I have been feuding with my friends from college for nearly 20 years over my enjoyment of a certain film. In fact, their disgust for this film is so ingrained they refuse to acknowledge its existence. Of our core group, only one of them (besides me) has an affinity for the film, but he’s not the staunch defender that I am. When I bring it up, they pretend to hear a buzzing noise instead of spoken language. In those rare moments they acknowledge it exists they turn the hose on me. I expect nothing less today.
So let’s reopen some old wounds, and prepare for an onslaught of venom and bile as I zealously defend Alien 3!
A little background first. We all know Alien and Aliens are bona fide science fiction classics. Alien is a masterwork of suspense, atmosphere and mood. Ridley Scott’s vision of a blue collar crew picked off one by one by a terrifying, visually stunning creature (the like of which had never been seen before) was a great counterpoint to the optimistic family friendly sci-fi of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Aliens, directed by James Cameron, brought something new to the table. He reinvented Ellen Ripley (the only surviving member of Alien’s amazing ensemble) as an action heroine who rediscovers her maternal instinct when she takes a young orphan girl under her protection. The film’s action is relentless and staged brilliantly. In fact, it’s a perfect marriage of action and sci-fi, tightly scripted and gifted with another solid ensemble.
After the phenomenal (and somewhat unexpected) success of Aliens, a third entry was inevitable. Unlike today’s sequels, the Alien series went with a new, young director for each subsequent entry. Rather than repeat themselves, producers opted for a different vision each time around.
Enter Alien 3. I’m not here to detail its hellish development process. Suffice to say, it was a nightmare. David Fincher eventually got the nod after Renny Harlin and Vincent Ward were attached. The story went through numerous iterations, and one concept made it so along far that a teaser was released, warning us, “On earth, everyone will hear you scream!”
Fincher came to the game very late and endured a great deal of interference from the studio. The final script was an amalgam of prior versions, and Fincher was forced to begin shooting before it was locked. None of this was a recipe for success.
Alien 3 begins with the death of two beloved characters from the first film. An escape pod from the Sulaco crash lands on a prison planet populated by men who have committed unspeakable crimes, and Hicks and Newt are killed instantly. Bishop the android is pulverized beyond recognition, leaving Ripley alone to fend for herself among a group of rapists and murderers who haven’t seen a woman in years.
Of course, one other passenger survived and starts causing its usual mayhem, while Ripley learns she is carrying an alien embryo. The film then becomes a race against time to kill the alien stalking the prisoners, and keep the evil Weyland-Yutani Corporation from getting their hands on Ripley’s baby for their bio-weapons division.
Let’s tackle the most contentious issue first, and that is the seemingly indiscriminate killing of Hicks and Newt, beloved characters who survived so much in the previous entry only, to die a somewhat ignoble death here. As audiences, we’re prone to developing attachments to fictional characters – look at the outcry when Spock was killed, although his death was handled poignantly and reverently, and he went out in heroic fashion. People bitched and moaned at how James Kirk went out, but I’m one of the few who were OK with it. Maybe that’s why the deaths of Hicks and Newt didn’t bother me in the slightest.
The story, when it was finally settled, had no room for Hicks and Newt so they had to go. Was it tragic? Sure. Was it ironic, given what they faced in Aliens? I thought so. It was a convention of the story they wanted to tell. They decided to surround Ripley with a new, completely unlikeable ensemble, and I can’t imagine Hicks and Newt in the midst of it all. I understand people’s anger, but I don’t agree with it. People die tragically and unnecessarily every day. I see the outcry more in terms of emotion than anything else. Granted, Alien 3 is far inferior to its predecessors, but their demise served the story they wanted to tell. Did they deserve to die? Does anyone?
Alien 3 is dark. Its ensemble characters are completely lacking the charm of those from the second film (or even the first). Ripley longs for nothing but death. The atmosphere is oppressive, and a lingering sadness overwhelms the proceedings. But does that mean it’s a bad film? Not for me.
The film tells a coherent story. It doesn’t feel patched together, despite all the cooks in the kitchen. It has a great ensemble cast featuring top notch British character actors like Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover and Pete Postlethwaite. Charles S. Dutton is terrific as the spiritual leader of the inmates.
The film is a throwback to the original as the inmates are picked off one by one by the Alien. It’s not as suspenseful, given that we know what it looks like, but there are some good jolts, especially a 1-2 punch at the mid-point of the story. Unfortunately, they used a combination of rod-puppetry, optical compositing and some nascent CGI to portray the creature in action, and it’s not nearly as effective. Stan Winston is sorely missed.
Despite all the interference, we saw shades of things to come from director Fincher. Three years later, he gave us the dark masterpiece Seven, and in this film its roots are visible. I know he hated the experience, but I have to believe Alien 3, at the very least, was a stepping stone to everything else he did.
Elliot Goldenthal’s score also contributes mightily to the film for me. It enhances the dark mood and is so pervasive and effective that it becomes a character unto itself. The suites that play over the funeral of Hicks and Newt, as well as Ripley’s suicide are intensely moving.
When I hear my friends discuss Alien 3, I hear words like “abomination” and “obscenity.” I remember almost being devoured alive the first time we discussed it. I soon learned that I was in the minority, on an almost global scale. Twenty years later, I still feel the same. The film works for me. Of course, it’s not in the same universe as Alien or Aliens, and I readily acknowledge that. But for everything that it went through on its path to completion, I’m shocked it’s as good as it is. For my money, Alien: Resurrection was the huge stinker of the series.
Not a masterpiece, not a classic, but a solid film.
You may hurl your eggs and tomatoes….now!
Next up: Never Say Never Again.
I've always admired your non-fiction writing, Steve! I had no idea you could write fiction as well! Imagine--dreaming up an Alien 3 film! What will you think of next?
Posted by: Kim | 08/05/2011 at 03:10 PM