What if the ALIEN franchise had gone differently?

[CelticPredator]

Stop yer grinnin, and drop yer linnin....got 'em. \

Yeah man, it's the dry heat!

 

[Armored Avenger]

All these Aliens quotes just help emphasise how awesome the film is. I'm going to have to watch it again soon and the special features. The Alien films have brilliant second discs.

 

[CelticPredator]

Indeed. The Alien Doc is the best.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Celtic have you seen the extended cut of 3?

 

[CelticPredator]

Many times, yes.

 

[lzzy]

I just bought it yesterday, £2.99! Which is about $1.50. Watched the making of... no one seems very enthusiastic. Weaver says about the film, 'I liked the Alien dog, and ... oh, we had fun on that shoot.' I think she had more fun than others, everyone else describes it as a nightmare.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Yea Fincher left the movie before it went into post production because of interference from Fox. It was a troubled production.

But the extended cut is brilliant and Fincher's true vision.

 

[CelticPredator]

**** Fox.

I wish their entire company would die.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Well we wouldn't of got Predators or Aliens in the first place if it wasn't for Fox.

 

[Doctor Jones]

"Some say she saw an alien."

"Whoopdie ****ing doo."

 

[Armored Avenger]

All these Aliens quotes just help emphasise how awesome the film is. I'm going to have to watch it again soon and the special features. The Alien films have brilliant second discs.

Well I just finished watching Aliens again (after posting I couldn't help but go and watch it almost right away).

Hudson is one of the greatest characters in the history of cinema.

I watched it with the Commentary from Cameron/Cast/Crew. The final line of the commentary, delivered by Cameron, really sums up why I dislike Alien 3 -
"It's about the characters, the relationships - then they made the third movie and killed everyone hahahaha".
I agree with him, and with his comment earlier on in the commentary when he describes Alien 3 as "A slap in the face" to the fans of Aliens who invested in the characters. I also agree with, when talking about Alien 3 again, he says that he thinks it's ok for different directors to make sequels and to make changes, but not at the expense of the earlier films and the stuff that people liked. I liked the whole Ripley/Newt and Ripley/Hicks dynamics and so did not want to see them die.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I didn't wanna see Hicks and Newt die either.

But the whole theme of Alien 3 is faith and hope. And how utterly futile it is when it gets down to the real ****. A common theme for Fincher movies.

It's obviously a matter of taste but I loved that nihilism and sense that no matter how much faith or hope you have, when you're ****ed, you're ****ed.

 

[The Navigator]

My only real problem with that scene is after such an unconventional, badass, gut-wrenching opening, the movie doesn't deliver any more knockout punches to that effect (and, sorry, the "revelation" that Ripley is preggers was anything but...if you didn't figure it out after the autopsy scene, you weren't paying attention). It uses its best blow right at the start and then goes back to the more conventional first-movie type alien encounters that are more mundane that frightening--so much so that the alien actually becomes a plot device to get rid of superintendant Andrews the minute he starts to clamp down.
It's a disappointing film that could have been great with the right foundation. Fincher did what he could, but let's not put on airs--Alien 3 is an unfinished mess, assembly cut included.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Watch the extended cut man. It's MASSIVELY different. There is a whole new sub plot involving the guy who witnessed the first attack by the alien.

 

[Soapy]

Well I just finished watching Aliens again (after posting I couldn't help but go and watch it almost right away).

Hudson is one of the greatest characters in the history of cinema.

I watched it with the Commentary from Cameron/Cast/Crew. The final line of the commentary, delivered by Cameron, really sums up why I dislike Alien 3 -
"It's about the characters, the relationships - then they made the third movie and killed everyone hahahaha".
I agree with him, and with his comment earlier on in the commentary when he describes Alien 3 as "A slap in the face" to the fans of Aliens who invested in the characters. I also agree with, when talking about Alien 3 again, he says that he thinks it's ok for different directors to make sequels and to make changes, but not at the expense of the earlier films and the stuff that people liked. I liked the whole Ripley/Newt and Ripley/Hicks dynamics and so did not want to see them die.

