Customer Reviews

Alien Quadrilogy (Alien / Aliens / Alien 3 / Alien Resurrection)

5 star:		(321)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

This consists of two discs for each film, the original and an alternate version (more on that below) on the first disk, and collections of approximately 2 hours of featurettes and other bonuses on the second disc. The ninth disc is a hodgepodge of trailers and other items from previous DVD and laser disk versions. Although the extras have been released in a variety of forms over several years (the John Hurt documentary 'The Alien Saga', being the latest), THIS is the definitive version.

'Alien' (average user rating: 4.6). If you haven't seen this classic film, then you must be living under a rock. The collection includes the original theatrical version (which I prefer) and the "Director's Cut", notable for its inclusion of the controversial captain-cacooned by alien scene (controversial because from the Alien mythology developed in later films, we know that only the massive queen can lay eggs). I prefer the original (which is actually 1 minute longer), and interestingly enough, it appears that Ridley Scott prefers the original as well. The making of featurettes are extensive and reveal Giger's extensive participation and how what was originally expected to receive a b-moive budget became one of the very few examples where Fox studios followed the vision with a classic.

'Aliens' (average user rating: 4.7). This is the only sequel I know of that is rated higher than the original. This time, the "Special Edition" version (also on the previous 'Alien Legacy' box set) is a superior experience and exactly is how upstart director James Cameron (who had written the script prior to the release of 'The Terminator') wanted to release the film, but was constrained entirely by time limits. The result is additional scenes featuring the colonists and Ripley's family lost to the time she spent in hypersleep. As with the first installment, the featurettes are interesting and thorough, although the Viet Nam War metaphor is not as thoroughly explored with Cameron as has been in other releases.

'Alien 3' (average user rating: 3.2). As a fan of the franchise, this was perhaps the most anticipated part of this new box set. The "working print" of the film (the longest of all the versions here, and complete with subtitles for missed sound editing), adds a depth to the film that was not in the original. That is, the arrival of Ripley and the characters are covered much more thoroughly, the alien creature is begotten by an oxen with a much more original look, there is an additional plot twist arising from the nature of the inhabitants (criminally delusional), and there is no riduculously-timed chest-burster scene at the end. Still, the film is a flawed masterpiece. The film is better appreciated in light of the bad situation first-time director David Fincher had been placed in - not the least of which is an incomplete script during production and a set that had already been constructed for the ill-conceived "wooden planet/monestary" vision of the previously assigned director. In this sense, the three production featurettes come across as almost an apology/tribute to Fincher. (NOTE: Fincher is the only director who is not interviewed on the box set.)

'Alien Resurrection' (average user rating: 3.0). What happens when you put the French director of 'Amelie' (Jean-Pierre Jeaunet) in charge of an alien movie? Well, foreign/art movies were all the craze in the last 1990s, so . . . Fox studios thought, "Why not?" In the end, many fans of the franchise did not appreciate the obviously satirical slant on this final installment. The opening scene and ending scenes (the only additions of substance) on the extended version make the film even more tongue-in-cheek. Despite the French director and crew's obvious regard for the original 'Alien' (as documented in the featurettes), armed with the return of Sigourney Weaver and the addition of superstar Winona Ryder, the director ultimately made a quirky, campy action film. But in the end, it was the last quarter of the script that makes this the weakest of all the installments by far. Postscript to Fox studios: if you had given Fincher this much creative freedom, you would have have a third masterpiece.

The Alien series never broke out the way that Star Trek and Star Wars did--you don't see the presence of an Alien-worshipping subculture, the way you do with Roddenberry's and Lucas's franchises. However, the series has been far more inventive and varied than those two franchises. Explore the Alien movies (minus the abomination known as Alien vs. Predator) on this 9-disc set. Even though they are very different films which have little commonality, aside from the presence of those vicious monsters and the lovely Sigourney Weaver, they complement each other well, and collectors would be wise to pick up this boxed set instead of buying the movies piecemeal. Far from being simple horror films, the Alien movies are attempts to put into film the anxieties of the modern age, from the biological to the corporate, and the series is at its best when it exploits these anxieties.

