Alien Quadrilogy Box Set

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Disc 1-Alien
1979 Theatrical Version
2003 Director's Cut


Disc 2-Alien
Star Beast: Developing the story, first draft of the screenplay by Dan O'Bannon
The Visualist: Direction and design
Ridleygrams: Original thumbnails & notes
Storyboard archive
Art of Alien (Cobb, Foss, Giger, Moebius)
Truckers In Space: Casting
Sigourney Weaver's screen test with optional commentary by Ridley Scott
Cast portrait gallery
Fear Of The Unknown: Shepperton studios, 1978
The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo and Alien Planet
The Sets Of Alien
The Eighth Passenger: Creature design
The Chestburster: Creature design
Future Tense: Music and editing
8 deleted scenes
Visual effects gallery: Photo archive
A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction to the film
Poster explorations
Special shoot

Disc 3-Aliens
Commentary by Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn, Terry Henn, Lance Henriksen, Gale Anne Hurd, Pat McClung, Bill Paxton, Dennis Skotak, Robert Skotak and Stan Winston
1986 theatrical version, 1991 special edition version
James Cameron introduction

Disc 4-Aliens
57 Years Later: Continuing the story
Original Treatment: by James Cameron
Building Better Worlds: From concept to construction
The Art Of Aliens: Conceptual art portfolio
Pre-Vis Anamatics
Preparing For Battle: Casting & characterization
Cast Portrait: Still gallery
This Time It's War: Pinewood Studios, 1985
Continuity Polaroids
The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and action
Weapons and Vehicles: Photo archive
Bug Hunt: Creature design
Beauty And the B*tch: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien
Stan Winston's Workshop: Photo archive
Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn
The Final Countdown: Music, editing and sound
Aliens Unleashed: Reactions to the film
Film finish & release
Easter Egg: A Boy And His Power Loader

Disc 5-Alien 3
Commentary by Terry Rawlings and crew
1992 theatrical version, 2003 special edition version

Disc 6-Alien 3
Development: Concluding the story
Tales Of The Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward's vision
The Art of Aceron: Conceptual art portfolio
Part III featurette
Art of Fiorina
Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Geiger's Redesign featurette
Production: Part I featurette
Furnace Construction: Time-lapse sequence
Adaptive organism: Creature design
ADI Workshop
E.E.V. Scan multi-angle vignette
Production: Part II
Optical Fury: Visual effects
Music, editing and sound
Visual effects: Photo archive
Post-Mortem: Reaction to the film

Disc 7-Alien Resurrection
Commentary by Jean Pierre Junet and crew
Intro (Extended Cut only)
1997 theatrical version, 2003 special edition version
Jean Pierre Junet introduction

Disc 8-Alien Resurrection
From The Ashes: Reviving the story
First draft screenplay: by Joss Whedon
French Twist: Direction and design
Under The Skin: Casting and characterization
Test footage #1 Hair/make up
Mark Carro photo gallery
The Art of Resurrection: Conceptual gallery
Pre-visualizations: Multi-angle rehearsals
Death From Below: Underwater photography
Unnatural Mutation: Creature design
Genetic Composition: Music
Easter Egg: Alien Extra

Regardless of what you think of the word Quadrilogy (Tetralogy, Anthology, even Alienogy might have been better choices), this nine-disc set is a must-have for fans of "Alien" and its sequels! Of course, each movie has two discs dedicated to it: one for the movie and one for supplements; and there is one additional disc of bonus material covering all four movies to make up the set. (The titles are also available individually in the same two-disc arrangement. The ninth bonus disc is only available in the Quadrilogy set.)

Disc One offers the first installment of one of the most popular science fiction/horror sagas ever made. Both the original 117-minute 1979 theatrical edition (with a deleted/extended scene index) and the 116-minute 2003 Director’s Cut (with a Ridley Scott introduction and deleted footage marker) are offered on the DVD. (The D-VHS® D-Theater™ features only the Director’s Cut.) A rather large group audio commentary is included for both editions of the movie, featuring director Ridley Scott, writer Dan O’Bannon, executive producer Ronald Shusett, editor Terry Rawlings, and actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt.

