the reconstructed version is a vast improvement even without Fincher's personal supervision

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2005)

For quite a number of years, between my friends and I was an on-going if minor argument about the favorite Alien movie. Most said the James Cameron sequel, and one or two would pipe in on Ridley Scott's original. Only one would stick up for the 115 minute film of Alien 3 (mostly out of preferences for the characters and the ideas behind having a lack of weapons). Unfortunately, in the theatrical version one can immediately sense the lack of someone really behind the wheels at times, despite the production design still being as top-notch as the previous films (and no wonder; Fincher, on his first studio assignment, practically disowned the theatrical cut after it was taken away from him). Luckily, with the advent of DVD and the 'special edition', a 'reconstructed' version of the film has been put together, including over half an hour of missing footage. While the reports stated this was not a real 'director's cut' (as Fincher didn't supervise the re-edit), according to the producers this comes as close as we're going to get it.
And luckily the full version, with its story pumped up with not necessarily back-stories to the supporting cast (all prisoners on a kind of dilapidated mining colony on a remote planet), but just to give more depth to the peril that Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is in. The basic outline is this- Ripley, after surviving the hazards of the climax of Aliens, winds up on the planet as an outsider through and through. The colony (including good-to-excellent character actors like Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Pete Postletwhaite, and Paul McGann) is full of a nasty bunch, some more-so than others, who have no idea what Ripley has brought along with her on the ship. This then sets up what we might expect from the rest of the film; riveting action sequences, tough dialog, and a climax that is surprising and fulfilling.
When looking at the theatrical cut, the look of the film is all in-tact and rather mind-blowing; Norman Reynolds production design is loaded with texture and the grittiness of space that is constant through all the films (though still unique); HR Gieger's alien designs (sometimes for some unconventional bits of business, to say the least) rattle the mind as much as in the first film; Alex Thomson's cinematography is a little relentless at times, but suiting so for the film. Unfortunately, what falls apart is the story, and the thin, trite qualities in the supporting cast, and when looked at in relation to the first film and even the second (which is more of a class unto itself), is pedestrian and very much in-line with something Hollywood. You can sense that there is Fincher's presence in the scenes and ideas, but also that what was cut out wasn't necessarily 'extra fat' to the story.
In this reconstructed version, however, it feels more epic in scope, and some things have been changed (i.e. the cow now a dog for the Alien 'birth'), and a lot has been added. To go into everything that has been added would take too long, but to make it short not only do we get a better science-fiction style story, in the end it adds to the effectiveness of the chases down tight corridors, fights, etc. Some of it is even a little more disturbing this time around (an 'attempt' at Ripley by some of the prisoners is as frightening as the Alien), an added plus to the mood of the production design and visual effects. The ending is still a little overtly dramatic, but also Weaver's performance is given more clarity; it's not just seeing her with a shaved head that's worth watching the film, she's given some scenes where she out-acts everyone around her, with her strengths of subtlety and patience as an actor.
I would even recommend watching this reconstructed version, if you can, even if you've never seen the theatrical cut. And for those who love the original version anyway (there are things about the studio cut that make the film under-rated if still flawed), you get more for your buck, kind of like Apocalypse Now Redux or something. I still wonder what the director now thinks of this footage put back in, if it comes closer to his vision, albeit through the interference and meddling.