I'm a huge fan of Alien/Aliens and I never felt like I had been "slapped in the face" by Alien 3. I didn't like it that Hicks and Newt died, but I don't see it as a flaw of the movie. It's just the most recent tragedy in a long line of tragedy in Ripley's life. It's not an ideal end to Ripley's journey, but that's life. That's just how her story went. And I went with it.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I'm a huge fan of Alien/Aliens and I never felt like I had been "slapped in the face" by Alien 3. I didn't like it that Hicks and Newt died, but I don't see it as a flaw of the movie. It's just the most recent tragedy in a long line of tragedy in Ripley's life. It's not an ideal end to Ripley's journey, but that's life. That's just how her story went. And I went with it.

Exactly. The theme of 3 is that hope and faith are utterly futile.

It isn't a coincidence that the prisoners are all religious nuts.

 

[The Navigator]

Watch the extended cut man. It's MASSIVELY different. There is a whole new sub plot involving the guy who witnessed the first attack by the alien.

I have. It's better, but still a mess.

 

[Soapy]

They need to put the Alien series on Blu-ray ASAP. I tried watching Aliens last night...but I just couldn't. The picture was fuzzy as hell.

 

[lzzy]

I didn't wanna see Hicks and Newt die either.

But the whole theme of Alien 3 is faith and hope. And how utterly futile it is when it gets down to the real ****. A common theme for Fincher movies.

It's obviously a matter of taste but I loved that nihilism and sense that no matter how much faith or hope you have, when you're ****ed, you're ****ed.

But Fincher had no say on the script, it was massively rewritten by a load of writers and was being changed even as Fincher filmed, though I would agree that he was responsible for translating that theme to film.
The other cut of Alien 3 IS better, but overall the film is still lacking, for me anyway. It's wonderfully shot, greatly acted, but was already destined to limp due to its script. The plot holes - how'd the facehugger get on board? The facehugger is shown as regular (tell by its legs) but then is revealed to be a superfacehugger, impregnates Ripley & an ox/dog, the dogalien gestates quicker than the queen etc. Not massive problems, but a little distracting.
Hopelessness is okay, but call me ******** or whatever - killing Newt and Hicks was horrible. They obliterated Hick's - you can see his jaws ripped to shreds. This wasn't just due to Biehn not letting them use his likeness, you can see concept art of his maiming in early production. And the description of Newt's passing, 'I don't think she was conscious (when drowning)... I think,' is not to my tastes, especially hacking her body with a saw. Alien and Aliens incited fear and terror, but Alien3 invoked disgust, and the alien never felt a threat because 1) the protags were murderers and child molesters (only Clemens and Charle's Dutton's characters were likeable), and 2) when the movie becomes apathetic, so do we.
I can admire Alien 3's direction, the opening is wonderfully shot, though I disagree eternally with its contents.

 

[BillyZaned]

Exactly. The theme of 3 is that hope and faith are utterly futile.

It isn't a coincidence that the prisoners are all religious nuts.

SURE, that's all true... but it doesn't make the movie GOOD!!!

again, it comes down to characterzation.... and Alien 3 had none

 

[Carnotaur3]

But Fincher had no say on the script

Directors have say on script. It's their vision being put up on screen.

 

[Carnotaur3]

again, it comes down to characterzation.... and Alien 3 had none

Not true. There was actually more characterization in Alien 3 than both Alien and Aliens.

 

[lzzy]

Directors have say on script. It's their vision being put up on screen.

Didn't you see the making of Alien3 Carnotaur? Or know why Fincher doesn't like this film? He had no say. Period.

 

[BillyZaned]

Not true. There was actually more characterization in Alien 3 than both Alien and Aliens.

 

[Jordacar]

Unless 50 Powerloaders running up against 10000 Aliens is more meaniningful...but I digress.

Yeah, save that stuff for the video games.