Alien Quadrilogy

The words "too much information" come to mind when considering this monster nine-disc box set that unfolds like that “eety-beety card" Bullwinkle used to unfurl at the end of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends. The brazenly misnamed Alien Quadrilogy is a significant upgrade from the previously released Alien Legacy set, with each of the four Alien films presented in both their original theatrical versions (this is the first time James Cameron's Aliens has been available on DVD in this form) as well as expanded or merely tinkered-with director's cuts (or, in the case of the troubled Alien3, a sanctioned "Assembly" cut that greatly benefits the much-maligned film). The first two films in the series--Alien and Aliens--are sci-fi, horror, and action classics that catapulted Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character to icon status; given the law of diminishing returns with Alien3 and Alien Resurrection, however, the smart money may be on buying the individually-available special editions of the first two alone. But for completists, this titanic collection offers a staggering 45 hours worth of supplemental material (counting all the commentaries within various iterations of the films and scads of detailed production-related documentaries and featurettes), with one of the best extras being a multi-angled look at Alien's infamous gut-busting sequence, narrated by director Ridley Scott. The ninth disc gathers even more supplemental materials, some previously released on laserdisc (although on this final disc, the third and fourth films are represented only with theatrical previews and TV spots--not much to scream about there). In fact, the only major missing piece of the Alien puzzle here is the absence of Alien3 director David Fincher's commentary or participation. Still, taken together, Alien Quadrilogy is some kind of benchmark for the DVD format, the mother of all franchise boxed sets…at least for the moment. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (D. Liebenson)[Blu-ray Review—Nov 9, 2010—Fox, 6 discs, 477 min., not rated, $139.99—Making their first appearance on Blu-ray, 1979's Alien, 1986's Aliens, 1992's Alien 3, and 1997's Alien Resurrection all sport stunning transfers with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Each film is presented with both the original theatrical version and updated special editions, with extras including audio commentaries, deleted and extended scenes, and “Making the Alien Anthology” and “The Alien Anthology Archives” discs with pop-up video enhancement pods and hours of behind-the-scenes footage (including over 12,000 photos and stills, isolated scores, unseen dailies, multi-angle studies, TV specials, and more). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “MU-TH-UR” interactive mode that features datastreams of production notes and historical facts linked to various featurettes; and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a wonderful Blu-ray debut for a classic horror franchise.][Blu-ray Review—Oct. 21, 2014—Fox, 116 min., R, $24.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1979's Alien features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include both the 1979 theatrical version and the 2003 director's cut of the film, an introduction by director Ridley Scott, two audio commentaries (one by Scott and the cast and crew; the second by Scott on the theatrical version), deleted and extended scenes (7 min.), isolated score options by composer Jerry Goldsmith, art cards, and a reprint of the illustrated comic. Bottom line: if you already own Alien or Alien Anthology on Blu-ray, there's not much reason to add this.][Blu-ray Review—Sept. 20, 2016—Fox, 137 min., R, $24.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1986's Aliens features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include both the theatrical and special editions of the film, audio commentary by director James Cameron and the cast and crew, a “MU-TH-UR” interactive mode (with production notes, historical facts, and linked featurettes), deleted scenes (20 min.), a brief intro by Cameron, the “Final Theatrical” and the “Composer's Original” isolated score segments, a booklet, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: arguably the most popular film in the Alien quartet, this is recommended for completists or those who do not already own the Alien Quadrilogy or Alien Anthology sets on Blu-ray.]