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Alien Quadrilogy | Year: 2003 Directed: - James Cameron - David Fincher - Jean-Pierre Jeunet Actors/Actresses: - Sigourney Weaver - Ridley Scott THE ULTIMATE ALIEN BOX SET!!! What more could you ask for! The perfect box set! Any science fiction fan would love to have it!!!<BR>MY RATINGS RANGE FROM 1-5, 5 being the highest, 1 being the lowest. DISK 1: ALIEN<BR>RATING: Theatrical Release-****<BR> Director's Cut-*****<BR>DIRECTED BY: RIDLEY SCOTT<BR>Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) with 5.1 DTS Audio. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, Veronica Cartwright Disk 1 contains the Theatrical Version (117 min) and the 2003 Director's Cut Version (137 min). Of course I would pick the Director's Cut. It contains footage that was never seen in the Theatrical Version. We also get Commentary with Ridley Scott and crew. We also get anamorphic menus.<BR>Overall Alien is a Kick-Butt film that is scary and suspenseful! DISK 2: Alien Special Features<BR>Rating:***** Disk 2 contains these wonderful special features that you will love to watch over and over! Nine brand new in-depth featurettes on the Making of Alien. Such as Creature Design, On Location, Casting, etc., deleted and Extended Scenes, Sigourney Weaver screen test, and more!!! DISK 3: ALIENS<BR>Rating: Theatrical Version-****<BR> Special Edition-*****<BR>DIRECTED BY: JAMES CAMERON<BR>Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Lance Henricksen, Jenete Goldstein, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton Disk 3 contains the Theatrical release (137 min) and the Special Edition (154 min). The Special Edition I think is the best. A whole lot of never before seen footage was used to pack this Special Edition. Don't forget the commentary. Overall Aliens is an action packed thrill ride!!! DISK 4: Aliens Special Features<BR>Rating:***** Disk 4 contains many mind blowing features!!! 11 brand new Featurettes!!! Including Weapons, Creature Design, On Location, Casting, and more! Everyone will love these featurettes!<BR>They Will Blow Your Mind!!! DISK 5: Alien 3<BR>Rating: Theatrical Version-***<BR> Special Edition-***1/2<BR>DIRECTED BY: DAVID FINCHER<BR>Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (2.85:1) Starring: Sigourney Weaver, David Fincher, Charles S. Dutton, Lance Henricksen Disk 5 contains the Theatrical Version (114 min) and the Special Edition (155 min). I am not too big of a fan of this sequel. I think it's the oddball. I like the Special Edition the best. But in the special version when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) jumps into the fire to keep the alien inside her from surviving, it doesn't show it burst out of her. In the original version it showed the alien burst out of her! And it didn't in the S.E.<BR>We also get commentary with director and crew.<BR>Overall this movie was average. Some of the computer generated alien effects were very fake looking. DISK 6: Alien 3 Special Features<BR>Rating:***** Disk 6 contains 11 featurettes for this average movie.<BR>Storyboards, still galleries, and much more! DISK 7: Alien Resurrection<BR>Rating: Theatrical Version-****<BR> Special Edition-****1/2<BR>DIRECTED BY: JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET<BR>Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) with 5.1 DTS Audio Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman Disk 7 contains the original and S.E. I guess I would have to go with the S.E. even though it only had 10 minutes added. It also contains commentary. Overall Alien 4 was pretty good. Great computer generated effects!!! Loved the Aliens!!! DISK 8: Alien Resurrection Special Features<BR>Rating:***** Disk 8 contains 12 featurettes! First Draft screenplay by Joss Whedon, still galleries, and much more!!! DISK 9: MORE BONUS FEATURES<BR>Rating:***** Disk 9 includes... <BR>Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots for each Alien film <BR>Comicbook Gallery <BR>"Aliens in the Basement" Featurette <BR>DVD-ROM (Script-to-Screen) OVERALL: THIS BOX SET IS PERFECT!!! THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!<BR>EXELLENT BONUS FEATURES FOR CLASSIC MOVIES!!! The Ripley Effect The Alien saga certainly has had its share of DVD releases, since the format took hold, a number of years ago. After working my way through the Alien Quadrilogy, 9 disc box set, I can safely say that, the reissue is well worth it. The original Alien has been written and talked so much over the last 25 years, I wonder what's left to say? Here goes... Alien has not lost any of its edge. It still is very effective and works very well even today. The film is about the crew of the spaceship Nostromo, that while returning to Earth,they must fight for surrvival, when an alien life form is brought on board. Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) leads the crew of seven Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is a tough talker who tries to keep it together as things spiral out of control. The rest of cast is great and has good chemistry with one another. Director Ridley Scott made a sci-fi/horror materpiece that set a standard and proved you can do "smart" horror. One of the most amazing things is how well everything is put forth to really scare you. If you have never seen this film before the script has some real surprises and the alien is truly the stuff of nightmares. Weaver came into her own as Ripley. Since then the character has been imitated but rarely duplicated. Thankfuly, the powers that be offer both the 1979 theatrical version (117 min.) and the 2003 extended cut (137 min.). It's great to have both versions and each works very well. Each version has a spliced together audio commentary with