This is what the first entry in the series, Alien, does best. Directed by Ridley Scott, whose other work includes Blade Runner and Gladiator, this 1979 film pits a group of commercial astronauts against a foe which cannot be killed and will not be placated. With a cast that includes Weaver, Tom Skeritt, Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton and Ian Holm, this is probably the most impressively-acted of the bunch, and Scott has style to spare. Unlike most terror films, this movie derives its thrills not from continual pop-ups at the screen, but from building a sustained mood of dread--the alien could pop up at any moment. When it does come, it doesn't stay around for long. Perhaps the movie's greatest attribute is its allegorical simplicity--one is bound to reflect on what the alien represents? Perhaps it's a Rorshach Ink Blot to some extent, however, this movie is the perfect counterpoint to such movies as Independence Day--instead of taking off and kicking ass, in Alien, nothing we can do can protect us from the Alien. In our post-Iraq, post-9/11 nation, perhaps this film will have gained some resonance in its treatment of the subject matter.

Aliens might be decried by some as a pure action film, but it is a bit more than that. James Cameron logically extends the concepts in the first film, and while it lacks the atmosphere and creepy suspense of the first movie, it is an extremely exciting and emotionally satisfying film. In this film, Ellen Ripley returns to the beast's planet with a squad of marines, which includes such personalities as the humane Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn), the freaked-out Pvt. Hudson (Bill Paxton) and the macho Pvt. Vasquez (Janette Goldstein). Also in the mix are Paul Reiser as the personification of corporate malfeasance, and Lance Henriksen as a sinister-seeming android. Trivia note: Henriksen would be the only actor (aside from Weaver) to appear in more than one Alien film. Ultimately, this is a movie where the thrills come from stuff popping out at you, but if you are willing to suspend disbelief a little and come along for the ride, it is actually quite good for a genre picture, and became the benchmark against which the later pictures were compared.

Alien3 is a film which never got a fair chance. Consider: a script which underwent more than a few major revisions, several changes in directors which actually produced the perfect man for the job (future Fight Club auteur David Fincher), a meddling studio and fan expectations which could not possibly have been sated. It was, in retrospect, a recipe for disaster, so one should not complain about how flawed it is, but rather realize just how good it is. Fincher manages to create a wholly convincing atmosphere of dread in a prison planet populated by monk-like inmates. It takes up the allegorical mantle again, but rather than the open-ended allegory of the first, this installment has overt religious parallels that anyone even remotely familiar with Western Civilization should be able to pick up on (even though some of the imagery is subtle). This set notably includes the Assembly Cut, billed euphamistically here as a "Special Edition", which is far closer to the movie Fincher intended to make. While there are any number of legitimate complaints against the film--the most sympathetic character dies halfway through, many of the inmates never really stick out, the final action sequence is too disorienting, high on gore but low on scares, etc.--it is actually a rather compelling film in its unedited form. Not perfect, but in terms of the plotting, main characters, and its insight into the mindset of the religious isolationist mindset, it is more than adequate. In terms of visuals and mood, no installment of the Alien series has been better. In my book, it's a good film with flaws rather than a flawed film with some good parts. The beginning and ending are contentious--watch the film and you will see why--but both serve the story, and the ending in Fincher's version is a surprisingly powerful one, as opposed to the theatrical version, which might have some Biblical undertones (the story of Jacob, specifically) but it feels more hollow. Overall, with this restored version, hopefully the movie will see an end to the backlash that has been pervasive since its release in 1992.

Alien Resurrection is the final film in this group, and while it is less polarizing than Alien3 among fans, it is also less memorable. If the original film was about a post-Vietnam set of anxieties, then this film is about a post-Berlin Wall set of ironies, and it cannot be displaced from the culture from whence it came--a culture which prided itself on being so "over" everything. Yet another director, this time Jean-Pierre Jeaunet of Amelie, brings a different twist to the franchise. Armed with a screenplay by TV wunderkind Joss Whedon, and game performances from Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, et al. The fundamental problem is that the viewer never really connects with the characters, and thus isn't invested in their fates. This being the case, the movie then becomes a series of action setpieces which don't quite add up to anything. The visual style is surprisingly lacking here as well: I once heard Amelie described as a David Fincher take on a Meg Ryan film, so I expected memorable visuals. I instead discovered that Roger Ebert was right when he said there was not a single shot to inspire the imagination. While the production values are high, the grotesque violence, fast-paced editing, camerawork and lighting all come together to make one feel as though in a video game, and while that might work for fourteen year-old boys, it's a far cry from the film's heritage. On the other hand, the satirical aspects of the film are enjoyable, and it somehow was much more beloved in Europe--maybe I'm missing something. Ultimately, the film is either a standard-issue thriller or a savvy satirical deconstruction of a standard-issue thriller--I'm not entirely certain.

