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Alien was the film that re-invented the Sci-Fi genre even more than
Star Wars
did. It became a huge hit and spawned 3 sequels of varying quality.
This film is still great after 22 years. It has hardly dated at all and
is still as tense and scary as it was back in 1979. The small cast all
do well in their roles and the title character is also well achieved.
Another good thing about the film is H.R Giger's wonderful set designs.
They really are awe inspiring and contribute to the film's dark
emphasis. Ridley Scott would later make another sci-fi classic, 1982's
Blade Runner
starring Harrison Ford.
The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The transfer
is excellent and this really makes the film look a lot less younger than
it actually is. There is hardly any sparkle, grain or digital artifacts.
It just shows what DVD can do for classic titles.
The sound is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is used well.
There is not much action in this film but when there is, the sound is
excellent. Dialogue is clear as is Jerry Goldsmith's score.
Extras:
Chapters:
There are 20 chapters spread throughout the film which is good but it
could have used a few more.
Languages and Subtitles:
There is only one language on the disc and that is English Dolby Digital
5.1. Subtitles are available in English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish,
Finnish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Icelandic.
Trailers:
4 trailers are present. Two of these being theatrical trailers and the
other two are TV Spots. All but one of these use the same material: a
shot of an alien egg splitting open with a howling noise in the
background. The one trailer that does not use this has clips from the
film edited together well. All trailers are non-anamorphic.
Deleted Scenes:
There are 10 one of these and come to a total of 18 minutes.
These include character development particulary for Ripley and Lambert,
a scene shortly after Kane's death where the crew discuss how they are
going to deal with the alien, an alternate version of Brett's death and
the famous cocoon sequence where Ripley finds a cocooned Dallas and
Brett. All are worth watching especially the cocoon scene which shows
Ridley Scott's ideas on the alien origins which are contrary to ideas
posed in the other films. All of these scenes are in non-anamorphic
widescreen.
Outtakes:
These are just two more deleted scenes. One featuring Kane shortly after
waking up and another which features an alternate version of the alien's
attack on Lambert where we actually get a good look at the creature. The
beginning of the first has a guy with a clapperboard and directions
being given from the set.
The first outtake is non-anamorphic widescreen but the second appears to
be fullscreen.
Commentary:
There is a audio commentary from the director Ridley Scott and it is a
very interesting one. If you have never listened to a commentary before,
then this one would be a good one to start with. There is also a topic
search so you can skip to any part of the commentary you wish to listen
to. A great idea which has not been widely used for other commentaries.
Artwork and Photo Galleries:
This shows H.R Giger's artwork as well as still from the film,
behnid-the-scenes and publicity material.
Original Story Boards:
These are Ridley Scott's original storyboards for the film which he sold
to FOX so that he could make the film.
Isolated Original Score:
There is an isolated version of Jerry Goldsmith's music so you can
listen to it while watching the film.
Alternate Music Track:
This is a different version of music for the film.
Easter Eggs:
When you go into the main menu, highlight the left window and click on
it. You are taken into a menu which offers bios for the crew of the
Nostromo. The other egg is in the special features menu.
Highlight the acid puddle at the bottom of the screen and click on it.
You will find information on the alien and the stages it goes through.
Menus:
The menus are fantastic. On loading the disc and getting past copyright
info and the FOX logo, there is a text read out from the Nostromo which
activates the ship and takes you inside the main crew area which
displays the options. There are also links for sub-menus.
Overall, this disc is just about perfect. The only thing missing is a
documentary although there is one if you buy the Alien Legacy box set.
If you buy that, you get all four films plus a bonus disc which features
a 66-minute documentary called The Alien Legacy which is about the
making of the first film. As it stands though, this disc is still an
essential purchase even without a documentary.
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Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.