Rating: 
Summary: An Epic DVD Set for an Epic Franchise
Review: This set is a monster of a set. I don't know of any other way to put it. For any fan of the series, this set is a MUST own. Others before me have already gone into detail of the plots of each film, so I'll focus my views on the extras. It has taken me almost one week to go through everything this set has to offer (5+ hours of viewing a day). The second disc of each film is a great treat as it exposes each film's creative process from pre-production all the way to post-production and offers a lot of insight from just about everyone (I paticularly enjoyed Cameron's apparant fustrastion about the production crew taking a break everytime the tea cart rolled in). The commentaries are also top notch. Even if your not a fan of listening to commentary tracks, listen to the Aliens commentary, which combines Cameron (Director), Gale Ann Herd (Producer), Alec Gillis (Creature Effects Designer), Carrie/Christopher Hein (Newt/Timmy), Micheal Beihn (Hicks), Bill Paxton (Hudson), Lance Hendrickson (Bishop), and the actress who played Vasquez (can't recall her name at the moment). It is a dynamic and entertaining track and is just awesome.All in all - buy this set if you have ANY interest in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Actually 4 and a half stars
Review: The Alien Quadrilogy set, is, by and large, the best, most feature-laden set you've ever seen. To keep it brief, if you are a casual fan of the Alien films, you are probably perfectly safe keeping your original Alien Legacy set. The overall quality of the picture and sound on the original set was basically the same as the Quadrilogy versions, with the exception of some added commentaries, new footage on films 1,3 and 4, and 2 new DTS soundtracks (Alien and Alien Res). The real reason to justify spending the simolians IMO is the incredible amount of documentary content. The length and quality of the documentaries is beyond belief. Far exceeding the length of the films they are about, the making of features exceed even the extended Lord Of The Rings sets for thoroughness. I realise I am probably not representative of most people here, but I personally love documentaries, good ones anyway, and I often watch certain DVD documentaries more often than I watch the movies themselves, so for me, it was more than worth the investment. If you are a commentary and documentary fan, this set is worth every penny. Only 2 complaints here, 1 small and on pretty darn big: The minor niggle I have with this set is the stupid packaging. The set looks terriffic, with great art and the spindles hold the discs firmly. The problem is the box unfolds accordian style to over 5 feet in length. If you just want to see disc 9, it's a real operation and a pain in the neck. Whoever designed this thing never thought of mobile dvd watchers that's for sure. The 1 severe drawback, and to me inexcusable, is the transfer quality of the Aliens disc. While Alien 1,3 and 4 all have beautiful, razor-sharp video transfers, Aliens looks only slightly better than a VHS cassette. I watched the first 2 movies right in a row upon getting the set, and I couldn't believe how much worse Aliens looked than the first film...and it is 7 years newer!? Let's face it. The vast majority of fans are really only interested in the first two movies and it's really hard to believe that they couldn't find a better telecine master for arguably the most popular movie in the set. With that aside, this is an awsome set assured to keep you busy with the features for days, if not weeks, and should be the last time you will ever need to buy the Alien films...until the super-duper actually remastered version of Aliens comes out. And the set is redone in High defintion in a few years...and when they do the 30 th anniversery edition......
Rating:
Summary: A must get for true fans of the series!
Review: When I heard that this box set had come out I was excited to buy it because I am a big fan of the Alien movies. Reading the above reviews made me think twice about buying this. When I saw the price drop from $80, I just had to order it. The day the package arrived I checked the disk to see if they were scratched and non of them were. I tested all the dvd's in 4 different dvd players and they all worked perfectly!. I tested them on Pioneer 525, RCA RC5215P, Toshiba SD2800, and Samsung DVDC624. Do not let the reviews stop you from buying this! It is a great set to have in your dvd archive.
Rating: 
Summary: An all around great set, with a couple of flaws.
