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?
the short story is that fincher disowned the film before editing began due to constant studio interference
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.
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?
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.
it wasn't until that piece of shit with brad dourif that the alien became cg.
Quote from: VoidWhy not go to earth and have the aliens battling the humans?
Weaver Talks Aliens 5 & 6Source: 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.
i've never seen alien 3. i'm going to watch it right now.
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.
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. :)
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.
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.
People probably didn't like it because it was'nt as action-oriented as the previous movie.
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.
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.
Wow, watching this new "editor's cut" makes the film a whole lot better. I believe this is the version Fincher intended for it to be seen. Editor Terry Rawlings praises Fincher in the commentary track and the documentary, and backs up his vision when the execs stepped in. The addition of scenes and subplots fill in the many missing holes and gaps. It's no longer a straight action/thriller anymore. There's more humanity now. Characters are defined a bit better. Is it better than the first two now? No, I still would like to have seen Newt and Hicks, and have them carry out their family unit. And it's such a shame the character Ripley connects with the most, the doctor, is taken away from her and so abruptly, that she doesn't mourn him and it's handled like he was just a minor player. But this version really made me appreciate "Alien 3" a whole lot better. Too bad the special effects still look bad though. But, even still, this is the version I would watch from now on, warts and all (some sound is missing on a couple of the 'new' scenes, so subtitles will pop up).
Quote from: budgie'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".'
Quote from: mutinycoAs 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.
These scenes, along with the original ending, mentioned above are placed back into the movie, as well as switching to an ox giving birth to the Alien instead of the dog.
I remember seeing a teaser trailer for Alien3 where it hinted that it would take place on earth. I think it was on one of the Alien special edition dvd's. Am I just making things up or was this trailer for real? The trailer had no footage from alien3 though.
Quote from: StefenI remember seeing a teaser trailer for Alien3 where it hinted that it would take place on earth. I think it was on one of the Alien special edition dvd's. Am I just making things up or was this trailer for real? The trailer had no footage from alien3 though.
It was a teaser trailer nodding to the first "Alien" by saying something along the lines of 'On Earth, everyone can hear you scream.'
I've been in a Fincher mood all week, and so I just watched the extended cut of Alien 3 and the documentary about it. All I can say is: holy shit! I can't believe they actually released what they released into theaters when there was such wonderful material in the original cut! I loved it. It suddenly becomes a great film and, for my money, it's a fine conclusion to the trilogy (the killing of the family unit doesn't bother me). Seeing the two cuts back to back, I completely understand why Fincher hates it so. It's actually infuriating when I think about it.
I wish they'd managed to include the original workprint footage of Newt's autopsy that made test audiences sick...not in the film itself, but just as an extra feature. It sounds horrible, and so of course I want to see it.