| Fiorna 161 is a lice-infected planet in a distant solar system.
A maximum security work correctional facility, this monastic
community is host to some of the most violent criminals of the
universe. Into this male dominated world crashes Warrant Officer
Ellen Ripley, bringing with her an unwelcome visitor. Once again
Ripley is pitted against her deadliest enemy, only this time
without aid of advanced technology or modern weapons. |
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Alien3 1992
I like this film for 3 simple reasons. First
of all, it's got a great lead actress, Sigourney Weaver who has
always proven to be great in the role of Ripley whether she's
human or cloned.
Second, the film has a really dark tone and
a lot of style thanks to director David Fincher and cinematographer
Alex Thomson.
Third and most important, the story shows
us the real tragedy of Ellen Ripley's life, how everyone around
her, everyone she cares for are taken away from her by the Alien.
Still she prevails. The ending left me in shivers because of
Ripley's courage and sacrifice.
Although all these things could have made
a grand film for the series, David Fincher didn't really know
where he was going. He just didn't seem at ease and the whole
package feels unfinished, sometimes boring. There are very few
action or suspense scenes, like I said, the film relies more
on drama for it's effect which is great but not for an Alien
film. It would have needed more action, more suspense, more terror
and victims we care for (except for Ripley of course).
Although it's got its share of goodies, Alien3 is mostly a disappointment, especially when you
compare it to its 2 predecessors.
Review by Pluto-3, Quebec Canada,
14 August 1998
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Tagline
The bitch is back.
Plot Outline
Fiorna 161 is a lice-infected planet in a distant solar system.
A maximum security work correctional facility, this monastic
community is host to some of the most violent criminals of the
universe. Into this male dominated world crashes Warrant Officer
Ellen Ripley, bringing with her an unwelcome visitor. Once again
Ripley is pitted against her deadliest enemy, only this time
without aid of advanced technology or modern weapons.
Runtime
Germany: 110, Spain: 115, UK: 110, USA: 115
Color
Color (Eastmancolor)
Sound Mix
70 mm 4-Track (70 mm prints) / Dolby SR
Certification
Australia: M, UK: 18, USA: R
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Credits
Cast (in credits
order)
Sigourney Weaver
Charles Dutton
Charles Dance
Paul McGann
Brian Glover (I)
Ralph Brown (I)
Daniel Webb (I)
Christopher John Fields
Holt McCallany
Lance Henriksen
Christopher Fairbank
Carl Chase
Leon Herbert
Vincenzo Nicoli
Pete Postlethwaite
Paul Brennen
Clive Mantle
Peter Guinness
Dhobi Oparei
Philip Davis (I)
Niall Buggy
Hi Ching
Danielle Edmond
Tom Woodruff Jr. |
Ellen Ripley
Dillon (as Charles S. Dutton)
Clemens
Golic
Andrews
Aaron
Morse
Rains
Junior
Bishop II
Murphy
Frank
Boggs
Jude
David
Troy
William
Gregor
Arthur
Kevin
Eric
Company Man
Newt
Lead Alien (uncredited) |
Directed by: David
Fincher
Writing credits: Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett (characters),
Vincent Ward (story), David Giler, Walter Hill, Larry Ferguson
(screenplay)
Original music by: Elliot
Goldenthal
Click here to go to the Alien Soundtrack section
Produced by: Gordon
Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill
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Alternate Movie Versions
- Alien 3 was heavily edited before its theatrical
release. The following list includes most of the allegedly deleted
scenes, a lot of which would have fleshed out the characters
and themes much more satisfactorily if they had been left in:
- just before the autopsy, there is a scene
with Clemens, Ripley, and Prisoner Kevin walking down the spiral
stairs into the morgue where Clemens questions Ripley about her
need to ascertain Newt's death and also asks her if Newt was
her daughter;
- just before Ripley enters the mess Hall with
her newly shaved head after the funeral, there is an interesting
little scene that builds character development. It concerns Prisoners
Boggs and Rains and their complaints to Dillon about Prisoner
Golic being crazy, how Golic smells bad, and how they don't want
to go into the tunnels to work with him. Dillon adamantly tells
them they must do their job and have no choice;