Review: Finally, some of the greatest movies ever are collected in one huge set, getting the special DVD treatment that they deserve. 2 Discs per movie, with a final special features disc, making up 9 discs in all...what more could you ask for? Alien gets a great treatment, remastered and extended with some of the scenes originally left on the cutting room floor. Its the same edition that was played on the big screen in November of 2003. It kind of slows down the movie just a bit, but its nice to see some more of the plot elements and extra shots of the alien that were left out. The original movie is also included, and looks great. The commentary sheds alot of insight into the film and the extras are well worth it. This is one of the best special treatments in the set. Aliens is still awesome. The Special Edition, which has been out for many years, looks better than ever. Also included is the original theatrical version, though I much prefer the extended edition now. The commentary and extras are all well worth it, and Aliens still stands out as the best movie in the series, though the debate still rages between Alien and Aliens. Of all the movies however, I found Alien 3 to be the most intriguing in the set. After so many years of hearing about it, the 'Workprint Edition' is FINALLY shown. Adding an extra half hour to the film, Alien 3 takes on a whole new face. Bloodier, darker, and with completely new plot elements, Workprint edition was definitely an interesting spin on the Alien 3 plot. The death of Hicks is shown in more unnecessarily gruesome detail(to this day I don't know why they opted to murder him so horribly). The birth of the alien and prisoner Golic's obsession with it are two of the most notable differences. There is ALOT of things that they could have left in, but at the same time, I see why they cut alot of it out. The workprint edition was restored to the best of their ability, but some sound is muffled. They provided sub-titles for the scenes were the audio is too low to hear, or is being drowned out by background sound. I would've liked to have seen more of the alien shots that were included in the workprint edition, but the original movie is ok the way it is. Not all of the workprint material was included either...some brief shots were still cut out. Overall, this was the most interesting aspect of the set. Alien: Resurrection is still utter garbage...it's just another 8 minutes of utter garbage, complete with the director rather arrogantly explaining how he thought his movie was a masterpiece and he didn't feel the need to add the deleted footage. Depiste this, Resurrection is still one of the worst movies ever conceived, and definitely the movie that ruined this series. I watched it once, and never had a desire to pop it in again. The discs were all in pristine working condition and nicely decorate. The extras disc is ok...its mostly promotional material from all the films. Most of the best stuff is one the individual movie discs themselves. There is one thing wrong with this set...and as many people pointed out, it is the unbeleivably ridiculous packaging. You practically need a dining room table to stretch out the entire box and pick which movie you want. I don't know who the genious was who came up with the packaging, but he/she needs to be smacked about 2 dozen times. Some of the movies could have had a bit more extras, and maybe cleared up just a bit more, but otherwise everything else is fine. As for the other criticism I see about this set...the word 'Quadrilogy' not being a real world...who really cares? I think its more ridiculous to complain about that...you're buying the set for the movies, you aren't buying it to grade it on grammar or turn it in for your doctorate thesis. Overall, if you're an Alien fan, then you must own this set. However, I recommend buying each DVD individually and save yourself the trouble of dealing with the ridiculous packaging on this box set. Each 2 disc movie and the special materials disc can all be bought seperately, so you won't be missing anything. Regardless, get this set! Alien fans won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Great movies-response to Jimmynames8's comments
Review: This boxed set allows fans to take a look at what might have been. Ridley Scott gets the chance to tinker with his original classic film and the results are very good although I don't think it's necessarily an improvement on his taunt, suspenseful original version (both are available on the same DVD). James Cameron was locked on the running time and had to edit out a whole lot of footage for Aliens. While the theatrical version is great, it's clear that his original vision (like that of The Abyss another Fox release where he was locked into a certain length for the film) would have been far, far superior. The extended version (new sequences that gives a lot of background on the characters, Newt, etc. and features some new miniatures and opticals) is the better film of the two. Still, it's nice to have both versions. David Fincher's work print version of Alien 3 is vastly superior in my mind to the theatrical version. Keep in mind the final work print was assembled without Fincher's input and was an unfinished "edit" before Fox took it away from him. Fox has added new CGI visuals to give the work print a more polished, finished look. Regardless, it's a glimpse into a much better film. I wouldn't call it my favorite but it came up a number of notches even with what happens to the characters from Aliens. Alien Resurrection hit the wrong note with a lot of folks. Perhaps it's Joss Whedon's unorthodox view on the Alien saga or his attempt to reinvent it in a new way with an touch of irony and humor. Like Whedon's work on Buffy or Firefly, perhaps it's an acquired taste. Either way, he took a bold approach and tried to shake the "series" up a bit. I personally find it a very good addition to the series. They each have their own unique tone. I haven't even had time to dig into all the extras yet but this is definitely a DVD boxed set that is worth investigating! I don't care for the accordion style box, either so went out to buy a couple of snap cases for the discs. Picture quality for all three varies from very good to outstanding. Same with the sound quality. Aliens is a bit grainy but that's how Cameron intended it--to have a sense of "reality" to it. For laserdisc owners disc 9 has almost all the stuff that was on the original laserdisc special editions of a couple of years ago. Re: The review by Jimmyjames8 As Hitchcock would say, it's only a movie. Movies have their own internal logic to which they are consistent. Once you set up the world, folks will come accept it. That said
1) The ship shakes during the opening sequence? Gee I never noticed that but it could be because the opticals were done in 1978 prior to digital effects. Or, perhaps, it's the fact that a ship "shakes" perhaps it's flying at high acceleration .
2) Dallas and Lambert (although, keep in mind, it's only a movie) probably "could" have gone down to get Cain and hoisted him up the same way he was let down.
3) I haven't checked the diet requirements for an Alien lately but keep in mind--it's only a movie. Maybe the creature secured its food from the food stores or ate other organic material on the ship. We don't immediately know the answers to why all creatures develop the way they do until we study them. Alien isn't a biology class but, instead, a movie.
