Alien Nation

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In this vaguely allegorical science fiction-crime film, a Los Angeles cop tries to solve the murder of his best friend with the help of his new partner -- a member of a star-faring alien race. In the near-future world of Alien Nation, the "Newcomers" are a race of formerly enslaved humanoids seeking refuge and integration into Earth society. These unusual immigrants face anger and resentment from some humans, including Matthew Sykes (James Caan), a cop whose partner, Tug (Roger Aaron Brown), was killed in a shoot-out with several Newcomers. In order to get some insight into Newcomer society and track down the "slags" who killed Tug, Sykes volunteers to take on a new partner, Sam "George" Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), the first alien ever promoted to the rank of detective. As Sykes tries to overcome his bigotry against George and his kind, who eat raw beaver and get drunk on spoiled milk, the friendly, helpful George soon learns the identity of Tug's killer: William Harcort (Terence Stamp), a pillar of Newcomer society who is secretly manufacturing the same powerful narcotic that was used to enslave his race. It's up to Sykes and George to stop Harcort before he turns his fellow Newcomers into drooling addicts and pulls the skeletons out of his race's closet for all of humankind to see. Omen 3 director Graham Baker made his screenwriting debut with Alien Nation, as did co-writer Rockne S. O'Bannon. Kenneth Johnson, creator of the miniseries V, would adapt Alien Nation into a weekly television show in 1989 and several made-for-TV movies in the mid-'90s. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Anamorphic widescreen [aspect ratio 2.35:1]
  • Interactive menus
  • Scene selection
  • Audio: English 4.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround
  • French Dolby Surround
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish
  • Featurette
  • Behind-the-scenes short
  • Theatrical trailer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       James Caan - Detective Matthew Sykes
       Mandy Patinkin - Detective Sam Francisco "George"
       Terence Stamp - William Harcort
       Kevin Howard - Kipling
       Leslie Bevis - Cassandra
       Peter Jason - Fedorchuk
       Abraham Alvarez - Mayor

• Director:

  Graham Baker

• Screenwriter:

  Graham Baker, Rockne S. O'Bannon

• Cinematographer:

  Adam Greenberg

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Budd Carr

• Composer (Music Score):

  Jerry Goldsmith, Curt Sobel

• Editor:

  Kent Beyda, Don Brochu, Curt Sobel

• Production Designer:

  Joan Bradshaw, Jack T. Collis

• Art Director:

  Joseph C. Nemec III

• Co-producer:

  Gale Anne Hurd, Richard Kobritz

• Set Designer:

  Jim Duffy, John Warnke

• Costume Designer:

  Erica Phillips

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Charles Wilborn, David MacMillan

• Makeup:

  Katalin Elek, Monty Westmore, Papp Zoltan, Michael Mills, John M. Elliott, Jr.

• Special Effects:

  Jeffrey Machit, Richard Lopez, Alan Rifkin, John Robles, Michael P. Stipe

• First Assistant Director:

  Newt Arnold, Jim Behnke, Herb Adelman

• Camera Operator:

  Phil Caplan, Michael Benson

• Stunts:

  Roydon E. Clark, Erik Cord, Gregg G. Dandridge, Paul Lane, Troy Melton, Wayne Montanio, Gary Morgan, Jeff Ramsey, Thomas Rosales, Jr., Bill M. Ryusaki, Jerry Summers, Jim Wilkey, Dick Ziker, Dick Hancock, Conrad Palmisano, Greg Walker, Harry Wowchuk, Eugene Collier, Glory Fioramonti, Terry Jackson, Dwayne McGee, Bill McIntosh, Nick Palmisano, Chere Rae, Wally Rose, Sharon Schaffer, Rock Walker, Brian J. Williams, Mike Johnson, Roger Creed, Rick Seaman, Bruce Paul Barbour, Simone Boisseree, Greg Wayne Elam, George Fisher, Bradley J. Bovee, James Welch, Dennis C. Alpert, Harold Burns, Ralph Garrett, Leslie Hoffman, Rick Sawaya, Lori M. Van der Veer, Steve Geray

• Choreography:

  Sarah Elgart

• Casting:

  Joan Bradshaw, Karen Rea

• Sound Editor:

  Wayne Allwine

• Pilot:

  James W. Gavin

• Supervising Sound Editor:

  Mark Mangini

• Pilot:

  Karl Wickman

• Makeup Special Effects:

  John Blake

• Production Executive:

  Bill Borden

• Title Design:

  Ernest D. Farino

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Steve Frakes

• First Assistant Editor:

  Tracy S. Granger

• Sound Editor:

  Warren Hamilton, Jr.

