Techtite's DVD Reviews!

The Alien Legacy Collection

To Purchase this awesome 4-disc DVD set, Click Here!

(For links to buy each DVD individually, look after review...)

A Techtite Review

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of the 1979 smash hit, Alien, all four of the films in this saga have been put on special edition DVDs; some even with additional Bonus Materials galore. However, given how bad the last two films were, is it worth it to buy all four in this collection...? Well, that depends on how cool the bonus materials are to you...

For one, there's the original Alien movie. While only available in its widescreen format (most DVDs offer both widescreen and full-screen/pan-and-scan formats), it's bonus materials menu also includes deleted scenes! See final moments in the film the way they were originally planned, including one scene where Ripley discovers what the Alien was doing with all the missing bodies. Special audio tracks, like Isolated Original Score, An Alternate Music Track, and other languages like French and Spanish add to the fun.

Then there's Aliens. This might have the best added features in the four DVDs. Unlike the deleted scenes of the first movie --only available via the main menu-- these scenes have been edited into the original film, creating a Director's Cut; as James "Titanic" Cameron originally planned it. Due to time concerns before its theater release, several scenes were edited out that he otherwise would have kept in. Among them are whole sequences of the colony, just before the Aliens strike. Ripley's character is also explored, with one scene that shows Burke explaining to her what happened to her daughter (remember; Ripley was allegedly in suspended animation for 75+ years by the time this movie begins). Other moments include more heated discussions between the Army soldiers about what-to-do-next, including a moment where the possibility of an Alien "Queen" is discussed in mid-film. While available to the Laserdisc audience a few years back, this was the first time I got to see this director's cut of Aliens, and it was more than worth the price of the whole collection.

As for the other two movies, what can I say? In Alien3, as many already know, the heroine (Ripley) dies; one of the stupidest finales ever conceived in an action/horror flick. In Alien Resurrection, the Aliens seem to be latex Muppets; Yoda was scarier. However, both DVDs include behind-the-scenes featurettes, which are intriguing in themselves. After all, hasn't it been bugging you how two not-so-good sequels could follow such a classic pair of sci-fi movies?

Which brings us to the question at hand; is the "Legacy" collection price worth it? Each movie is available individually, if you want; individual links to the first two films --both on DVD and VHS-- follow this review. So, you might ask, why not simply buy Alien and Aliens separately? It's up to you, although IMHO it's better to buy all four as a set, for several reasons. Given the price of the two DVDs individually, the price of this set is almost like getting the other two films for free, anyway. If you're a trading card fan, you'll also like the collection of cards included with the DVD set (though I'm not sure if this is a "while supplies last" type deal...). Each DVD container includes a special booklet about the movie, which combined add up to about 25 pages of behind-the-scenes anecdotes and trivia. The special box, complete with a chrome colored alien, doesn't make the purchase any harder, and looks pretty nice on a DVD library shelf. 

	Final Rating : Deep Impact. Totally Cool Collection for any fan of the saga. Director's Cut of Aliens is a must-see. Deleted Alien scenes, too. Cool chrome box art!
For more on this site's ratings system, click here.

To Purchase this awesome 4-disc DVD set, Click Here! 

To buy the Aliens DVD separately, Click Here

To buy the Alien DVD separately, Click Here

While this "Legacy Collection" is not available on VHS as a set, the best films are available on VHS anyway:

• Click here for a VHS version of Alien (20th Anniversary Edition)
• Click here for the VHS version, of the Director's Cut of Aliens!
• Click here to by the VHS version of Aliens, Director's Cut, Widescreen!

Got a review you'd like to share? TECHtite will post 2 of the best "guest" reviews received for each item, online, for all the world to see!