Alien

Rating:
Summary: Good 2 disc edition, "director's cut" doesn't add much
Review: This "director's cut" just seems like an excuse for a 2 disc special edition as well as an excuse to put in the cocoon sequence, and I think Alien was better without it. I honestly like the director's cut, even though it could have been more. If this movie has been in your top five list of favorite films over about the last 15 - 20 years, like it has mine, then get this edition. I knew what the director's cut was before I bought this edition, so if it's just a bigger, better, longer Alien that you want - well, wait for the limited edition special extended director's second cut or whatever. At the rate they're going, and this is essentially the 25th anniversary edition, they'll run out of editions if they do too much to it at one time! I mean this is a great film, the documentaries are good and the special features more than satisfy, the movie looks so crisp it's like it was filmed last year, but the "director's cut" leaves something to be desired, especially when one considers what the directors of the three vastly inferior sequels have added to those films. There are two scenes in particular that needed to be added, which I'll talk about later.

A slightly shortened version of the cocoon scene and the Ripley/Lambert confrontation from the 20th anniversary edition are about all that's been added to Alien. One definite positive is that the scene where Brett looks for the cat has been tightly edited and also features a number of camera angles not in the theatrical version, and the director's cut also shows Parker and Ripley coming in as the alien takes Brett. On the whole, that scene is much better now. Other than that, it's pretty tough, even if you've seen this movie as many times as I have, to pick out what's been added and deleted besides what's been mentioned. I'm still not crazy about the cocoon sequence, as it does seem out of place. I really don't think it's important to explain precisely what happened to Dallas and Brett at that point in the film: the time to do that has come and gone. You know they're dead, it's main event time, we're down to Ripley and the alien, so it throws everything off a bit, and besides, I kind of liked not knowing what happened to them. They're gone, who knows what it did to them, use your imagination. So this just ends up being a minor re-edit job in which one scene really benefits, and I find Scott's pacing concerns a little odd. This is character centered; a few more added scenes won't get in the way of plot advancement since the plot, while it's hinted at throughout, is mostly revealed all in one scene. It would be like speeding up the pace of Dark Star, for example, which seems to be an obvious influence in many ways on Alien. You're not going to change the pace of a movie like that because the point of Dark Star (which is the point of much of Alien) is that there's nothing to do in space but sleep, stand around, argue, fix things that break, and go bonkers. It has to be slow.

The Ripley/Lambert confrontation is good, but two scenes that should have been added include the crew meeting before the search and Ripley interrupting the "work" of Parker and Brett, to name two. Those scenes are greatly missed because they make obvious a key point: nothing is getting done, no one is really doing anything or working with anyone else; they're just agitating or yelling at each other. Many of the deleted scenes were cleaned up, though, so you can watch them in the same stunning clarity and crispness as the movie itself. The scene where Ripley interrupts Brett and Parker is from an obviously different take than that in the 20th anniversary edition, and I think, based on the movements and positions of characters, that the rest of the deleted scenes are from different takes too.

Alien feels an awful lot like a last of its kind sort of film, and at least is being well preserved, since the Star Wars movies and The Terminator can probably be given a lot of credit (or blame, perhaps) for doing so much to merge sci-fi with harder, more explosive action in the subsequent years, and 1982's Tron, which helped push along the desire for more CGI based sci-fi. Alien isn't about action or CGI, it's about atmosphere, character, and a realistic feel so much so that in Ripley's legendary final confrontation with the alien, Scott refused to have a gun or blaster stowed away to be used and purposely went with the more mundane harpoon like device because he wanted to maintain the gritty, realistic feel. I like that he doesn't really stage it as an action sequence either and Ripley defeats the alien with her brain and instinct. Great movie, great edition, but don't expect a whole lot from the director's cut.