Disc Two is everything you ever wanted to know about Pre-production, Production, and Post Production "Alien," but were afraid to ask. In the Pre-production menu are three 15- to 18-minute featurettes: Star Beast: Developing The Story, The Visualists: Director And Design, and Truckers In Space: Casting. There is also a six-minute Sigourney Weaver screen test with optional commentary by Ridley Scott. The impressive and extensive still photo galleries include the first draft original screenplay by Dan O’Bannon, original thumbnail and note Ridleygrams (you’ve seen these before on other Ridley Scott movies on DVD), storyboard archives, art, and a cast portrait gallery. Selecting Production will take you head-first into three extensive featurettes: a 24-minute behind-the-scenes look at Fear Of The Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978, the approximately 17-minute The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo And Alien Planet, and a fascinating 32-minute look at The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design. Delve into multi-angle scene studies via The Chesterburger: Creature Designs, with optional commentary by Ridley Scott. Additional still galleries include production photos, sets, and a look inside H.R. Giger’s Workshop. Post Production adds yet another three featurettes: Future Tense: Music And Editing, Outward Bound: Visual Effects, and reminisce with the A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction To The Film. Finally, there are seven deleted or extended scenes and still galleries highlighting visual effects, posters, promos, and the premiere...but we are only on Disc Two!

The first sequel to "Alien," "Aliens," is offered on Disc Three. Both the 137-minute 1986 theatrical edition (with deleted/extended scene index) and the 154-minute 1991 Special Edition (with James Cameron introduction and deleted footage markers) are included with commentary by director James Cameron, producer Gale Ann Hurd, Alien effects creator Stan Winston, visual effects supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, miniature effects supervisor Pat McClung, and actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn, and Christopher Henn.

As with Disc Two, the supplements on Disc Four are separated into "Aliens" Pre-production, Production, and Post Production submenu selections. Featurettes included in the Pre-production menu, ranging in running time from 11 to 17 minutes, are: 57 Years Later: Continuing The Story, Building Better Worlds From Concept To Construction, and Preparing For Battle: Casting & Characterization. Additionally, there are multi-angle pre-visualizations with optional commentary by miniature effects supervisor Pat McGlung and galleries that include concept art, cast images, and original script treatment by James Cameron. The Production menu offers five more featurettes: This Time It’s War: Pinewood Studios, 1985; The Risk Always Lives: Weapons And Action; Bug Hunt: Creature Design; Beauty And The Bitch: Power Loader vs. Alien Queen; and Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver And Carrie Henn. A production photo archive, continuity Polaroids, Stan Winston’s Workshop, and Weapons And Vehicles are all featured in still galleries. Finally, Post-production delves into music, editing and sound; visual effects; and reaction to the film in featurettes that vary from 13 to 26 minutes. Photo galleries feature visual effects and premiere images.

The 115-minute 1992 theatrical version (with a deleted/extended scene index) and the 145-minute 2003 Special Edition/Assembly Cut (with deleted footage marker) of "Alien 3" are offered on Disc Five, both with audio commentary by cinematographer Alex Thomson, editor Terry Rawlings, effects designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., visual effects producer Richard Edlund, and actor Paul McGann.

Following the same format as the first two movies, Disc Six -- supplements relevant to "Alien 3" -- is split into Pre-production, Production, and Post-production. Starting with the former, you will gain access to four featurettes: the 17-minute Development: Concluding The Story, which discusses the difficulties in making the film; the 13-minute Tales Of The Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward’s Vision that delves into the ideas of the story writer; the 12-minute look behind the nightmare of Pre-production Part III; and meet the alien-designer and the new ideas applied in Alien 3 in the 10-minute Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger’s Redesign. There are also conceptual art portfolios and storyboard archives. The Production menu offers approximately 42 minutes of behind-the-scenes (Production Part I, II, and III) concepts, ideas and interviews; a five-minute time-lapse sequence of the construction of the furnace; and a 21-minute look at the creature design. There are also extensive photo archives with notes and a multi-angle vignette. Finally, the Post-production selection takes a 23-minute look at the Optical Fury: Visual Effects creations, Music, Editing And Sound (15 minutes), and an eight-minute highlight on cast and filmmaker reaction Post Mortem. Visual Effects still galleries and a promotional shoot round out the features on Disc Six.

