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THE MOVIE |
THE DVD |
REVIEWER |
REVIEW DATE |
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RumbleWolf4 |
25th September, 2004 |
Review Quote
"The sets, the acting, the FX, the tension, the great score (loved the subtle heartbeat!) all make for good times. Just a word of warning for impatient sci-fi/horror fans... but don't let this classic pass you by!"
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The Plot
The Nostromo is a seven-crew frieght ship on it's way back to Earth. After recieving a distress beacon from a nearby planet, the crew decides to investigate. It is only then that they realize it was not a distress beacon...it was a warning signal. As the Nostromo departs, the crew realizes they have an eigth passenger... a ravenous extraterrestrial predator that begins to pick them off, one by one...
The Movie
Initially, I found this film to be over-hyped and too slow paced for it's own good. True, the film is very slow... the beast doesn't even appear til over an hour into the film! But the true beauty of this film lies in the awesome production values of the film. The set design is what many will notice first off. It is simply breath-taking and makes for incredible atmosphere. The stark interior of the ship, the strobe lights and smoke, the shadows used to conceal the form of the jet-black monster itself... it all creates a paranoid and ultimately claustrophobic feel to the film. The movie also happens to be very suspenseful. The hatching of the first egg and the chestburster scenes are truly memorable and the air shaft scene made me jump out of my seat... talk about effective! And the alien itself looks great. Big kudos to Bolaji Badejo for portraying the beast as his movements create the intense, primal feel of ferocity that is so crucial for the feel of the beast. Aside from Badejo, the other actors are all great as well. They all have great chemistry and are likable (well, most of them). The plot twist is also totally unexpected!
Downfalls? Well, as I previously mentioned, the movie does creep along at an agonizingly slow pace. But this won't bother everyone, many of the greatest horror films follow this exact pattern. Also, I didn't like Jonesy the cat. He seemed to exist only as a plot device and for some cheap scares. Blah. And the movie is surprisingly dry when it comes to gore. Aside from the chestburster, the kills are very quick and even the minimal added gore in the director's cut doesn't compensate. But I'm just being greedy...these few flaws can't downsize an otherwise awesome movie. The sets, the acting, the FX, the tension, the great score (loved the subtle heartbeat!) all make for good times. Just a word of warning for impatient sci-fi/horror fans... but don't let this classic pass you by!
The DVD
The collector's edition DVD is well stocked with informative features. The Director's Cut includes a couple of previously deleted scenes. The scene with the blood dripping directly into the camera lens is great and I cheered when the Alien smacks Jonesy out of the way! That dang cat was indirectly responsible for several character's deaths! The commentary comes with input from practically every big name on the film... all of the featurettes are informative and fun. The poster galleries create a feel of nostalgia, especially the posters in which the title is still "The Alien". We also get multiple photo galleries and a teaser trailer for AvP. Overall, there's nothing to really frown upon here...the menus are stylish and nicely organized into the 3 stages of production. Overall a solid DVD, must buy for fans of the film. You can also get this as part of the Alien Quadrilogy pack.
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Director
Ridley Scott
Cast
Sigourney Weaver
Tom Skeritt
Veronica Cartwright
Ian Holm
Bolaji Badejo
Screenplay
Dan O'Bannon
Tagline
"In space, no one can hear you scream..."
Country
USA
Classification
R
Year
1979
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Format
NTSC
Region Coding
1
Aspect Ratio
2.35:1
16x9 Enhanced
?
Running Time
117 minutes
Year Released
2004
Packaging
Keep Case
Extra Features
Audio Commentary
Video Intro By Ridley Scott
9 Featurettes
Storyboards
Sigourney Weaver Screen Test
6 Photo Galleries
Deleted Scenes
Multi-Angle Scene
Poster Gallery
Alien vs Predator Teaser
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If you find any errors in this review, know of any other versions of this DVD available or no longer available, send us an e-mail so we can get the word out to the horror community.
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