Alien: Resurrection, the fourth entry into the franchise, actually comes in two different cuts, and here are the differences between them. The Alien franchise - at least the original quadrilogy - is an odd one, due to every single movie getting some kind of alternate cut. Ridley Scott's original 1979 classic Alien is available in a director's cut version. James Cameron's 1986 sequel Aliens is available in an extended cut dubbed the "special edition." Alien 3's longer cut is called the "assembly cut," and Alien: Resurrection has an extended "special edition" cut as well.
As per usual with alternate cuts of films, there's generally no completely agreed upon position among fans as to which is better. Some viewers will always prefer sticking with the original theatrical cut of a movie, while others will be more open-minded when it comes to additional material added later on, especially if - such as in the case of Alien 3 - the director's vision was known to be heavily compromised by studio meddling.
With Alien: Resurrection, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has made it clear the theatrical version is his "director's cut," and that the additional footage in the special edition extended cut is presented solely as an option for those who might want it. Here's the new stuff those who've only seen the theatrical cut can look forward to.
New Opening Credits Sequence
To start off, Alien: Resurrection's opening credits sequence in the extended cut is almost entirely different from that found in the theatrical cut, beginning on a close-up of what appears to be Xenomorph jaws, only to pull back and reveal that it's some kind of bug. The bug is squished by a USM solider, and then a flyby of the Auriga ship is shown. The jaws and bug shots are CGI, and look quite bad.
Ripley 8 Is An Unpleasant Patient
In Alien: Resurrection's extended cut, after the scientists finish their surgery to retrieve the Xenomorph Queen embryo from inside Ripley 8 (Sigourney Weaver), one scientist goes in to seal up the incision. Unfortunately for him, Ripley 8 wakes up, and she's not happy, snapping his arm like a twig thanks to the enhanced strength afforded by her mix of human and Xenomorph DNA. The words snap, crackle, and pop come to mind.
Ripley 8 Gets a Reminder of Newt
In an add-on to the scene where Ripley 8 is shown pictures and the scientists are observing her reactions, she's shown a picture depicting a little girl with long blonde hair. Ripley 8 smiles a little at first, then begins to become emotional, and it's clear that part of her remembers Ellen Ripley's relationship with Newt in Aliens, who was of course killed off at the beginning of Alien 3.
Ripley 8 & Call Talk in the Chapel
During this added conversation between Ripley 8 and the android Call (Winona Ryder), Call reveals why she's so determined to destroy the Xenomorphs, and how she couldn't let humanity be the instrument of its own destruction. Ripley replies by once again referencing her time with Newt, although she says she can't remember the girl's name. It's also revealed that Ripley 8 dreams about Xenomorphs constantly, but that he's no longer afraid of the nightmares, as her reality is now worse.
Destroyed Earth Alternate Ending
One of the biggest changes found in the extended cut of Alien: Resurrection is the inclusion of an alternate ending. While the theatrical conclusion sees Call and Ripley 8 marveling from above at Earth's lush natural landscape and wondering what to do next, the alternate ending actually sees the pair land on Earth, one which is a desolate desert. They get out, sit down, and talk for a bit about what to do, with Call pointing out that it would be easy for someone to "get lost" if they didn't want to be found. It's then shown that Ripley 8 and Call are facing a destroyed Paris. Ripley 8's arrival on Earth was originally meant to set up an Alien 5 that never ended up happening.
Other Smaller Changes
- Dr. Gediman asks Ripley 8 about Fury 161, the prison planet from Alien 3. She seems to remember it to a degree, but it's not clear how much.
- Dr. Wren tells Dr. Gediman that Ripley's former employer, the evil Weyland-Yutani corporation, had eventually been bought out by Wal-Mart, an amusing (although a bit stupid) reveal.
- The scenes introducing the crew of the Betty ship to the film are changed in multiple ways, with some scenes playing in a different order, some being recut, and some featuring additional material.
- The meeting between General Perez and Elgyn, captain of the Betty, is considerably longer, with Perez not really being amused by Elgyn's unprofessional behavior.
- Later, after Captain Elgyn has been killed, Call and fellow Betty crew member Johner (Ron Perlman) have a heated argument about what to do with Purvis, who's now a Xenomorph host.
- USM solider Distephano and Betty second-in-command Christie have an exchange about underwater weaponry before swimming through the flooded kitchen.
Alien: Resurrection Extended Cut Overview
All in all, the Alien: Resurrection extended cut isn't all that different from the theatrical version. Most of the additions simply serve to further develop the characters and their relationships, and in Ripley 8's case, look a bit further into what remains of her humanity. The extended special edition cut runs about seven minutes longer than the theatrical, although thirteen total minutes of previously unseen footage were added. Outside of the alternate ending's different depiction of Earth, the overall story is the same in both versions.
What's cool is that fans of Alien: Resurrection, or the Alien franchise as a whole, can easily make up their mind which version they like better. Both the theatrical and extended cuts are streaming now on HBO Max, and are also available on the Alien: Resurrection Blu-Ray release. The extended cut isn't really required viewing for casual fans, but anyone who enjoys the theatrical cut will probably appreciate the additions to the extended version, and Alien diehards will be happy to see the deleted references to Aliens and Alien 3. Newt may be gone, but she hasn't been forgotten, even by Ripley's weird human/xenomorph hybrid clone.