Along with "Alien Resurrection" on Disc Seven -- which is available in the 109-minute 1997 theatrical edition (with a deleted/extended scene index) and the 116-minute 2003 Special Edition (with a Jean-Pierre Jeunet introduction and deleted footage marker) -- is a group audio commentary track with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet; editor Hervé Schneid; effects creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr.; visual effects supervisor Pitof; conceptual artist Sylvain Despretz; and actors Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, and Leland Orser.

Disc Eight includes supplements for "Alien Resurrection." Starting with the Pre-production selection, there are brief highlights on casting, costumes, and hair and make-up. More extensive featurettes include From The Ashes: Reviving The Story and French Twist: Direction And Design. Pre-visualization Multi Angle Rehearsals and still photo galleries featuring Joss Whedon’s first draft screenplay and conceptual art are also included in this sub-menu. Production featurettes include Death From Below: Underwater Photography, In the Zone: The Basketball Scene, and Unnatural Mutation: Creature Design. The Still Gallery includes production images and A.D.I. Workshop highlights. Post-production covers the music, computer generated imagery, miniature photography, and reaction to the film in 10 to 23-minute featurettes. A still gallery rounds out the Production supplements.

If you make it to Disc 9, you will be bombarded by even more supplements...should you be hungry for more. The main menu is split into sub-menus in sequential order of the four movies offering additional supplements, as well as access to the 17-minute Bob Burns featurette "Aliens In The Basement." Under the "Alien" menu, the most supplement-rich menu on Disc 9, are several featurettes: the 64-minute "Alien Evolution"; "Experience In Terror," a seven-minute promotional featurette from 1979; a 16-minute Q&A with Ridley Scott conducted at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood; an archive of the supplements included on the Special Edition LaserDisc (yeah, remember those?) with production notes and stills; the theatrical and teaser trailer and two TV spots. Moving on to the "Aliens" menu, you are offered the Special Edition LaserDisc archive, trailers (theatrical, teaser, domestic, and international, and a Now Playing TV spot. The "Alien 3" menu offers a three minute featurette, five theatrical trailers, and seven TV spots. The "Alien Resurrection" menu only includes two theatrical trailers, a teaser, and four TV spots.

Kudos to producer Charles de Lauzirika and the team at 20th Century Fox for assembling an impressive collection of DVDs that will surely please fans of the series. About the only thing a fan could ask for that was not included here might be "The Alien Legacy" and "The Alien Saga" documentaries: the former of which was briefly available as a special mail-in offer around the time of the previous DVD releases and the latter which is currently available from Image Entertainment. (Suzanne Hodges/Michael Coate)

DVD Picture:
"Alien": This new anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1-framed DVD picture is incredible. The planet’s atmosphere is a fine mist that does not break up in the slightest way with pixelization. Being extremely nitpicky, there are a few shots that seem a bit edgier than the previously released DVD edition that we reviewed in Issue 33 (for example, the shots of one of the waiting astronauts, as the other three are exploring the Alien’s planet), but could be attributed, in part, to the higher contrast on the new DVD. Only the slightest film grain is revealed from the source element, and there are no obvious scratches or dirt. It seems the only reminder of how old this film is comes in the way of the spaceship’s controls and computers. But if you think the DVD looks fantastic, wait till you see the D-VHS D-Theater picture, which offers an astounding amount of detail that betters the DVD with even greater depth and clarity. Minute details are much more apparent and revealing of textures on the Nostromo, facial features, and other textures. Details in the shadows are also better revealed. Color saturation is also more true on the D-VHS, while appearing slightly faded on the DVD by comparison. The occasional scenes with minor edge enhancement on the DVD appear to be completely clean on the D-VHS. Score: 5.

