Sigourney Weaver Defends One of the Most Hated ‘Alien’ Sequels

Sigourney Weaver has come out in defense of Alien 3, one of the most controversial sequels in the franchise. The 76-year-old actress shared her thoughts while reflecting on her career during a panel at New York Comic Con on October 10.

Weaver said she appreciated the film for being different from its predecessors. “I like it because it’s so utterly different from the first two. I felt that [20th Century] Fox was smart to keep choosing very gifted directors who wanted to do something completely different with the Alien story,” she explained.

Alien 3 was directed by David Fincher in his debut and continued the story of Weaver’s iconic character Ellen Ripley.

The plot follows Ripley after her escape pod lands on a prison planet inhabited by former male inmates.

The script went through several changes, including an earlier version by Vincent Ward that was eventually scrapped. Weaver said she wasn’t fond of the original draft, which featured monks in space and a story where Ripley spent much of the film in a coma.

Despite challenges during production, Weaver said she trusted Fincher and praised the cast and crew. “I think we had the most amazing group of actors, amazing crew. It’s meaningful to me and I don’t really compare them,” she said.

She also reflected on the tough decisions made in the movie, including killing off some beloved characters. “That was hard for Ripley and for me. But that’s space, you got to move on. These things happen,” Weaver added.

Critics were divided on Alien 3. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 44% approval rating, while Metacritic shows a score of 59 out of 100.

Some reviewers praised the visuals and Weaver’s performance, but others criticized the pacing and lack of suspense. Legendary critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs down, though Ebert later complimented its visual style.

The film also faced criticism from franchise veterans, including James Cameron, Michael Biehn, and Alan Dean Foster. Cameron called the decision to kill off key characters a “slap in the face” to fans and the previous film’s team, while Biehn negotiated compensation for the use of his likeness in archival footage.

Weaver’s comments highlight her appreciation for the risks the filmmakers took and her personal connection to the project, despite its mixed reception.

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