Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Boxset!!!
Review: Next to the Indiana Jones boxset - this stands as my favorite, must own boxset!!! It's so complete! If you even like any of the Alien movies, you must purchase this set. I still get chills everytime I see this creature cross my television screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for a researcher, but watch out
Review: First off, it is good to have all this material together in one place and many theses, dissertations, and books on the series will probably be written in short order. Everyone else has already covered the issue of the innane title, so I'll skip that and go right to the real issue: much of the material with the DVDs is just as innane and often innacurate, such as the fact that several of the character names are mixed up in the Alien3 booklet (Holt McCallany plays Junior and not Christopher John Fields) now forever confusing an issue many of us have been trying for yeras to straighten out. This sort of slap-dash glitz with no real searious research (or proofreading) is inexcusable and has the potential to really ruin a valuable tool for film and SF researchers. I suppose I'll spend the next few years comparing the DVD collection to all the material I already have (which is most of it) and waiting nervously for the next mistake, and the next one, and the next . . .
Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Boxset? I would say yes...
Review: Firstly, I'm a big fan of "ALIEN". What Ridley Scott did was superb. What James Cameron did was incredible. What David Finch did was a dissapointment. What Jean Pierre did was average.But when it comes to this Quadrilogy boxset, I believe its enough even the last 2 movies were bad, its good to own the entire collection. What more you want for that kind of price with 9 DVDs, almost 50 hours of extras, contents you'll never expect to see. And most of all, the extras, deleted/extended scenes, alternate scenes and trailers, galleries and all the cool stuff and the evolution of all four Alien movies. This is one boxset to own if you're a fan, and its one boxset I believe you will enjoy as many times as you want to.
Rating:
Summary: Preparing up for Alien 5?
Review: I bought the "Alien Legacy" boxed set over a year ago which is basically this set with additional features. These movies have been tried to be emulated but without success over the years. No other "alien" movie has come close to the scariness of this one. This is the original movie set that will make you SCREAM, whether or not you are in space(i.e., in space no one can hear you scream). The entire 4 movies are good. Each one different than the other. The first and second of course are the best. The third one took a few times to like since it was so different. The fourth one is more like a horror movie. The final creature alien is something out of a nightmare. But it is still a very good movie with Winona Ryder. Also, I'm starting to believe a fifth "Alien" movie is in the works since the fourth left you hanging as they were flying toward earth (is there an alien on the space ship that will invade the earth?). Whatever happens, this set is definately a must for the horror movie fanatic.
Rating:
Summary: Definately worth your $80 of the best horror QUAD-trilogy
Review: The Alien Quadrilogy consists of 9 DVD's and contains TWO VERSIONS of each movie (Theatrical release and Special Edition which adds in all additional/deleted/extended scenes). The extra DVD's of each movie consist of a lot of production and post-production features. The ninth DVD givs you a variety of special features (I still need to take a look at those). I haven't watched the rest yet, but the [Special Edition] of Alien3, made me able to give that movie a "thumbs up!"...unlike before, where I had to give Alien3 a "thumbs way down!". The extra scenes and extended takes give the movie more of a "meaning" in the whole dark plot in the Fury 161 High-Security Prison. I will not say anymore. I recently read another review where the person had to return it twice for bad DVD's and scratched discs. If you ordered those off the internet and had them delivered to you, I would say that was a bad idea, to me anyways. I never trust the delivery guys for they take bad care of the packages once the get them. I strictly do IN-STORE pick-ups unless I have no other choice or the particular item I am looking for is completely unavailable in the retail store. Getting back to the Alien Quadrilogy, this is one of the greatest collections I have ever owned after the James Bond Collection ^_^ ---------- Alien --> ***1/2 stars
Aliens --> **** stars
Alien3 --> *1/2 stars
Alien Resurrection --> **1/2 stars ---------- Alien [Director's Cut] --> **** stars
Aliens [Special Edition] --> **** stars
Alien3 [Special Edition] --> **1/2 stars <-- was still having a hard time deciding that one, even though, the Special Edition was good
Alien Resurrection [Special Edition] --> *** stars ---------- That's my review, thanks
Rating:
Summary: The good, the bad, and the Oh Boy...