• Second Unit Director:

  Conrad Palmisano

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Conrad Palmisano

• First Assistant Camera:

  Vance Piper

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Matt Rose, Michael Spatola

• Special Effects Coordinator:

  Joe Unsinn

• Extra Casting:

  Frank Warren

• Best Boy Grip:

  Roberto Munoz

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Michael Trcic

• Casting Assistant:

  Doreen Lane

• Second Unit Director Of Photogra:

  Frank Holgate

• First Assistant Editor:

  Lorraine Salk

• Boom Operator:

  Gordon Webb

• Second Assistant Director:

  Harvey Waldman

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Don Bassman

• Negative Cutter:

  Gary Burritt

• Foley Editor:

  Christopher Flick

• Key Grip:

  Gene Kearney

• Second Second Assistant Director:

  Barbara M. Ravis

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Richard Overton, Kevin F. Cleary

• Boom Operator:

  Steve Bowerman

• Sound Editor:

  Solange S. Schwalbe, Michael J. Benavente

• Sound Recordist:

  Robert Renga

• Hair Styles:

  Janice Alexander

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Mark Garbarino

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Kevin E. Carpenter

• Gaffer:

  Jono Kouzouyan

• Best Boy Electric:

  John Pierce

• Makeup Special Effects:

  John Price, David Anderson, Grant Arndt, Roger Borelli, Greg Figiel, Emilio M. Gonzales, Jeff Kennemore, Makio Kida, Eryn Krueger, Richard J. Landon, Karen Mason, Brian Penikas, Russell Seifert, Michiko Tagawa

• Assistant Properties:

  Mike Carrillo

• Construction Coordinator:

  Dennis De Waay

• Properties:

  Louis S. Fleming

• Sound Editor:

  Lucy Coldsnow, Donlee Jorgensen

• Music Editor:

  Carlton Kaller

• ADR Editor:

  Nicholas Vincent Korda

• Sound Editor:

  Colin C. Mouat

• ADR Mixer:

  Charleen Richards

• Sound Editor:

  David Spence

• Foley Editor:

  Peter Tomaszewicz

• Best Boy Grip:

  David Christie

• Production Coordinator:

  Janis Benjamin Collister

• Second Assistant Camera:

  Alicia Craft

• Best Boy Electric:

  Donald Dahlquist

• Costumes Supervisor:

  Linda Serijan Fasmer

• Dolly Grip:

  Donald L. Hartley

• Costumes Supervisor:

  Michael J. Long

• Location Manager:

  Cass Martin

• Associate Editor:

  Jean Morrisey

• Still Photographer:

  Jane O'Neal

• Transportation Captain:

  Mike Paventi

• Location Manager:

  Bruce Rush

• Unit Publicist:

  Susan Trembly

• Construction Foreman:

  Steven E. Fegley

• Armorer:

  Bill Davis

• Location Manager:

  Richard Powell

REVIEW:

• A standard-issue cop flick with a sci-fi twist, Alien Nation utilizes the conventions of the genre -- the grizzled, rule-breaking detective, the rookie partner, the deadly new drug infecting the streets, and unfortunately, the black officer who dies in the first ten minutes -- even as it subverts them with a bit of humor and lots of Star Trek-worthy makeup effects. A puffy, weather-beaten James Caan plays straight man to an unrecognizable Mandy Patinkin's eager-to-please alien cop, both actors game enough to spout police force truisms without cracking a smile. Meanwhile, the venerable Terence Stamp, in possibly his only role to feature more makeup than his drag-queen character in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, portrays a "Newcomer" crime lord with elegant aplomb. Like the script's crime flick elements, the science fiction ideas here are mostly third-hand, but for a film that's basically a cross between V and The French Connection, Alien Nation is assembled with considerable finesse. The spacemen-assimilate plotline puts more emphasis on characters than on special effects, which probably kept the budget in line and certainly makes a change from the creatures-and-explosions trappings of many such genre exercises. The script's parallels between outer-space immigrants and their human counterparts may come off a little heavy-handed, but they do give Alien Nation a touch of social relevance. Throw in some strong action scenes, some pretty good gags, and Leslie Bevis as an alien good-time gal, and you've got a sci-fi film that pleases its core audience while giving the general action fan something to enjoy. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi