Why doesn't Fincher like "Alien 3"?

Started by Spike, May 11, 2003, 05:07:05 AM

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Spike

It was in my opinion a great film, of course not the best of the four "Alien"-films, but a great achievement for a new filmmaker.
But why doesn't Fincher like "Alien 3"?
He didn't speak an audio commentary on the DVD, he didn't make a Director's Cut, he don't like to speak about the film - but why?
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sphinx

the short story is that fincher disowned the film before editing began due to constant studio interference

modage

i think he also didnt have the budget he needed to make the movie he wanted to make and had to cut a lot of corners.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

rustinglass

I think it's great. I think it's the best Alien film.
I never heard of these cuts before, do you think there will be a directors cut?
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Void

I didnt like Alien 3, first of all I didnt like the fact they killed off Hicks and Newt, it was too quick and almost seemed like an 'I can't really be bothered' cop out. Then there was the fact that instead of taking the series to another level, it took a detour. Why not go to earth and have the aliens battling the humans? that would have been uber-cool, but no, it went to some prison colony instead. The alien got changed to a CG thing, which spoilt it, I liked the man in the suit better. And why just when a character starts to get developed, do they get killed off? the bit where the medic tells Ripley his story then BAM! dead. The ending though was pretty good, with Ripley dying but still, the series ends at part 2 as far as I'm concerned.
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whatmannerofmanisthis

it wasn't until that piece of shit with brad dourif that the alien became cg.
"Good stories write themselves;
bad stories have to be written."
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MacGuffin

Quote from: VoidWhy not go to earth and have the aliens battling the humans?

Weaver Talks Aliens 5 & 6
Source: Zap2It.com

Sigourney Weaver recently spoke about the plots of the next Aliens films:

She has said, "I'm not interested in returning back to Earth," yet sources say that much of the fifth film takes place when Earth is attacked.

Number five is set on Earth, with the planet under attack from alien warrior drop ships, which made their debut in the original "Alien" movie. In the process they make Earth look like an incubator while attacking, leaving alien eggs around the humans.

That's when Ripley realizes her dreams have played a role in what's happening and she evacuates and confines herself to a cell, but inevitably she will meet her nemesis face to face again.

Number six takes place on the home turf of the navigator of the ship. Aliens are taking over other plants and Ripley finds herself forced to turn to the dark side in order to save civilization.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

bonanzataz

i've never seen alien 3. i'm going to watch it right now.
The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

bonanzataz

i didn't really like it. and i don't like how the preview says that "on earth, everybody can hear you scream" when not a frame of that movie takes place on earth (the prison was on a different planet, right? right...?). anyway, i guess the only really good alien movies were 1 and 2. it was too fincher to be an alien movie and too alien to be a fincher movie. the only really good part was when the alien gets right up close to her face that they showed in all the previews when it came out.
The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

Pastor Parsley

Why can't they let it rest?  I mean come on....they get worse and worse the more sequels that are made.  It's almost a rule with any sequel series.......except of course Superman 3.  :)

modage

umm.... wow :shock:

Alien Quadrilogy (DVD): Some exciting disc news today for fans of great sci-fi. DVDBoxOffice.com has details on Fox's Alien Quadrology set which has set a tentative release of November 11th, and what's coming sounds quite cool. You will be able to play both the theatrical version and James Cameron's 'Special Edition' version of "Aliens", the former of which has never been released before on this format (only the SE has been available). "Alien Resurrection" will feature an alternate opening and ending (incl. crashdown on Earth), and biggest news of all is David Fincher's unreleased full 170 min original version of "Alien 3" will be here - almost a full hour longer than the theatrical print. The ninth disc in the set will include "Alien Legacy" Documentary, "Alien Evolution" BBC Documentary, Darkhorse Alien and Alien vs. Predator comics, and the complete collection of Laser Disc features which weren't on the previous DVD box-set.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

oakmanc234

I think a key reason as to why 'Alien 3' is so unpopular, is because of how deeply grim and disturbing it is. 'Aliens' ended up being quite an exhilerating crowd-pleaser, 'Alien 3' was the opposite. They even killed off the little girl. But thats Fincher's thing and he's ever-popular for his dark vision today. If Fincher's '3' was made that same way today, it would be taken in a lot easier. Probably would've been praise to the hilt.
'Welcome the Thunderdome, bitch'

_fps

People probably didn't like it because it was'nt as action-oriented as the previous movie.

budgie

Here are some bits from the book I'm reading:

re the earlier post about man in suit:

'Fincher would direct Woodruff through a radio built into the alien head, and Sigourney Weaver recalls his technique: I thought Tom was being particularly specific and very good, considering the fact that he can't really see me; but when i get around the corner, I hear Fincher literally screaming into the microphone "You hate that bitch. Get her, get her!" He was whipping up Tom into this frenzy of hatred... it was wonderful, and so funny.'


re reasons for Fincher's dislike:

'what test audiences giveth, they also taketh away [budgie's note: Jeez, this blke is a shit writer], and the subplot involving Paul McGann's character Golic was excised. "16 year old kids in Long Beach, California decided that they weren't interested in what happened to Golic," Fincher said in 1993. "They weren't interested in what he gave the movie... it was lost, a whole subplot that I, to this day, feel is very important and certainly answers a lot of the critics' questions about my ability to tell a story."'


And something else:

'Ripley's final fall into the lead bath and the emergence of the chestburster was the subject of more serious contention. Originally, the beast was to break out of Ripley's body, only for her to hold onto it and dive into the molten metal, but Fincher found the shot 'inelegant all round' and instead filmed a 'stigmata effect' version, with blood blooming on her chest as she fell. 'Everybody felt it was too religious, and to be honest, I thought it was vulgar. If she gets ripped apart before she falls into the fire, that's not sacrifice, that's janitorial service. To knowingly step into the void carrying this thing inside her seemed to me to be more regal.'

and on the third, theatrical ending, he says: 'if we left the movie with her choking on her tongue, [the audience] would feel worse going out of the film than they do now. I said, "Whatever happens, she has to be in peace at the end".'

I quite like the stigmata, but it is a bit corny. He's right, really we didn't have to see anything.

mutinyco

If anybody ever searches out the novilization or an early script draft, you'll understand how butchered the film was. I read the book first and came away from it expecting the best Alien film. What came out was a mess.

As for Golic, what happened was that during the whole fire scene they DO capture the Alien in the holding cell. Then Golic escapes the infirmary and because he's convinced the Alien is a God, he unlocks the cell. The Alien immediately kills him, then goes on the rampage that begins the 3rd act.
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