"Aliens": Both the 137-minute theatrical and 154-minute special editions of "Aliens" are available on this disc, and compared to the previously released DVD (Issue 33), this anamorphically enhanced picture (the only entry in the series shot in 1.85:1) appears to be the same. Images are sharp and can be very nicely detailed, with excellent facial and clothing textures. Much of the picture is dark in nature, but contrast and shadow delineation are well balanced. The picture exhibits somewhat dated fidelity, at times looking even older than Alien, and can have a soft character at times. There is a bit of grain inherent in the source element, but no obvious scratches or dirt. Occasional pixel breakup or shimmering is noticed, but only for a moment at a time. You will be hard-pressed to find any distracting edge enhancement. Score: 4.5.

"Alien 3": The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1-framed DVD picture for the theatrical version appears to be virtually the same as the previous edition (Issue 33), though alternate scenes on the Special Edition exhibit adjustments in color and contrast (for example, compare the shot of the man mopping the floor in Chapter 23 of the Special Edition and 16 of the previous version). As with "Aliens," there can be some inherent softness in the picture, but otherwise detail is very nicely rendered. There can be a minor edginess to the some of the higher contrast scenes, but hardly resemble anything like the annoying halos that are apparent on more and more DVDs.Score: 4.5.

"Alien Resurrection": The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1-framed DVD exhibits a picture that is very similar to the previously released DVD (Issue 33), though an effort has been made to clean up the picture a bit. Flecks of dirt apparent on the previous edition are all but absent on this DVD. Color fidelity is virtually the same, with lots of browns and golds, blown out whites, and blacks that drop off with little delineation. It is a harshly stylized picture that is often extremely dark, at times appearing a bit pasty. There is some edge enhancement noticed at times, but nothing that is too obtrusive. Pixelization and loss of finer details are also occasionally noticed. Score: 4.5. (Suzanne Hodges)


Soundtrack:
"Alien": The 5.1 audio is a new remastering effort, sounding a bit louder in overall level than the previous DVD. There’s also some more low-end content and refinement in spatial articulation. Otherwise, the general characteristics of the audio are similar to the previous soundtrack remastering. The fidelity is certainly dated and some distortion is to be expected. The soundstage tends to be conservative in nature with an adequately compelling sense of holosonic™ spaciousness throughout. The low-end is inherently reserved. The Dolby® Digital version seems to have just a bit more to offer in the low-end, but the DTS® Digital Surround™ audio (new to this release) sounds a little more “open” in the midrange and articulated in dimension. On D-VHS D-Theater, the Dolby Digital soundtrack sounds just slightly smoother in the midrange than the Alien Quadrilogy DVD version. Like the DTS version for the DVD, the DTS audio for the D-VHS® D-Theater™ (encoded at the full 1509 kbps) sounds a little more “open” in the midrange and articulated in dimension. Score: DD 3.5, DTS 3.5.

"Aliens": The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack appears to be the same as that for the previous DVD release. This is a remastered audio presentation that excels in terms of soundstage delivery, particularly with regard to aggressive spatial engagement. Deep bass is powerful at times with prominent LFE channel activity. The fidelity is somewhat dated, and subtle background hiss can occasionally be noticed. The dynamic and prominent nature of the audio can sometimes be perceived as being a little strident. Score: 4.5.

"Alien 3": The Dolby® Digital 5.1 soundtrack is slightly higher in overall level, but otherwise sounds similar to the previous DVD release. Like "Aliens," this soundtrack excels with aggressive and energetic soundstage delivery, along with very impressive dynamic range and powerful deep bass content. The difference here is that the Alien 3 audio sounds a bit more up-to-date in terms of fidelity. This is a rather loud soundtrack, and peak sound pressure levels can seem somewhat harsh. Score: 4.5.

"Alien Resurrection: The Dolby® Digital 5.1 soundtrack sounds the same as the audio for the previous DVD. The DTS® Digital Surround™ audio (new to this release) exhibits slight refinements in terms of spatial articulation and deep bass content. This is the best soundtrack of the "Alien" series, with very good fidelity as well as the expected standout attributes of aggressive spatial engagement and clean, powerful low-end impact. There’s prominent split surround activity throughout and remarkably wide dynamic range. Score: DD 4.5, DTS 5. (Perry Sun)



This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Reference Quality

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