- in the scene where Ripley asks Clemens if
he is attracted to her and he tells her she is very direct, Ripley's
reply of "I've been out here a long time" was not originally
included;
- in the scene where prisoner Murphy becomes
the alien's first victim in the vent shaft, he is singing a different
tune than that heard in the theatrical version;
- right after the scene where Ripley finds
the flight recorder on the EEV, there is a scene where Dillon
sees Boggs, Rains, and Golic, off on their excursion into the
tunnels (where we first see them together theatrically) in which
Dillon asks them to light a candle for the dead prisoner Murphy
(the first victim in the vent shaft);
- the scene where Warden Andrews and Clemens
meet to discuss Ripley is longer, with Clemens telling Andrews
that Ripley was part of a combat team that came to grief, Andrews
insinuating that something is going on between Clemens and Ripley,
and Andrews telling Clemens to get the hell out;
- during Ripley's conversation with the reconnected
Bishop, there are intercut scenes of a crazed and bloody Golic
being found in the mess hall by Eric, the cook, who panics and
drops the dishes, and how Golic is grabbed by the others (Clemens,
85, Andrews, and Dillon) and dragged to the infirmary;
- in the scene in the infirmary where Clemens
and Ripley are talking, a tied up Golic interrupts with a few
lines about how in an insane world, an insane man must appear
to be sane, Clemens sarcastically thanks him;
- after the Alien kills Clemens and Ripley
runs out of the infirmary, there is a close-up of Golic's face
admiring the alien and he repeats "Magnificent";
- after Warden Andrews death, when the prisoners
are deciding what to do, when Morse says they should take Ripley's
head and "bash it through the F***ing wall," Ripley
replies "That sounds good to me...";
- when the explosions in the tunnels occur,
there is an approximate 10 minute chunk of the film that was
deleted. It begins with added shots of the prisoners being consumed
by the fire as Ripley and Dillon hurry to get them to safety.
One of the prisoners is hurt badly and Ripley is trying to help
him. His friend Junior (the guy with the tear tatoo who initially
attacks Ripley in the attempted rape scene) looks at Ripley (there
is almost a look of reconciliation) and when Dillon arrives,
he asks Junior to turn the sprinklers on. Junior runs for the
sprinklers but another prisoner yells to Junior to look out behind
him. When Junior turns, the alien crawls down from the ceiling
as the others (including Ripley and Dillon try to lure it away.
Issuing a cry of challenge, Junior runs into the Toxic Waste
room, causing the alien to run in after him and sacrificing his
life, as Ripley and Dillon lock the doors and the sounds of the
alien killing him are heard outside. Dillon turns on the sprinklers
and next there is a scene where Dillon is leading a prayer for
those who sacrificed themselves and died. As Ripley and 85 look
in from above they discuss religion, as well as 85 saying that
the company will arrive to kill the trapped alien with smart
guns. Ripley asks him what if they won't kill it, and he doesn't
believe this. Then there is a scene in the infirmary with Golic
pleading with Morse to untie him while Morse is shaving his own
head. Morse reluctantly unties him and after Golic asks him,
tells him where the alien is trapped. Golic knocks him out and
hurries out of the room. Next, there is a scene where 85 and
Ripley are sending a transmission to the company about the trapped
xenomorph and Ripley, testing the company's intentions, requests
permission to terminate the alien. The company quickly replies
they are not to do anything against the alien, confirming Ripley's
suspicions. Then Golic arrives at the Toxic waste dump and tells
the prisoner guarding the door he must talk to the creature.
The prisoner shrugs him off and suddenly Golic slits his throat
and opens the door, telling the alien he'll do anything he wants.
Golic's screams as the alien attacks. Ripley then tells Dillon
about the company's plans to keep the alien alive and Dillon
says he doesn't care. Ripley insists that innocent people will
die and Dillon tells him that the world outside does not exist
for them. Morse rushes in and tells them he has bad news. The
three of them, along with 85 go to the dump where 85 blames Morse
for the insane Golic's actions.
