Alien Quadrilogy

Rating:
Summary: Two Great Flicks And Two Not So Great Flicks
Review: Quit while your ahead" Boy that's one piece of advise the folks in Hollywood don't pay attention to and this Alien Boxed set (the second one by the way) is sure proof of that. This nine disc set contains two versions of all four Alien movies. The original theatrical versions and the special director cuts. I am not a big fan of director cuts. They usually contain footage that was edited out. I figure if they weren't good enough to make the theatrical cut why do I want to watch them on DVD? Yeah, I know the extended version of Lord of the Rings are good but they are the exception and not the rule.

Anyway the first movie Alien came out in 1979 and is still a great horror flick. You all know they story. A group of cosmic truck drivers are called to check out an S.O.S. beacon on a dead planet. A guy named Kane played by John Hurt gets the infamous facehugger stuck to him and he is carried back to the star ship by his fellow astronauts. After trying to unsuccessfully remove the facehugger the thing just disappears and over dinner the baby Alien burst out of Kane's chest leaving a bloody mess. One by one all the crew members are killed by the Alien, except for Ripley, played by Sigourey Weaver. She kills the alien which means she gets to be in all the other Alien movies. Oh I forgot, Ash, played by Ian Holm, is not killed by the alien. It turns out Ash is a robot who works for the company that wants to analyze the alien. He's killed by Ripley and Parker (Yaphet Kotto). Alien is great science fiction and great horror. It gets a "9.0" on the scale. The big selling point here is the added footage of the first movie. There is really nothing new here as the added footage was in the deleted scene section of the original Alien DVD release.

In 1986 Aliens came out. Ripley is found drifting in hyper space and brought back to earth where she is in trouble for blowing up the ship in the first movie. They think she's full of crap about that whole Alien business. She learns quickly that the planet in which the alien has been colonized and warns her company that soon people will die. Well, before you know it people die and Ripley is know a person of expertise and is ask to accompany some marines to this planet for their simple task in killing the aliens. Well, the task proves not to be so simple and a lot of marines die. The action is all pretty good. There is a lot of blood shed and gore which left me feeling very happy. The supporting cast is pretty good, including Bill Paxton as a cowardly marine and Lance Hendrickson as the robot doctor. Oh, the little girl was pretty good too. The first alien a science fiction horror movie where this is more geared towards the action crowd. The finale between Ripley and the queen alien is the highlight of the series. Aliens gets an "8.0" on the scale.

Alien 3 is where things start to go downhill. Even director David Fincher was not pleased with this sack of crap and refused to do a director's commentary. The story this time is that Ripley is in her shuttle from Aliens and crashes on a planet that's pretty much a penal colony. The other two passengers, including the little girl are dead. Little does she know Ripley also brought along the alien which will now kill the prisoners until it's destroyed. The drama this time around is that Ripley was impregnated by the alien while on the shuttle. This movie focuses on gore a little to much. I found the sensationalizing of Newt's autopsy a little unnerving. Also, this may seem harsh but why would I care about a bunch of criminals who are being eaten by an alien. Except for Charles Dutton the supporting cast is kind of annoying. And finally, the end just sucks. Alien 3 gets a "5.0" on the scale.

Now Alien Resurrection stars Brad Dourif. Except for The Two Towers and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, any flick starring Brad Dourif has been pretty bad. Same with that Dan Heyada guy. Two bad character actors in one movie. Well, Alien Resurrection is not simply a bad movie, it's a stupid one as well. This time Ripley has been cloned so they scientist can take the alien clone from her body and study it. this leads to a bunch of aliens running around a space station and a lot of people dying. Sigourney Weaver is terrible in this movie, as is the supporting cast, including and especially Winona Ryder as a robot. The only scene in this movie that is pretty cool is the underwater scene with the aliens. If this movie had been more successful in terms of box office figures I am sure we would have had an Alien Five. Thankfully it's theatrical run lasted only four weeks so we are spared. Alien Ressurection gets a "2.0" on the scale. If you are a fan of the first two movies they can be purchased individually so you don't have to deal with the second two flicks. This boxed set retails for about $100 so don't waist your hard earned cash on two classics and two bad flicks.

