THROWBACK | 'Alien 3' Retrospective
With two awesome sci-fi/horror films as the start of a franchise, how did the producers follow up on the success of 'Aliens'? Oh, boy…
After two difficult production cycles on the first two films, it may come as no surprise that the production of 'Aliens 3' was just as difficult. Pre-production started quite soon after 'Aliens', seeing as it was a big hit in the summer of 1986.
The script changed significantly during development. Initially, cyberpunk author William Gibson was brought on board to pen the script as an allegory for the Cold War. However, a writers’ strike delayed efforts on the script and led to Gibson leaving the project.
Early drafts had Ripley sidelined to allow Hicks to take over as lead for the third instalment. However, this was soon dropped, as was the idea to use the xenomorphs as a metaphor for HIV. Returning star Sigourney Weaver was offered an exorbitant fee in exchange for returning to the role, and the script was retooled to bring Ripley back as the protagonist.
Various scriptwriters were brought on board to try and ensure that the third 'Alien' film would work out as well as the last two. Executive meddling dissuaded most of them from sticking around for very long, and the script continued to be rewritten each time it changed hands. One element that remained prevalent though was the idea that Ripley should sacrifice herself to ensure that an Alien queen isn’t born - an idea that greatly enthused Weaver.
A vague structure was finally decided on by the time new director David Fincher was brought onboard. 'Alien 3' was Fincher’s first directorial feature film, and it was hoped that this would launch him as the new up and coming talent much like what the original 'Alien' had done for Ridley Scott. However, shooting began without a finished script, and elements were changed at will by higher-ups demanding that the film suit their vision for the project as a follow-up to 'Aliens'.
It’s not a great surprise to anyone that 'Alien 3' wasn’t as good as the first two 'Alien' films. What is surprising is that just how bad this film is when you consider that Fincher is now one of the most respected directors in Hollywood.
The script is a mess; characters are established by expositing or even blurting out their history; the horror happens with little build-up and tension; and the plot doesn’t give any of the characters or the world the development needed.
After escaping on the Sulaco at the end of 'Aliens', Hicks, Newt and Bishop die in a crash on the prison planet Fury. Ripley is both the only survivor and the only woman on a world populated solely by violent male prisoners and a couple of guards to supervise them. Ripley is convinced that a xenomorph caused the crash but can’t find any proof until halfway through the film, when the creature begins attacking.
There are a number of ways this film could have worked out. Keeping the rest of the survivors from 'Aliens' was one, but their deaths could have been the beginning of something special. The tension could have been increased by the fear of whether Ripley was imagining the xenomorphs’ presence or whether they were actually there. However, there is no tension as the film shows the face-hugger in the opening shots and further shows how the xenomorph itself comes to be.
The prisoners also could have been an interesting idea. Some seem to be trying to be penitent and desire Ripley to leave so they can return to their solitude; others continue to hold violent tendencies (there is an attempted rape scene that is really unnecessary). However, for the most part, there are few discerning character traits between the various prisoners. Only Charles Dutton as the prisoner Dillon and Charles Dance as the ex-prisoner now doctor Clemens show any depth.
The effects of the alien itself are actually pretty good. Being able to see a different kind of creature is nice; however, the sequences shot from its perspective serve little purpose and further reinforce one of the main problems with the film’s direction: it’s really hard to see what’s going on. Making a film on dark sets is often used to emphasise the depressed nature of the characters’ circumstances, but in this case it seems as though whoever is running the facility isn’t willing to put in enough light sources.
'Alien 3' had potential to be a great film. With Fincher as its director, it could have been the “arty” instalment, following on from the “horror” and “thriller” first two films. Instead, it turned out a mess of a film that nearly cost us some all-time classics from the director.
Fincher would retreat back to music videos until the script for a mystery film called 'Seven' crossed his desk. As for the 'Alien' series, Weaver was happy to leave Ripley behind as a sacrifice to keep the Alien out of Weyland-Yutani’s hands but, as we know… 'Alien: Covenant' is in cinemas worldwide May 2017!
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