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Alien Nation however tries to be different by adding in the alien element and to some extents this at least raises some interest. James Caan is the detective whose partner is killed by an alien dealing a new drug in the alien's little ghetto area. He wants to track the makers down and ... Read review
Alien Nationis a routine cop thriller with a comedic sci-fi twist. They get drunk on sour ... more
milk. They have two hearts and bald, spotted heads. They're highly intelligent, but if you drop them in seawater they'll melt into a puddle of goop. They're "Newc...
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Thought-provoking, witty and entertaining, this action-packed blend of science fiction and ... more
police drama finds Los Angeles the new home of these Newcomers kills a police detective's (James Caan) partner, he sets out to solve the crime with his new partn...
Alien Nationis a routine cop thriller with a comedic sci-fi twist. They get drunk on sour ... more
milk. They have two hearts and bald, spotted heads. They're highly intelligent, but if you drop them in seawater they'll melt into a puddle of goop. They're "Newc...
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Prepare Yourself. Thought-provoking witty and entertaining this action-packed blend of ... more
science fiction and police drama finds Los Angeles the new home of 300 000 humanoid extraterrestrials. When a gang of these Newcomers kills a police detective's (...
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Great concept. Finely acted ensemble cast. Strong scripts. Unique approach to scoring. So ... more
why did Alien Nation the series get cancelled? The sad but simple answer is it came too early for the mid-1990s flirtatious fascination with sci-fi. "Return To Tencton" is only four minutes in and already the listener is hooked. There has been the "Main Title" with its Tenctonese chant of "ganilpa", a tranquil prologue, and then this mix of Indian percussion and ambient synth moods. It was a moment like so many throughout the show when a TV composer was actually allowed to shine. Being a twist on the buddy cop scenario, there were always car chases and shoot-outs to tackle. It's the thoroughly rounded alien culture that makes this so special though. "Howdy Pod" is a great example, being a choral prayer to the Gods as George gives birth. There's even a little avant-garde alien composition in "Tenctonollan Mode Groove", and some funky rhythms for "Slag Pop". TV scores have rarely been as experimental, before or since. --Paul Tonks
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I, Robot:In 2035 A.D., robots are programmed to live in harmony with humans and are part ... more
of every day life. When a brilliant scientist at the U.S. Robotics Corporation is found dead, Chicago Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is called in to investigate. Aided by robot psychologist Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), Detective Spooner uncovers the possibility that a robot may be the primary suspect in the case. But as Spooner gets closer to the truth, he gets caught up in a race for his life. With time running out, a deeper threat emerges that challenges the very existence of mankind.Alien Nation:Thought-provoking, witty and entertaining, this action-packed blend of science fiction and police drama finds Los Angeles the new home of 300,000 humanoid extraterrestrials. When a gang of these Newcomers kills a police detective's (James Caan) partner, he sets out to solve the crime with his new partner (Mandy Patinkin) - the L.A.P.D's first Newcomer detective. But the unlikely pair soon uncover a far more dangerous threat to society.
As Newcomers - fugitive slaves from the planet Tencton - Detective George Francisco and ... more
his family face prejudice and intolerance as they struggle to assimilate to life on their adopted planet. Together with his human partner, hard-edged Detective Matt Sikes, George walks the beat in Slagtown, Los Angeles, a Newcomer slum teeming with vice and corruption. More than just another cop show science fiction show, Alien Nation utilises a unique and exciting blend of action, suspense, humour, and social drama to explore the sociology of what it means to be an outsider striving to fit in.
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
...planet. In fact when an alien spacecraft crashlands in the Mojave desert they are welcomed into the community with open arms, setting up base in California. Of course, 'open arms' means they are treated in much the same way as any other ethnic minority which gives the liberal minded directors a rich resource from which to make their rather obvious and belaboured observations.
The basic formula of the movie is pretty hackneyed and ... ...before...
Alien Nation however tries to be different by adding in the alien element and to some extents this at least raises some interest. James Caan is the detective whose partner is killed by an alien dealing a new drug in the alien's little ghetto area. He wants to track the makers down and bring them to justice to avenge his partner's death but there is no way the aliens will talk openly to a human - the investigation would be ... more
Awww how sweet. For once aliens have come to earth and are not trying zap, body snatch or in any other way wipe all traces of humanity from the face of the planet. In fact when an alien spacecraft crashlands in the Mojave desert they are welcomed into the community with open arms, setting up base in California. Of course, 'open arms' means they are treated in much the same way as any other ethnic minority which gives the liberal minded directors a rich resource from which to make their rather obvious and belaboured observations.
