Blu-ray Movie Reviews

On its return trip to Earth, the Nostromo intercepts a distress call from a distant planet. The crew is awakened from cryo-sleep by the ship's computer and goes to the planet to investigate. It turns out the signal wasn't a call for help; it was a warning to stay clear. When one of the crew is attacked by an Alien lifeform, the other crew members have no idea what they've unleashed upon themselves by letting the man back on the ship.

In the excellent sequel Aliens, we catch up with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) after her harrowing escape in the first movie. Fifty-seven years have past when she's found floating in space in cryo-sleep and no one from "the company" believes her horrific tale of survival until all contact is lost with the colonists from planet LV-426, which is introduced in the first movie. Soon she finds herself headed back to the dreaded planet with a team of Marines to investigate.

After escaping the Aliens for a second time, Ripley's ship crash lands on a remote planet in Alien 3. She finds herself stranded in a prison colony without any weapons as an Alien, who somehow stowed away on her ship, is feasting on the prisoners.

Milking the franchise for every last drop, Alien Resurrection picks up the story 200 years later when a clone of Ripley is used to extract the Alien DNA that resides in her body so it can be turned into a weapon.

When I was 10 years old, my parents took me to see Alien because I was a big fan of science fiction. They must not have known it was a horror film, and I ended up with nightmares for weeks. Regardless, the film by director Ridley Scott is a masterpiece of suspense, and I love how he keeps the gore to a bare minimum as the alien picks off each crew member one by one.

Director James Cameron took the franchise in a different direction in his excellent 1986 follow-up Aliens. While there's still an element of suspense to the story, it's mainly an action film when the Marines tangle with the Alien lifeforms. The third film was better than I remembered, and its saving grace is that it launched the career of director David Fincher, who has since brought us some truly great pictures (Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Sadly, the fourth film hasn't improved with age, and the screenplay leaves a lot to be desired.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encodes on a BD-50 discs
• Alien boasts a new 4K transfer with amazing detail, inky blacks, well-resolved shadows, and impressive color saturation
• Aliens has never looked better with improved depth and detail with stable (although not inky) blacks
• Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection have softer transfers, accurate color palettes, and clean prints, but are a step below the first two films.

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtracks
• All four films boast robust dynamics
• Enveloping sound design
• Occasionally strained dialog in Alien
• Aliens and Alien Resurrection are demo-worth with top-notch frequency response and a plethora of discrete effects

Bonus Materials

There's no possible way for me to get through over 50 hours of the supplements in the amount of time I had to review the discs, but needless to say, what you'll find is the most comprehensive set of supplements ever seen on Blu-ray/DVD.

DISC ONE: ALIEN

• 1979 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Director’s Cut with Ridley Scott Introduction
• Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Writer Dan O’Bannon, Executive Producer Ronald Shusett, Editor Terry Rawlings, Actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt
• Audio Commentary (for Theatrical Cut only) by Ridley Scott
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Composer’s Original Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

DISC TWO: ALIENS

• 1986 Theatrical Version
• 1991 Special Edition with James Cameron Introduction Audio Commentary by Director James Cameron, Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Alien Effects Creator Stan Winston, Visual Effects Supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, Miniature Effects Supervisor Pat McClung, Actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn and Christopher Henn
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by James Horner
• Composer’s Original Isolated Score by James Horner
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

DISC THREE: ALIEN 3

• 1992 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Special Edition (Restored Workprint Version)
• Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Alex Thomson, B.S.C., Editor Terry Rawlings, Alien Effects Designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Producer Richard Edlund, A.S.C., Actors Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Elliot Goldenthal
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

DISC FOUR: ALIEN RESURRECTION

• 1997 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Special Edition with Jean-Pierre Jeunet
• Introduction
• Audio Commentary by Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Editor Hervé Schneid, A.C.E., Alien Effects Creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Pitof, Conceptual Artist Sylvain Despretz, Actors Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon and Leland Orser
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by John Frizzell
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

DISC FIVE: MAKING THE ANTHOLOGY

• The Beast Within: Making Alien
• Superior Firepower: Making Aliens
• Wreckage and Rage: Making Alien 3
• One Step Beyond: Making Alien Resurrection
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience to Access and Control Enhancement Pods

DISC SIX: THE ANTHOLOGY ARCHIVES

ALIEN

• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production and Aftermath
• Experience in Terror
• Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive
• The Alien Legacy
• American Cinematheque: Ridley Scott Q&A
• Trailers & TV Spots

ALIENS

• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production and Aftermath

ALIEN 3

• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production and AftermathAlien 3
• Advance Featurette
• The Making of Alien 3 Promotional Featurette
• Trailers & TV Spots

ALIEN RESURRECTION

• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production and Aftermath
• HBO First Look: The Making of Alien Resurrection
• Alien Resurrection Promotional Featurette
• Trailers & TV Spots

ANTHOLOGY

• Two Versions of Alien Evolution
• The Alien Saga
• Patches and Logos Gallery
• Aliens 3D Attraction Scripts and Gallery
• Aliens in the Basement: The Bob Burns Collection
• Parodies
• Dark Horse Cover Gallery
• Patches and Logos Gallery
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience

I'm a big fan of the first two films, and for this reason alone I would recommend the set. I'm sure at some point Fox will release the discs individually for a lower price, so if you aren't a fan of all of the films or a supplement junkie, you may have to be patient. Regardless, the video restorations of Alien and Aliens are well worth the upgrade price and the set gets my highest recommendation.

Release Date: October 26, 2010
Studio: Fox

Alien
Movie: 9/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Aliens
Movie: 9/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 10/10

Alien 3
Movie: 5/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 8/10

Alien Resurrection
Movie: 4/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics