Alien: 20th Anniversary Edition

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DVD Review

A THX-certified transfer helps this 1979 film to be worthy of a 1999 release onto DVD.  Remarkably clear and sharp for a film of this era, it looks better than ever.  Only a few slight specks transfered from the original film keep this film from getting the virtually perfect 5 rating.  Generally dark, in typical sci-fi fashion, colors are average, but true.  A very cool, high-tech menu set gives the selection process a very modern feel.  Lots of extras earn this film high marks, with multiple languages, an audio commentary, deleted scenes, alternate musical score and more!   This is a DVD that was worth waiting for and a must-buy for any science fiction or horror DVD collector.

Movie Review

As part of the 20th anniversary of the original release, the four movies have been released on both DVD and VHS as a four-volume (plus a bonus-making of video) collector's set called Alien Legacy.  I only purchased the first two movies of the series, however, as they are my favorite.

The first film in a four-part series, Alien was a groundbreaking and trendsetting science fiction/sci-fi horror film.  A deep-space mining ship, The Nostromo, is on its way home from a mining mission when the crew is awoken by the ship's automated pilot.  The crew of seven soon lands to investigate what they believe is a distress call from a dead planet.  Further investigation reveals that the "distress call" is actually a warning signal -- an important bit of information that they learn too late.  Before long the Nostromo has picked up an extra passenger -- a passenger with a particularly bad temper, acid for blood and some rather anti-social behavior.

The unarmed crew finds the alien to be more than a match, and soon the crew number greatly diminishes.  Sigourney Weaver makes her major film debut in Alien as Ripley, our heroine.

A slow start and fairly lengthy periods of silence prevent this film from being labled action-packed, but these same features raise the suspense levels to near maximum.   Excellent special effects and sets created a new standard for science fiction films to follow.  Truly gripping and scary, this a sci-fi legend that I highly recommend.