Review: If there were ever a reason to buy all four of the movies ALIEN in one set, it would probably be to see just how you take a great premise and classic storyline and beat it to death with a shovel. In 1979, Ridley Scott, working off of the wonderful script by Dan O'Banon and Ronald Schusett and the drawings of H.R. Gieger, set out to make a sci-fi film the likes of which had never been seen in film. And it would never be repeated again. It would only be (in this order), reinvented, rehashed, and recycled. 7 years later, Mastre Directore to be James Cameron came up to 20th C. Fox studios with an answer to the "how to make a second Alien Movie" problem, and the bid for director of the project. Not only did he end up honoring the directing abilities of the great Ridley Scott, he ended up making a wonderful addition to the sci-fi genre and the Alien franchise. The first two movies alone are enough of a reason to buy this set (if it were not for the fact that they were released independently of eachother...a smart move by the guys at 20cFox)
Then comes the two consecutive dissapointments in order of lousiness. 1992: Soon to be "Fight Club" Conductor David Fincher is brought on to helm the third installment of the "soon to dwindle" franchise. With all of the other survivers we had grown to love from the second movie gone, we're left with the cookie cutter rehash of the Alien and Aliens Premise. "We're all going to die, and Ripley is the only one to save us." Fincher knew how to direct, it's just that everything else underneath that production seemed to fizzle. And Finally: the Triumph de Lousy...Resurrection. As films go, this movie makes Paul W.S. Anderson look like Frederico Felini (by no fault of Jean Pierre Jeunet, the wonderful director of Amelie and City of lost Children, which is much more his forte). Ripley is cloned, has sex with the alien queen birthed from her, and is a conundrum of "for/against" human survival backwardsism that just end up confusing us. The only reason to watch this film of the wrongly labeled "Quadrilogy" is to see how far wrong you can go in this now 35 year old franchise. No movie collection is ever perfect. In Godfather it was the part III, in Indiana Jones it was Temple of Doom, and in the new star wars films...yeah it was pretty much all of them. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't dive in and examine what's been done. Buy the movies...watch them, and make your own conclusions. Just don't expect yourself to be able to sit through all of them more than once. `Revu
Rating:
Summary: Well 3 out of 4 ain't bad.
Review: Yeah the first two movies are amazing. Everyone knows this. The first appeals to the cinephile for its design and pacing. Ridley Scott's re-edit is one of the first that I have seen that actually shaves scenes that are about 2.4 seconds too long, making the sequences tighter and in my opinion better. You won't notice the cuts unless you've seen the original too many times. The second appeals to everyone with a pulse. One of the greatest action movies ever made and one of the few to be able to boast an "its not over yet" sequence that truly dwarfs the rest of an already exhilating movie. Yeah, a few of the added scenes I feel were better left out due to poor execution but they certainly don't ruin the film. The third film is problematic. Yet it still looks really good and the new edit I actually find to be a better one as well although at this point I have to wonder if its just because it is new. One of the gretest editions to this set is the documentary on the making of Alien 3. It's fascinating! 2 things about it I found especially striking. One was the amazing story Vincent Ward had originally pitched to the Fox Executives which was whittled down to the less expensive, less risky version which was filmed. The second was hearing the executive in charge of production admitting that they went into the film to make a specific date instead of going into the film to create a great movie. Well worth the price of admission. The fourth movie is bad. Just plain bad. The new intro to the movie is amazingly awful which is somehow more appropriate for the tone of the film than the nice sense of unease the original credit sequence created. Seriously folks its a bad, bad movie. Despite number four this is an amazing set. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Definitive - a MUST for fans
