Rating: 
Summary: My Final Comments on this Great Collection
Review: Well I finished all of my collection guys and am extremely pleased. Especially with the extended version of 3 which actually adds to the overall story and makes it much better. Four was better as presented at the theaters in my opinon.
In regards to packaging Although I really dont mind the unfolding to much afterall how many times are you going to view the films in a year but I do see a problem in the hubs. If even looked at the wrong way the discs come loose. To the serious collector this can be a problem with such a fabulous collection. But the set is done and leaves the obvious flaw for us to get clever with. So its not the product but the quality of the trays that hold the product that is the real bummer. Especially when moving or transporting them around. A more secure hub is needed such as the ones found in the regular keepsake cases. I do love my set though.
In regards to the story, to my horror I finally realized that the reason it skewed to begin with was really Sigourneys fault as pointed out in one of the actress s' interviews, although I worship the ground she walks on:) It was really due to her conditions on coming back to the story that made the producers change the overall concept. She informed them that she would only do 3 if her character could die...she simply said she was just tired of the character. Its no wonder they needed to kill off the various characters in 3. So actually the actress was the one that really changed the whole story by her "Do it or I wont come back" conditions. Woe imagine the producers having to drastically alter the flow of the story to get their main draw to come back.
If she would have lived in 3 then all of the other characters could have continued from 2. It would be safe to say that the script would have been completely different. The overall attitude of the fans would have also been greatly different. 4 would have not needed to be a resurrection but an ongoing story. I personally feel that the whole mistake was having to kill her off and that as I stated already was due to her own conditions on continuing the character. The bottom line is ......Sigourney made the boo boo not the producers writers or directors. But then again if they hadnt altered the story then their main draw would have not come back. Hmmm
Rating: 
Summary: I little overkill i believe
Review: I love the Alien movies as much as the next person,but when is enough,enough.I mean come on do we REALLY need 9 discs to show how good these movies are?Who in the world doesnt have that much of a life to sit and watch hours of worthless extra features?Some outtakes,maybe one featurrete,few deleted scenes fine,leave it at that.I mean do we really care about screenplay's,screentests,commentaries,etc?Geez can we say Greed anyone.Just get the other smaller box set.Don't waste money.
Rating:
Summary: definitive collection
Review: This consists of two discs for each film, the original and an alternate version (more on that below) on the first disk, and collections of approximately 2 hours of featurettes and other bonuses on the second disc. The ninth disc is a hodgepodge of trailers and other items from previous DVD and laser disk versions. Although the extras have been released in a variety of forms over several years (the John Hurt documentary 'The Alien Saga', being the latest), THIS is the definitive version.'Alien' (average user rating: 4.6). If you haven't seen this classic film, then you must be living under a rock. The collection includes the original theatrical version (which I prefer) and the "Director's Cut", notable for its inclusion of the controversial captain-cacooned by alien scene (controversial because from the Alien mythology developed in later films, we know that only the massive queen can lay eggs). I prefer the original (which is actually 1 minute longer), and interestingly enough, it appears that Ridley Scott prefers the original as well. The making of featurettes are extensive and reveal Giger's extensive participation and how what was originally expected to receive a b-moive budget became one of the very few examples where Fox studios followed the vision with a classic. 'Aliens' (average user rating: 4.7). This is the only sequel I know of that is rated higher than the original. This time, the "Special Edition" version (also on the previous 'Alien Legacy' box set) is a superior experience and exactly is how upstart director James Cameron (who had written the script prior to the release of 'The Terminator') wanted to release the film, but was constrained entirely by time limits. The result is additional scenes featuring the colonists and Ripley's family lost to the time she spent in hypersleep. As with the first installment, the featurettes are interesting and thorough, although the Viet Nam War metaphor is not as thoroughly explored with Cameron as has been in other releases. 'Alien 3' (average user rating: 3.2). As a fan of the franchise, this was perhaps the most anticipated part of this new box set. The "working print" of the film (the longest of all the versions here, and complete with subtitles for missed sound editing), adds a depth to the film that was not in the original. That is, the arrival of Ripley and the characters are covered much more thoroughly, the alien creature is begotten by an oxen with a much more original look, there is an additional plot twist arising from the nature of the inhabitants (criminally delusional), and there is no riduculously-timed chest-burster scene at the end. Still, the film is a flawed masterpiece. The film is better appreciated in light of the bad situation first-time director David Fincher had been placed in - not the least of which is an incomplete script during production and a set that had already been constructed for the ill-conceived "wooden planet/monestary" vision of the previously assigned director. In this sense, the three production featurettes come across as almost an apology/tribute to Fincher. (NOTE: Fincher is the only director who is not interviewed on the box set.) 