DVD Review - The Alien Quadrilogy

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page created: 11/3/03

The Alien Quadrilogy
1979-2003 (2003) - 20th Century Fox

review by Bill Hunt, Editor of The Digital Bits

Back to Disc Four

On to Disc Six

Disc Five - Alien³

Film Ratings (Special Edition/Theatrical): B-/C+

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio): A-/B+

145 mins (Special Edition), 115 mins (Theatrical Release), R, letterboxed widescreen (2.35:1), 16x9 enhanced, THX certified, single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 74:43 in chapter 22 for Special Edition; 60:35 in chapter 19 for Theatrical Release), dual versions available via seamless branching, text introduction to Special Edition, audio commentary (with cinematographer Alex Thomson, editor Terry Rawlings and Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff, Jr., Richard Edlund, Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen), optional deleted footage marker for Special Edition, separate deleted and extended scene access for Theatrical Release (26 scenes), THX Optimizer, animated film-themed menus with sound effects, scene access (44 chapters - Special Edition; 32 chapters - Theatrical Release), languages: English (DD 5.1) and Spanish (DD 2.0 Surround), subtitles: English and Spanish, Closed Captioned

"The bitch is back..."

While en-route back to Earth after the events in Aliens, Ripley and her surviving crewmates are the unfortunate (and unconscious) victims of yet another stowaway alien. Apparently, the alien queen from the last film managed to lay an egg on board the Sulaco before she was blasted into space. The resulting facehugger attempts to get at the hibernating survivors, and bleeds acid, which causes enough damage to result in the crew being jettisoned in an Emergency Escape Vehicle (EEV). This soon crashes onto the backwater planet of Fiorina 161 (a.k.a. Fury), where a skeleton crew of "double-Y" chromosome criminals is serving a work sentence at an ore processing refinery/prison camp. Ripley is the only survivor of the crash... the only human survivor that is. Yet another facehugger (or perhaps the same one?) manages to stowaway on the EEV, and soon the monk-like inmates are dropping like flies.

I really want to like Alien³, and there are some portions of the film that I do like. I'm a definite fan of director David Fincher, and he does his best here to keep this film on track. It's very stylish visually, and Fincher successfully creates an air of depression and despair throughout the film, very reminiscent of his later Se7en. Ultimately, however, the film suffers from several things.

First of all, it's difficult to empathize with any of the characters in this film, because there's very little in the way of character development. The film was unfortunately taken away from Fincher in post-production, and it was heavily cut after his departure. Another problem is that the film's script started out a mess, and then was continuously being re-written all through the filming. We're asked to accept the far-fetched idea that the alien queen managed to lay a few eggs unnoticed in the scant minutes she was on board the Sulaco. Then we're asked to believe that a single facehugger could cause enough damage to require evacuating the crew in an EEV. Then we're asked to believe that the EEV just happened to eject near a populated (albeit sparsely) planet. To make matters worse, all of the other survivors of the previous film are immediately killed off, including Ripley's surrogate daughter Newt. Which leads to the script's other major problem - it's just seriously depressing. After the sheer horror of the first film, and particularly coming off of the edge-of-your-seat thrills of Aliens, this film was too subdued and far less than frightening. It just wasn't at all what fans of these films wanted or were expecting.

Which is not to say that the film doesn't have some merits. The quasi-religious undertone of Fury's inhabitants is compelling, and this film did introduce the intriguing concept that the alien creature can take on some of the physical characteristics of its host. Unfortunately, the film stumbles here over yet another major shortcoming, which is that the creature effects are just, well... bad. More often than not, they were accomplished by using a marionette-like puppet that was shot in front of a blue screen, and optically added to each shot with the actors. In other cases, it's just a mechanical prop... and it shows. The best thing about the creatures in the first two films, was that we barely saw them. They were far more frightening as a result. Here we're seeing way too much of the creature, and simply covering it with gobs of dripping slime doesn't make it look any more convincing.

For all of its problems, it's probably no exaggeration to say that this is the one disc in the Quadrilogy set that Alien fans are most looking forward to getting their hands on. Alien³ has, historically, been the most maligned and neglected film in the series. That said, the film is also, in many ways, the most interesting. Certainly, it boasts the most interesting story behind the scenes. Alien³ was David Fincher first major studio film, and it was a brutal experience. There was intense studio pressure, serious budgetary constraints, and almost constant producer and executive meddling behind-the-scenes. By the time Alien³ reached theaters, entire subplots had been left on the cutting room floor, and Fincher had basically disowned the entire project. It's a wonder that he ever wanted to make another movie.