The bonus features are interesting--commentaries on all the four films, featuring directors, cast members, and production staff. I guess that, given the amount of commentary tracks punctuated by uncomfortable silences, the folks over at Fox decided to cut to different conversations at different points during the films. There is a constant stream of information, some interesting and enlightening, other parts are funny (Bill Paxton's contributions especially), but the only one that is tough to sit through is Alien3's, which is unbalanced in favor of the technical side of the production and only has about 15 minutes of Henriksen and another actor. The documentaries go into great detail about all the films, essentially from the germination of the story all the way through to critical reception. Overall, it's a good collection of special features.

Overall, as far as franchises go, the Alien films are one of the better bets out there. As a receptacle for millenial anxieties, a proving ground for new and talented directors, and just plain scares, this is a series which should appeal to most and I highly recommend this set.

There's a LOT of stuff in this box set. Almost too much, really. You could spend a couple of weeks watching and reading all the extras, commentaries, script drafts, etc. But by then you would have deconstructed the films so much that you have robbed them of whatever "innocent viewing pleasure" you enjoyed before you delved into the minutiae of the extra features.

So it is a double-edged sword: Learn more than you ever thought you would about the 4 "Alien" films, but suffer having to watch them from then on and forever more through the filter of "knowing too much behind-the-scenes info" & "curtain-pulled-back-on-the-Wizard" insider perspective.

That said, it is a real treat to have this collection, even though the fourth film was abominably disappointing. The packaging, which opens to a nearly five foot long foldout, is kind of neat but soon grows cumbersome and irritating. When you unfold it the first time, it is like "Hey, look what THIS thing does!". But after a while, when you just want to retrieve a single disc for some occasion, it has evolved to "Okay, okay, I get it - it's long. Just gimme the stupid disc already!"

For "Alien" fanatics, this is a must-have. I don't own the "Alien Legacy" set, so I can't compare them.

I especially like the DTS sound on two of the films. DTS always brings a new dimension to the listening experience that the still-great Dolby 5.1 doesn't.

Don't complain about the price, either. You get your money's worth in spades, and you save on tax and get free shipping if you order it online (from the right vendor). Besides, even if the price is a bit too steep for you, that amount of your money would have been lost to the sands of time soon enough anyway. Might as well spend the money and have something cool to show for it.

Did anyone notice that there is essential dubbing missing or have Fox become politically correct? In Alien there are two scenes where the characters of Dallas and Ripley speak but nothing comes out. Dubbing is missing - can you believe it and at these prices? Then there is a scene where Parker says 'spit on it for Christ sakes' well, you see his mouth motion 'Christ' but only 'sakes' comes out.

Then in Aliens the sound actually sits on top of the film. Is the track off? It certainly looks that way because every breath that Ripley takes is larger than life but unfortunately is a beat ahead or behind the action.

Come on guys, don't you know that we movie fans own the VHS tapes before we upgrade to DVD and may even know some of the dialog by heart (yup that means the missing dialog that you didn't include on this disc). I am wholly disappointed that these discs are NOT the same as the VHS. Its not just the money - we want ALL of the original movies, dubbing, scenes and extras. Shame on you Fox! Buyers beware.

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.

Nine discs, four movies, a full day's worth of viewing material, riveting interviews. If, in the future, the compilation of a DVD is remembered as a post-digital art form, than the Alien Quadrilogy (despite its absurd title) will rank alongside the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions as an early masterpiece, a deep burrow into the black heart of this great, horrifying, perplexing, confounding and at times downright odd series. From its pulpy origins to its rise to the level of art at the hands of its charismatic shapers (Ridley Scott, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm, the incomprable, though often copied, H R Giger), to its recasting into a durable franchise under the iron hand of ultimate technocrat James Cameron, to its partial undoing in David Finscher's bold, unsatisfying experiment, to its final destruction at the unwitting hands of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Joss Whedon (two talents which, though individually great, arguably should never have been combined) the story is retold in frequently bitter flashback, very little of the sugar-coating one normally associates with this medium.

Beyond this of course, are the films themselves; each shown in both their original and recut versions.

