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Alien3 (1992)
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Charles Dutton, and Brian Glover. Cinematography by Alex Thomson. Edited by Terry Rawlings. Produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill. Written by Vincent Ward, David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson. Directed by David Fincher.
The third installment of the Alien franchisefinds Ripley crash landed on Fiorina 161, a small prison planet. The two other survivors from Aliens, Newt and Bishop, are annihilated on impact, but unfortunately the stowaway alien egg is not. Once it has hatched, it is able to have its way with the nearly defenseless population of Fiorina 161. With no weapons, and little hope of an evacuation, the prisoners struggle to come up with a defense against a seemingly indestructible killing machine.
If you enjoyed the action in Alien3, you’ll love what went on behind the scenes. In the early nineties Twentieth Century Fox was experiencing some financial difficulties. They hoped that one big film would take care of their woes, so they decided to put all their eggs in a basket and invested as much time and money into another Alien sequel as they could afford. They started off with a story about an alien that has found its way to Earth and hired Renny Harlin to direct.
Harlin was disappointed with the apparent lack of creativity with the project and asked to leave. He was replaced by Vincent Ward, who came up with his own version of the film. The movie was to be set on a planet made of wood that is inhabited by a group of monks. Storyboards were drawn up, construction began on the sets, and alien effects were created. But Ward and producers David Giler and Walter Hill just could not seem to get along, and Ward finally left the film with it nearly in production. Hill, already having earned a screenwriter’s credit, considered directing the film himself, but when David Fincher was suggested he was quickly thrown in the line of fire.
The cards were stacked against Fincher from the get go. He was brought on board after production had already begun. Sets were already under construction for the abandoned “wooden planet” idea. And there was literally no script for him to work with. So a story ended up being developed to fit around the money that was already spent on discarded ideas. Alien3 was largely written on the fly as new sets went up and new aliens were designed. The final product ends up hiding its troubled production well. It’s incredibly dark and moody and gracefully continues the tradition of the transitional Alien franchise. Nice save, Fincher.
Budget: $50,000,000
Total US Gross: $54,927,174
Genre: Science Fiction
Runtime: 114 Minutes
US Release Date: 5/22/92
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Awards: Academy Awards: Nominated for best visual effects.
Tagline: The Bitch Is Back.
Quote: “Let me see if I have this correct, Lieutenant. It's an eight foot insect of some kind with acid for blood and it arrived on your spaceship. It kills on sight and is generally unpleasant. And, of course, you expect me to accept all this on your words.”
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