Nearly every studio has taken its turn at developing a sci-fi franchise, and while there have been plenty of misses over the years, one of the undeniable hits is Alien. Ridley Scott first launched the sci-fi franchise in 1979 with the release of the first Alien movie starring Sigourney Weaver, who returned seven years later for the equally beloved sequel, Aliens. It makes sense the sequel holds up as well as it does, though, considering it was directed by James Cameron. It wasn’t until 1992 that the release of Alien 3 brought on the first real criticism of the Alien franchise, despite it being directed by David Fincher. Fincher has gone on to produce some of the all-time great movies, like Se7en (starring Brad Pitt) and The Social Network (starring Jesse Eisenberg).
Alien 3 earned scores of 44% from critics and 46% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The film faced heavy criticism for killing off beloved characters off-screen, and it had such a troubled production that director David Fincher has come out in the years since its release and distanced himself from the final product, citing a severe amount of studio interference. Alien 3 still found success at the box office, though, grossing $159 million globally against a $50 million budget, and it was ultimately nothing more than a speed bump in what has gone on to become a successful franchise that’s still running strong to this day. 34 years after the original film hit theaters, the assembly cut ofAlien 3 has quietly been added to HBO Max this afternoon. The assembly cut is two hours and 25 minutes, which is around 30 minutes longer than the one-hour and 54-minute runtime of the original film.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
What Happens in ‘Alien 3’?
The official synopsis for Alien 3 reads as follows:
“Returning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcomed visitor.”
Vincent Ward, David Filer,Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson wrote the script for Alien 3, which also stars Charles Dance as Clemens, Charles S. Dutton as Dilon, Paul McGann as Golic, Brian Glover as Andrews, Ralph Brown as Aaron, Danny Webb as Morse, Christopher John Fields as Rains, and Holt McCallany as Junior.
Check out the assembly cut of Alien 3 on HBO Max and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of the Alien franchise.