Rating:
Summary: In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream With Joy
Review: Oh yes, this sprawling 9 disc set covers just about anything and everything about the ALIEN series and a must for any serious fan of the movies. A theatrical and an alternate version (with extended and deleted scenes, especially with the second, third and fourth movies) of the four films are included. Commentary from the director, film crew and cast members are included on the alternate audio tracks. Each film have a separate disc chock full of background materials. A ninth disc contain even more supplementary materials for the first film, and trailers and promos for the other three.

ALIEN - The very first one remain my personal favorite. While it seems many fans prefer the sequel, one should be reminded there wouldn't be a sequel without the groundbreaking and often imitated but never surpassed original. The Director's Cut of ALIEN have some new scenes in it (Lambert plotting the course to the planetoid, Lambert slapping Ripey, the cocooned sequence), but there were other cuts in the film so in end it was a couple of minutes shorter than the original.

The cast and crew commentary and the background materials on ALIEN was everything a fan could hope for, almost everybody was involved: Ridley Scott, all the cast member (yes, even Sigourney Weaver) except Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto, Jerry Goldsmith, and even the reclusive HR Giger (who seems to be morphing into the likeness of his work).

Material from the Laserdisc release of ALIEN was also included, which made for a fascinating read when it comes into the genesis of the script and the structure of the film, inlcuding pages from O'Bannon's original screenplay which featured 6 male crew members.

Many of the background featurettes include alternate shots and other footages of the film never seen before (the alien's tail about to stab Brett's back, Kane actually being hauled into the ship, Veronica Cartwright falling on her butt after being sprayed with "blood", actor Jon Finch as Kane before being replaced by John Hurt). There are even more alternate deleted and extended scenes not included in ALIEN's 25th anniversary DvD release.

The 25th anniverary release have two alternate audio tracks which featured Goldsmith's original entire score for the film, but it is not included here.

ALIENS - Although I like this film a lot, ultimately, the stereotypical gung-ho attitude and over the top performance of the actors who portrayed the ill fated space marines made ALIENS a bit uncomfortable to watch at times. In any case, there is no comparing ALIENS and its predecessor: both films are in completely different genres. ALIEN is a masterpiece in suspense and horror while ALIENS is a wild shoot 'em up action flick.

Once again, the deleted scenes added depth and scope to the film. However, the scene where Ripley discovered a cocooned Burke was not included in the film, or anywhere else in the extras, which was a disappointment.

ALIEN 3- I particularly dislike this film because it made everything that happened in ALIENS totally pointless. ALIEN3 is also a bit famous (or infamous) for the epic battles that David Fincher supposedly fought with the Powers That Be at FOX. The liner notes did some attempt at damage control; but the fact that Fincher did not participate in the release (the only director from the 4 films to do so), and other reviewers' opinions to the contrary of what the liner notes claimed, one can argued that ALIEN3 WAS an artistically compromise project. Of the four films, ALIEN3 has the most in terms of extended scenes. But extended or not, the deaths of Newt, Hicks, the android Bishop and Ripley made ALIEN3 a rather depressing film to watch....and you'd think in the future, there would be an Asian who can speak unaccented English!

ALIEN RESURRECTION: A slight improvement over ALIEN3, by the time this film came along, we have known too much about the Aliens already and are no longer afraid of them. So we end up with a particularly nauseating monster made from the genes of humans and Aliens (which met an equally nauseating end). The extended version has a totally different title sequence that was almost comedic, and alternate ending had Ripley #8 and Call on Earth (won't spoil you on where they landed).

Speaking of Call, Winona Ryder was totally miscasted as the dimunitive tough talking android.

In any case, this collection has basically almost everything you want to know about the Alien series. The bonus material on the first two films are worth the price themselves. The extended scenes on the last two films made them better and improves on them.

BTW, the original ALIEN's running time was close to 3 to 4 hours. I wonder if THAT would be released for its 40th anniversary.