The basic formula of the movie is pretty hackneyed and dull. Forget the aliens in it and you have a cop whose partner has been killed whilst investigating a new drug on the street. He is teamed up with another guy who he doesn't like but who has inside information on the killers and they go on the hunt for them and grow to like each other. Heard it, seen it, read it a million times before...
Alien Nation however tries to be different by adding in the alien element and to some extents this at least raises some interest. James Caan is the detective whose partner is killed by an alien dealing a new drug in the alien's little ghetto area. He wants to track the makers down and bring them to justice to avenge his partner's death but there is no way the aliens will talk openly to a human - the investigation would be dead before it began. In then steps new partner Mandy Patinkin...an alien who is also a police officer - they'll talk to him see? Of course Caan doesn't like him immediately, he hates aliens you see but is forced to work alongside him. Patinkin is of course the liberal minded alien guy and Caan the bigoted white police officer who eventually comes to accept their differences and actually like Patinkin, meeting his wife and kids etc. Sounding cliched yet? Sound like every single white cop teamed up with black cop movie you have ever seen? Did to me. Same plot, same scenarios, same wooly liberal clap-trap and heavy handed attempts to promote a great message...falling flat and hard upon its face because of how ineptly handled it all is. I expected to see gangs of aliens hanging around a ghetto blaster wearing 'colours' at one stage...like how dumb are we that you need to consistently draw the comparisons? The rest of the movie is pretty much superfluous, they add some weak, low grade action scenes in so as to sell the movie to the public and then return back to trying to heal the black/white divide. Wish you could do it guys...but choose a better and more appropriate setting next time. The first half an hour or so will keep you interested as you are introduced to the alien culture, different physiology etc. - milk gets them drunk, both males and females carry the baby...that kind of thing...but then it all decends into tedium.
Someone decided to make this movie to score points, that is painfully obvious and it will annoy the hell out of you by the end of the movie. Shame, because otherwise it may have been ok, but in order to make their message cleared the producers toned down on the action and violence...thus making for a rather dull cop caper with a few aliens thrown in for something different. It did however spawn two more movies and a television series, so someone did well on the licence somewhere. Its not bad as such, its just incredibly dull and you could imagine that a movie with this premise could have been much better. If they wanted to tackle social issues then they could have done so here, alternately they could have made an action movie, but they shouldn't have fudged the two to hedge their bets. All very well trying to shoot down the bigots, but you have to be careful where you are aiming the shotgun. Sadly, I think they ended up shooting themselves in the foot here.
Advantages: Some interesting Ideas, acting Disadvantages: Basic plot, predictable, run of the mill cop film
...them in perfect harmony. Alien Nation as spawned many fan pages, just like many of the other sci-fi films and series that are based on a unique idea. But that's all Alien Nation is a unique idea ruined by the fact they turned this into a basic cop film.
The storyline is the usual cop film plot and you could be mistaken to think this was just a TV special.The aliens arrived in 1988 and 3 years later when they had finally been assimilated into society ... ...detective who's partner is killed by a "Newcomer". Caan then choose the first newcomer who is promoted to Detective to be his new partner. You follow there relationship through the film and see how Caan takes a liking to the newcomer. You will notice many similarities to other cop films such has Lethal Weapon. This is a shame because there could of been alot done with this film. More could of been focused on the relationship between the humans and ...
best_reviewer 28.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Alien Nation (DVD)
In the Los Angeles of the very near future aliens have come to live among us. They've learned the new language and tried to fit in, but there is something about them we don't know. Two detectives, one human, the other alien, put aside their mutual distrust and uncover a murder and something much more terrifying.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
Featurette, Behind The Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, Three TV Spots, Interactive Menus, Scene Access
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 4.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 4.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...Works as a witty parable....[Caan and Patinkin are] excellent..." (New York Times, p.C10, 07/10/1988)
DVD Description
In Los Angeles of the near future, aliens have come to live among humans. They've learned the language and tried to fit in. But there's something about them that people don't know. Two detectives--one human (James Caan), one alien (Mandy Patinkin)--put aside their mutual distrust and uncover a sinister conspiracy that threatens to destroy the fragile alien/human alliance.
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