Alien³ (1992)

The original blueprints for David Fincher’s third installment in the Alien franchise, are fascinating. Set on a wooden planet inhabited by monks, there is some truly terrifying artwork to be found online if you’re interested, including a sequence in a wheat field that was eventually vaguely used in Alien: Covenant (2017), a film that for my money isn’t as interesting as Fincher’s eventual end product here. Although Alien³ isn’t even in the same league as the first two Alien films, there’s far more of note here than the film is given credit for. After Ripley crash lands on the prison colony of Fiorina 161, along with at least one facehugger (that impregnates either a dog or an ox depending on which version you’re watching) all hell breaks loose as the inmates and guards begin to understand what they’re dealing with as the body count stacks up. But the interesting stuff is all to do with Ripley, ending in a sequence that, despite what you might think of the film, was a perfect ending to the trilogy. Of course money talks, leading to the somewhat inevitable Alien: Resurrection five years later. Whatever your opinion on Alien³ though, if you haven’t seen both the theatrical and extended cuts, they’re both worth your time. 6.4/10