Alien³ (1992)

Director:

David Fincher

Writers (WGA):

Dan O'Bannon (characters) and
Ronald Shusett (characters) ...

Release Date:

22 May 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

In 1979, we discovered in space no one can hear you scream. In 1992, we will discover, on Earth, EVERYONE can hear you scream.

Plot:

Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Prison | Crash | Murderer | Space

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Ellen Ripley
Charles S. Dutton	...	Dillon
Charles Dance	...	Clemens
Paul McGann	...	Golic
Brian Glover	...	Andrews
Ralph Brown	...	Aaron
Danny Webb	...	Morse
Christopher John Fields	...	Rains
Holt McCallany	...	Junior
Lance Henriksen	...	Bishop II
Christopher Fairbank	...	Murphy (as Chris Fairbank)
Carl Chase	...	Frank
Leon Herbert	...	Boggs
Vincenzo Nicoli	...	Jude
Pete Postlethwaite	...	David

Also Known As:

Alien 3 (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for monster violence, and for language.

Runtime:

114 min | 145 min (2003 Special 'Assembly Cut' Edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Italy:T | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:16 | USA:R (Certificate #31302) | Mexico:B | India:A | Australia:MA (director's cut) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (DVD rating) (2003) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Brandywine Productions

Trivia:

In the original drafts of the script there was no Ripley.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: After Morse closes the channel door, trapping the alien in the piston chamber, he hollers "I'm going for the lead!" out of sync with his moving lips.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Computer Voice: Stasis interrupted. Fire in cryogenic compartment. Repeat, fire in cryogenic compartment. All personnel report to emergency escape vehicle launch pod. Deep-space flight will commence in T-minus twenty seconds.

Movie Connections:

Featured in One Step Beyond: The Making of 'Alien: Resurrection' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

IN THE YEAR 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)

Terrible film invalidates the preceding one

There should be a rule of sequels that one does not invalidate the entire purpose of the one preceding it.

Aliens 3 cynically opens with, "Hey everything you saw in Aliens 2, everything Ripley endured and did meant NOTHING."

Once you strip away that gleam of hope, instill a complete sense of futility, you create in the viewer a, "What's the purpose, they are all gonna die anyway" mindset.

Sequels these days while complained about do carry with them advantage over say the trilogies of even a decade ago. Today most films with even a promise of a sequel or a series of sequels carry along with them a story arc. There is a lot less of the making it up as we go along to the writing of each installment than in the past.

Even this is a double edge sword. Where as you don't have to explain how a person who in the first movement was seen having their head chopped off didn't really die, you loose the creativity of having to write yourself out of what was once a story's deadend.