People have strong opinions about the movies that followed Alien. Some of those opinions are not positive. (Have you tried being the only person in a room who will admit to liking Alien Resurrection?)
But it’s possible—if not necessarily likely—that those Alien arguers may be discussing different versions of the films. And now you, too, can join them in a whole new experience. HBO Max has added three special editions from the series: Alien 3: The Assembly Cut, Aliens: Director’s Cut, and Alien Resurrection: Special Edition.
Of these three, The Assembly Cut is the real curiosity. Made without the participation of director David Fincher, it adds about 30 minutes of footage to the 1992 theatrical release. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Assembly Cut contains extended takes and deleted scenes, plus scenes that directly impact the plot (Ripley and the inmates actually succeed in trapping the alien in the toxic waste room, for instance, until one prisoner deliberately sets it free). Several of the notorious film’s plot holes are filled, and the fates of some minor characters are revealed.”
There’s one more edit, but it’s a spoiler. If you’d like to know more, Den of Geek has a solid rundown on the differences between the cuts.
The special edition of Alien Resurrection is only 7 minutes longer than the theatrical cut, but notably includes a scene on Earth at the end. The Aliens: Director’s Cut seems to be the edit previously referred to as Aliens: Special Edition, which director James Cameron said is his preferred version.
You can catch ’em all—I mean, watch ’em all—on HBO Max.
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