2) Alien 3 (1992)
Yup, I prefer Alien 3, a criminally underrated film that feels like a proper sequel to the original. This will be a controversial selection I’m sure, but I would urge readers to check out the Assembly Cut, a longer unedited version of Fincher’s work that was never shown in theaters, despite offering a more convincing portrait of life on Fury 161.
Before that, let’s acknowledge that is it’s a miracle Alien 3 was even made. By the time a fresh-faced David Fincher had been enlisted to direct the project three years before his 30th birthday, the studio had already sunk $7 million into creating the film and built several sets that were no longer even in the script. Fincher was ordered to oversee an umpteenth rewrite, one that would make use of the completed sets. He was also forced to retrofit pieces in place and after an exhausting shoot, chop 30 minutes from his release and re-film several scenes to keep studio execs happy. Despite this, he somehow managed to cobble together a film that, while certainly imperfect (there are continuity errors and some dodgy looking alien movements) is every bit as good as the series’ best.
The full-length beast, clocking in at 145 minutes, is a character-driven ensemble with memorable performances at every turn. When Ripley crash-lands on Fury 161, she’s rescued by a group of inmates who live within the confines of a prison and are attempting to use religion to turn themselves around. The dishevelled, disembowled remains are the perfect setting for an Alien movie, and the cast is first-rate, led by Dillon (Charles Dutton), a prophet and leader atoning for his sins. There are also great turns by Pete Postlethwaite, Ralph Brown and Paul McGann.
The Assembly Cut features a far longer opening that builds on Ripley’s character and properly explains why the alien menace is alive, while giving the ensemble expanded roles that single them out from one another. Gruesome, uncompromising and a proper sequel to Alien, Fincher’s film hits all the right beats and provides a fitting send-off for the shaven-headed Ripley, who dives into a blazing flame, killing herself and the alien parasite inside her.