- when Ripley complains of feeling ill after
they find the dead prisoners by the toxic waste dump, there is
an added line when she leaves that Dillon says "Where did
she go?";
- when Ripley fights with Dillon after he refuses
to kill her, there is an added line where Dillon says "Go
kill yourself";
- during the scene where the remaining prisoners
are meeting to discuss Dillon and Ripley's plan to terminate
the alien, there are expanded dialogue scenes concerning Dillon
telling them they have a choice to get even with the creature
for its destroying the others, Ripley questioning 85's statements
that the rescue team is on its way (Ripley says "Rescue
team for whom?"), Dillong emphasizing this task of being
part of the "steps to heaven", etc.;
- during the tunnel chase sequence, there are
numerous additions including a scene where Ripley asks what the
prisoners are doing (when two of them guarding the piston run
off) and Dillon says "Improvising," shots of Dillon
walking through corridors and finding bodies (Troy) as well as
Ripley finding bodies (Eric) and verbally identifying them, Jude
slipping and falling and cutting himself with the scissors he
was holding, 85 silently meditating with his head bowed down
as he awaits the company people;
- when the company reps arrive, it is extended
as the Asian rep asks 85 if he's seen the beast, 85 confirms
and says Ripley has one inside her. Bishop II replies, "We
know that." And when 85 sees the cage he tells them "You're
gonna need a bigger cage."
- when Ripley is trying to lure the alien back
into the piston, she keeps telling it to kill her;
- right before Ripley pulls the chains to shower
the burning hot alien with water, she says, "For the Last
time." Also, there is no voice-over of Morse telling her
to douse the creature with water (probably added in looping to
better explain what was happening to the audience);
- there is more dialogue when Bishop II confronts
Ripley as he refers to the malignancy inside her and the great
courage she has shown. There is also an added scene where the
asian medic explains the procedure to remove the alien from Ripley,
saying it will be quick (two-hours) and she'll be fine. When
Bishop II asks Ripley to trust him and she must choose, the scene
is more drawn out, and you can see Ripley agonizing more over
the decision she must make (definitely more dramatic);
- when Ripley tells Morse to help her and he
asks "what do you want me to do?" She replies, "You'll
know...";
- one added scene that eliminates controversy,
is when 85 hits Bishop II and is killed, there is an additional
moment which Bishop II can be seen in pain and he shouts "I'm
not a droid!!";
- after Bishop groans and says "I'm not
a droid!," he sees one of his crewmembers with a camera
trying to film Ripley's sacrifice, and he tells the man with
the camera, "No pictures!!"
- when Ripley falls into the molten lead, there
is no shot of the chestburster emerging from her body;
- after Ripley falls, Morse crawls over to
look out into the molten pit;
- the last scenes are arranged a little differently
with the video screen facility closed shot coming before the
shot of the empty cryotubes and Ripley's transmission being heard.
- The Alien Quadrilogy DVD set contains both
the theatrical release and an alternative "workprint"
cut of Alien 3 (NOT a directors cut). This version runs about
30 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. It includes almost
everything described above as seen in the original workprint
as well as the following major differences not described above:
- the scene of Ripley being rescued at the
beginning is completely different as she is seen by Clements
(Charles Dance) lying next to the spaceship and then taken into
the prison covered in mud. In the theatrical print she is discovered
still inside her cryrogenic unit inside the escape pod. Various
shots of people examining the escape pod that were in the theatrical
print, including a shot of a spacehugger, are missing from the
DVD workprint.
- there are extra additions to scenes of Charles
Dutton's character leading the prisoners in prayers - these precede
both of Brian Glover's "rumour control" addresses and
also elsewhere in the film.
- In the workprint the alien bursts out of
a dead Ox. In the theatrical print, it is a dog. All scenes involving
the dog have been deleted from the workprint - a shot of Oxen
outside the escape pod can be seen at the beginning of the workprint
(they drag it back to the prison) and there is an additional
scene of 2 prisoners dragging the dead oxen, from which the alien
later bursts out, into the prison and leaving it on a hook.
- Other changes to the "Assembly Cut":
In the Theatrical Version, the deaths of Newt and Hicks (along
with the "negative capability" of the android Bishop)
are shown in a computer report, cutting to the bodies of each
lying in their cryotubes as each is listed on the screen. In
the Assembly Cut, this scene has been replaced with one of Supt.
Andrews (Brian Glover) entering the information in a report,
while the prisoner Frank looks inside the damaged EEV, showing
us an even more damaged Bishop, and a rather gory close-up of
what is left of Hicks.
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