Alien 3: The 10 Biggest Differences Between The Theatrical And Assembly Cuts

The Alien 3 assembly cut differences offer an interesting alternative to what is seen as a drop in quality after the first two Alien movies. The third movie has always received critical and fan backlash, especially considering the quality of the first two movies in the franchise. This is unfortunate, as the movie had a great director at the helm, although David Fincher was not yet at the point in his career where he could call his shots. Sadly, Fincher has washed his hands of the film, robbing fans of the possibility of a Director’s Cut.

However, there is a next-best alternative in the form of the Assembly Cut, which has been out on home video releases of the Alien franchise for quite some time. This is considered the definitive cut of the film, and the amount of restored and alternate content proves that. Alien fans often love to analyze the differences between the two versions and get a glimpse of Fincher’s original vision before outside influences changed it to the one released in theaters in 1993.

Related 10 Best Time Travel Movies That Don’t Involve Sci-Fi

Time travel is most commonly seen in sci-fi movies, but horror movies, romcoms and psychological thrillers have all used it in creative ways.

10 The EEV Crash

Clemens Rushes Ripley

The nature of the EEV crash at the beginning of Alien 3 still runs largely parallel with the theatrical cut, but there are several notable differences between the two. First, the scene doesn’t jump from the crash to Ripley being found by the inhabitants of Fury 161. Instead, Doctor Clemens is walking along the muddied shoreline of the prison complex when he stumbles upon the EEV pod and initiates a rescue operation.

The scene establishes that Clemens saves Ripley’s life before she dies of her wounds and exposure. It’s a great setup to introduce a complex character like Ripley, one of the film’s most fascinating action icons. There is also another change where the Assemble Cut doesn’t show the computer graphics revealing the fate of the Aliens’ characters. This was something that morbidly drove home the fact that these beloved characters from the last movie died offscreen.

9 The Opening Scene

A Much Different Look & Feel

After finding Ripley and bringing her inside for treatment, the progression of the opening scene takes on a much different look and feel. Establishing shots show multiple prisoners noticing Ripley when she’s brought inside, which would have ramifications later. Next, shots of prisoners leading oxen to pull the EEV out of the water are shown, along with Superintendent Andrews writing a report to Weyland-Yutani, which ends up tipping them off about the possible existence of a xenomorph, following the events of Aliens.

These scenes mostly set up the idea that the prisoners are there, and they add tension when they notice Ripley coming into their “home.” They also set up the moments when the prisoners band together and fight, although that would also be set up in later scenes. The report to Weyland-Yutani was only important as a foreshadowing that they were coming and Ripley might be in danger.

8 The Facehugger

It Will Be The Host Animal For The Embryo

Originally, a facehugger stows away on board the EEV and hides out in the crashed wreckage until an opportunity presents itself. When the prisoners are done salvaging the ship, a Rottweiler named Spike spots the facehugger and begins barking at it, signifying that it will be the host animal for the embryo.

In the Assembly Cut, the facehugger is found already dead, and in one of the holding rooms where dead oxen are being hoisted up on chains. Not knowing what it is, the prisoners think nothing of it, not realizing that the facehugger has already deposited an embryo into an unconscious ox. This change does one important thing in the Assembly Cut. It saves the killing of the dog, which was always going to be a problem in the theatrical cut. It replaces the dog with the Ox, which is less distressing.

7 Extended Theatrical Scenes

Characters Feel More In-Depth

Many of the scenes in the Assembly Cut of Alien 3 are still intact, though many have been fleshed out. The editors weren’t so quick to snip, which means these scenes get far more exposition, and that’s a good thing. Characters feel more in-depth, especially when they interact. In fact, many fascinating tidbits about these characters are revealed in this cut, and this cut alone.

There’s more dialogue, more interaction, and more to establish the personalities

There’s more dialogue, more interaction, and more to establish the personalities of each of the prisoners as something other than Xeno food. Cutting this was seemingly to tighten up the movie, but the problem is that it made most of the inmates indistinguishable from each other. Golic’s sanity and personal hygiene were removed. Dillon’s role was lessened. The 30 minutes that were added to the Assembly Cut had so much more character development that helped the characters shine.

Related Aliens & 9 Other Sequels That Switched Genres From The Original

James Cameron didn’t want to make a carbon copy of Alien so for the sequel, he made Aliens an action movie. Other sequels have followed suit.

6 Dillon’s Dialogue

Dillon Interacts More Freely With His Fellow Prisoners

Dillon is a fairly well-established character in Alien 3, but the Assembly Cut manages to flesh him out even further. The theatrical version shows Dillon to be a leader who doesn’t really like the job but is extremely serious and willing to attack his own men in order to keep the peace. However, it seems that Dillon doesn’t interact much with the prisoners in the theatrical cut, which downplays his importance and how he is able to rally the prisoners when the time comes.

In the Assembly Cut, Dillon interacts more freely and easily with his fellow prisoners. He still maintains his spot on the pecking order, but he seems like more of a real character, and the weight of his leadership feels more palpable, especially as things go sour. He’s still the guy with some of the most memorable quotes in Alien 3, by far. Dillon getting more time to be around the prisoners shows why he is such a respected person, and the theatrical cut limits those moments.

5 The Alien Host Animal

A Facehugger Attaches Itself To A Giant Ox

The notion of a xenomorph birthing from a Rottweiler might have worked in the theatrical cut had the film followed the natural life cycle progression of an alien. Unfortunately, it brought with it a host of issues, particularly how fast the Xeno develops in such a short space of time. The facehugger found in the ship saw the dog and that set up the idea that it would end up choosing the dog as a host animal. That didn’t happen since the facehugger was dead when they found it.