Rating:
Summary: A few errors in Amazon's technical specs
Review: No need to comment on the films at large here - the first two are classics, Alien 3 is flawed but by and large underrated, and Alien Resurrection sucks with or without ten extra minutes of footage.

But somehow Amazon made a mistake in listing each film's technical specs. Alien's aspect ratio is 2.35:1, and the "special" edition included is an alternate edit, not an extended one, which runs 116 minutes (NOT 137 minutes). It also lists Aliens as having an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which is incorrect. It's actually 1.85:1, the only such ratio of any film in the series.

Rating:
Summary: You Can Hear Me Scream!
Review: Despite what you may think of the last two films in this film franchise (I found them acceptable but certainly not on par with the first two), the ALIEN QUADRILOGY stands as a DVD benchmark in home entertainment. One could argue that this package stands on par in stature to what THE LORD OF THE RINGS Extended DVD Versions have accomplished. These discs (nine total) are filled with incredibly documented materials, including new documentaries exploring what went on behind-the-scenes while making each of the films as well as a semi-critique of the film series' impact on genre filmmaking. If the discs have any shortcoming, I would say that the lack of true "evaluation" of Alien3 is missing from the supplementals; much of what is provided feels more "promotional" in nature and less "substantive" ... but that's a blip in comparison to the total package. A sum total of nearly sixty hours of entertainment (films included), this QUADRILOGY makes for extensive viewing on aliens, filmmaking, and acting in scienc fiction films. While the set boasts a hefty price-tag, I certainly felt my money was well spent.

Rating:
Summary: In an Alien frame of mind
Review: First the good news; Fox has done an outstanding job with this great box set. Alien has never looked this good on DVD. There are a few minor drawbacks. 1) There's no isolated music track (seems that Fox couldn't get clearence from Goldsmith to do this) 2)No alternate music track (ditto). Other than that, Alien looks really good. Edge enhancement has been kept to a minimum and the use of a digital filter to get rid of some of the analog flaws, have improved the look of this dark film enormously. Someone commented on some of the effects looking fake--hey folks this was made 26 years ago (released 25).

Aliens--The film doesn't look a whole lot different from the previous version. There is less compression problems associated with the film but it's made from the same high definition digital master that the 1999 release was. Cameron's commentary (and that of the cast)is entertaining and very informative. Cameron makes a couple of brief comments about Fincher's sequel (he thought the film looked great but he knew the audience would resent the death of Newt and Hicks). The extended version is the one to watch as it has more depth and the story is much broader in scope.

Alien 3 appears to be the dark horse of the set. Fincher's version wasn't his--the film was taken away from him during the editing phase. He had constant battles on set and in post-production with Fox (there's 30 minutes missing from the documentary on disc 6. It was cut prior to the discs being pressed and released. Why? Fincher makes his feelings very clear in a couple of onset sequences such as calling Fox's executives morons, etc.). The extended version was prepared without Fincher's involvement which is really too bad as it's much better than the theatrical cut. Is it a perfect film? No. It's not up to the first two films for a variety of reasons chief among them the constantly changing script and some of the stinky rewrites. Still, some outstanding scenes, acting and a visual style that looks great.

Alien Resurrection actually would have benefited from the scenes added to the extended verison. The opening is completely different and sets the tone for the dark brooding comedy at the heart of the film. The opening wasn't finished (budget issues again)so it's reconstructed from partially finished effects. The ending on Earth, I thought, improved the film.

The second disc here isn't as informative as there were less problems than with Alien, Aliens and Alien 3. Everybody makes nice and no one says anything nasty.

Disc nine has an interesting Q&A from the 2001 screening at the Egyptian (just 3 days after 9/11)in Hollywood. There's also a great BBC documentary on the making of the first film. Sadly, Yapett Kotto and Ian Holm are not included in this either. The laserdisc extras are archieved here as well.

Why not five stars? Well the edited documentary on Alien 3 and the lousy packaging. I also would have preferred to have one single director's commentary vs. a mish mash of director/crew/actors. 1 commentary track each would have been better.

