Here’s my serious question: all of the Alien films (except Prometheus, somehow) have alternate versions. Are any of them actually better?
People hate on the Alien Director’s Cut a lot, which I think is pretty damn silly. I don’t think I would say it is better or even as good as the theatrical, but the difference between the two is so minimal that I don’t know how anyone could have such a strong opinion on it either way.
The Aliens Special Edition is an interesting watch, but the pacing is just dreadful in comparison to the theatrical. The scene about Ripley’s daughter is just about the only good addition.
For whatever reason I’ve never seen the Alien 3 Assembly Cut. Something tells me adding a whole half hour is not quite what that movie needed.
I’ve also never seen the Alien: Resurrection Special Edition because I guess I just don’t care. I can’t imagine it’d change my view of the film much.
I think I’ve seen the unrated cuts of both of the AVP movies, but I can’t be 100% certain because the changes were so slight and forgettable. I’m inclined to say that they were both improvements, but only very barely.
As for fan edits, I haven’t seen almost anything. I’d be curious to hear if people have seen any good ones.
Alien DC - the only scene from the added stuff I like is just the one at the end where we find out what happened with the crew. The rest of the differences are so minor they’re not worth mentioning.
Aliens DC - actually I really prefer this one. I also love its pacing, and added character / relation development.
Alien^3 assembly cut - I hated the theatrical version, I really liked the assembly cut(I am using the word “liked” and not “loved” quite intentionally. Characters are more interesting, some of the plot holes are corrected, and has overall a much better atmosphere. I also prefer this ending over the theatrical one.
Alien Resurrection - were there any changes except a different opening, a different ending and a couple of bits of restored dialogue? Those are the only things I remember and I can’t say I like this alternate ending. I would say both versions are pretty bad.
I haven’t seen anything else yet (except Prometheus)