Review: Here I go again. Gushing. But I can't help it. This nine disc set is the definitive DVD release for rabid Alien fans like yours truly. I first saw Alien when I was eleven years old, from a projection booth at a drive-in. The sound was on a little speaker, the noise of the two 40's-era projectors a constant drone. The reels were being changed MANUALLY. But none of that mattered: I was sucked into the film so deeply it was like a hallucination. I got that feeling again watching the first disc of this release. The picture and sound definition are so much better than the prior DVD release that it's truly astounding. It makes me wonder just how loose the THX quality "standard" is, since the original DVD was also THX certified. Obviously, the best available elements were used in mastering every film in this edition, and then digitally scrubbed to a high gloss. Everyone reading this knows that only two of the four films are truly great. Numbers 3 and 4 in the "franchise" (I always hated that word applied to films) are problematic. But to a real fan that hardly matters. The Alien mythology, as it has developed over a quarter-century, is somehow larger, more captivating than even the films themselves. The first Alien, to put it bluntly, was a B-movie wrapped in first-class art direction, cinematography, and performances. Even two questionable sequels can't dim its hold on the imagination. If you're even thinking about buying this, you know the films pretty well. There is no need to go into detail about them. What may tip the scales and make you open your wallet is not only the crisp, detailed transfers, but a staggering (I use that word deliberately) amount of extra material that is intelligently produced and well thought-out. The hours of documentaries are not your usual promotional material; they are real, no-holds-barred inside looks at the making of the films - warts and all. For example, there is no attempt to gloss over the fact that Alien 3 isn't very good, or that the production was mired in meddlesome Groupthink almost from the beginning. Nor did the suits at Fox (to their credit) try to hide any of the legal problems and personal conflicts that plagued the first film (producers Gordon Carrol and Walter Hill thought Dan O'Bannon's script was a stinker - they actually banned him from the screening room during dailies and he had to sue them to get his name on the credits). It's good stuff, all of it. The features on the special-effects are tremendous, with interviews galore - even with original Alien designer H.R. Gieger (who is well-known to be reclusive). The only quibble I have is with Fox's desire to squeeze "special edition" versions out of all four films when only two of them really warranted the attention - the famous (and definitive) Director's Cut of the second film - Aliens - and the fascinating (if not exactly better) first cut of Alien 3, which has some problematic production dialog tracks that never got looped. The first and fourth films were director's cuts as released. Nonetheless, for a die-hard fan, the first Alien's alternate version is definitely worth a look, as it contains the famous "cocoon" scene, as well as some other bits and pieces we've heard about, but never seen integrated with the film. Alien: Resurrection's special edition is not even minimally special, as Jean-Pierre Jeunet is such an efficient director that there just wasn't any material to add, aside from a few trims and a brief scene on Earth. It's not really a bad film; there are some amazing ideas in it. Isolated sequences (like Ripley being carried into the queen's lair) are inspired. But it's marred by some ill-advised "humor" and a hammy performance by Dan Hedaya as a ruthless military commander. Overall, the Alien Quadrilogy (questionable title notwithstanding) is a required purchase for card-carrying Alien devotees, even if they own prior releases. Buy it. Get lost in it. The hours you'll spend in the visionary world of these films (flaws and all), plus the avalanche of supplemental material, will repay the investment many, many times over.
