On a budget of $18.5 million, Aliens grossed over $183 million worldwide and was the third highest-grossing film of 1986. The film helped put James Cameron on the map and gave Sigourney Weaver her first Oscar nomination. Fox was eager to make another sequel with this success, but production company Brandywine didn’t share the same feelings. Producers David Giler, Walter Hill, and Gordon Carroll wanted to go in a different direction, which Fox agreed with. After rejecting screenplays from William Gibson, Eric Red, and David Twohy, the studio hired Vincent Ward for his unique ideas. Fox initially hired Renny Harlin to direct, but he left when the production was taking too long to get going. Finally, the studio hired David Fincher on the strength of his music video work, but things didn’t get better. After numerous production problems and studio meddling, Alien³ landed in theaters in May 1992.
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Synopsis
Due to a fire on the Sulaco, the ship’s computer jettisons the escape pods, crashing on a nearby prison planet. The only survivor of the passengers on board is Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who the convicts take in. She’s taken care of by prisoner Jonathan Clemens (Charles Dance), who explains her situation and the planet she’s on. Known as Fiorina “Fury” 161, it’s a foundry and maximum-security prison for male inmates convicted of rape and murder. The warden, Harold Andrews (Brian Glover), feels her presence would disrupt the order they’ve established. Meanwhile, a face-hugger from the Sulaco attaches itself to a dog, spawning a quadrupedal xenomorph that runs loose. Soon, the creature starts picking off the prisoners, and Ripley tries telling the warden, but he doesn’t believe her. Since there are no weapons available, Ripley and the prisoners must band together to tackle this alien menace.
Review
Given how tumultuous the production was and the final product, it’s easy to see why David Fincher has disowned Alien³. As a whole, the movie is a convoluted mess that goes against what the previous film established. Not only are some of the best characters from the last movie killed, but how they die makes no sense. While we see an egg snuck onto the ship, it’s never explained how and why it got there. Admittedly, it does fit the running theme of things getting worse for Ripley, but the filmmakers didn’t handle it properly. Considering his situation, I don’t entirely blame David Fincher for all of the movie’s problems. With this his first feature film, he had the studio breathing down his neck to get it done fast. Despite how much of a mess this movie is, some more positive qualities help elevate it beyond being terrible.
Along with series veteran Sigourney Weaver, the cast includes Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, and Brian Glover. In particular, Weaver, Dutton, and Dance give some fantastic performances that stand out from the rest of the cast. The production design is impressive, with some giant sets that have a mixture of industrial and gothic. On top of that, the cinematography and color palette adds an almost apocalyptic feeling to the movie. The creature effects from Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. look great, but the digital work sticks out badly. Elliot Goldenthal’s haunting score further adds to the sense of isolation and despair that permeates the film beautifully. While this entry does pale compared to the previous two films, it doesn’t entirely warrant its poor reputation. Overall, Alien³ had some good ideas but ultimately serves as a lesson for how not to handle a massive production.
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