Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers
The original 2 hour 25 minute work print edit by David Fincher is available on the nine-disc 2003 Alien Quadrilogy DVD box set. This version contains many new scenes including:
| Table of contents |
|
2 Cast 3 Director 4 Writers 5 Producers 6 Other Crew 7 Visual Effects |
In a plot twist that severely alienated fans of the previous films, both Newt, the little girl Ripley bonded with and rescued in Aliens, and Cpl. Hicks have been killed, and Ripley alone survives. Ripley soon befriends the penal colony's doctor and is protected by another inmate from the rapacious other men, upon whose vows of celibacy her presence is having a serious effect.
During Ripley's rescue, a dog gets implanted with an alien egg. Soon, the dog gives birth to the alien and it goes on a killing rampage through the colony. It is soon a fight to stay alive before a rescue ship can come to get them off the planet. Ripley discovers that she too has an alien queen embryo growing inside of her.
In the climax, Ripley sacrifices herself for the future of humanity, in order to prevent the Weyland-Yutani corporation from harvesting the queen embryo from her body and developing it into a form of bioweapon. She is seen plunging into a fiery death, her arms outstretched in a cruciform fashion. Thus the film is seen as a religious allegory, with Ripley the Christ-figure.
Other notable screenwriters to work on the project were Eric Red, David Twohy, John Fasano and Rex Pickett.
The movie contains one CGI shot of the aliens head cracking apart. Other alien effects were created with suits, animatronics and rod puppets composited optically.
Story
Having escaped from LV-426 after the disastrous Marine rescue mission, Ellen Ripley crashes on a penal colony inhabited only by men whose "double-Y" chromosome patterns mark them as extremely violent and dangerous offenders. In order to rehabilitate — though there is really no hope of their release — the prisoners have embraced a fanatical apocalyptic brand of religion.Cast
Director
Writers
A very early script treatment was written by noted science fiction author William Gibson. At the time of Gibson's involvement, Sigourney Weaver was not interested in reprising her role as Ripley, and so Gibson's treatment focuses on Hicks as the main character. Excerpts of this treatment can be read here.Producers
Other Crew
Visual Effects