NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Alien³

Alien³ is a science fiction/horror movie that opened May 22, 1992. It was the feature film debut of director David Fincher. The third installment in the Alien franchise, it is preceded by Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens and is followed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Alien: Resurrection. Alien 3, deemed fair use This is a DVD cover. ... David Fincher (born May 10, 1962) is an American film director. ... Dan OBannon (born Daniel Thomas OBannon on September 30, 1946 in St. ... Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra Sigourney Weaver (born October 8, 1949) is an American actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of Ripley in Alien (1979) and its sequels. ... Charles Dutton is an actor/director who gained acclaim for his show Roc shown on FOX television during 1991. ... Paul McGann (born November 14, 1959) is an actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role. ... Lance Henriksen is an American actor and potter [1]. He was born May 5, 1940 in New York City. ... Walter Hill (born California 1942) is an American film director and a member of the movie brat generation. ... Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... DVD cover showing horror characters as depicted by Universal Studios. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... David Fincher (born May 10, 1962) is an American film director. ... Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields) is a British film director and producer. ... Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. ... James Cameron from Ghosts of the Abyss James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian film director noted for his American action/science fiction films, which are often completed behind schedule and over budget but compensate by being extremely successful financially. ... Aliens is a 1986 science fiction horror movie starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser. ... Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (born 3 September 1953, Roanne, Loire - France) is a French film director. ... Film poster Alien: Resurrection Alien: Resurrection (1997) is the fourth movie in the Alien series, preceded by Alien, Aliens and Alien³. Synopsis Spoiler warning: Alien: Resurrection takes place 200 years after the events of Alien³. Ellen Ripley has been cloned using blood samples from Fiorina 161, on ice so that...

Overview

The film was poorly received upon its initial release by critics and fans of the preceding two films in the franchise. It was considered not to have advanced the story in any meaningful way, instead merely rehashing the first film's formula of a monster lurking in dark corridors killing off people one by one. This stood in stark contrast to Aliens, which presented itself as an action movie, establishing its own identity rather than trying to imitate what made Alien so successful. Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. ... Movie poster for Die Another Day, the 20th James Bond movie. ...

Other unfavorable comparisons to Aliens were made, especially in the way Alien³ ’s large supporting cast of prisoners lacked any individuality, being perceived as little more than stock characters whose sole purpose was to be killed by the alien. In Aliens, while many of the Colonial Marines could be considered stereotypes, Cameron still took pains to make most of them defined characters. A stock character is a fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. ... The xenomorph is a hostile fictional extraterrestrial monster of unknown origin from the Alien universe, designed by the Swiss painter H. R. Giger. ... The United States Colonial Marines (USCM) are a group of fictional space marines first introduced in the movie Aliens. ... For the term used in Computing, see Stereotype (computing). ...

In later years, some fans of the franchise became more sympathetic to Alien³ as the story of its troubled production came to light. David Fincher was brought into the project very late in its development, after a proposed version by Vincent Ward (What Dreams May Come) at the helm fell through. Fincher had little time to prepare, and the experience making the film proved almost agonizing for him, as he had to endure incessant creative interference from the studio. Vincent Ward (born in Greytown, New Zealand in 1956) is a film director and screenwriter. ... DVD cover for What Dreams May Come What Dreams May Come is a 1998 drama film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr. ...

However, the film is still seen as a disappointment to most fans of the series as even the original script (with Ripley landing on a spherical space station inhabited by low-tech colonial farmers) still killed off Newt, Bishop and Hicks and would have still killed off Ripley (as Signorny Weaver had grown tired of the franchise). Many fans had read the Dark Horse comic book version of the franchise and were expecting the third film to feature a battle on earth.

The original 2 hour 25 minute work print edit by David Fincher was finally made available on the nine-disc 2003 Alien Quadrilogy DVD box set. And yet Fincher himself, although giving 20th Century Fox his blessing in releasing this work print to DVD in the first place, was the one director from the entire franchise who declined to participate in the DVD set, even to record a commentary, as he is still reportedly deeply bitter about the experience. This work print edit contains many new scenes including: 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ...