'Alien Resurrection' (average user rating: 3.0). What happens when you put the French director of 'Amelie' (Jean-Pierre Jeaunet) in charge of an alien movie? Well, foreign/art movies were all the craze in the last 1990s, so . . . Fox studios thought, "Why not?" In the end, many fans of the franchise did not appreciate the obviously satirical slant on this final installment. The opening scene and ending scenes (the only additions of substance) on the extended version make the film even more tongue-in-cheek. Despite the French director and crew's obvious regard for the original 'Alien' (as documented in the featurettes), armed with the return of Sigourney Weaver and the addition of superstar Winona Ryder, the director ultimately made a quirky, campy action film. But in the end, it was the last quarter of the script that makes this the weakest of all the installments by far. Postscript to Fox studios: if you had given Fincher this much creative freedom, you would have have a third masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect box set - Resurrection a gem - Possible Spoilers
Review: Cannot add anything significant to the plethora of superlatives already used to describe the DVD box set, it IS truly incredible and a must own for any film geek. However, I'd like to stress out the fact that I wasn't familiar with Alien Resurrection. Not being a masochist, I stayed away from this one after the DISASTROUS "Alien small 3", and by the truckload of negative reviews, having lost hope for this franchise. HOWEVER, this set gave me the chance to experience it, and it is brilliant. I think most of you were put off by the strong change in tone compared to the excellent first two. In my opinion, there would be no use in adding a Cameronish of Scottish clone. Storywise, any new encounters between Ripley and the creature must be over-the-top because it is highly illogical. Maybe a flashback film on the creatures themselves and how they ended up crashing on that planet would be interesting, but without Weaver's character. So I really think you need to give the material a fresh directorial spin to make it worthwile. Fincher's flawed film at least tried, but it just didn't tied together well, and I personnaly hated the pseudo-inmate-british despair-genX-nineties bull**** of it. Come on, it's a monster movie. It is nicely shot, and I applaud Fincher for coming out of it alive. But the Alien 3 script ruins it all. I seem to be alone in the following opinion, but after seeing the section on disc 6, I hope that more of you will realize that Vincent Ward's agressively stupid original story of amish medieval hard-on monks living on a wood planet (on which this film is unfortunately loosely based) should have been without question shredded and flushed down the toilet. In contrast, Jeunet's satirical mix of (sometimes hilarious) black humour and comicbook approach makes for an interesting addition to the series. It's almost Monty Python's Alien, which is a good thing. Watch for Dan Hedaya opening doors with his breath, or the great Brad Dourif teasing the creature through a window, or an insane alien babyboy with humane face(looking straight out from one of Peter Jackson's early gems) licking mommy in the face with its penile tongue. Inspired stuff. It even has a cool underwater chase sequence. Weaver is, as always, great. Winona Ryder is cute as a goodwilled robot in a pirate crew. Cinematography is awesome and set design is top-notch. So what is there to complain? It's not Ridley Scott's Alien? Of course not. It didn't even try to be that. I admit that the cloning premise is far-fetched, as if a DNA sample from my blood would include information about the spaghetti I ate or the socks I'm wearing. But it's in good fun. And what else would you do to resurrect the main participants? Fincher should not have killed them in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: comprehensive, yes...but somewhat flawed
Review: i've just finished watching the new versions of the first, third and fourth films (i've seen the special edition of the second before), and i'd like to let potential buyers know what to expect. the new version of the first film is by far the best of them all. the third, however, uses footage where the sound could not be recovered completely intact, so subtitles kick in when the dialogue becomes difficult to understand (you can turn the subtitles off, though). the third probably contains the most new footage of the four films--probably more than the other three put together. the new version of the fourth film has a perplexing sequence where the guy in the motorized wheelchair thing gets a knife stuck in his thigh, removes it, and throws it back at ron perlman's character. call (winona r.) then removes the knife from wheelchair's thigh (again?) and breaks off the blade??!! huh? anyway, at the very least you get the director's cut of alien, the special edition of aliens, and the theatrical releases of all four (in case the problems with the new versions of the last two bother you a lot). plus over 2 whole days worth of bonus material, which i haven't yet had the time to peruse. all in all, an excellent set and an inexpensive one at that.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive Alien Collection