Rating:
Summary: Reshaped cut, original and top notch transfer for Alien
Review: Sporting a top notch transfer, the latest edition of Alien out classes the original DVD release from 1999. There are a couple of major differences between the two releases. First, the "extended branching" edition or Director's Cut is a minute shorter than the original film. How can that be with 5 new scenes/alterations? Well, Scott went through the original and pruned a minute here or a couple of seconds there. It wasn't that he was displeased with his original version (in fact, he prefers it)but was given the option by Fox to revisit and make an alternate version if you like. Both versions have their merits the major differences are as follows:

1) There's a scene included where the crew actually listen to the "distress" signal. This was available as a deleted scene previously on the laserdisc edition but wasn't integrated into the final film until now. The scene offers a couple of nice character moments and the broadcast itself adds to the eerie mood.
2)While working on Kane in the infirmery, Parker confronts Ripley about her decision to keep them from coming into the ship. She slaps her and they have a brief scuffle. There's also additional comments from Parker.
3) Brent's abduction by the Alien. The scene is longer here and we see Lambert and Parker as they run in after hearing Brent's screams. It's a creepy scene particularly when Brent's blood rains down from above on Lambert.
4)Ripley discovers what the Alien has been doing with Brent and Dallas. It's always been assumed by many fans that the Alien was eating them. This brings a whole new level of horror. Scott has gone on record as liking the scene but cutting it because it A)brought the film to a stand still because of its power and 2) it disrupted the flow and pacing of the original film's conclusion. While both points are true to an extent, it slows it down just long enough to digest (pardon the pun) the truly horrible thing that has happened to the crew.
5)The scene where Ripley encounters the Alien while going back for Jonesy is longer by about 10 seconds. We see the Alien look at the cat in its cage curiously before swatting it aside as if it was unworthy of its attention. To me this demonstrated an intelligence that was only hinted at in other scenes. The Alien recognizes that the creature won't be of any useful purpose.

The original Alien is also included and it, along with the Director's Cut, looks stunning. Scott supervised a digital clean up and restoration from the original negative. Both were then transferred from a high definition video master. The film still retains its dark look without the murky image quality that marred the previous edition.

There's supplementary sections dedication to pre-production which includes Dan O'Bannon's original script for Star Beast as well as pre-production drawings prepared by Mobieus, Ron Cobb and Chris Foss. While there are many details that differ from the final script (which was rewritten by director/producer/writer Walter Hill and his partner David Giler), the basic structure and overall feel is so similar to the final film that there's no doubt who the true author of the script was.

There's also interviews with O'Bannon, Ron Shuset (who helped O'Bannon with the original story), Giler (although curiously no Hill)and others. O'Bannon's comments are particularly interesting (as is his essay before the script)where he discusses the genesis of the idea. With tongue firmly in cheek he states he stole the idea from everyone he could--from The Thing, the obvious source It! The Terror Beyond Space, Forbidden Planet and even his own script Dark Star. Looking at the film, you can see these were all influences on the final product but it's still, uniquely, O'Bannon's script with many of the hallmarks that show up in other scripts he has written.

Production illustrators/designers Ron Cobb, H. R. Giger and others are also interviewed as is editor Terry Rawlings and, of course, Ridley Scott.

Production also includes interesting comments from optical effects director Brian Johnson. Evidently, Scott did go back and reshoot some of the opticals himself because he wanted to oversee as much as he could. He would "purposely" change his mind about the color of the ship, etc. so that it would have to be redone and, the implication is, he could direct the scenes himself.

The section on Post-Production includes pictures of the premiere with the props on display. Sadly, vandels destroyed some of these props shortly after the premiere. There's also a discussion on the critical reaction of the film.

The commentary track has bits and pieces of Scott, Weaver, the rest of the cast (with the exception of Kotto and Holm). It's very informative and provides interesting insights into the film's production.

What's missing:

The original Alien DVD release had Goldsmith's isolated score plus an alternate music track which included bits and pieces of Goldsmith's unused score (portions of the score were replaced by Scott and Rawlings by Goldsmith's score for Freud and Howard Hanson's Romantic Symphony). Sadly, Fox couldn't get permission to use these for some reason (I'd think that Fox owns them but I could be wrong). Perhaps too much money was involved or space on the DVD itself wasn't available.

