A very big downer, but...Check Out The Assembly Cut

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2003)

-------SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! I'M SERIOUS!!!!------
When I saw this movie in 1992, I was depressed for a long time. For a while, I was angry at the way that the series had ended (That was, of course, before "Alien Resurrection"). Over the years, however, my tune has changed.
For a long time, I could not watch "Aliens" because those that survived that film (Hicks, Newt and Bishop, as well as Ripley), were killed at the beginning of "Alien 3." Ripley ends up on on a maximum security prison, populated by male prisoners. None of the men, who are some of the worst criminals (Rapists, murderers, child molesters), are happy to see Ripley. However, she's the least of their problems when an alien pops up on the planet. Seems that the alien hitched a ride on Ripley's EEV. It also seems that one of her worst nightmares have come to light, when she finds that she has been impregnated by the alien.
This is not as bad a film as first thought. Poor David Fincher, who has practically disowned the film, has been given a bad rap. The film's core message is about loss. Ripley has lost much since the first film: She lost her friends, daughter (See "Aliens" Special Edition for info on this),surrogate daughter(Newt),years and even Jones (The cat). Plus, her worst fears have come to light. She knows that she's going to die, to lose her life. The question becomes this: If you are going to die, what are you going to do with what time you have left? Will you give up or go out fighting? The film basically establishes the well-known stages of death by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Ripley goes through these emotions in such a quick space of time that one barely notices.
I recently saw "The Assembly Cut" of "Alien 3," and I must admit that it improves on the original in many ways. Loose threads were tired up in this version (Such as the fate of Golic, who seemed to have simply disappeared without any real explanation) and more character development (The prisoners prayer meetings). The fate of Ripley in this version was slightly less painful than in the theatrical version. You can see what Fincher's vision was, and if the studios didn't butt in, who knows what would have happened with his career. Would "Seven," "Fight Club" or "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" have been made if this film was a success? You may never know the question, but this is still a good film to watch. Watch the "Assembly Cut" and "Theatrical Version" back to back and judge for yourself.