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Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Charles
S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Lance Henriksen, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Ralph
Brown, and Peter Postlehwaite
Writers: David Giler, Walter Hill,
and Larry Ferguson
Based On A Story By: Vincent Ward
Based On Characters Created By:
Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett
Director: David Fincher
Feature length: 115 minutes/145
minutes
Extras: Audio Commentary With
Cinematographer Alex Thompson, Editor Terry Rawlings, VFX Designers Alec Gillis,
and Tom Woodruff Jr., Visual Effects Producer Richard Edlund, and Actors Paul
McGann and Lance Henriksen, “The Making Of Alien 3” 11-Part Documentary,
Multi-Angle Vignette. Storyboard Archives, Photo Galleries
Languages: English Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound and Spanish Language Dolby Surround Sound
Subtitles: English Captions and
Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging: Nine-Disc Digipack
Gatefold Within A Cardboard Slipcase
Alien 3: Theatrical Version
Chapter Stops: 32
Alien 3: Special Edition Chapter
Stops: 44
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 1992/DVD
Release: 2003
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth
Century Fox
Home Video Distributor: Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
With the success of “Aliens,”
it seemed as though Twentieth Century Fox had a few choices difficult ahead on
how to proceed with the series. First was whether to or not to make a sequel
since James Cameron’s follow-up to ”Alien” had achieved the rare element
of being a sequel that was both as good as and yet still very different from
it’s predecessor. If Fox chose not to make anymore “Alien” films the
studio would have a duo of science fiction thrillers that would not only become
genre classics, but there would be no worries over the
“Alien” brand name becoming tarnished. Yet at this time many film
series began to become increasingly seen as film franchises and there was just
too much money to be made perhaps for Fox to resist so while licensed
merchandise ranging from comic books to models and whatnot appeared at various
retailers, screenplays were commissioned by Fox with many successful Writers
attempting to take the story in a new direction or continue on in the same vein
that Cameron left off.
The popular Dark Horse comic book
series had already dramatized on paper the scenario of what would happen if the
aliens came to Earth and what the future adventures of Newt, Hicks, and Ripley
would be, but in being given a free reign to answer and develop their own
stories in comics, Fox found itself in a position that necessitated taking the
third film in a direction completely away from “Aliens” thus making the
initial Dark Horse series little more than a “what if” sort of alternate
timeline. Writer and Director Vincent Ward had an interesting idea on the
setting of the third film that took place on a manmade planet covered with wood
where a group of monks were leading an existence almost devoid of technology.
Ultimately elements of Ward’s screenplay would find itself into what would
become the “Alien 3” we are familiar with today enough for him to be granted
a “Story” credit, but the script would continue to be developed and
rewritten while Director David Fincher made his feature film directorial debut
with ”Alien 3.” Fincher’s task was difficult and in my opinion the fact
that he was able to complete the film as well as he did given the fact that
script changes were coming in negating things previously shot, sets for Ward’s
vision had been built and so Fincher had to find a way of using them, and
clashes between the young Director and those Fox had sent to make sure their
orders were being followed would have created enough pressure to destroy the
morale of any person.
When “Alien 3” finally opened
in America in May of 1992 many fans were disappointed and in hindsight unfair
criticisms regarding the film’s ending being a rip-off of “Terminator 2:
Judgment Day” appeared in newspapers despite the fact both films were in
production at the same time. The problems in bringing “Alien 3” to fruition
were what ultimately caused it to be released nearly a year behind “T2.”
However the film was received very well in Europe and ultimately did as much
worldwide box office as “Aliens.” So while not exactly what the general
public was expecting, “Alien 3” was not a loss for the studio and has since
become more appreciated as a part of the film series. If it had not been
successful I suppose they would not have made a fourth film in the series just a
few years later. “Alien,” “Aliens,” and “Alien 3” were all directed
by men who had their own unique sensibilities and would all subsequently go on
to enjoy successful careers. So I think whoever gets the gig direct a possible
fifth “Alien” film should be looked at closely because this series seems to
be a good luck charm ultimately for the filmmakers involved. I was one of the
few that liked the bleak “Alien 3” though I was prepared somewhat at the
time from rumors I heard and I read a few interviews in magazines with Fincher
who described the film as being something akin to the various stages of death
– denial, depression, anger, and acceptance. I might have left one out or got
one or more wrong so if I have, I hope you all still get what I mean. My brother
and I immediately figured a way they could bring back “Ripley” if they
wanted to and ultimately that is what they did though my brother and I had
nothing to do with it. I’m sure plenty of people thought as we did and besides
death is never quite final in genre films and television anyway.
