Science Fiction - Director: Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over
This nine DVD boxset contains all 4 films in the ALIEN saga: ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN 3 and ALIEN RESURRECTION along with just about every extra any fan of the ALIEN series could ever... more
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previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. For anyone who hasn't...
previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. For anyone who hasn't...
previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "Special Edition" form. Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 Director's Cut is fiddling for the sake of it. Watch once then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely the Special Edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice finally to have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered and finished-off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to the story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien Resurrection (1997) was always a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the Special Edition just makes it eight minutes longer. On the DVD: Alien Quadrilogy offers all films except Alien3 with DTS soundtracks, the latter having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here--and there are subtitles for hard of hearing both for the films and the commentaries. Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented at 4:3 with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including a Channel 4 hour-long documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. Exhaustive hardly begins to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set which establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and which looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S Dalkin
previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "Special Edition" form. Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 Director's Cut is fiddling for the sake of it. Watch once then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely the Special Edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice finally to have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered and finished-off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to the story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien Resurrection (1997) was always a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the Special Edition just makes it eight minutes longer. On the DVD: Alien Quadrilogy offers all films except Alien3 with DTS soundtracks, the latter having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here--and there are subtitles for hard of hearing both for the films and the commentaries. Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented at 4:3 with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including a Channel 4 hour-long documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. Exhaustive hardly begins to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set which establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and which looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S Dalkin
Advantages: One of the great movie franchises on a superb box set. Disadvantages: Pricey.
...packed collection of the four Alien films. Each film has its own disc with two versions of the film PLUS a disc of extras relating to that film along with a ninth disc of features thrown in for good measure.
The outer casing of the set is made up of sturdy cardboard with a design of the all familiar alien egg under the title of the set. The egg is ominously opening from a crack at it’s base with a luminous lime green colour ‘oozing’ out before dissipating ... ...the box has an embossed Alien Creature design, that as with the egg, stands out from the background.
Sliding the middle out and therefore the casing that contains the discs is easy enough and it looks and feels much like a book, albeit a rather weighty book. Each disc is secure is a moulded green tray that folds out like the pages of a book.
The booklet that accompanies the box set is very useful, giving out brief plot synopses of each film, cast ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Possibly the greatest movie boxset that has ever been released... Disadvantages: Absolutely None...
...that I could… Alien was originally released back in 1979. It was written by Dan O'Bannan and Ronald Shusett and directed by Ridley Scott. It went on to become one of the most succesful movies in history, winning an oscar and a further 29 award nominations and wins for its achievements and genuinely terrified an entire world's audience. An whole seven years passed until Aliens was released in 1986, this time around directed by James Cameron. Like ... ...Another 6 years passed before Alien 3, directed by David Fincher was released, this time, however, not achieving the same success at all, at the time, that the first two had but as the years have passed, fans and critics have slowly began to appreciate the movie a lot more and it has finally gained it's status as a masterpiece of cinema and a worthy sequel to the first two. 5 more years passed and to the surprise of everyone Alien: Resurrection was ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good films, Bonus discs, Director's cuts Disadvantages: None
...characters who encounter a mysterious alien on their space ship. The events that follow are both interesting and unexpected. It certainly deserves the Oscar it won for special effects which, especially for the time it was made, are impressive. I think the first film is best because the creature was mostly hidden until the end, which made it more fearful. To me, this is one of those films that you just have to watch when it's on TV even though you ... ...as the original Alien film, but is still exciting and has some entertaining characters. It features Ripley, from the first Alien film, who has been found after years of drifting in space by the company who owned the ship she fled from. However, the company does not believe her story, until they lose contact with people who have settled near the Alien colony. Again, the special effects are excellent.
Alien3 is my least favourite of the quadrilogy ...
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17.02.2008
No lump of coal! Review ofAlien Quadrilogy (Box Set)by
DrZoidberg
Advantages: Lovely package, great films, ridiculous quantity of special features Disadvantages: special features are of the interview / documentary style
...four are extremely watchable with Alien and Aliens being extremely different but equally sublime pieces of horror / scifi war.
The only downside i have found is that the extras are all the same documentary style, which is bearable if you are a fan, but everyone else will probably not bother with tham all, which is a shame as there is fascinating information to be gleaned. If you have enjoyed a single alien film or any sci fi film buy this now, you ...
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Advantages: Plent of extra hours! Disadvantages: Too many discs!!
...are missing....
Alien 3:- In my opinion not as good as the 2nd but also an immense film! Sigourney Weaver still starring as 'Ripley' still giving a great performance. This is set in an all male penitentiary!
Alien Resurrection:- Equally great film, slightly inevitable but still a great film none the less! Set in the future where man is trying to contain the Aliens...