Review: As an owner of the previous 'Alien Legacy' collection I was a bit skeptical of this collection. No secret studios have turned DVD re-releases into a virtual cottage industry. In a lot of re-releases (X-Men 1.5) for instances its nothing but a crude attempt to make money off fans. But this one - like the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition - is worth the price. The Director's Cut of Alien and Aliens are a bit excessive. I think both are examples in directors fiddling with fairly perfect versions of their work. The most fascinating is the work print cut of Alien3 which gives hint to a much, much better film that could have been made (and I am one of the few that defends Alien3 as a flawed bit of genuis). Alien: Resurrection is of course worthless. I've never watched it once when it came with my Legacy collection, and I doubt it will get much attention from me this time around. The extras are really great if you are one of the very few people that utilizes the extras features. The sound mixes are immaculate (much better than the least release) and the transfers look great. The Alien Legacy set didn't look bad except for the transfer of Aliens which had a ton of artifacts and other bugs with it. Those are gone in Quadrilogy. Much improved. My only real compliant is that Fox pushes Alien: Resurrection into an otherwise perfect set of films much the way the Godfather movies include Godfather, Part 3 because it is doubtful anyone would buy it. A last thought: I hope George Lucas follows the lead of the Alien Quadrilogy, and includes both the original cuts and Special Edition of his Star Wars trilogy next year.
Rating:
Summary: EXPLOSIVE NEW BOX SET - BUT IS IT TOO MUCH?!?
Review: By now everyone knows who Ellen Ripley is - Sigourney Weaver. Actually she's the heroine of this 4 film - 8 disc phenomenon called "Alien Quadrilogy". This box set includes all four films in the series in revamped, modified, remastered and re-edited editions. Why? - primarily because number three and four in the series could really use the help - I'm assuming, but hey, it's a pretty good guess.
PLOT of all four films: A survivor of an alien attack - Ellen Ripley, goes back for more and more punishment against a really nasty looking aggressor from outer space that by the last installment looks more like a finger puppet reject from Jim Henson's muppet lab. Okay, enough criticism on the special effects. Seriously, though; my advice to anyone who wants the original masterpiece from Ridley Scott and James Cameron's brilliant sequel; wait till January when the films will be made available separately.
TRANSFERS: Near pristine. "Alien" - the first film, is the real stand out. Color balancing is superb. Flesh tones are richly textured. Blacks are black. The haze and related age artifacts are practically non-existant. Film grain has been greatly reduced over the previous issued DVD. The audio has been masterfully updated. "Aliens" - same transfer as before; Cameron didn't really see the need to update it. Near pristine. All of the above criteria apply. "Alien 3" Pristine transfer - sorry excuse for a sequel - even in this re-edited form. "Alien Ressurection" - I'm going to sleep, just thinking about it. All of the above criteria apply to these transfers as well.
EXTRAS: I'm not even going to bother. Suffice it to say, that if you invest in this box set you will possess the largest compendium of useless information available to mankind on a digital format. While the documentaries are a fantastic bonus, much of the material featured there is repeated in other "extras". There's also a lot of junket material that really doesn't enhance your movie going experience so much as it indoctrinates you into believing part "4" is the greatest horror/sci-fi of all time. Yeah, right!
BOTTOM LINE: Wait for parts one and two to become available on their own. They're the only ones worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Is Fox becoming greedy now....
Review: The amount of work that they put into both releasing and re-releasing these movies on different DVD disk sets is getting a bit out of hand. I would not spend money on the whole disk set when you could just buy one of the films for a lesser price and belive in the saying that "Less is More." I do not like Rip-off DVD disk sets released too many times, I do not like them Sam I am."
Besides these movies are all terribly over-rated. They were badly written, most often miscasted, and had some of the most laughable fake alien effects and bad model sequences ever put on film. Only Cameron's Aliens has survived the test of the years into CGI animation used in films because he actually worked hard on his version of the story, and certainly put a lot more humanity into his script for Aliens. The other directors never bothered to do that. Buy Aliens, forget the other three films, and stay with a better science fiction film series that Fox put out first, called PLANET OF THE APES.
Rating:
Summary: im glad
Review: this is perfect the quadrilogy set is excellent much better than the legacy set was.
Rating:
Summary: EXCEPTIONAL!
Review: This set is absolutely great! Everything there is about alien is here, in perfect picture and sound. The box is nice but the unfolding of the package is awkward. Overall: EXCELLENT.
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