Though never quite explained how
they got aboard in the film, alien eggs open up while the survivors from the
previous film are in hypersleep. A fire breaks out aboard the Sulaco,
after the acid blood of one of the facehuggers eats through the ship, causing
the four cryogenic tubes to be placed aboard an Emergency Escape Vehicle that is
jettisoned into space and crashes onto the planet Fiorina “Fury” 156. The
planet is the home to a group of double-y chromosome prisoners, who live a
monastic existence as the caretakers for a decommissioned mineral ore and lead
refinery facility with a small custodial staff representing Weyland-Yutani’s
interests. The only survivors from the EEV are Ripley and one of the facehuggers
that immediately finds a new host on the planet while Ripley discovers much to
her horror that the stowaway is not the only alien danger on the planet. With no
weapons and a company ship filled with med techs eager to get a live specimen
for the biological weapons division and some armed commandos for muscle, Ripley
must destroy the creature on the loose and make the ultimate sacrifice if
humanity is to remain out of danger.
Depending on which version of the
film you watch on disc 5 of the “Alien Quadrilogy” containing both the 1992
theatrical version and a 2003 “Special Edition,” made and restored as much
as possible from assembly cut footage, the events of the film vary. With the
exception of some dialogue tracks that had deteriorated over the last ten years,
the “Special Edition” of “Alien 3” looks and sounds marvelous on DVD.
For those scenes, which are only a few, that are difficult to hear clearly what
the characters are saying, optional subtitles appear below the anamorphic
widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio frame. As a result one can use their remote to
switch between English and Spanish Language Subtitles while the film is in
progress or turn them off all together. English Closed Captions for the hearing
impaired are also encoded as an option too. However if one wishes to switch
between soundtracks in either version of “Alien 3” presented on this disc,
they have to go into the interactive menus and change them there before resuming
from where they left off. The restoration of the picture for the “Special
Edition” is quite impressive. Were it not for those few dialogue tracks, one
would not need to know this was put together based on assembly footage. The
picture quality is flawless between the unseen footage and the theatrical
release footage. Both transfers are THX certified complete with the THX
Optimizer® program for proper picture and sound calibration. The English Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is great too with full use of the surround
channels to create a discrete listening experience. A Spanish Language Dolby
Surround Soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD as well.
Like the previous films within the
“Alien Quadrilogy” DVD box set, the footage added to create the “Special
Edition” can be flagged so one knows exactly what has been added while
watching the film and the deleted scenes can also be accessed as viewed
individually under the theatrical cut subheading. There are scenes in the
theatrical version that are not in the “Special Edition,” which are not
given a special access listing of their own and I think they should have been
for easier comparison. Personally I prefer the “Special Edition” to the
theatrical cut because it opens up the story much more and develops the
characters better too. The 26-deleted/alternate scenes in the “Special
Edition” are noted as “Fiorina And
First Town Hall Meeting” (5:49), “Entering The Morgue” (: 46), “The
Abattoir” (2:02), “The Ox-Burster” (4:29), “Cafeteria Talk” (2:05),
“Prison Faith” (2:40), “Ripley And Clemens In The Assembly Hall” (1:50),
“Post-Coital” (2:25), “Boggs, Rains, And Golic” (2:38), “Clemens Meets
With Andrews” (3:04), “Boggs, Rains, And Golic II/Golic In The Cafeteria”
(7:13), “Golic Rants” (4:42), “Clemens’ Death” (1:23), “Dillon
Preaches/Post Andrews” (3:23), “Battery Duty/Brush Detail/You Don’t Look
So Hot” (2:11), “Fire And Aftermath” (4:34), “Ripley And Aaron”
(1:09), “Golic Escapes” (1:43), “Message From The Company” (1:07),
“Golic Frees The Alien/Ripley Talks To Dillon/What Do We Do Now?” (5:03),
“To The Furnace” (2:10), “Furnace Meeting” (4:07), “Preparing For The
Chase” (1:25), “We’re Improvising” (1:36), “A Simple Procedure/I’m
Not A Droid” (3:35), and “No Pictures/Pause Before Dying/Ripley’s Death”
(1:24).