Personally, I'd purchase this two disc set in a heartbeat. It's got the best looking transfer of Alien I've seen on home video with little to no edge enhancement issues and a beautifully crisp and colorful print. I am keeping my original 1999 disc because the differences between them may make it a collectible.

Rating:
Summary: Listen Up!
Review: Another great DVD, and another reason why dvdowner's reviews are hopeless.

Rating:
Summary: Director's Cut destroys the movie....
Review: With the advent of DVD technology, a lot of movie makers and film studios have been doing "Director's Cuts" of various movies for either a short re-release in theaters or the release on DVD. A Director's Cut can sometimes be a good or bad thing depending on the film. A director shoots a scene and then in the editing room has to decite wither the scene fits in with the screenplay and what the previous footage had established. It's a tough for many directors to decite which footage to put in and what to leave on the cutting room floor. Sometimes new scenes are left out in the theater release, but will later be put back in for TV showings. It's hard for a director to really decite what they want when they shot a lot of good scenes but can not use all of them for the movie. So they talk it over with the editor, make the print, and get it to theaters on time. Sometimes Director's Cuts do work and sometimes they do not.
I'm afraid that in the case of Alien, it does not. It does make the movie longer and the terror of the story seems diminshed by the longer air time. The new scene of Ripley finding Captain Dallas walled up in the hall of the ship by the alien, really does not work. It somehow makes her rush to the escape ship seem slower and less thrilling because of it. I can no longer watch this movie because the director's cut ruins it. More and more, it seems these changes do not work.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best horror/sci-fi films ever crafted...
Review: I attended a screening of "Alien: The Director's Cut" not four hours ago, and not four hours ago I was thrilled. I knew that I was going to get a chance to witness one of the most atmospheric and thrilling films of all time--with added footage. Fans who picked up the DVD (now out of print to make way for the new "Alien Quadrilogy") may have already seen a few of the deleted segments, while other fans who didn't, and are waiting on the promised quadrilogy to be released next year, will be enthralled. This film doesn't feature a wealth of new footage such as "Apocalypse Now Redux," scenes that could damage its flow, but instead gives us scenes that click together a bit more. One of these is when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) finds Dallas (Tom Skerritt) attached to the wall with alien mucus seen later in "Aliens." It doesn't make sense to feature it in the original cut, and director Ridley Scott was smart for deleting it when the film hit theaters back in 1979. It doesn't really make much sense, and stops the gripping flow of the ending when Ripley is racing to get to the escape shuttle. It causes people to think, What? and then they start letting their minds wander. But now that we have seen "Aliens," and understand the significance of the mucus (sounds funny, huh?), it makes complete sense. This is the fan's version.

Plus, it's fun to get to see the movie on the big screen for those who didn't twenty-four years ago.

The plot (as if you didn't know it by now): A mining ship in the future named the Nostromo, carrying seven passengers back to earth, stops in its course to locate an SOS beacon on a distant planet, which may, or may not, actually be a warning signal as opposed to a distress beacon--too late to find out, since they land on the planet and one of the investigating crew members, Kane (John Hurt), gets attacked by a strange alien creature that attaches itself to his face and doesn't let go.

The ship's captain, Dallas, hauls him into the ship's lab, where he is looked over by the ship's scientist, Ash (Ian Holm), who takes an odd affection to the creature that bothers Ripley, the second in command. The technician, Parker (Yaphet Kotto), doesn't like any of this either, and their suspicions reach a maximum when Kane wakes up from his sleep, the alien unattached from his face, and proceeds to eat irregularly. Later that night, back in their course to earth, a small alien bursts from Kane's stomach at dinner. The alien escapes into the depths of the ship. Search parties commence but the alien starts to grow more fierce and terrifying as the film treads on--soon it's a man-eating set of teeth bent on killing the lot of them.

