5 Reasons Alien? Works

David Fincher has gone on to be seen as one of the best directors working today, and rightly so, but it almost didn’t pan out that way considering he had such an awful time working on Alien?. It’s a wonder he didn’t assume that every movie he made would be as arduous of an experience. The type that results in a compromised product, and, make no mistake, Alien? is blatantly a compromised product.

This is especially true when comparing it to the two films that came before, both of which were the result of a pair of very different directors’ very specific visions. Initially, Vincent Ward was supposed to direct the third film, then Fincher was brought in during pre-production, only for his vision for it to then also be altered by the studio. Yet, even with all the behind-the-scenes tumult, there’s much to appreciate about Alien?, especially now that there have been other divisive entries in the franchise (Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Alien: Resurrection), two lambasted ones (the AVP movies), and a critically praised crowd-pleaser (Alien: Romulus) that have allowed it to not just be compared to the two masterpieces that preceded it.

It’s Tonally Different the Same Way Aliens Was Tonally Different From Alien

One of the biggest crimes Alien? could have committed, but didn’t, was copy-pasting either Alien or Aliens in hopes of replicating their critical and commercial success. Alien? does have its similarities to Ridley Scott’s original film, specifically in regard to its haunted house movie in space vibe and the fact there’s only one xenomorph, but it’s essentially the diametric opposite of James Cameron’s sequel. That helps the sci-fi prison movie to function as a trilogy-capper.

And, if anything, that’s how the Alien Quadrilogy should be viewed: as a trilogy. Alien: Resurrection is as hollow as it is overly glossy and, by the end of its run time, the audience feels like they’ve just seen a vastly inferior version of Aliens. It’s also odd seeing Sigourney Weaver play a version of Ellen Ripley that really couldn’t be further from the character that audiences had already gotten to know and love. The Ripley of Resurrection is, well, a resurrected version, but none of the personality was brought back. The Ripley audiences had gotten to know was maternal, compassionate, and when all else failed, sacrificial.

An Organic Way to Send Ellen Ripley Out

Weaver only agreed to star in Alien? if several conditions were met. She loved the character of Ripley, but Fox’s decision to excise some crucial scenes from Aliens regarding her daughter rubbed the actor the wrong way. Two of those conditions were that the film not be so reliant on guns and that the character she’d developed from the ground up be killed by the film’s end.

Both of those conditions were met, even if the latter ended up being reversed. And it’s a shame that happened with Resurrection because, as far as sacrifice scenes in studio films go, Alien?‘s is right up there. It feels fully in line with the character to throw herself backwards towards immolation as opposed to the possibility of living longer, given the price for survival would be Weyland-Yutani finally possessing a live xeno.

The Presence of Charles Dance

Excluding the two AVP films, the xenomorph saga has always been graced with extremely impressive casts. The third film was no different, with the layered and grounded central role work from Weaver being ably supported by talented performers such as Charles S. Dutton (Rudy), Brian Glover (An American Werewolf in London), Pete Postlethwaite (The Town), and Holt McCallany (Mindhunter). It’s an expansive roster of xeno-bait, and not all of them really make a full impression, but the cast of thespians help elevate the film from devolving into a sci-fi slasher.

And, yet, it’s a performer playing a character who dies fairly early that makes the biggest impression. As former inmate Jonathan Clemens, who has remained on-site as the prison’s resident doctor, Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) elevates each and every one of his scenes. He makes the audience constantly guess just what his character’s past entails, just as he makes them believe that his empathy for Ripley is straightforward and genuine.

[RELATED: Sigourney Weaver Reflects on David Fincher’s Controversial Alien?]

It Features Some of the Most Iconic Shots of the Xenomorph

By the time the audience has seen a couple xenomorphs in Cameron’s Aliens, the novelty has worn off and they’ve become less scary. The first movie had its slobbering antagonist utterly concealed and shrouded in darkness for the vast majority of its run time. But, in the sequel, they’re out in the open and getting blasted apart. Alien? finds a middle-ground.

While the shots of the CGI xeno scrambling across ceilings have aged remarkably poorly, the practical effects-generated shots of the creature are some of the best screen time it’s ever experienced. There’s its emergence from a ventilation shaft to the surprise of Murphy, who is then shredded by massive whirling fan blades. Then there’s the xeno looking up just before it is encased in molten metal. But the most iconic shot of the film, arguably the entire franchise, is its face-to-face with Ripley just after killing Dance’s Clemens.

The Score

While the scores for the first two films are true to their respective films’ tones (the first is very restrained, except in its trailer, while the second is bombastic), it’s Alien? that features the apex of the franchise’s soundtracks. Elliot Goldenthal may not be the household name ¡ª as far as film composers go ¡ª that Alien‘s Jerry Goldsmith or Aliens‘ James Horner were, but his work on the third film is phenomenal. It was also only his fifth film as composer, following up 1979’s Cocaine Cowboys, 1980’s Blank Generation, and 1989’s Pet Sematary, and the woefully underrated Drugstore Cowboy.

The highlight must be a wide shot of an inmate running across Fiorina 161 (the planetoid on which the prison is located) just after discovering Ripley’s crash-landed pod. The music sweeps over the audience in grandiose fashion, helping to convey the excitement that the action is about to kick into gear, while also possessing a forewarning undercurrent.

Alien: Romulus is now streaming on Hulu