However, the facehugger was able to deposit an embryo into an unconscious ox in the Assembly Cut. In this cut, a facehugger attaches itself to a giant ox, which renders it unconscious. Thinking it was dead, the prisoners string the ox up, only for the creature to burst forth later on, while the animal was still unconscious. Changing this from an ox to a dog was done because the ox was not doing what it was supposed to. That means the dog scene looked better but was still very uncomfortable to watch.

4 The Birthing Scene

The Size Of The Newborn Alien As Opposed To Its Original

Originally, the xenomorph in Alien 3 was birthed from a dog named Spike, who shows up in the opening act, only to suffer a horrific fate later on. Animal lovers had an extremely hard time watching the poor Rottweiler get tortured to death, but the Assembly Cut manages to fix that. The oxen birth is a much better birthing scene, as it does away with an illogical plot point – namely, the size of the newborn alien as opposed to its original dog host.

This feels much more natural, as opposed to a regular chestburster, which has to go through a larval stage. The different design of the xenomorph for Alien 3 is still largely intact, including the lack of biomechanical tubes on its back. However, while it works seemingly better thanks to the size of the ox and the idea of the xenomorph bursting out of it, the reason for the change was that the ox was not cooperating. This means that the scene in the Assembly Cut doesn’t look as polished or smooth as the dog birthing scene.

3 The Meeting Between Clemens And Andrews

It Continues Where The Original Scene Left

There’s more justification for his suspicion, especially in light of all the chaos that has broken out since her arrival

The original tense meeting between Andrews and Clemens in the former’s office is well known to Alien 3 fans, but the Assembly Cut goes much further. It continues where the original scene left off, giving exposition that directly references the events of Aliens, right down to the Colonial Marine detachment on LV-426. There is a new beginning, instead of starting with Andrews threatening Clemens. Andrew is also very angry because Clemens mentions that Ripley was part of the combat team.

This is actually one of the more pivotal changes in the film, as it establishes Clemens’ past a bit more while simultaneously giving him a reason to question Ripley’s official story. There’s more justification for his suspicion, especially in light of all the chaos that has broken out since her arrival. Interestingly, the workprint version of Aliens 3 is even longer than the Assembly Cut version, with more shots, showing this conversation was even longer than fans of either version might have expected.

2 The Middle Act

There’s A Singular Plot Arc

The most significant change to the Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is undoubtedly the third act, which was essentially stripped out of the theatrical version altogether. This singular plot arc is the driving force for everything that happens towards the end of the film, and it hinges on one psychologically deranged prisoner – Golic. Mistakenly believing that the xenomorph has a spiritual connection to him, Golic decides to free it after Ripley and the prisoners manage to capture and contain it in an old storage room.

The threat was over until Golic decided to let it out, allowing the killing to begin anew. It’s a fascinating way to watch Alien 3, in a whole new way. The aliens’ escape and capture were also included in the novelization despite being removed from the theatrical cut. There are thoughts that the prisoner’s mistake didn’t add anything to the overall plot, but it also made Golic’s entire presence in the movie make little sense, as that entire arc was the reason he was in Alien 3.

1 Ripley’s Sacrifice

Ripley Lets Herself Fall Into A Furnace

Ripley’s sacrifice doesn’t change at the end of the film, but the manner in which she goes out is much different. In the original theatrical cut, Ripley lets herself fall into the molten lead of the furnace just as the Alien Queen bursts from her chest. It was meant as one final shock and awe designed to leverage itself against the emotional impact of the moment. This was accomplished with a lot of additional reshoots to ensure that the xenomorph bursting out looked good.

However, in the Assembly Cut, Ripley simply extends her arms out to the sides like an angel and lets herself fall. There’s no chestburster, no gore, and no final nod to the xenomorphs. For all intents and purposes, she wins the day, even if it is at the cost of her own life. It’s a better sendoff to a rather fascinating and complex character. The idea of the xenomorph busting out of her chest almost ruins the moment where Ripley’s sacrifice was supposed to be a dignified moment.

Did The Assembly Cut Truly Improve Alien 3?

There are definitely ways where the Assembly Cut improved on Aliens 3. The biggest improvement was removing some of the more disturbing scenes added for shock value. Switching out the dog with an ox was done because the ox just wasn’t working out during shooting, but replacing that scene eased some of the concerns about the dog’s horrific death. While the ox scene does not look as good as the dog scene, it at least makes more sense from a storyline perspective.

The xenomorph bursting from her chest was horrific and mostly ruined the idea of her sacrifice.

The best change was Ripley’s sacrifice, as the xenomorph bursting from her chest was horrific and mostly ruined the idea of her sacrifice. No one needed to have the moment hammered home that the xenomorph was ready to burst through, and her sacrifice played out much better with her falling peacefully to her death, knowing she was saving the world. Other moments, such as making the prisoners more important and adding scenes for Dillon and Golic, help improve the story as well.

However, there is also a reason to think the theatrical cut was better than the Assembly Cut, with the exception of the sacrifice at the end. There are arguments that the theatrical cut is leaner and meaner, and it is a tight horror film with some terrifying moments. This is what Alien fans want from the franchise, and the Assembly Cut adds a bit more bloat and removes a lot of the disturbing moments that made it work so well as a horror movie.

Alien 3 3.0 Where to Watch

stream
rent
buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Alien 3 is the 1992 sequel to Aliens. Directed by David Fincher and starring Sigourney Weaver in her iconic role as Ellen Ripley, the third installment in the Alien franchise follows Ripley as she leads a group of inmates in the fight against a Xenomorph after her ship crash-lands on a prison planet.

Director David Fincher Release Date May 22, 1992 Cast Sigourney Weaver , Charles S. Dutton , Charles Dance , Paul McGann , Brian Glover , Ralph Brown Runtime 114minutes