ALIEN: (theatrical cut) The most nightmarish and genuinely frightening of the quartet, Alien takes full advantage of Giger's contributions, creating a world that straddles the boundary between the logical and the fantastic, a world in which space becomes eternal night, a darkness in which our deepest and most primal thoughts lie concealed. With a cast of genius actors, brilliant pace and hugely effective editing, this is a masterclass in horror filmmaking.

(director's cut) This is one cut too many on an already perfect gem. The now-legendary "pod scene" with Dallas notwithstanding, there is little added of any interest, and quite a lot taken away. Extra scenes are weighted toward the end, which skews the original's perfect pacing.

Aliens: (theatrical cut) Another flawless steel contraption by master technician James Cameron, this film, though radically different from its predecessor in tone, actually dovetails with it perfectly. Confident enough to not need Giger (Cameron himself designed this film's addition to the mythos, the Queen) this story shies away from Freudian sexual terror and focuses on maternal love, human and monstrous, while the relentless direction connects straght to our adrenal glands, leaving us too exited to fear.

(director's cut) As with all films by Cameron, any alteration made at the insistence of a studio is a detraction. The restored material enhances the the story's themes and provides Weaver with an emotional focus around which to weave her character.

Alien 3 (theatrical cut): As slow, cold and desolate as the wasteland it takes place on, this film has few friends, though perhaps unfairly. Much of the plot seems incomprehensible at first viewing, and the artistic decision to leave Ripley bereft and longing for death turned many away. But I would say that Alien 3 ultimately anchors the trilogy, and, in a strange way, defines it. Looking back, there could never have been a happy ending for Ripley; her fate is tied to that of the Aliens. Her purpose in life is to protect her kind from them. She made that choice when she blew up the Nostromo.

(workprint edition)With much of the plot restored and the characters enhanced, Alien 3 emerges in the workprint edition as a complete film. Whereas the original cut was disjointed and vague, the restored material restores crucial plot points and character development. This is far and away the better of the two, and the most significant recut of the set.

Alien Resurrection: A mess despite the talent that concocted it. Essentially a new beginning for the series, with a new character (the Ripley clone is now part Alien herself, and therefore her ties to her species are not as binding as her donor's), this film sits uneasily between superficial action flick and the profound implications of its antcedents. Jean-Pierre Jeunet injects his "nightmare circus" mentality into the Alien universe, and one can only wonder what would have followed had he had a better script to work from.

(director's cut) Actually worse than the theatrical, with a number of bad jokes restored, a perplexing and downbeat ending on what appears to be a post-apocalyptic Earth, and a strange and unneccessary beginning.

The packaging on this DVD set is not perfect, but the abundance of "Extras" is astounding. The interviews and documentaries where incredible, taking their time, and being a very thorough dissection of the events and decisions leading up to the ultimate theatrical releases of each of the movies. I found the making of Alien and Alien 3 the most interesting of the documentaries.

Of course, I have a bias towards liking the documentary for Alien because it is by far my favorite of the four movies, but Alien 3's was equally interesting because it showed the corporate decisions that hindered the ability for David Fincher, in my opinion one of the great cinematic directors today, from making a movie that could captivate its audience. True, Alien 3 didn't live up to it's genre expectations-true, it wasn't scary, but it was a visual treat and the mood and desolate atmosphere invoked by the movie is notable. I think in time, people will come to regard it as an sci-fi art film-certainly not the best Alien film if you're a sci-fi or horror buff, but in my opinion shouldn't be written off as an awful film (and I'm very picky).

The special editions of each of the movies where better than the theatrical releases, except Alien Resurrection which was more interesting than wholly necessary. Although Alien's theatrical release wasn't as good as the special edition, I prefer it because I like the long meandering shots that Ridley had of the ships (notably missing in the SE version) as it adds a emptiness to the feel of the ship-space is supposed to be cold and quiet.

This is my judgement of the four movies (special editions):

1) Alien - Perfect and brilliant. The new shots of the Alien are great if suttle.
2) Aliens - One of the best action movies ever. The additional scenes interrupt the tension a little and make the movie really long, but still very much enjoyable.
3) Alien 3 - Gothic and somewhat depressing, but is interesting despite not being truly frightening-it's hard to care for murderers and rapists being picked off by a dog-like alien. Fincher scenes Fincher was forced to take out really helped the movie a great deal. The SE version is better than the Theatrical Release.
4) Alien 4 - Designed for Teenagers. This feels the most like a Holliwood movie with one liners that the first Alien movie would dare use-almost a parady of itself. It makes a good summer flick, but not exactly repeatable, and definitely pales in comparison to the first and second, and even the third.