Now, is anybody else sad to hear that they are maing Alien vs. Predator? Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil)co-wrote the script and is directing. The plot concerns an archelogy dig in Anarctica where the discover...Aliens and a number of teenage Predators ready to hunt them down. Sounds like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein--the end of the line of the series. Hopefully Anderson can make this plot (with elements adapted from the books)fly. I'll keep my fingers crossed although it isn't too promising.

Rating:
Summary: What CAUSES this glitch????
Review: Ditto about all the good stuff that others have written about the set; picture and sound are superb, and it gives one a whole new perspective on ALIEN 3. But.....that glitch on the first disc is no illusion. It occurs at 1:09:58 on the Director's cut of ALIEN, and a few seconds before that on the theatrical release....in the middle of Skerrit's speech about blowing the creature out the airshaft. Then, after a frame freeze (during which the DVD counter continues to advance!), it skips back to the beginning of the chapter. When it plays through the moment again, it skips to a different place. Eventually you have to jump the section entirely.
But here's the interesting part. It only does this on my Sony machine (usually the best of my 3). It does NOT skip or freeze on a rather cheapo RCA combo DVD/VCR, NOR on the DVD drive of my PC; so it's rather hard to justify a return or exchange from the retailer.
2 questions: Does anyone out there know a way to contact Fox's Quality Control/Consumer Info department with this? (Unlike Sony, they don't offer a toll-free # on their products.) And...do any DVD player experts out there happen to know what causes this to happen on some machines with this particular disc, but not on others? It's a bit maddening....

Rating:
Summary: Finally I own the ultimate box set of Alien
Review: Man am I glad I didn't buy Alien Legacy cause this box set blows Legacy out of the water. I love all of the Alien film the first 2 being my favorite.

Alien: 5/5 This movie started it all I love both the Theatrical cut and the Directors cut. The DVD transfer is perfect and this movie is probably the most suspensful one in the series.

ALIENS: 5/5 This movie is probably my favorite in the series. It has a lot of action and has a great storyline. Believe you can watch this over and over and never be bored with it. This DVD includes both the theatrical cut and the SPECIAL EDITION in I like the special edition a little bit better cause it helps develop the characters a lot better. But the Theatrical Cut is just as good.

ALIEN 3: 4/5 Why does nobody like this film I like it both the theatrical cut and Extended cut. Yes this movie is a little boring at times but that don't make it stink. The DVD transfer is good for this film. If I was you I would stick to the Theatrical cut that is my favorite version of the film even though the Extended cut explains a little more about Ripleys situation.

ALIEN RESURRECTION: 4/5 I like this movie a great deal, it has a lot of action in it. The clone thing with Ripley is a little hard to believe but that is just minor cause yet once again Sigourney Weaver did a great job as Ripley. I like both versions of the film. The DVD transfer is good as well.

This a wonderful box set over 9 discs and 50 hours of Documentry footage in which is really interesting. This set should last a good month or too.

Rating:
Summary: Why you need this new collection......
Review: ...regardless of what you think of films three and four.

Okay. for the mathematically inclined:

We have nine discs. 2 for each movie , and one floater.
At 75$, this puts each disc at $8.33.
Now ignore that disc.
Now each disc costs $9.375
Hate the fourth film? Ignore it and you have 6 discs and each film costs 25$

This assumes of couse, that the fourth film means NOTHING to you. At least you can see in the production featurettes just what in the heck they were thinking when they made it.

The great thing about this edition is its presentation of Alien 3. Belive it or not, David Fincher made a good film called Alien 3, but we never got to watch it until now. Please give this movie another chance, it really is a worthy addition to the series.

RESURRECTION, in my humble opinion, is another matter. I thought it was bad, but oh well.

This edition is a must for Alien fans, regardless of their feelings toward the latter films. The product is glossy and good looking, definitive and devoid of any bugs or glitches that I am aware of. The extensive pre-through-post production interviews are both informative and frank (the filmmakers acknowledge weaknesses and production tensions) and sometimes quite funny (the dog dressed up in the Alien suit was pathetic)

You already know you are going to buy this set, and I have nothing to say that would deter you

Rating:
Summary: Best movies ever - yes, even the fourth :)
Review: I will not quibble about the fact that Quadrilogy is not a word. It's not like there's a whole bunch of boxsets out there with "Tetralogy" in the name.

