It was Alien 3’s 30th anniversary yesterday, and to mark the occasion we’re looking back at one of Hollywood’s most fascinating failures. David Fincher’s divisive threequel was fraught with production problems and studio interference, and the result was a movie that polarized fans and critics alike. While it may not be considered a classic like its predecessors, Alien 3 is still worth taking a look at 30 years later.
The storyline of the Alien 3
The Alien 3 is that Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the only survivor of a shipwreck, and she crash-lands on Fiorina 161, a penal colony inhabited by murderers and rapists. Ripley discovers that an Alien has also survived the crash, and starts picking off the prisoners one by one. As mentioned before, Alien 3 was beset by production problems from the very beginning. The script went through numerous drafts, with multiple writers coming and going.
Fincher, making his feature film debut, was brought on board relatively late in the process. And 20th Century Fox was adamant about keeping the budget under $30 million (it eventually came in at $44 million). All of these factors contributed to a chaotic production. Fincher has famously described Alien³ as “a nightmare” and “the most painful experience of [his] life.”
Names of the characters in Alien 3
Here are the celebrity’s names mentioned below:
- Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
- Charles S. Dutton as Leonard Dillon
- Charles Dance as Dr. Jonathan Clemens
- Paul McGann as Walter Golic
- Brian Glover as Harold Andrews
- Ralph Brown as Francis Aaron
- Danny Webb as Robert Morse
- Christopher John Fields as Daniel Rains
- Holt McCallany as Junior
- Lance Henriksen as Bishop II
- Christopher Fairbank as Thomas Murphy(as Chris Fairbank)
- Carl Chase as Frank Ellis
- Leon Herbert as Edward Boggs
- Vincenzo Nicoli as Alan Jude
- Pete Postlethwaite as David Postlethwaite
- Paul Brennen as Yoshi Troy
- Clive Mantle as Clive William
- Peter Guinness as Peter Gregor
Alien 3 marked a turning point in the Alien franchise 30 years ago
Alien³, David Fincher’s divisive threequel to James Cameron’s record-breaking Aliens, is a fascinating failure. A box office bomb that nearly derailed the director’s career, it remains one of the most controversial entries in the Alien franchise. Fincher was an unlikely choice to helm the third Alien film. His only feature film at the time was Alien³.
On its surface, Alien³ is a mess. The plot is convoluted, the tone is all over the place, and the ending is downright unsatisfying. But despite its many flaws, there’s something strangely compelling about this film.
Why Alien 3 as well as Alien: Resurrection Should Be Reviewed
Alien³ is a film that’s impossible to forget. It’s a movie that you either love or hate, with very little middle ground. I fall into the latter camp. I recognize the film’s many flaws, but I also see the ambition and singular vision of David Fincher’s debut feature. Alien³ is a fascinating failure and one that’s well worth revisiting on its 30th anniversary.
The film has an ambition and singular vision that is admirable, and I appreciate what Fincher was trying to do with this movie.
What do you think of Alien³? Do you see it as a misunderstood masterpiece or an unforgivable mess?