Rating:
Summary: For fans of series, otherwise might disappoint
Review: This set should only be bought if you liked at least 3/4 of the movies in this box set. I do not know why people are making a big deal about "Quadrilogy" versus "tetralogy". "Quadrilogy" may not be a word but who cares. The following statements are my opinions and not facts-keep this in my mind, I might have a different opinion then you! The restoration of the movies: Alien (1.85 anamorphic, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Surround, THX Certified): I was pleased with the restoration of this very old film (1979). 4.9/5 Aliens (2.35 anamorphic, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Surround, THX Certified) : The picture quality and sound were good but it was fullscreen instead of widescreen(all the rest of the films were widescreen). 3.25/5 Alien 3 (2.35 anamorphic, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Surround, THX Certified): Good sound and picture quality for the most part. 4.5/5 Alien Resurrection (2.35 anamorphic, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Surround, THX Certified): The best in terms of picture and sound quality but also the newest version (1997) thus the quality is expected. 4.75/5 These reviews are based on the theatrical versions and not on the special editions or directors cut. Total: 4.4/5 (88% B+) The movies: Alien: The first and in my opinion the most original is probably the best in the entire set. 4.9/5 Aliens: Also very good, though the acting from the little girl was kind of bad. 4.5/5 Alien 3: Underrated in my opinion. Liked the dark theme and the fact they killed off Ripley in the end. 4.75/5 Alien Resurrection: Bizarre, but in some places funny. In a way underrated but then it contains too many plot holes. 3.75/5 These reviews are based on the theatrical versions and not on the special editions or directors cut. Total: 4.5/5 (90% A-) The Extras:
Alien: Besides getting an extra version of the film (Directors Cut) you get a lot of featurettes, photo galleries, and theatrical trailers, teasers, TV spots, and audio commentary for both versions of Alien. It’s safe to say you’re overloaded with extras. The Directors cut has only about 8 minutes added to it, you will watch it once but never again. As for the rest a lot of it is just recycling the rest but still for the most part you will be pleased with the extras for this movie. 4.8/5 Aliens: Same stuff (the new version is called a special edition instead of Directors Cut) as Alien except less of it but that means less recycling, you get about the same amount of information as Alien but not as redundant. The special edition adds about 20 minutes to film (including a lengthy look at what happens to the colonists) but same as before the original is best. 4.8/5 Alien 3: Same stuff as Aliens but its missing David Fincher (the Director, all the other movies had the Directors make appearances). I guess that’s so because of the history with Fincher and fox as you will find out from the featurettes. The special edition version (has some sound difficulty in the beginning) adds 30 minutes and some interesting bits to the story, but again the extra material slows down the pace of the movie. Some of the bonus material (like the audio commentary) comes off stale because of lack of energy but otherwise and in-depth look at an interesting event that surrounded Alien 3. 4.4/5 Alien Resurrection: Same as before. The special edition version had about 8 minutes but its hard to tell the difference between the two (even with such subtle changes I still prefer the original. Jean-Pierre Jeunet can be funny at times spicing up the commentary, but unfortunately there is very little interesting things to say about Alien Resurrection. 4/5 Total: 4.5/5 (90% A-) Presentation of the material: CD Layout: Very little to say except that the hours of hours of information was easily accessible with the menus (basically you did not have to hunt for the information like some DVD’s make you do). 4.95/5 Box construction: Came un-glue with almost no use. I try to open it as little as possible to avoid wear and tear. Fox should have spent more time on this (at least it looked nice). 2/5 Sensible: It takes up little space once folded but unfolding it you might discover that it’s longer than five feet. They could have made it like the Indiana Jones box set (higher quality material, individual boxes for movie in a huge box set, does not unfold Five feet!). 3.5/5 Total: 3.48/5 (70% C-) Total for this box set: 4.22/5 (84% B) This is probably best for fans, otherwise you might want to skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Collection, Next to the Lord of the Rings
Review: I'm not a long time fan of the Alien Series, but I always wanted to see it. I finally got to see Alien Resurrection on TV on Halloween week. Then I bought the game Aliens vs. Predator 2 and I started wanted to watch the Alien series. I knew there was a Alien Legacy, but I thought it was a waste of money if I bought it. Then finally Alien Quadrilogy (Tetarology) was released with 9 discs and a lot of more extras. This is just a difficult and high-tech thing to do with the DVDs and the nine and package and everything. This is as far as a DVD could go for all the DVD makers. They have 2 films in one disc and whole ton of extras on the other with some extras on the disc with films, and a bonus disc. I recommend this to any sci-fi lover.
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