director Ridley Scott, select cast members and tech crew. This is a pretty good track but I also wish they included the track from the 99 release somehow--it was one of the best I ever heard. Disc 2 has a 4 part documentary retrospective, with some of the most in depth interviews, I've ever seen. James Cameron's mega sequel from 1986, ALIENS accomplishes something that very few sequels ever do. The movie takes the story of the original film and makes the follow-up seem like a natural progression of things. As ALIENS opens, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) wakes from hypersleep and is asked to consult on a rescue mission, to the same planet where the monster was first discovered. Reluctantly, she agrees, and is escorted by an elite group of special ops millitary soldiers to complete her task. The scares are quite intense and the F/X have been improved upon The supporting cast is filled with fine actors, Michael Beihn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Paul Reiser. The movie's final 30 minutes is truly a pulse-pounder and Weaver says one of the most memorable lines in all of cinema. I wont repeat it in mixed company, but the line is often repeated as a pop culture reference in other films and TV shows. Disc three includes not only the popular special edition (154 min.), which Cameron actualy prefers, but also has the never released on DVD, theatrical version (137 min.) Fans finally get the chance to hear an audio commentary from Cameron and others who were there. Having both cuts of the film is yet another boon. The retrospective documentary on disc 4 is really well done. Combining new interviews, archival stuff, taking you through the entire process. David Fincher picks up the story with the contoversial Alien 3. Ripley crash lands on prision planet "Fury 161" and she is not alone. She finds herself and the prison population battling the beast. Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, and series veteran Lance Henrickson also star. The disc has 92's theatrical cut (114 min) and the work print version (155 min.) This cut is facinating and makes for a a better film in my opinion. The audio commentary by film editor Terry Rawlings and other tech crew members is OK. Due to a rough shoot and disagreements aplenty, Fincher chose not to participate in any of the supplements and that's a shame. For the retrospective material, everyone is quite candid about it all, and makes for "juicy" viewing. Alien Resurrection from 1997 finds Ripley cloned 200 years after the last film. Sharing alien DNA, we are not really sure where her loyalties lie. She is the only thing that stands between the crew of a miliitary vessel, a crew of rag tag space merchants, and death. From its script by Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon, to a fine underwater battle, and Weaver walking a fine line with Ripley, the film does have something going for it. When I first saw the film in 97 I didn't care for it much. While it's not a great film...director Jean Pierre Junet's take on the franchise is not a total wash. My feelings changed a bit, after watching both theatrical cut (109 min.), and an extended cut (119 min). The commentary by Jean Pierre Junet and other tech crew is solid, although, Junet's accent makes his comments tough to make out at times. His enthusiasm is infectious though Disc 8 features another interesting retrospective documentary about the film. It's all well produced and very comprehensive. Disc 9 is exclusive to the set and features additional material on each film. I think the stuff on the first film is the most interesting. There's Laser Disc Archives from the first two films Trailers and TV spots. Rounding out disc 9 is a Dark Horse Comics still gallery of images from their Alien series of books and DVD-ROM in the form of script to screen comparisons for all 4 films. Oh, and lest I forget to mention the booklet that's inside the last flap of the gatefold. Whew! The only downside is the horrible packagining. It's very poorly designed and seems flimsy. It's already coming apart--consider yourself warned. The gigantic set is still a must even if you don't like every film in the series. the ultimate edition of the Alien saga If you are a fan of the Alien saga, or a buyer of blockbuster movies, you must have this collection. Not only are the extras (see the Amazon review by Dalkin for all the technical details including; documentaries, commentaries, storyboards, illustrations and post-production notes) what you would expect from any serious DVD package these days, you also get two versions of each movie. It is an interesting exercise to compare the different versions of each film. Alien Resurrection isn't altered much, and the director's cut of Alien is inferior to the theatrical version. Cameron's director's cut of Aliens enhances the original while a special edition version of Alien 3 (not endorsed by Fincher) is worth having, despite some flaws with sound and overall quality. Some reviews have criticised the packaging and quality of the DVD's. My DVD's were in perfect condition with no scatches or glitches while playing. These complaints may be related to a certain batch, and couldn't possibly be typical of the product. While the packaging isn't brilliant, these criticisms should not disuade any prospective buyer. If you take care it should last. But really, who buys a DVD package for the cardboard? As I wrote above, if you are a fan of the series you must have this product. I also recommend collectors of box sets to invest in this superior product. I doubt the Alien saga box set can or will be improved upon in the future. This is the ultimate edition, despite a slightly cheap package. 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