The sequel to the 90s sci-fi mega-franchise disaster has finally been redeemed!

Pa Drew Dych
| Published 9 seconds ago

Strangers 3 was always going to climb a steep hill. A stunning success An alienand Aliens looms over David Fincher’s theatrical debut. Also had to deal with “The Third Curse Movie” and is the end of an imaginary trilogy.

Unfortunately, reception for Strangers 3 from audiences and critics was undeniably cold in 1992. And years later, it remained one of the most controversial records ever An alien franchise.

But thanks to time and an unexpected new version of the film, Strangers 3 has become one of the most fascinating and unfairly forgotten sci-fi/horror films of the last few decades.

As a sci-fi sequel, it flopped at first

So much was working against Strangers 3 before the audience saw one frame of the film. Conceptualizing the film was a chaotic nightmare. Several versions of the film never got off the ground, including one that had the film set on the wooden planet of the monks. The film’s original director was fired shortly before production began, and first-time director David Fincher was under constant pressure due to numerous rewrites by the producers, rewrites that occurred while the film was being shot. And this is just the tip Strangers 3‘s iceberg of adversity.

Even unaware of the film’s behind-the-scenes issues, audiences were primed for a more critical attitude Strangers 3. The first film was a cult hit, and the sequel managed to deliver an experience that satisfied fans of the original and newcomers alike. This third entry was going to be scrutinized no matter what she did.

What made it doubly difficult was that Strangers 3 decided to make a failed film. Opening the film with the killing of the two surviving characters from the previous film pulled the rug out from the audience in a truly brutal way. And the film continued to be antagonistic, being a gritty, doom-filled story that culminated in the death of the series’ main character, Ellen Ripley.

Add to that other factors such as a cast of mostly unrecognizable British white guys, a compromised final edit that removed the entire plot, and a seedy prison atmosphere that only added to the oppressive tone of the entire film. So many factors led to the audience not being able to click Strangers 3 at each surface level.

Although the film was a financial success, it paled in comparison to the gigantic achievements of the previous films. Combined with mostly negative responses, Strangers 3 was always seen as a failure in the grand scheme of the franchise.

Until one day it started to change.

Why Alien 3 was finally accepted

Strangers 3 of course, they had their defenders, but they were objectively in the minority. That started to change when Strangers 3 received a brand new release in 2003 as part of Strange quadrilogy DVD box set. Each of the first four films came with its own theatrical and alternate versions. This is a new version, which has been named “Collection Version”. Strangers 3 restored nearly 40 minutes of unused or alternate material not included in the original release.

This caused many fans to reevaluate Strangers 3 because this new version – the only alternate version on set that was not controlled by the director – offered a slightly less compromising view of the third entry’s intent. And by offering fans a new version of the film, they ended up revisiting a film they may have written off after just one viewing.

Thanks to this new version, fans began to see how technically impressive the production was Strangers 3 was And with David Fincher becoming an established talent in the world of filmmaking, it was also a look at how his approach and style evolved. Even the film’s detractors readily admit this Strangers 3 maintains the legacy of the series to create impressive films.

The assembly cut also helped flesh out the relationship between Ripley and some of the other characters. The romance that develops between Ripley and the character of the doctor played by Charles Dance is well done and his eventual death is actually tragic. And Charles S. Dutton almost ran away with the entire film as the inmates’ religious leader.

There’s also a better sense of mood in the Assembly Cut when scenes are kept for longer periods of time. If the tone is gloomy Strangers 3 turns you off, there’s no getting past it. But if you can click on what the film is trying to achieve, the build offers a more cohesive and fully realized version of that vision.

Strangers 3 will always create divisiveness in the franchise. However, the compilation release, itself re-edited in subsequent home video releases, managed to demonstrate just how misunderstood the film was upon release. Personally, I find value even in the original theatrical version of the film. Yes, it’s the film’s inevitable bummer, but that’s its purpose, and it pulls off that spirit with great performances and even stronger filmmaking.

Strangers 3 deserves the cult following it has managed to cultivate over the past decade. It’s a completely different experience than any other film in the series, and that alone makes it a unique project worth celebrating.