The bonus disc for Alien³ in the 2003 set includes an interesting documentary on the film's rough production, but again, lacks Fincher's participation. The website The Digital Bits (http://www.thedigitalbits.com) posted a harsh criticism of this disc, pointing out that the studio had, ironically, cut the documentary to delete a handful of behind-the-scenes clips in which Fincher openly expresses his anger and frustration with the studio. Ripley may have several meanings. ... Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century Decades: 0s BC - 0s - 10s - 20s - 30s - 40s - 50s - 60s - 70s - 80s - 90s - 100s Years: 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 Events Dacians under Decebalus engaged in two wars against the Romans from this year to AD... Bishop 341-B is a fictional character from the Alien series of films, an android created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation and played by Lance Henriksen. ...

Story

Having escaped from LV-426 after the disastrous Marine rescue mission, Ellen Ripley crashes on a maximum security work correctional penal colony inhabited only by men whose "double-Y" chromosome patterns mark them as extremely violent and dangerous offenders. In order to rehabilitate — though there is really no hope of their release — the prisoners have embraced a fanatical apocalyptic brand of religion. LV-426, also known as Acheron, is the name of the planet where the Alien was first encountered by humans in the movie Alien (1979) of the Alien Series. ... The fictional character Ellen Ripley is the protagonist in the Alien movie series. ... A penal colony is a colony used to house prisoners. ... XYY, or XYY syndrome and also known as the Jacob Syndrome, is a trisomy of the sex chromosomes in which a human male receives an extra Y chromosome in each cell, hence having a karyotype of 47,XYY. Effects Physical traits XYY syndrome typically causes no unusual physical features or... Figure 1: Chromosome. ...

In a plot twist that severely alienated fans of the previous films, both Newt, the little girl Ripley bonded with and rescued in Aliens, and Cpl. Hicks have been killed. Only Ripley and Bishop, who is severely damaged, survive. Ripley soon befriends the penal colony's doctor and is protected by another inmate from the rapacious other men, upon whose vows of celibacy her presence is having a serious effect. Bishop 341-B is a fictional character from the Alien series of films, an android created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation and played by Lance Henriksen. ... Celibacy may refer either to being unmarried or to sexual abstinence. ...

During Ripley's rescue, a dog gets implanted by an alien facehugger. Soon, the dog gives birth to the alien and it goes on a killing rampage through the colony. It is soon a fight to stay alive before a rescue ship can come to get them off the planet. Ripley discovers that she too has an alien queen embryo growing inside of her.

In the climax, Ripley sacrifices herself for the future of humanity, in order to prevent the Weyland-Yutani company from harvesting the queen embryo from her body and developing it into a form of bioweapon. She is seen plunging into a fiery death, her arms outstretched in a cruciform fashion, just as the creature bursts from her chest. Thus the film is seen as a religious allegory, with Ripley the Christ-figure. Weyland-Yutani is a fictional corporation that forms an essential part of the setting of the Alien movie, and its sequels. ... Cruciform means having the shape of a cross. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ Anointed one, Standard Hebrew Mašíaḥ, Tiberian Hebrew Māšîªḥ) is a human descendant of King David who will rebuild the nation of Israel and bring world peace by restoring the Davidic Kingdom. ...

AIDS allegory

A few critics have seen the picture as an allegory for AIDS and Holocaust-era detention camps. The alien creature, as the Village Voice put it in 1992, humps people to death, and, moreover, kills men by making them pregnant. In particular, the alien's insidious parasitic eggs (undetectable until specialized tests reveal them, and leading to certain death) are viewed as the clearest symbol of AIDS. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, sometimes written Aids) is a human disease characterized by weakening of the bodys immune system and capacity to fight infection and certain cancers. ... Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II, starting in 1941 and continuing through 1945. ... The Village Voice is a New York City-based weekly newspaper featuring investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts reviews and events listings for New York City. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A pregnant woman Pregnancy is the process by which a mammalian female carries a live offspring from conception until it develops to the point where the offspring is capable of living outside the womb. ... A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of that host. ...

The prison planet, with its shaven-headed prisoners (including Ripley), in which all inhabitants are deemed expendable, mirrors the history of Holocaust death camps.

Prequel

2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alien vs. ...

