Alien 3’s Original Ending Explained (And Why It Was Changed)

The Alien 3 Assembly Cut features an ending that had to be changed at the last minute due to a rival blockbuster. Alien 3 Rank alongside the likes of Apocalypse now And World War p When it comes to nightmare productions. The sequel spent years in development hell before David Fincher was hired to direct, but from an incomplete script to creative disagreements and other production hassles, the project was doomed. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment upon release, although it has received some reevaluation over the years.

Alien 3 is one of the biggest blockbusters ever released by a major studio. The sequel opens with the gruesome deaths of Hicks and Newt and ends with the death of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley herself. The oppressiveness is no doubt helped subconsciously by the struggle of filming Alien 3But his commitment to providing such a dark closing chapter for Ripley’s story is almost admirable. However, the “assembly cut” of Alien 3Showing a movie closer to Fincher’s vision, shows how Ripley’s ending was originally played differently.

How the original ending of Alien 3 was different

Ripley is given a more peaceful sacrificial ending

Alien 3s Finale sees Ripley and the prisoners luring the deadly “dragon” xenomorph into a trap, and ultimately killing it. As Ripley was previously implanted with an alien queen embryo, she planned to die by suicide before the Weyland-Yutani Corporation could arrive and extract it from her. While Ripley is briefly tempted by Bishop W’s (Lance Henrysen) offer to surgically remove it and save her life, she decides to rid the universe of the creature once and for all.

The original Alien 3 End of the assembly cut saw her jump back and descend into the molten lead, where she – and the embryo inside – are quickly consumed by the furnace.

Alien 3 changed its original ending because of Terminator 2

Producers felt that the original ending was too similar to the ending of T2

While Alien 3 was filming, Fox and producers Walter Hill and David Giller heard about Cameron’s ending Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The movie also ends with a finale set around a vat of molten lead where the human characters are chased around by a relentless killing machine. in Day of judgmentBoth the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) were destroyed by molten lead; In the case of the latter, it is an act of noble sacrifice, because its complete destruction is the only way to ensure that Skynet does not destroy the world.

Despite the context and characters are quite differentThe filmmakers behind Alien 3 Became worried critics and viewers would assume they had ripped off Terminator 2 ending. Reshooting a completely different death for both the Xenomorph and Ripley was out of the question, so they instead shot an additional moment to help differentiate the two finales. in Alien 3s Theatrical release, the alien queen embryo bursts out of Ripley’s chest, trying to escape his impending death. With an almost clear look, the dying Ripley just holds on to the ringing creature as they fall into the vat.

Why the original ending of Alien 3 is better

The Assemblyman sells Ripley’s sacrifice

Both co-star Charles Dance and Giler would later Verify Alien 3s Assembly cut ending is reshot to avoid Terminator 2 Comparisons. The producers of Alien 3 Would have saved themselves some heartache if they shot a few versions of the ending in the first place. Some drafts featured alternate endings, such as the alien queen bursting out of Ripley and trying to escape before jumping, with the two then falling into the vat.

The ending of the theatrical cut is slightly hampered by crude green screen effects during Ripley’s death diveBut it gives her the final victory over both the Beast and Wayland-Yutani, as she goes to her end knowing that she destroyed the former and outsmarted the latter.

That said, it’s an added moment of bombast the sequel doesn’t really need. It still works emotionally, but it feels like the purpose of Ripley’s sacrifice is needlessly underlined. The original Alien 3 The ending just works better. Ripley makes her decision and jumps, and the execution of the moment already distances it from Terminator 2.

The answer to replay Alien 3 The death is predictably mixed in the aftermath of the release of the sequel as well. Although it may have been designed to close the saga, a few years later, Weaver would sign on to play a Replay clone in Alien Resurrection. Weaver also sometimes held on Alien 5 Return for a concept led by director Neill Blomkamp, ​​but the cancellation of the project has seemingly killed her interest in reprise replay again.

until now, Alien 3 stands as the final chapter of the Ellen Ripley story; In hindsight, it’s also hard to see how anyone felt her end could be seen as a Terminator 2 ripoff.

How does the ending of The Alien 3 Assembly cut compare to other endings in the franchise

The bittersweet ending stands out in the franchise

While Alien 3 Is not the most popular movie in the Alien franchise, it has one of the most memorable endings of the series. This is further enhanced by the Assembly Cut ending, which really sells the bittersweet ending that mixes the tragedy of Ripley’s death with the triumph of her defeating the deadly alien and the greedy corporation. It is also interesting to see how these Alien 3 Assembly Cut ending compares to the other endings in the series and what it says about Ripley as a character.

In the first three movies of the Alien franchise, the endings reflect where Ripley is at the end of the journey. in AlienShe emerges as the hero of the story with her and the audience finally able to rest, having emerged as the sole survivor and triumphant. Aliens She finds herself triumphant again and with something more to fight for, having developed a relationship with young Newt.

in Alone 3Ripley has lost everything she has earned and is in despair for much of the movie. however, The Assembly Cat ending sees her accepting the responsibility of being the one to put an end to the Xenomorphs. Regardless of how the rest of the movie pans out, this serves as a fitting end to the beloved hero.

In terms of the tone of the Alien 3 Finally, it differs with its bittersweet feel. Most of the movies in the franchise ended with a clear victory for the heroes, rather than Alien 3s conclusion, which brings up more complex emotions. however, Alien: Covenant Did it hit in terms of the uncomfortable endings of the series, as the film ends with the nefarious android dude putting the survivors into hypersleep with the plan to use them to grow new xenomorphs.