But when he was alerted to the fact that his character would be killed off in the third installment of the “Alien” franchise his disgust was genuine. And he wouldn’t have been the only one.
Not only did James Cameron decry the resultant theatrical release of “Alien 3”, he went so far as to label the film an abomination; a perversion of his canonical sequel to Ridley’s Scott’s original. Even the film’s eventual director David Fincher (at the time it was his first feature film) has since severed all ties he had to the film, refusing even to participate in any of the featurettes for the release of the “Alien Quadrilogy” box set (the 2010 Blu-Ray re-release apparently has restored footage of him cussing up a storm on set)
The production of the film itself was considered a nightmare as well. According to Vincent Ward, one of the slated directors, studio spies were floating around the sets at the Albert R. Broccoli 007 Sound Stage at Buckinghamshire for a time. And at least four competing scripts were drafted at the behest of displeased execs. One was a fleshed-out treatment by famed sci-fi scribe William Gibson. Another, the brainchild of “Pitch Black” creator David Twohy. One of the latest versions of the story featured an exiled monastic sect would face off against the alien on the now-famous “wooden planet” concept.
But nothing was taking. Ultimately, the survivors of Cameron’s “Aliens” would land on a desolate gray rock known as Fiorina 161 (a.k.a. “Fury”). It was a safe compromise of visions for 20th Century Fox that satisfied few of the creative minds driving it.
Now, when people look back on it, they stick up their noses and tend to forget it. I’m here to ask 'why'?
True, the “wooden planet” would have been epic. And the possibilities presented by the various other scripts would have fleshed out the biology and origin of the xenomorph to a greater extent. But would the vision that Biehn (and so many others) had really have been that great?
I won’t lie to you if you haven’t seen the Fincher sequel. It’s depressing as shit. Somber, gray, and lonely, Ripley wanders through the corridors of the prison colony like looking like a tired Sinead O’Connor praying for death. And who could blame her?
Her fight with the alien had robbed everything from her. Her friends, her family and even the possibility of a recovery (you’ll see). And while the series has never been known for harboring the kinds of fatalistic superstitions, however vague, that dominate other long-running sagas, Ripley has and always will be plagued by an alien curse, supernatural or no.
Therefore it only makes sense that the narrative arc is this tragic. This third film, made grungy and atmospheric with the kind of flourishes that made “Zodiac” and “The Social Network” so damn good, was just the right way to end it.
Oh, wait a minute…
Clocking in at almost a full thirty minutes longer than the original theatrical cut (1:54 versus 2:24), the so-called “Assembly Cut” of David Fincher’s first film is at once a visual and narrative hybrid of the process that borne it, replete with overtones of apocalyptic religion and demonic possession. Yet it’s also distinctly his own. Gritty, gothic and bloody; it might be flawed but if you’re a fan then it’s definitely worth another look.
*Note: Check out the commentary tracks and pre-production documentaries to get a better look at the film's convoluted genesis. All four the the discarded scripts can be found online....
1.) William Gibson
2.) Eric Red
3.) David Twohy
4.) Vincent Ward
Enjoy!
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