I have never viewed an Alien movie before. Well, at least up until the release of this massive 9-disc behemoth. I've seen clips, heard the praises, been told to watch them but I never did. Nearly 25 years after the initial release of the first film in the series, I've finally done it thanks to Fox. This incredible heavy and massive box set is irresitable to any DVD fanatic. The films themselves, well, their irresistable to any sci-fi fan.
First and foremost, I'm not going to go through the features on these discs. There is at minimum 30 hours of bonus stuff included here and that's not even including the commentary tracks or deleted scenes. It would be a boring read and my hands would cramp trying to get through it all. Needless to say, it's nuts. There are only 2 documentaries that I know of that have not been included, one from AMC and the "Aien Legacy" which is avialable on a seperate disc, now out of print. It's hardly a loss since any information included in these features is pretty much completely crammed onto one of the 9 discs and expanded upon. They've even went the extra mile and included items from the laserdisc release of the films. It's and absolute overkill of special features and anyone interested in the process of filmmaking must own this set, period.
Each of the films is offered in 2 vesions. The included 20 page booklet explains which version the director prefers (with the exception of Alien 3 which David Fincher has pretty much disowned) and what differences you'll see. The new cut of Alien is actually about a minute or so shorter with a few included sequences. The theatrical cut is the better one here. Aliens has been reworked with loads of new sequences, but for an action film, it does get dragged down by some of these. The new cut is a treat for fans of the series however and it's inclusion gives people all the more reason to check this set out. Alien 3 has really taken a beating over the years from critics, and the new restored version really opens this one up. 20 minutes have been inserted and the edited opening and ending really enhance the film. Note that the audio during most of these scenes was never finished when they were filmed so subtitles will appear so you can follow the dialogue. Alien Ressurection has a cheesy new opening and changed downer ending, but neither really hurt or make the film any better. There's nothing included that will change your perception of the film either way.
Article comments
1 - jadester
I actually thought Alien 3 was slightly better than Aliens, but there ya go. Alien 4 is just pitiful though. By then, they had no excuse not to have the aliens reach earth and cause havoc.
2 - Tom Johnson
Alien 3 was a letdown because it didn't go anywhere from Aliens. They just borrowed a lot of the ideas from Aliens. While I agree it's nowhere near as bad as most have said it is, it's a pretty big step down from the masterpieces that Alien was and the near masterpiece that Aliens was.
I got this on my Xmas list, so I hope I find this thing under my tree . . . along with McFarlane's amazing new Alien figures (the Queen has to be seen to be believed.)
3 - Matt Paprocki
Tom, that Mcfarlane Alien Queen is awesome. Just be careful when setting her up. She has major tipping issues!
4 - Tom Johnson
Matt, you make me jealous! I haven't even gotten to see it in real life yet. I finally tracked down the Warrior at a Suncoast . . . I could only look at it, hopeful it would wind up under our tree on Christmas. I so, so wish I'd bought the $150 vinyl model of the Queen I drooled over for a couple years as a teen. I saw a finished one at the state fair and couldn't believe how big it was. The detail was amazing. I'll make up for it with the McFarlane "toys." (Like anyone plays with them.)
5 - toddword
A fine film.Does justice to the series without being overbering,and does a fine job explaining how certain things came about.The lead actress comes off as an extention of Ripley rather than a rip-off.To her credit,she really worked her butt off trying to establish a character film-goers could empathise with.All in all,a worthy effort-hope she is in the sequel
6 - Luke
"Near masterpiece"? Excuse me, but Aliens is a masterpiece.