Alien Timeline Updated

[Engineer]

I just like the scene-setting better in the AC; we see the lice on the washed up Ripley, again, no exposition, beautiful world-building.

(Am aware it's not actual lice 😂, fury's got super large chungus lice.)

I like the fact that you see ripley washed up on the shore of a black beach... it explains why she's covered in soot the next moment you see her on the operating table... whereas in the TC she goes from being perfectly clean in her cryotube to covered in soot in a span of like 10 seconds. I didn't even notice it tbh until I saw the AC in 2003.

I will take that over him just disappearing, and I like the breather personally, I think it needs that before ramping up for the bombastic finale and creates a much needed respite before going downhill.

Also I prefer the Assembly Cut opening because it is not quite as mean to the people in the EEV (and thus reflects better on Clemens' character), alongside just better cinematography.

As for which Chestburster, I think the Ox looks better (the setting, the imagery, religious undertones of it) but get the view for the Dog being more impactful... but only on a surface level... I would honestly argue that just makes the emotional energy of the scene all messed up, in the Assembly Cut I am focused on Ripley's grief, in the Theatrical Cut it's so distressing what happens to the Dog that I think the emotional focus ends up in the incorrect place.

The only thing I prefer about the Theatrical's the score not being messed up during the sacrifice scene.

I don't even really enjoy the Threatrical Cut, I can't tell you exactly why but it's just not the same to me, it's a combination of all of the above. 

Personally, I'm not a religious person, so those religious undertones are less significant to me...
But in general, I tend to like dogs more than most people, so the dog was more than superficial for me...

[BlueMarsalis79]

I am not religious at all, it is precisely that I feel such empathy for the Dog that I find it distracting, and frankly downright undercutting to the funeral scene.

Again, respite from what? The film just gets to the point where everyone is aware of it, and then they promptly lock it in a room.

We have 50 minutes of people sitting around thinking there's no problem interspersed with attacks, then almost half an hour of people thinking there's no problem - and being right.

It's not great pacing.

They might not know of it right away, but I do and not a viewing goes by that I don't dread and anticipate it's attacks like I did when I was six years old.
So I always liked that break. *Shrug*

And no they are not right, because that complacency leads to it getting out, and Weyland being on the way.
I like that bell curve over things just... continuing on.

[Nukiemorph]

It bugs me that the ox is dead. Doesn't the host need to be alive? What killed the ox before the chestbursting? Did it die because the alien started ripping through, but didn't fully emerge until they got it inside? Did the embryo stay in the body because it had some issue with the exterior atmosphere on the planet, or maybe the lice? Did the facehugger kill the ox when it was implanting the embryo? Did it die from some other side effect of the embryo?

It's also frustrating that only one cut of the film introduces the concept of the queen facehugger. Granted, it's brief & subtle, but seems like a pretty big piece of lore that will eventually need to be confirmed or contradicted by a future movie.

[BlueMarsalis79]

It used to be alive like all hosts.

The Chestburster had difficulty getting out, so needed to develop more to get out, hence the Bambi Burster.

A theory I have often heard. 

[Nukiemorph]

That makes a lot of sense... It is far more developed than any other chestburster we've seen.

I like it. Gripe deleted.

[SiL]

Ok but now make it make sense for the dog.

[Nukiemorph]

Dog-burster looks just as developed as the ox-burster, but seems smaller.

I always just shrugged off the physical differences by attributing them to the fact that it was born from a four-legged animal.

[Necronomicon II]

It's also worth pointing out Troy Benjamin and Raleigh Stewart worked on the anthology menus and information, etc, so presuming De Lauzirika was solely cribbing reliable canonical minutiae is a little hasty. I'll see if I can clarify with him time permitting.

Peace.

Necro/MUTHUR

[Corporal Hicks]

I think the conversation took a turn here that I lost. What are you referring to Necro?

[Year0]

It's also frustrating that only one cut of the film introduces the concept of the queen facehugger. Granted, it's brief & subtle, but seems like a pretty big piece of lore that will eventually need to be confirmed or contradicted by a future movie.

I think you're being too technical. The point of A3 is that Ripley is hurtling towards her death and there is only one way of saving humanity. There's little focus on the queen face hugger because the film doesn't want you to care about that. It wants you to know the alien is a force that will kill anyone who gets too close to Ripley, depriving her of any sense to her life as well as eventually taking it.

[xenotaris]

Also ALIEN 3 was supposed to end the Alien series

[SM]

But the Assembly Cut literally does give more characterisation to the prisoners, you can not argue that fact, Junior and Golic come to mind.

Whether you think it is effective or not comes down to opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQH7T6vlpJM

Wonder where I've heard this before?

Oh that's right...

[oduodu]

sm youre back! great to see.

[SiL]

It's a hit and run

[Local Trouble]

@SM Why hast thou forsaken us?