Alien - A lot of fans say this is the best of the lot; I say it's the worst. Why? Well, the entire plot was so uncreative, Ripley spelled it out in detail in about 30 seconds at the beginning of the second movie ("we landed on a planet and brought an alien on board. It killed everyone, and I blew it out the airlock. The end"). There is no depth, no substance, no emotion other than fear. A lot of the Alien effects look horribly fake (like the way it just GLIDES toward Lambert without actually stepping). This is all balanced out by the absolutely awesome set and creature designs, which are really the only things making this better than a Friday the 13th movie. If you're looking to get the living bejesus scared out of you, then this is the ticket. If you're looking for an Alien movie with a little more to it than that, then 2-4 are much better. The "Director's Cut" is actually very misleading; Ridley considers the theatrical version to be much better, and was coerced by studio executives into making the DC. However, the scene where Ripley finds Dallas cocooned is easily one of the best scenes of the movie, proving that Ridley really doesn't know what constitutes a good movie. Oh wait, we already knew that from Black Hawk Down. Never mind.

Aliens - The most common fan favorite, and easily the best of the lot, for a lot of different reasons. It's also the most exciting, with lots of bullets and acid blood being sprayed everywhere. The Special Edition makes it almost twice as good, as we get to see a whole new dimension to the Ripley-Newt and Ripley-Hicks relationships.

Alien3 - Dark, depressing, and thoroughly intense. At first I didn't like this movie (no guns, Ripley dies, etc.), but then when I saw it for the second or third time, I realized how freaking brilliant and powerful it was. David Fincher really proves that he knows when to hold back on the gore and when to paint the walls red. The musical score is awesome and probably the best of any of the movies. I have to take off a few technical points, though, for the fact that the alien glows teal while hanging upside-down from ceilings as if filled with helium. The Assembly Cut just proves that you can add half an hour of deleted scenes to a movie and not make it any better; still, it's much less painful to see the alien come out of an already-dead ox than that poor doggy (who, for the record, is smaller than the alien that comes out of him), and the footage of the Alien being successfully trapped and then released is very important. There's also Dillon's priceless comment about "improvising". I think the best cut of Alien3 would have to include footage from both versions - wouldn't it be fun to make the audience think that the dog was infected, only to have it come out of the ox instead?

Alien Resurrection - The most maligned of the series, and the most under-rated. Joss Whedon had a brilliant script here, and this movie could have easily been as good as Aliens if it hadn't been given to the French. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is an incompetent moron with no sense of taste or restraint. He cut out the best 7 minutes of the movie (which we can now see thanks to the Special Edition), and insisted that the "newborn" have visible external genitalia. The CGI aliens look pretty bad, too. Still, the "Way too much information!" factor doesn't stop this from being a really good movie, driven by Ripley's personal identity crisis and Call's apparent isolation and self-loathing. Despite all the guns, the body count on each side is surprisingly low. If you have only seen the theatrical version and you hate it, watch the Special Edition; it's even more of an improvement than the Special Edition of Aliens. However, we're still not treated to a rumored romp through a cornfield in the hydroponics garden, mostly because this rumored scene never existed.

The scariest line of the whole saga: "Bought out by Wal-Mart..."

Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: the only problem is the sound on "aliens" it still sounds as crappy as the previous release maybe a dts track couldve helped.i mean its still a good 5.1 surround mix.there just isnt a whole lot of clarity or seperation.look what james cameron and crew did with redoing the sound on the first terminator.that was a crappy mono track and they turned into a powerhouse of punch and clarity i dont know why they couldnt have done some of that with "aliens" too.but overall this box set rocks.you get to see all the actors then and now.commenting on the production and how it affected their lives at the time.and just tons of other stuff.go buy this you wont be sorry!!!