Alien Quadrilogy

Events March 5 - Production begins on The Empire Strikes Back, the sequel to Star Wars. ... Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. ... Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields) is a British film director and producer. ... See also: 1985 in film, other events of 1986, 1987 in film, list of years in film. Events April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Gos Belinda Carlisle Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver. ... Aliens is a 1986 science fiction horror movie starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser. ... James Cameron from Ghosts of the Abyss James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian film director noted for his American action/science fiction films, which are often completed behind schedule and over budget but compensate by being extremely successful financially. ... See also: 1991 in film, other events of 1992, 1993 in film, list of years in film. Events January 12 - HAL 9000 is activated, the computer in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (fictional event: date taken from the film) Top grossing films Aladdin Home Alone 2: Lost in New... David Fincher (born May 10, 1962) is an American film director. ... See also: 1996 in film, other events of 1997, 1998 in film, list of years in film. Events Summer - Production begins on Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace. ... Film poster Alien: Resurrection Alien: Resurrection (1997) is the fourth movie in the Alien series, preceded by Alien, Aliens and Alien³. Synopsis Spoiler warning: Alien: Resurrection takes place 200 years after the events of Alien³. Ellen Ripley has been cloned using blood samples from Fiorina 161, on ice so that... Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (born 3 September 1953, Roanne, Loire - France) is a French film director. ...

Cast

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra Sigourney Weaver (born October 8, 1949) is an American actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of Ripley in Alien (1979) and its sequels. ... Charles Dutton is an actor/director who gained acclaim for his show Roc shown on FOX television during 1991. ... Paul McGann (born November 14, 1959) is an actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role. ... Lance Henriksen is an American actor and potter [1]. He was born May 5, 1940 in New York City. ...

Director

David Fincher (born May 10, 1962) is an American film director. ... Vincent Ward (born in Greytown, New Zealand in 1956) is a film director and screenwriter. ... Renny Harlin (born Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959 in Riihimäki, Finland) is a film director and producer mostly known for action movies. ...

Writers

A very early script treatment was written by noted science fiction author William Gibson. At the time of Gibson's involvement, Sigourney Weaver was not interested in reprising her role as Ripley, and so Gibson's treatment focuses on Hicks as the main character. Vincent Ward (born in Greytown, New Zealand in 1956) is a film director and screenwriter. ... Walter Hill (born California 1942) is an American film director and a member of the movie brat generation. ... Dan OBannon (born Daniel Thomas OBannon on September 30, 1946 in St. ... William Gibson: Cyberpunk Author. ...

Other notable screenwriters to work on the project were Eric Red, David Twohy, John Fasano and Rex Pickett. The proposed scripts from all these writers can be found on the Internet.

Producers

Walter Hill (born California 1942) is an American film director and a member of the movie brat generation. ... Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra Sigourney Weaver (born October 8, 1949) is an American actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of Ripley in Alien (1979) and its sequels. ...

Other crew

Visual effects

The movie contains one CGI shot of the alien's head cracking apart. Other alien effects were created with suits, animatronics and rod puppets composited optically. The seawater creature in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ... Optical effects are those film effects that are created entirely through an optical process using film, light, shadow, lenses and/or chemical processes. ...

Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. ... Aliens is a 1986 science fiction horror movie starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser. ... Film poster Alien: Resurrection Alien: Resurrection (1997) is the fourth movie in the Alien series, preceded by Alien, Aliens and Alien³. Synopsis Spoiler warning: Alien: Resurrection takes place 200 years after the events of Alien³. Ellen Ripley has been cloned using blood samples from Fiorina 161, on ice so that... on the SNES Alien vs. ... Bishop 341-B is a fictional character from the Alien series of films, an android created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation and played by Lance Henriksen. ... The fictional character Ellen Ripley is the protagonist in the Alien movie series. ... LV-426, also known as Acheron, is the name of the planet where the Alien was first encountered by humans in the movie Alien (1979) of the Alien Series. ... The USCSS Nostromo is a fictional starship, featured in the 1979 film Alien. ... The United States Colonial Marines (USCM) are a group of fictional space marines first introduced in the movie Aliens. ... Weyland-Yutani is a fictional corporation that forms an essential part of the setting of the Alien movie, and its sequels. ... The xenomorph is a hostile fictional extraterrestrial monster of unknown origin from the Alien universe, designed by the Swiss painter H. R. Giger. ... Yautja, more commonly known as simply Predators or (in the movie) hunters, are a fictional alien species that first appeared in the movie Predator, followed by Predator 2. ...

External links

Categories: 1992 films | Alien series | Science fiction films | Horror films The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ... All Movie Guide is an online database of information about movie stars, movies and television shows. ... AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, sometimes written Aids) is a human disease characterized by weakening of the bodys immune system and capacity to fight infection and certain cancers. ... An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative representation conveying a meaning other than and in addition to the literal. ... The Socialist Review is the monthly magazine of the Socialist Workers Party (UK). ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...