There’s been a resurgence of interest in Aliens films with the release of Alien: Romulus in theaters. One of the movies in the franchise that is most hated is David Finch‘s Alien 3 (branded as Alien³). This was Finch’s directorial debut, and a film that he would eventually disown.
Finch wasn’t the original director, however, as Vincent Ward was the first to sign with Fox followed by Renny Harlin. In Ward’s story, Ripley crash lands on a planet inhabited by refugee monks. To avoid any sexual temptations, Ripley (the only woman on the planet) is locked up in a tunnel. The script went through many changes from the original concept by David Twohy, but Ward is credited with the story.
When Finch took over the production was a disaster. A final script hadn’t been ready even at the start of shooting, and there were casting issues. Finch was reportedly fired twice during the making of Alien 3, which would take years to complete. Needless to say, the movie made $150 million on a $50 million budget, so for 20th Century Fox, the film was certainly a success.
In 2003, members of the staff and cast put together what was called an “Assembly Cut” of Alien 3 that is more closely related to the original vision of the film. There’s a reason why the cut is not called the “Director’s Cut,” however. According to sources, Fincher was approached by Fox to recut the film but wanted nothing to do with it. Nevertheless, the extended cut takes the movie in a different direction and adds 30 minutes to the total runtime.
So how do you watch the Alien 3 “Assembly Cut” at home? The movie is included as an extra with digital and disc purchases. If you can find a copy of the original 2011 Blu-ray edition or 2107 Walmart Exclusive with Mondo Cards, the extended cut is available in both, as well as in box sets such as the Alien Anthology.
Alien 3 is not yet available in 4K, but the Alien Anthology still remains one of the best box sets given its excellent film transfers, audio, and package design. The 1080p presentations retain the grain texture from the celluloid source material, something the Aliens 4k remaster has been criticized for (and celebrated for) abandoning.
As far as digital, we took a look across streaming platforms and found the Assembly Cut available on FandangoAtHome (formerly Vudu), Microsoft Movies, Prime Video, and Google Play/YouTube where it’s called the “Special Edition.” However, with respect to each of those services the “Special Edition” is a separate purchase.
With Apple iTunes, however, the “Special Edition” is included as an Extra with the purchase of Alien 3. And, it should appear as an unlockable if Alien 3 is purchased on MoviesAnywhere, which shares titles with the streaming/download platforms mentioned above. Alien 3 is typically priced $14.99 in Digital HD (1080p) with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
