Alien Quadrilogy (Alien/ Aliens /Alien 3 /Alien Resurrection)
Amazon.com essential video
The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc boxed set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here they have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and picture. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years, this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "special edition" form.
Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 director's cut is fiddling for the sake of fiddling. Watch it once, then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely, the special edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice to finally have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien 3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered, and finished off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien: Resurrection (1997) always was a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the special edition just makes it eight minutes longer.
The Alien Quadrilogy offers the first and fourth films with DTS soundtracks, the others having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary track that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here.
Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented in full-screen with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills, and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including an hourlong documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. "Exhaustive" hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set that establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S. Dalkin
Product Description
Disc 1: Alien Collector?s Edition Disc 2: Aliens Collector?s Edition Disc 3: Alien 3 Collector?s Edition Disc 4: Alien Resurrection Collector?s Edition Disc 5: Bonus Disc
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Writing credits
Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story)
Dan O'Bannon (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order)
Tom Skerritt ... Dallas
Sigourney Weaver ... Ripley
Veronica Cartwright ... Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton ... Brett
John Hurt ... Kane
Ian Holm ... Ash
Yaphet Kotto ... Parker
Bolaji Badejo ... Alien
Helen Horton ... Mother (voice)
Eddie Powell ... Alien (uncredited)
Directed by
James Cameron
Writing credits
Dan O'Bannon (characters) and
Ronald Shusett (characters)
James Cameron (story) and
David Giler (story) &
Walter Hill (story)
James Cameron (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order)
Sigourney Weaver ... Ellen Ripley
Carrie Henn ... Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden
Michael Biehn ... Cpl. Dwayne Hicks
Lance Henriksen ... Bishop
Paul Reiser ... Carter Burke
Bill Paxton ... Pvt. Hudson
William Hope ... Lt. Gorman
Jenette Goldstein ... Pvt. Vasquez
Al Matthews ... Sgt. Apone
Mark Rolston ... Pvt. Drake
Ricco Ross ... Pvt. Frost
Colette Hiller ... Cpl. Ferro
Daniel Kash ... Pvt. Spunkmeyer
Cynthia Dale Scott ... Cpl. Dietrich (as Cynthia Scott)
Tip Tipping ... Pvt. Crowe
Trevor Steedman ... Pvt. Wierzbowski
Paul Maxwell ... Van Leuwen
Valerie Colgan ... ECA Representative
Alan Polonsky ... Insurance Man
Alibe Parsons ... Med Tech
Blain Fairman ... Doctor
Barbara Coles ... Cocooned Woman
Carl Toop ... Alien Warrior
John Lees ... Power Loader Operator
Holly De Jong ... Ann Jorden
Jay Benedict ... Russ Jorden
Christopher Henn ... Timmy Jorden
Mac McDonald ... Al Simpson, Colony Officer
William Armstrong ... Lydecker (as Bill Armstrong)
Elizabeth Inglis ... Amanda Ripley (uncredited)
No comments:
Post a Comment