Which is Better: Theatrical Release of Alien or the Director's Cut?

I bought the special edition blue-ray package of the movie and both come in it. I haven't watched this movie in years. Which one is better? Watching it tonight.

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I'd say the theatrical release. I appreciated the deleted scenes before there was a Director's Cut, when they were part of the original DVD release, but I don't think they add anything vital and perhaps explain a bit too much.

Alien: Theatrical Cut
Aliens: Extended Cut
Alien 3: Extended Cut
Alien Resurrection: Don't Bother Watching It

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I haven't seen the extended cut of Alien 3 yet but I have basically seen all the bits that would be added to it. Aliens is definitely better with all the excised material.

And Alien Resurrection was lousy.

The extended cut of Alien 3 is superior. I bought the Definitive DVD with both versions ages ago, and since watching the extended cut, I've never watched the theatrical cut again.

It does look very interesting and I recently watched the commentary on the theatrical cut again. Paul McGann has had a small history of bad luck in varying degrees. I believe he was fired a couple of times on Withnail and I, then rehired. He was cut out of Empire of the Sun (Spielberg phoned him to tell him this, and suggested that McGann's agent should get his name taken off the film so it didn't look like he'd done something wrong); being mostly cut out of Alien 3 (mostly); being replaced in Sharpe due to the misfortune of breaking his leg; and of course the biggie: being the Doctor in the Doctor Who TV Movie in 1996 which didn't do well enough in the USA to go to series.

There's a review of the two movies in my thread on page 1. Not a superb review as it was only the 8th one I ever wrote.

Agreed 100%. Both versions are great but I liked when I didn't know what the xenomorph was doing to people.

I agree with this. Nothing is really added to the theatrical version of Alien.

Some cool elements are added in the extended edition of Aliens (sentry guns and the tension created by the ammunition countdown... why was that ever cut? It is a brilliant device.)

Alien 3 I haven't seen in years. I seem to remember hating the opening ten minutes or so when it completely renders Aliens pointless; but I liked the rest of the film; it is Fincher after all, it is going to have good moments. I particularly remember a scene that cut between a preacher character sermonizing and the birth of the dog alien, which, while lacking subtlety, was effective. In terms of which version to watch, no idea.

Alien Resurrection is trash.

I would watch the theatrical cuts of Alien and Aliens because I don't feel like much is added to either of them, but I wouldn't even watch either of the verisions of Alien³. It's so mediocre and ruins the series considering the opening kills off Michael Biehn and Newt, but if your going to watch one the extended cut is miles better.

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I'll put this in a spoiler tag just in case anyone hasn't seen it: