HBO Max Adds Special Edits of ‘Alien’ Films

One of the reasons I love HBO Max is because it offers movie fans features no other streamer has. Today, we got more evidence of that as the platform added a longer edit of 1992’s “Alien 3” called “The Assembly Cut.” You can also watch “Aliens: Director’s Cut” and “Alien Resurrection: Special Edition.”

In 2003, Fox wanted a director’s cut of “Alien 3” for home video, but director David Fincher was famously unhappy with the studio, so he refused to help. Fox reedited the film to include almost 30 minutes of extended takes and deleted scenes. This version fills in plot holes and provides more background to the story.

Fans of the “Alien” franchise know that studio-director fights are nothing new. Although Fincher went on to have a fantastic career, this movie threatened to derail him. In a 2009 interview, he spoke about “Alien 3,” saying, “No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me.”

Some critics believe the Assembly Cut is a superior version than the theatrical edit.

HBO Max Bonuses

If you’re not old enough to remember the peak of DVD culture, there was a history of releasing special edits, outtakes, deleted scenes, directors’ commentaries, and more features on most films. Thankfully, HBO Max is offering some of those perks, though they’re not always front-and-center.

You can listen to the feature commentary on the 2023 blockbuster “Barbie” with Greta Gerwig. There’s an extended director’s cut of “The Fate of the Furious.” You can watch directors’ edits of “Chronicle,” “Suicide Squad,” and “The Devil’s Rejects.” And you can choose two different edits of “Alien vs. Predator.” The “Green Lantern: Extended Cut” adds 20 minutes to the infamous Ryan Reynolds superhero flop.

Perhaps most famously, HBO Max spent the money to let Zack Snyder create an extended black-and-white edit of his “Justice League” film after a family tragedy forced him to leave the project and Joss Whedon came in to make the film more lighthearted.

Availability of these features varies across titles. When you click on a film, you may see an “Extras” or “Versions” tab before you press play. Give those a look to see what’s available. In the case of the 2025 “Superman,” there’s even an ASL version.

As streaming services fight for subscribers, the HBO Max effort to provide these extra versions is proof that they actually care about movies. It remains to be seen if you’ll still be able to access these when Paramount swallows the service.