The Alien franchise has never recaptured the magic of its first two installments, but Fede Alvarez could soon reanimate the series if Alien 5 learns from Alien 3's strongest elements, despite it being hated. Ridley Scott's Alien was released in 1979 and immediately dominated the science fiction and horror landscapes. Alien 3, by comparison, was the first in a long line of Alien sequels and spinoffs that were hated by audiences. Simply being aware of Alien 3's missteps won't guarantee that Alien 5 succeeds, however. Observing what Alien 3 did right could relight the compelling flame that made the early days of the franchise so impactful.
The Alien sequels have struggled to maintain their place at the top of the science fiction food chain since James Cameron's action-heavy Aliens was followed by the bleak slog of David Fincher's Alien 3. Fincher's hate for the final version of the film is well documented. The assembly cut version released in 2003 did inspire some support for the original ambition of Alien 3, but even it couldn't erase the mistakes of the script or the turmoil of the production. The next entry, Alien: Resurrection, and the films that followed it only further extinguished the flames. If he can do the unthinkable and stop that pattern of underwhelming entries, Alvarez could cement his legacy with Alien 5.
Alien 5 needs to recognize that Alien 3 provided the franchise with some of its most iconic moments, despite its reputation. The image of the series' titular alien seething just inches away from the face of Ellen Ripley is synonymous with the franchise as a whole. That shot came from Alien 3. Ripley herself ascends to her most heroic state in the third entry, actively hunting and trapping the xenomorph who stalks the prison planet Fiorina 161. She is competent and fearless. The Ellen Ripley of Alien 3 is exactly the sort of lead that will elevate Alvarez's first Alien film. Without that capable central character, Alien 5 will struggle to match Aliens' quality and will amount to little more than a flash in the pan of cinema.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the film in which Ripley made her most heroic sacrifice was also the last film in which the xenomorph remained truly terrifying. Born from the chest cavity of a dog, or an ox in the case of the 2003 cut, the monster of Alien 3 was frighteningly referred to as "The Dragon." The descent into panic expressed by the prisoners of Fiorina 161 presented the xenomorph in a mythological light. The Dragon was a beast whose predation and killing spree felt personal. Ellen Ripley felt it had intentionally followed her and the prisoners wondered if it had come to deliver their judgment. The creature's design was a natural extension of its predecessors, as its posture was lowered and made more nimble to cut a more animalistic physique. Compared to the abhorrent design of Alien: Resurrection's newborn, The Dragon was exceptional. The variations of xenomorphs eventually seen in Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Alien: Covenant also failed to inspire. Alien 5 needs to revisit the series' early designs to provide a creature worthy of horror's hall of fame.
The setting of Alien 3 is another of the film's highlights. The long hallways and militaristic chambers of Fiorina 161 exist in stark contrast to the open worlds and massive ships found in Prometheus and Covenant. The cinematography of those films may set a grand stage but they fail to deliver on the claustrophobic suspense that first earned Alien its renown. While the blue screen effects of Alien 3 may not have aged well, the tension and grime visually layered throughout the film remain a powerful asset. Alien 3 respected the dread generated by the narrow sets of 1979's Alien. If Fede Alvarez brings his modern sensibilities to that timeless foundation, Alien 5 could render another Ridley Scott sequel obsolete.
Alvarez proved himself to be a master of the horror genre years ago. After all of the missteps suffered by the Alien franchise, the films couldn't be in more capable hands. The writer and director already resurrected one horror property to great acclaim when he rebooted the Evil Dead in 2013. If the lessons learned in Alien 3 are applied in the upcoming film, Alien 5 will be the next corpse Alvarez brings to life.