The Worst parts of all 4 movies put together would still be like Citizen Cane compared the abortion of a movie, Paul Anderson put out this summer "Alien Vs. Predator"

...if I had it to do all over again, I believe I would have bought the movies one 2-disc set at a time rather than all at once in this box set.

Buying the box set is a bit easier on the bank account, and there is a bonus 9th DVD that can't be had any other way...but the 9th disc is more of an appendix and even the most hardcore "Alien" fan probably won't watch it more than once.

The problem I have with the box set isn't its content; the alternative versions of each movie alone make this latest reissue absolutely necessary...and as each episode in the series has an entire separate DVD's worth of bonus features, a viewer can literally spend an entire weekend watching a single movie.

However, the box set's composition is a serious let-down. Its design means that it must be ceremoniously unfolded each time a disc is viewed. This puts extra wear on the package, contributing to an early disintegration. The rubber-based glue used to secure the plastic disc fasteners to the cardboard packaging is also of inferior grade; even the slightest temperature fluctuations cause the glue to lose its cohesive qualities. The end result is that that the whole thing falls apart. I'd expect a lot better from Fox, especially considering the fanbase for this franchise.

To make a long rant short, buy these reissues. Even the ones for the chapters you might not have cared for previously; I promise you that they've all been done to the nines and are absolutely worth spending the time seeing again (sometimes as though for the first time). But steer clear of the box set; Fox has given us a shoddy product in this guise and they must be held accountable by the fans of the series.

Well, maybe the best except for the LOTR collector's sets, but I had to buy each of them individually. Do your favorite Alien fan a favor and get them the Quadrilogy for Christmas or their next birthday, they'll love you forever. Having all four movies in two formats, the theatrical releases and extended versions, along with an astounding assortment of extras for all the extras lovers, is enough to put a movie lover in movie heaven for several days. The five star rating is for the Quadrilogy, not a comment on the individual movies contained within. (Though technically it's 4.7 stars. I take .3 of a star off for the endless foldout format of the disc storage folders.)

I won't bother going into great detail for each of the movies, since that's all been done before. I will say that Aliens is my favorite of the series, like it is for most people, mostly because of more time allowed for character development. Aliens is an action/thriller, whereas Alien is a classic horror film, much scarier with greater tension building, and arguably, a better movie. I doubt anyone who saw Alien in its original release before all the hubub was raised will forget the chest bursting scene. I would argue it's the single most shocking moment in cinema history. Hearing the cast talk about doing that scene was very interesting. Other than that, not much more to say about these two classics.

I know that a lot of fans consider the first two movies to be the only two "real" ones and the third and fourth movies are duds to be ignored as complete embarassments. While part of me totally agrees with that assessment, being the fan I am of the series, I am still ecstatic to own the entire set in this wonderful collection and usually watch all four of them, not just the first two. (Technically five when AVP is included.)

There's no doubt that the third movie suffered from some very serious flaws. It was very interesting to me to watch the extras included in this set which explain a lot of the reasons for that. For those who haven't had a chance yet, I highly recommend watching the extended version of the third movie. It doesn't rescue it completely, but it is much better than the theatrical release and may raise your opinion of the movie a notch. (Just overlook the very poor special effects. The FX we take for granted now were in their infancy then and it shows.)

As for the fourth movie, there were some things about it that I really liked, and some I really didn't. I thought the cloning idea and Ripley being a sort of hybrid was a daring and interesting twist to the series. It's one of the things I appreciated most about Alien Resurrection, probably because it was so unexpected.

I also found it interesting to have the intelligence of the aliens explored. In previous movies they were mostly just killing machines and little was indicated either for or against how intelligent they are. The fourth movie still doesn't answer that completely, but gives more food for thought.

On the other hand, I really didn't like the weird alien baby and I felt that the movie really lost it towards the end and almost felt as if it was part of a different movie that frittered away any positives that had been built up in the first two thirds or so.

The Alien Quadrilogy is a must have for any Alien fan, even those who are less than complementary about the second two movies. They may just find something of worth there after all when they have a chance to review this outstanding collection. And if not, they at least have the pleasure of owning the entire series in a format that serves as an example of how such collections should be designed and released.

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!