Great films I recommend to anyone!! ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Actor(s): Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Al Matthews, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, Michael Wincott
Director(s): Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Classification: 18 years and over
Running Time: 7 hours 41 minutes
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United States of America
Plot: This nine DVD boxset contains all 4 films in the ALIEN saga: ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN 3 and ALIEN RESURRECTION along with just about every extra any fan of the ALIEN series could ever want; ALIEN: Recognised as a classic of both horror and science-fiction. Starring Sigourney Weaver as warrant officer Ellen Ripley, ALIEN focuses on the crew of the space cargo ship Nostromo, which lands on a moribund planet in response to a faint SOS. Inside a crashed ship, the crew members come upon strange pods, one of which spews forth a repellently fleshy insectile creature that locks on to the face of the unlucky Kane (John Hurt). Despite Ripley's advice, science officer Ash (Ian Holm) allows Kane to return to the ship, where the creature finally releases its grip. Soon, however, in one of the film's most infamous scenes, one of its offspring explodes horribly from Kane's stomach and scurries away. Dallas (Tom Skerritt), the vessel's captain, leads the others in a search for the rapidly growing, acid-dripping alien before it can cut them down one by one. ALIEN is available on this box set in both the original and new Directors Cut editions. ALIENS: Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor from the first film, is awakened after 57 years of drifting through space, her stories disbelieved by Company executives who tell her that the alien's planet is now inhabited and colonized. When contact is suddenly lost with the colonists, Ripley returns to the planet with a squad of marines, an android (Lance Henriksen), and a Company executive (Paul Reiser) with a mission of his own. Once on the planet, no survivors can be found except for Newt, a little girl who awakens motherly instincts in Ripley just in time for the acid-blooded aliens to attack in what quickly becomes a one-sided battle for sheer survival. Considered by many to be the best of the series, ALIENS is a fast-paced, high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action films and cemented director James Cameron's status as one of Hollywood's leading directors. ALIENS is available on this sbox et in both the original and Special Edition editions. ALIEN 3: Directed by David Fincher; ALIEN 3 picks up almost directly after the events in ALIENS, finding Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) frozen in suspended animation as her ship crashes on Fiorina 161, a prison planet. When awakened by the prison's staff, she discovers that she is the sole survivor of her crew. Trapped on a barren planet with convicts and no weapons of any [...]
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
Release date: 08/12/2003
No of Discs: 9
Catalogue No: 25231 DVD
Barcode: 5039036014823
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: New Detailed Commentaries, Interviews, Multi Angle Animatics, Pre Production Featurettes, Production Featurettes, Post Production Featurettes, Stan Winstons Workshop, Screenplays, Easter Eggs, Rare Still Archives, Theatrical Trailers, Television Trailers, Special Effects Footage
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS
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Listed on Ciao since : 29/04/2004
DVD Description
This nine DVD boxset contains all 4 films in the ALIEN saga: ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN 3 and ALIEN RESURRECTION along with just about every extra any fan of the ALIEN series could ever want; ALIEN: Recognised as a classic of both horror and science-fiction. Starring Sigourney Weaver as warrant officer Ellen Ripley, ALIEN focuses on the crew of the space cargo ship Nostromo, which lands on a moribund planet in response to a faint SOS. Inside a crashed ship, the crew members come upon strange pods, one of which spews forth a repellently fleshy insectile creature that locks on to the face of the unlucky Kane (John Hurt). Despite Ripley's advice, science officer Ash (Ian Holm) allows Kane to return to the ship, where the creature finally releases its grip. Soon, however, in one of the film's most infamous scenes, one of its offspring explodes horribly from Kane's stomach and scurries away. Dallas (Tom Skerritt), the vessel's captain, leads the others in a search for the rapidly growing, acid-dripping alien before it can cut them down one by one. ALIEN is available on this box set in both the original and new Directors Cut editions. ALIENS: Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor from the first film, is awakened after 57 years of drifting through space, her stories disbelieved by Company executives who tell her that the alien's planet is now inhabited and colonized. When contact is suddenly lost with the colonists, Ripley returns to the planet with a squad of marines, an android (Lance Henriksen), and a Company executive (Paul Reiser) with a mission of his own. Once on the planet, no survivors can be found except for Newt, a little girl who awakens motherly instincts in Ripley just in time for the acid-blooded aliens to attack in what quickly becomes a one-sided battle for sheer survival. Considered by many to be the best of the series, ALIENS is a fast-paced, high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action films and cemented director James Cameron's status as one of Hollywood's leading directors. ALIENS is available on this sbox et in both the original and Special Edition editions. ALIEN 3: Directed by David Fincher; ALIEN 3 picks up almost directly after the events in ALIENS, finding Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) frozen in suspended animation as her ship crashes on Fiorina 161, a prison planet. When awakened by the prison's staff, she discovers that she is the sole survivor of her crew. Trapped on a barren planet with convicts and no weapons of any kind, Ripley soon realizes that an alien was also on the ship and has survived. As the savage creature begins to massacre inmates, Ripley bands together with the remaining prisoners and attempts to destroy it by wits alone. ALIEN 3 is available on this box set as both the original edition and in a version based upon the Director's original cut. ALIEN RESURRECTION: In the last part of this saga, a drop of Ellen Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) blood spawns a part human, part alien Ripley clone. Now that Ripley is dead, the clone has fallen into the hands of government scientists who want to harness the Ripley clone's breeding powers. When the new and improved Ripley lands on a ship of androids, her mere appearance is enought to set the action rolling. ALIEN RESURRECTION is available on this box set in both the orginal and new extended edition.
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