ne could argue that the "alien monster from outer space" genre started
long ago with pulp comic books and 1950s 3-D movies. However, after Ridley
Scott added the 1979 film Alien to this oft-visited segment of cinematic
storytelling, the SF horror movie would never be the
same. The Alien Legacy, Fox's 20th anniversary celebration of the
Alien film series, not only delivers the four Alien films in pristine,
THX-certified condition, it also comes bulging with a host of DVD-friendly
extras.
The first two Alien films in this collection are chock-full of
goodies. Alien's behind-the-scenes extras let viewers in on Scott's
no-nonsense work ethic. The director's scene-by-scene commentary uncovers gems
like the fact that the production company borrowed a stage laser from the
rock band The Who to create the blue-light skin over the eggs in the
alien ship.
The behind-the-scenes extras on Jim Cameron's Aliens establish how
much of a hands-on writer/director he has always been in his career. A
fascinating home video clip of Cameron at work with the alien queen
modelers reveals his untiring, always-on-the-job, perfectionist tendencies.
While set visitors giggle at the sight of two grown men in a giant mock-up
alien queen suit made out of garbage bags and cardboard tubes, Cameron
continues to bark out instructions, ignoring the comedy of the situation.
The two most recent Alien films aren't quite as jam-packed with extras as
the first two. The Alien 3 disc includes a nifty "Making of Alien 3"
documentary that features sound bites from previous Alien cast and
crew members. Alien Resurrection is content to offer a short
promotional featurette. All told, with the movies and extras
included on these four DVDs, viewers will be looking forward to approximately
20 hours of Alien information to sift through!
Too much of a good thing? Nah!
The Alien disc gets the most attention in this four-volume set. The film is already
marvelous, but thanks to the clarity of DVD, it really lives again. It's
actually surprising to see how well Alien's special effects and the
actors' performances have held up over the years. After watching the film,
viewers can sit back and enjoy Scott's recently recorded shot-by-shot
analysis, click through his storyboards, and even watch the film again just
listening to Jerry Goldsmith's eerie music score. If readers plan on
buying only one of these discs (which can be bought separately)
Alien is definitely the one to choose.
Almost as nourishing is the Aliens: Special Edition disc, which
includes 17 minutes of restored footage. At 154 minutes, the movie feels
long. The scenes set inside the off-world colony, while enjoyable on their
own, are extraneous and should have stayed out of the film. Watching Newt
and her family discover the aliens for the first time is less effective
than the marines invading the colony to find everyone wiped out, which was
the original theatrical cut. Aliens, as a film and as an experience,
hardly suffers from this indulgence, however. Especially when paired with
the copious amount of production information supplied on the well-stocked
disc.
While the first two Alien discs in the package are concise
and authoritative, the remaining two films offer slim pickings. Viewers
will want to learn more about Alien 3 director David Fincher, who was only 27 years old when
he was given the reins to the lucrative Alien franchise, but the
included documentary only suggests that he is a "genius"--never mind that
his overwrought, pretentious movie suggests otherwise. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's
Alien Resurrection is the best looking Alien film of the bunch, which is understandable considering its also the most recent Alien movie. Unfortunately, the disc is virtually devoid of any behind-the-scenes
information. It would have been great to see how Resurrection's
digital aliens were made and what kinds of freedoms they allowed the
filmmakers. Viewers may wonder if they will have to wait 20 more years and another batch of four successively worse Alien movies for this information...
Ignoring the disparity in quality among the four films for a moment (and
the tellingly slim extras provided on Alien 3 and
Resurrection), it's easy to see that The Alien Legacy is an
extraordinary gift for fans and aspiring filmmakers alike. Highly
recommended.