Atmosphere is part of what makes "Alien" the terrifying nail-biter it is. This isn't a routine horror flick that jumps through all the hoops--it's original to a certain degree. Its inspiration comes from earlier films but it improves upon them all for the most part. From its opening shots to its final, it is eerie, moody, and scary. To show millions of aliens abounding from hidden crevices would be typical--the fear of "Alien" lies in the anticipation of the jump, or the startle. We wait, and wait, and suddenly something leaps at the screen. It's not the alien. The alien is in front of the thing that jumped. Our heart stops and then jolts again. Forget pumping volts of electricity through dead people--place them in front of this and their hearts will pound once again.

James Cameron's sequel "Aliens" (1986) is often considered the better of the series, in terms of excitement and aliens themselves. But "Alien," like the movie "Signs" (2002), isn't really about aliens. The film "Aliens" is terrific--but so is "Alien," as its central idea is too unnerve the audience through bumps and jolts. Not through blood and guts. Depends on what your personal preferences are--startles or explosions? I appreciate and enjoy both.

Ridley Scott knows how to evoke wonder and magnificence from his shots. The opening sequence that shows the exterior of the Nostromo and then dissolves to the interior, crawling along the shafts as we wait for something scary to happen and then forget as we are wowed by the movement and visuals, is a fine example of the art of filmmaking and not the filmmaking itself. Cameron is one of my favorite directors. Scott, when given the right material, can turn out wonders. "Alien" is his crowning achievement alongside the dark 1982 classic "Bladerunner," another sci-fi feast for the eyes and mind. I wasn't a fan of "Gladiator," but let's not bring that up, shall we?

"Alien" may seem tame by today's standards. But this isn't a film that wants to be another mindless blood and guts extravaganza. This is a smart horror film, one that is as involving as it visually magnificent, one that is as amazing as it is terrifying. This is horror at its finest. And if you didn't get to see it on the big screen last time around, now is your chance to get a glance at what you've been missing all these years.

Notes: The new "Alien: Director's Cut" version features over three minutes of never-before-seen sequences, as well as restored prints and a newly remixed surround-sound track. Attached to the director's release of the film is also the first teaser trailer for next year's "Alien vs. Predator."

Rating:
Summary: The original classic and a reworked version
Review: I'd like to correct a misconception about this DVD mentioned in a couple of reviews. This includes both the original version and the "Direction's Special Edition" (as I prefer to call it or you can call it the "alternate version"). Director's editions of films are a bit like gambling; it's difficult to quit when you're ahead. Scott at the request of Fox went back and fiddled with his original classic. The original version (as Scott points out in his commentary)really is the Director's Cut. This alternate version allows a slightly different take on the same material. The info here suggests that the alternate version is longer than the original film; that's not true and in fact the alternate version is a minute shorter (116 minutes). Scott made some trims here and there, added two complete scenes, allowed two other scenes to run a bit longer than they did in the original version.

Both versions look terrific--the transfer is top notch and Scott digitally cleaned up and enhanced the images of the film. Fans who preferred the previous DVD may be disappointed as the color is a bit different and the picture a tad brighter in spots but, hey, that's the way that Scott wanted them to be. There are some mild compression artifacts although edge enhancement appears to be less of a problem here compared to the 1999 version. The sound is terrific and has been remixed very well for this edition of the film. It sounds cleaner than the 1999 edition at least to my ears.

The commentary track by Scott, Weaver and the remainder of the cast (sans Kotto and Holm)is interesting. It's a slice and dice commentary track with bits and pieces of each group giving some interesting insights on the making of the film. Missing from this edition is the music only alternate track (they couldn't get permission for this edition is my understanding). The original DVD release from 1999 also had an alternate music track that featured all of Goldsmith's original score (some of which was dropped by Scott in favor Hansen's Romantic Symphony at the conclusion and a bit of Goldsmith's score for Freud).

There's also a second disc packed with interesting extras including Weaver's screen test, brief footage of original cast member Jon Finch (who played Kane and had to withdraw from the film). There's also behind the scenes footage (some of which was glimpsed on the special laser disc edition).

