paul WS Anderson's Aliens vs Predator. Could you send me your dealers number?
ReplyDeleteI dont know his number. He goes by Walt. Apparently he used to be a high school chemistry teacher.
ReplyDeleteI know him. I knocked on his house once and he damn near ripped my head off.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the only way to watch Alien 3 is the Special Edition cut on the DVD and Blu-Ray packs. There's simply too much good stuff that got put back into the film. Honestly, I quite liked the original theatrical cut, as well. I felt it was bleak, hopeless, and very much in tune with the nihilistic tone of the Alien franchise. But when that Special Edition came out, it was like a complete reworking of the film in the best way.
ReplyDeleteIf we're talking the extended alien 3 where the characters are more fleshed out and things actually make sense, then I understand where you're coming from. The theatrical cut is a mess.
ReplyDeleteSorry Anghus, but Alien 3 is a brave failure, at best.
ReplyDeleteFor all its lofty goals, it still can't carry Aliens' jockstrap. Nor is it even remotely within shouting distance of the Ridley Scott original.
I'd rank Alien 3 about even with the disappointing Prometheus and Alien: Resurrection films, and only about a notch above the AvP trash. Perhaps if the studio had left Fincher alone it could've been better.
Oh, and the off-screen, arbitrary killing of Newt and Hicks was nothing more than a slap in the face to the audience, and not in a good or challenging way. It's lazy too... Fincher could've come up with a better way to put Ripley on Fury 161 sans the characters of the prior film that Fincher had no interest in. But, it's easier to just crap all over the Cameron film, no matter that the audience had an investment in it and the fate that Ripley and Co. had fought so bravely for over the course of it.
It's rather silly to suggest that Cameron "loves a happy ending" and it's 'so neat' that Fincher just arbitrarily spat on the prior film when, in actuality, 157 colonists and the vast majority of the marines got wiped out. But you make Aliens sound like Mama Mia.
Now, there's 'cool bleak', and there's 'boring bleak/'the feel bad film of the year'. Alien 3 is the latter, and that's why the vast majority hate it so (along with the bad/ridiculous continuity). It's also surprisingly devoid of characters you care about, Charles Dutton aside.
Oh, and the 'Ripley as Christ figure' thing at the very end? LOLOLOLOL. Inexcusable AND lazy. 'nuff said.
There's isn't a Director's Cut in existence that can fully redeem all that mess, and I'm sure Fincher wishes he could've had a do-over on the whole thing, sans studio stupidity.
Dude Alien 3 was horrible. The setting, script and cast except for Dutton and Weaver were pathetic.What was the point of leaving Bishop, Hicks and Newt alive after Aliens just kill them in the first ten minutes of A3 absolutely stupid. The whole prison thing made no sense and through away any continuity from the first two films. A3 sucked plain and simple. If they would have stuck with the original premise of the aliens coming to earth it may have had a chance but to revert back to the one lone alien kills everybody formula was lazy and forgettable.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Alien 3 a lot too, even though my friends don't. For me it's where the alien franchise ends. I hated Alien:Resurrection so bloody much and it was 10X worse than Alien 3. AVP's were pointless. I loved how it ended...perfect. The producers extended cut make the move make a lot more sense(except the dog alien which came out of a cow). I loved the extra stuff of the crazy inmate who releases the alien once it was trapped. To me the extended version was a better movie. But Alien 3 did return Alien to it's more horror movie roots...but it's still not better than Aliens. But I'll always like it.
ReplyDeleteIn a sea of bad, Event Horizon was actually really good.
ReplyDeleteI try to imagine an Alien 3 that would have met the expectations of anyone who anticipated a bigger/better/badder version of Aliens. The original teaser trailer indicated that the Aliens were finally coming to the planet Earth which in itself prepared us for the expectation of a global battle that could have told the tale of how the worlds armies/governments finally come together to take on a common foe (never seen that done before in a film after all). There are a million stories that could have been told and Alien Resurrection is a perfect example of how wrong they could have went. Frankly I'm left to believe that after Aliens, the franchise should have just ended so Alien 3 to me is an excellent "oh-by the way" film that could have just been an Easter Egg in the Alien/Aliens box set. I have a personal love for the film because I found many of the characters to be endearing/memorable, the odds/adversity to be extremely high and I've learned from every other film such as AVP, AVP Requiem and so on that more does not mean better. If they ever try to revitalize the franchise I hope they take more from Alien and Alien 3 than they do from anything else and go even more horror than sci-fi. I actually would love to see a "found footage" version of the film with a premise that a team of scientist were so fascinated with the concept of the Alien design that they try to bio engineer one in the "real world".
ReplyDeletethis is an article i could agree with, if i took what i remembered about alien 3 from the 90s. having just watched the movie, it's tragically bland in the horror and pacing. after the autopsy, there are no scares or chills to be had. the alien almost has to find something interesting to do. alien was as much a psychological thriller as it was a "slasher flick," and aliens merged action and horror perfectly. alien 3 just brought the slasher film tropes back in the least imaginitive way. the movie would have been better if there was more character development in the downtime, and if the plots to trap/kill the alien was more coherent.
ReplyDeletehowever, at the end of alien 3, i couldn't have been more interested in the sinister weyland-yutani corporation, which has brought ripley much pain and anguish across several planets and even centuries. which reminds me how much of a disappointment prometheus was.
Loved these two disappointing film features - and agree with much.
ReplyDeleteBut let's talk briefly about Alien 3. What spoiled it for me from the go, as a UK watcher, were all the British TV actors playing prisoners (Brian Glover, for God's sake, among others - and at that time Charles Dance was mostly known as a TV actor - though a good one....), so those regional Brit accents and dialogue really soured it for me (didn't one character actually call someone else "a fuckin' wanker...?" Awful... not major film dialogue for me...); gorgeous Sigourney Weaver was hobbled by her unbecoming haircut, and, Good Gracious, the awsome eight-foot alien was diminished to dog size...! Just absolute nuts.... Having said that, there were some good moments: Glover being hauled into the ceiling by the unseen alien, the telltale goo around the fan, the brilliant climactic helter-skelter chase through labrynthine corridors, and of course Ripley's shocking self-sacrifice... But, yes, it's depressingly downbeat when we wanted the franchise to go up a notch (if possible...), and consequently simply sours our feelings towards all things Alien - which of course everything that followed compounded......
...not least Prometheus - probably the biggest disappointment of last year. That this was helmed by Ridley Scott makes it particularly inexplicable and unforgiveable - and I still cannot understand how such a great director could deliver such a pile of horseshit.....
Did you notice on the Alien poster at the top it says "here you scream"?? Ouch!!
ReplyDeleteI was not thrilled with the third installment initially as it didn't seem to really make sense. Then I saw the "extended version" on the DVD where they add back in some scenes and entirely change the entrance method and gestation creature and reinsert what I feel are critical scenes to establish some of what goes on in what is left. I was quite satisfied with the extended version, and will always feel the theatrical version didn't meet the minimums. While the elements commented on by the writer are valid, they didn't come together like in the first two films. The execution didn't meet the high concept.
ReplyDelete