Hot Take: Alien 3 Was Better Than You Remember
Maybe you should give it another chance after all these years.
Alien 3 received a significant backlash upon its release in 1992.
Directed by then-unknown director David Fincher, it was heavily criticized for killing off the main characters, deviating too much from the franchise's style and, surprisingly, being too unnecessarily dark and depressing.
But it may not have been as bad as you remember, especially when you consider the later installments in the franchise, such as Alien Resurrection and Alien: Covenant. Beware of possible spoilers.
The Assembly Cut, which is a fancy name for an extended cut, was released in 2003 and included over 30 minutes of extended and previously deleted scenes, alternate key plot elements, and new special effects.
It makes it clear that Alien 3 was largely damaged by the limitations of the theatrical cut, as in its fuller version it feels like a worthy successor to Ridley Scott 's original masterpiece.
The highly controversial deaths of Newt and Hicks at the beginning lead to Ellen Ripley, once again portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, dealing with the devastating consequences, which fits perfectly with the dark and hopeless atmosphere of the movie.
The latter is not a bad thing either, as Fincher takes his time to flesh out the characters and conflicts, pushing the boundaries of the Alien universe.
The characters are interesting, each carrying the burden of guilt and trying to deal with it in their own way.
It is a striking contrast to Aliens, where the characters were a collection of bright clichés (which is not necessarily a bad thing, of course).
The Xenomorph has regained his status as a killing machine, ambushing the inmates of the prison one by one, instead of being dangerous but still cannon fodder in the previous movie.
And one of the most impressive achievements of the movie is that it does not shy away from killing the main character.
It could have been a perfect, if extremely heartbreaking, conclusion to Ripley's journey instead of the genetic hybrid circus we got in the sequel.
So maybe it is time to give Alien 3 another chance after all these years.
Especially considering that even franchise creator Ridley Scott failed to deliver what fans wanted with Alien: Covenant.