One advantage of buying these titles individually is the packaging will be superior to the accordion style packaging of the Alien Quadrilogy set. The disadvantage is that the extra info that was on disc 9 (and included a couple of neat extras and the entire contents of both laserdisc special editions for Alien and Aliens)isn't provided here. If you're looking for the complete Alien experience, you may want to opt for the boxed set, otherwise this terrific two disc release will do for most fans of the film.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic piece of Sci-Fi
Review: This is one of the greatest Sci-Fi movies ever made. Sigourney Weaver is Perfect in her role As ripley. For those of you who haven't seen it here's the storyline. The crew of Nostromo is coming back from a cargo run when it recievs a distress signal from planet LV-426. The Company ( who they work for ) tells them to check it out. So they land on the planet and send a 3-man rescue team out. The team finds a crashed spacecraft with alien orgins. they look around for life signs but find none. Then a guy finds a hole and asks for his buddies to lower him. He lands in a room full of eggs. He sees something inside them and gets a closer look. Then an alien pops out and laches onto his face. From there they go back to the ship and try to get it off. It gets off and dies. Then later at diner it bursts out of the guys stomach and runs. the rest of the movie consists of the alien picking off people one by one. I gave it 4 stars only because it didn't have any shoting and the beginng was boring, but thats just me. if you like sci-fi/horror or want to see a classic movie than look no further than Alien. Just rent it before you buy it just in case.

Rating:
Summary: Alien- A Sci-Fi Classic
Review: Alien is one of the great sci-fi/horror films ever made. Hitting theatres back in 1979, it created a true and new type of science-fiction. I was fortunate to see the re-released in October of 2003 in theatres, and it is a great opportunity, one which shouldn't be missed. Alien a film which made Director Ridley Scott, and actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm as well as others into stars.
The film takes place in space, where a group of explorers have embarked upon a true, fascinating discovery. Huge eggs, which cannot be explained. What they are, where'd they came from, how's they evolved? What they discover soon becomes the ultimate horror. A killing machine, stalking and taunting its victim one by one. The film offers quite a few scary and chilling moments. Director Ridley Scott, who has made many critically acclaimed movies (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Hannibal, and the recent Matchstick Men) makes one of the best films of our generation.
Alien: The Director's Cut, does feature new footage, about several minutes. Alien came out on Halloween (10-31-03), and it would make sense as to why. A great film, especially to view on the big screen if you haven't yet.
Alien is rated R for Science Fiction Violence/Gore and Language. The film has one fairly bloody sequence as well as alien attacks. The profanity is moderate. All in all, an entertaining movie worth seeing. Own the DVD or Video.

Rating:
Summary: Alien
Review: This is the best movie with aliens in it!!!!! Great for any horror, space, or alien movie fan!!!! This is about some people
who are travilng into space. One day, this little baby alien burst out of a man stomic. The alien later grows up and stats killing the space crew!!! This was a great movie. The acting was great along with the cool alien. This movie is a classic!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Spawn of a franchise
Review: Here is the movie that got it all started... all the other three movies... but this is the real deal. The crew of a spacecraft (the Nostromo) are stopped in their way back to earth in order to attend a call for help from an unknown planet. They descend and follow the signal to a crashed spacecraft from unknown origin. What they find there is a vault full of odd-looking eggs, from the which a grabbing creature jumps. This they learn because one of them has this happening to him. As they return to the ship with the injured crew member, they are unwittingly letting in one cruel, vicious and deadly creature. They leave the planet and then is when things really get shaky. After an odd recovering, the attacked guy (John Hurt) spawns the creature, not after dying because of the damage it does to his chest cavity (in one of the most disturbing images of cinema). Ridley Scott really knows how to handle the rythm of the action. It is not all about the killing... it is more stressfull precisely because it has long long silenced sequences, during the which one just doesn't know from whence the alien (and how it) is going to appear. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, Veronica Cartright, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton... come on, these are great acting names... and they really express in the movie the kind of relation such a crew has. Scott explains it clearly in his insightfull (one of the few truely insightfull) audio commentary (from all a.c. I've heard in DVDs): these people don't really have a connection between them... they are merely coworkers and no more. This a great great classic.