4) Scott has been quoted extensively about rain in the ship--the ship is so massive in size that condensation occurs at the top creating little areas of rain. The moisture in the air could have come from the recycling plants on the ship. Then again, it is after all, repeat after me...only a movie.
5) The coolant is probably for the suspended animation chamber. Since it's made to hold less than three people. I thought that was made pretty clear by the dialogue (or maybe I just figured it out on my own).
6) All four of the self destruct rods go down because it has been activated. She's still trying to deactivate it and perhaps (I'm using my head here folks) if one "rod" is deactived it can prevent the nuclear device from going critical and causing a nuclear explosion.
7) Alan Dean Foster's Alien was based on Dan O'Bannon's screenplay. I'm sure that Foster had access to all the drafts and could generally get questions answered. If not, he made it up.
Rating:
Summary: The extras make the whole thing worth it
Review: I got this thing for christmas, and yes the only good movies are "Alien" and "Aliens". Here's what makes this DVD collection amazing: 2 versions of every movie, each movie has another accompanying disc LOADED with extras that will keep fans entertained FOREVER. You have director's commentaries, you have deleted/alternate scenes, you have different mixes, different languages, subtitles, the backstory behind every single movie, the list goes on and on forever. Plus, on the 9th bonus disc, the coolest thing is seeing a guy's collection of movie props, and I mean these are like props every fan wishes they could have. I can't go on forever about how fans of the Alien saga should buy this set (Amazon won't allow it) but you really really need to see it to believe it. This is a purchase you will not regret, trust me. I will write reviews of the movies separately on each movie for sale, not here. Here, I am just pining on and on about how the entire set is worth the price, even if it has only two good movies in it. Buy this and enjoy the world of the Alien saga.
Rating:
Summary: This set is awsome!
Review: All of it is here! Each disc is LOADED! There is one disc for each movie which include the theatrical version and special editions. Each movie has an extra disc loaded up with special features including: screenplays, outtakes, pictures, and behind the scenes. This is a definate must have for fans of these pictures. You can buy each of these special edition movies individually but they will total up to the cost of the box set itself. This set will not dissapoint! A must have!
Rating:
Summary: The best DVD Box Set Ever!
Review: First things first... The Alien Quadrilogy set is worth every penny and is the best box set I have ever seen. There are some out there with better and "cooler" designs, but nothing beats the contents. They aren't kidding with all these featurettes, photso, interviews, various EVERYTHING. All you wanted to know on these films has been covered and yes, really, you DO get about 50 hours of entertainment watching these. From reading the scripts, to acting out takes, the behind the scenes stories, this set is worth it for ANY Alien fan! People have said they would have liked a bit more juicy stuff concerning Alien3, and I do agree that Fox screwed us over a little bit on that regard. However, it's definitely not enought to take away any points when you see the rest of this fan's dream come true. I enjoyed all the movies to an extint, part 4 being by far the least enjoyed. The first was horrifying, the second perfectly action-packed, the third dark and depressing (but fantastic), and the fourth a major let down that changed the formula. Still, I didn't "hate" it. All in all I have never seen this much effort put into a set. Especially to make 2 different versions of each, and the little bonus book was great fun as well =) Some have complained on the packaging...well, I can see where it *IS* annoying getting dvds out of the plastic containers from time to time. I see this in most DVDs I buy now though. It wasn't anything different in the way they make individual or box cases. And I actually liked how they did the fold out. Unrolling something that keeps going and going and making your friends and familys mouths DROP is always worth a good time =) I wasn't crazy about some of the artwork on the box, but then again some of it still blew me away. Those are the only complaints I have found out of hours and hours of Alien history.
Rating:
Summary: What's a dude (or dudette) to do??
Review: Here's the big question regarding the Alien series: do you spring for the massive 9 disc boxset, or do you save a little cash (and time) by only picking up the two good movies in the series? Folks, the first two films are inarguably classics of their genres. But the last two films are pretty disposable. Especially 3, a movie that just exists for no explainable reason. If you haven't seen it, consider yourself lucky, as it basically makes mince meat of everything that was great about the first two. The fourth one is good by comparison, just because there wasn't getting much worse than 3. Why do we need 9 disc sets? Why do we need alternate cuts of movies? I'll tell you, it sure is nice to finally be able to have the vastly superior Theatrical Cut of "Aliens" rather than the unnecessarily bloated extended cut.
Rating:
Summary: Aliens rock!!!!!
Review: If any of you out there are big alien lovers like me, than this is the set for you!! All of the alien movies are great except numero trece!! It should have had a little more alien than humans!! Out of all of my favorites it would have to be Alien Resurrection, I love the scene where they are under water and the aliens start chasing them!
| 
