Alien 3 Assembly Cut and Alien: Resurrection

[CTTT]

I know that fans are sharply divided on this as they either regard Alien 3 (or Alien Cubed) as a flawed masterpiece or a piece of trash, same with Resurrection. It would have been awesome to have Ridley Scott do 3 and James Cameron cap it off with 4. But what's unique about all four movies is that all of them had newish directors at the helm. So you get to see a unique visual style across the board. Personally, I liked 3, and it was brave to kill Ripley at the end. People clamor for Newt and Hicks to have been included. but I'm not sure how that would have worked. Carrie Hen was a teenager by then, so it would have been impossible to continue directly after without recasting a new child actress. The Assembly Cut I think is as close to what David Fincher intended as we are going to get. Resurrection I thought had some neat ideas with Ripley being a "mother" to the Alien and it wrapped up her story nicely. Through all 4 movie, she's trying to get back to Earth, and she finally does it here.

[ChrisIII]

I think Ressurection in part tried to appeal to those who liked the first two films with the dysfunctional freighter crew (The script was written by Joss Whedon, and in a few ways feels like a FIREFLY prototype) and of course bringing back weapons/more action-oriented plot which weren't really in Alien 3 (Unless you count the video game adaptations which pretty much gave Ripley everything she had in ALIENS). However I think they kind of got the wrong director for the material, and it came off more as parody despite some chilling scenes (The failed Ripley clones and Ripley's description of the Chestburster).

[SiegePerilous02]

Beyond the first two, which I love, I've only seen Alien 3 (the Assembly Cut) once. There are definitely some well done moments, but overall I can't say I cared for it. The big reason obviously being the deaths of Hicks and Newt and undoing the triumphant ending of Aliens by even existing. But even without that by itself, it begins right away with a plot breaking hold: it doesn't make sense for that egg to be on the Sulaco. Everybody had their eyes on the queen when she attacked them, she wasn't carrying an egg, and she lost her ovipositor so she couldn't lay any new ones. After Net and Hicks are killed, we are left with a large cast of unlikable and un-distinct characters, a very weak ensemble compared to the first two films. The ending also drags and is boring compared to the previous climaxes. On it's own, Alien 3 is pretty good with solid individual scenes that show the promise Fincher would go on to have as a director, but is very weak when attached to the other two and drags them down. I would have loved a stand alone story by Fincher in the Alien universe (and other directors), but without Ripley. Hell, maybe without the Xeno. The first film established a large Lovecraftian universe, it'd be cool to see some other nightmarish scenarios without the Alien or Space Jockeys. The more we see of them, the more law of diminishing returns set in. The Queen and the hive ended up working out extremely well, but that was pretty much it.

Resurrection I've never seen, but kind of want to out of morbid curiosity. Whedon seems to like to blame everything besides his script for that failure, but a lot of criticisms I've seen indicate the script contributed to the problems. I can't imagine a cast that includes Ron Pearlman, Winnona Ryder and Brad Douriff would really be an issue by itself to be "cast wrong."

[Joker]

The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is great. It's not perfect, but it is a vast improvement. You actually know who the inmates are!

I hated it when it came out, but I think it's a wonderful, dark end to Ripley's story. All 3 films are very different, and Alien 3 is the Gothic ending. I think it is largely hated for killing Newt and Hicks. It has other flaws, because production was a disaster, but I think it's unfairly maligned for those deaths.

Resurrection is a great Elseworlds! It's gorgeous, and has a lot of wonderful ideas, great casting, and style for days. But I watch it as it's own thing, not a proper sequel. Alien3 gave me the ending I needed for Ripley. ANd the ending, with the dumb alien hybrid. Yuck. That was worse than anything Alien3 did.

[ChrisIII]

Part of the problem was how the Newborn design worked on screen.Some of the design concepts actually looked kind of interesting, and of course the skull look is something that's been kind of part of Alien since the beginning (if not always visible on screen)

However, the movie's look made it look like a puppy, especially with the eyes(!) and the protrouding snout when seen from the side.

Hasbro's toy version (Seen here: https://titansterrorstoys.blogspot.c...orn-alien.html) actually kind of looks more scary than what we got in the film, sort of a zombie with a fierce Reverend Kaneish smile (Fun fact: It was Giger who helped design the final forms of Kane in Poltergesit II, including the Tequila Worm monster).

[Joker]

The eyes are what ruined it.

[CliffHanger2]

Resurrection has that rewatchable quality for me the cast and overall desgn and visuals. Make it one of those movies I end up going back to.. Think I saw 3 a few times and was done. Admittedly the design for the boss monster at the end could have been better.

[batnbreakfast]

I don't get the love for I and II. First one's boring as heck (probably was original when it came out) and two is not what its fans want it to be. Maybe I just dislike Cameron

[Nate Grey]

The assembly cut is the one where the xeno came from an ox instead of a dog, right?

[SiegePerilous02]

I don't get the love for I and II. First one's boring as heck (probably was original when it came out) and two is not what its fans want it to be. Maybe I just dislike Cameron

Considering how big of a hit it was, and the large following it has, it probably straight up is what the fans want it to be?

[batnbreakfast]

Considering how big of a hit it was, and the large following it has, it probably straight up is what the fans want it to be?

What I meant is the be all to end all feminist action flick which it clearly isn't for me

[Joker]

What I meant is the be all to end all feminist action flick which it clearly isn't for me

This is an incredibly bad take.

[SiegePerilous02]

What I meant is the be all to end all feminist action flick which it clearly isn't for me

This is an incredibly bad take.

Yeah, I have to agree with Joker. That's kind of a reductive take.

It's not a perfect feminist movie (and I'm not sure if you could ever get anyone to agree on what actually is), but is really progressive for its time and mostly holds up. Ripley is one of the most celebrated action movie heroines for a reason, it was a huge step for female heroes in cinema.

[ChrisIII]

The assembly cut is the one where the xeno came from an ox instead of a dog, right?

Yep. Also some extra stuff about all the prisoners attempting to trap the Alien, and Ripley's death doesn't have the Alien burst out before she falls.

[batnbreakfast]

Yeah, I have to agree with Joker. That's kind of a reductive take.

It's not a perfect feminist movie (and I'm not sure if you could ever get anyone to agree on what actually is), but is really progressive for its time and mostly holds up. Ripley is one of the most celebrated action movie heroines for a reason, it was a huge step for female heroes in cinema.

Ok, I'm in a foul mood but I give you that. For many reasons I just love Fincher's movie much more. Prison setting. Religious themes. Atmosphere. Attractive, bald woman. Desperation and hopelessness. Nostalgia.