For years, that butchered version of Alien³ has been the only way for fans to experience the film. Thankfully, all that's about to change. Disc Five of the Quadrilogy contains two separate versions of this film - the original 115-minute Theatrical Cut and a new, 145-minute Special Edition created just for this DVD release. You should know right off that this Special Edition is NOT a director's cut. Fincher was approached with the idea of returning to create a true director's cut, but he unfortunately declined to participate in the project. He did, however, give his blessing to what was ultimately done instead. Using the original shooting script, the existing workprint, director and editor's notes and other production records, DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika and his team have created what could be accurately called a "restored workprint version" or an "assembly cut." This is basically the version of the film we've all heard rumors of for years. It includes all of the footage that was in Fincher's original rough edit - all of the studio-excised scenes and subplots. Additionally, numerous special effects shots have been completed where necessary (using modern CGI techniques) to create a 'finished' looking film, again using storyboards and other production reference materials to determine what the filmmakers originally intended.

The result is not a better film. There's no getting around the fact that Alien³ was a fatally flawed project even before shooting began, and all of the politics on set and in post-production only made it worse. But the Special Edition IS an undeniably fascinating look at the direction Fincher was going with the film before it was taken away from him in post. Personally, I like this version much more than the Theatrical Release, simply because it does offer a more open window into the mind of the director. There's greater atmospheric texture here now, more unsettling character development, and a more edgy feel to the overall tension. Watching this cut, you understand what interested Fincher in the project in the first place, and why he attempted to fight an ultimately losing battle with the studio.

The Special Edition runs about 30 minutes longer than the Theatrical Release. Among the new footage, you'll find new opening scenes of the convicts recovering Ripley and the EEV, an alternate version of the "dogburster" scene (featuring one of the oxen from the opening instead of the dog), a whole new subplot in which the convicts actually manage to capture the alien (only to have it released later by Golic) and a slightly altered version of the ending. Intermixed with these are many smaller additions and extensions as well - more than 26 in all. The bottom line is that, whether you ultimately like the film or not, if you're an Alien fan, you're going to love watching this new version.

The video quality of both versions on this DVD is excellent, thanks to a brand new high-definition transfer. Presented in anamorphic widescreen, Alien³ has never looked better. Contrast is excellent, with superb shadow detailing and overall clarity. Colors are accurate and subtly rendered, edge enhancement is non-existent and the print has been digitally scrubbed clean of dust, dirt and scratches. Light grain is visible, but it's wholly appropriate to the look of the film. Thankfully, the new footage blends almost perfectly in terms of print quality with the original theatrical footage. Strictly in terms of video quality, you'd need to activate the Special Edition's optional deleted footage marker to spot the new material, which is an impressive feat.

The audio quality of the film is also quite good, with one minor exception that I'll get to in a moment. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track here is extremely atmospheric. The front soundstage is sufficiently wide to please, and there's a ton of subtle fill from the surrounds. Panning is smooth and natural, and low frequency supports the mix nicely. Listen to some of the scenes that take place in the tunnels and air shafts underneath the prison facility, with their unique sonic characteristics, and you'll quickly grow to appreciate this mix. Unfortunately, a DTS 5.1 audio option had to be dropped to ensure that the video quality was uncompromised. Add the original cut, all the new, seamlessly branched Special Edition footage, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track and the new commentary, and there's just little disc space left for DTS. It might be nice for Fox to one day release a separate DTS version of this cut, but that's for another day.

I did say up front that there was one issue with the audio, and it has to do with the quality of the sound on some of the newly restored footage. Unfortunately, some of the original production audio, as recorded on set, is a little bit rough. Since the footage ultimately wasn't used, the actors weren't brought in for ADR at the time of the original production. What that means is that there are a few lines of dialogue that are tough to make out. To address this problem, automatic subtitle text will appear in a few places so that you can understand what's being said. It would have been better if Fox had done new ADR sessions with the actors for the DVD, of course, but this subtitle solution works well enough. It only comes into play on a few occasions. One note - since this solution is a subtitle track, it can't be used at the same time as the deleted footage marker. It's an either/or solution.

The menus on Disc Five feature the chestburster stage of the alien life-cycle. As before, when you start the disc in your player, you're asked to choose between the two versions of the film. When you view the Special Edition, a bit of text appears before the film to explain what you're about to see. It also briefly addresses the production audio issue. As with the previous discs, in addition to the deleted scene marker on the Special Edition, you can view the deleted scenes separately if you select the Theatrical Cut. There's also another THX Optimizer available.

The main supplement on Disc Five is another audio commentary track. It features cinematographer Alex Thomson, editor Terry Rawlings, effects gurus Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff, Jr. and Richard Edlund, and actors Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen. This track is fine for what it is, but most of the talking is done by the effects folks. So you're hearing about how they created the aliens, when what you really want to hear are stories about the brutal production experience, the difficulties had by the director and others on the set during filming, more about the scenes that were deleted by the studio and why - that sort of thing. A little mention is made of what it was like to work with Fincher, and his particular vision for the franchise, but not nearly enough. This is probably the least satisfying commentary on the whole box set.

Given how good the special edition treatment for the other films in the Quadrilogy is, one would hope that the Alien³ supplement disc, Disc Six, would pick up the slack on some of these issues. So it's on to the next page to find out.

On to Disc Six