Audio Commentary with
Cinematographer Alex Thompson, Editor Terry Rawlings, VFX Designers Alec Gillis,
and Tom Woodruff Jr., Visual Effects Producer Richard Edlund, and Actors Paul
McGann and Lance Henriksen is provided for both versions of the film with
alternate commentary tracks for scenes in the theatrical version that are not in
the “Special Edition.” Unfortunately Director David Fincher does not
participate in the commentary and with the exception of filmed scenes from the
production, he does not appear in the documentary on disc six either. The EPK
featurette that was included on the previous DVD and as a bonus tape included
within a sell-through three tape set containing “Alien” and “Aliens”
shortly before “Alien 3” was released theatrically in 1992 is not included
here though some clips from it appear in the documentary. The commentary is
quite interesting with Richard Edlund, Alec Gillis, and Tom Woodruff Jr. sharing
a lot of behind-the scenes anecdotes regarding the special effects. With the
exception of one shot, the special effects of “Alien 3” were all done using
optical and conventional effects. I find that quite interesting since the scenes
where the alien is running around looks as though it were created on a computer.
Paul McGann talk a bit about his character in the film and shares recollections
of working with David Fincher, which every person involved in the commentary
does as well. Lance Henriksen does not say much, but his role in the film was
little more than a cameo so he mentions he bought the spiral staircase seen in
the morgue sequences in the film and had it shipped to his home and he also
mentions how he did not really have to develop the character too much
differently from the “Bishop” android seen in “Aliens” since he figured
the man who created an android in his own image would likely place a lot of his
own personality into the programming of the robot’s personality. He does
mention though that he guesses his character had to be somewhat less trustworthy
that “Bishop” since he was a company man and subsequently Henriksen states
he doesn’t like playing any corporate characters.
The second disc contains the
11-part documentary “The Making Of Alien 3,” which was directed by Frederick
Garvin. The documentary can be viewed as whole or as individual segments, which
are detailed as “Development – Concluding The Story”, “Tales Of The
Wooden Planet – Vincent Ward’s Vision”, “Pre-Production III – The
Making Of Alien 3”, “Xeno-Erotic – H.R. Giger’s Redesign Of The Alien
Creature”, “Production: Parts One, Two, And Three – Behind The Scenes On
The Production Of The Movie”, “Adaptive Organism – Creature Design”,
“Optical Fury – Visual Effects”, “Music, Editing, And Sound” and
“Post Mortem – A Reaction To The Film.” It interesting to note that some
ideas and visual concepts presented early in the documentary were ultimately
used for “Alien Resurrection” just as the idea of “Ripley” sacrificing
her life at the film’s end was something Weaver proposed to James Cameron
during early discussions about her appearing in “Aliens.”
Other features on disc six include
ten storyboard galleries, three short pre-production art galleries done by
ILM’s Doug Chiang for Vincent Ward, a production photo gallery, an FX gallery,
promotional photo gallery, and a multi-angle look at the EEV Bio-Scan with audio
commentary by Alec Gillis.
The interactive menus depict the
chest burster and are easy to navigate. “Alien 3” will be available as a new
two-disc “Collector’s Edition” set in January or as a part of the
nine-disc “Alien Quadrilogy” on December 2, 2003 from Twentieth Century Fox
Home Entertainment.
© Copyright 2003 By Mark A.
Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Return To The DVD
Review Of “Aliens” On Discs 3 And 4
Continue On To My Review Of "Alien Resurrection" On Discs 7 And 8
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