Rating: Unrated
Starring:
Gary Graham as Detective Matthew Sikes
Eric Pierpoint as Detective George Francisco
Michele Scarabelli as Susan Francisco
Sean Six as Buck Francisco
Terri Treas as Cathy Frankel
Ron Fassler as Captain Bryon Grazer
Lauren Woodland as Emily Francisco
Jeff Marcus as Albert Einstein
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Sergeant Dobbs
Special Features:
Full-Length Audio Commentary on all 5 Movies
4 Making-Of Featurettes
A Family Gathering – A Retrospective Featurette
Gag Reels, Still Galleries and More!
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Stereo Sound
Spanish Language
Spanish Subtitles
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD description:
“The legacy of Alien Nation, the truly original and exciting sci-fi series, continues in this magnificent collection of TV movies. Follow the further adventures of Los Angeles police detective Matt Sikes and his partner George Francisco, a fugitive slave from the planet Tencton who must, along with his brethen, struggle to assimilate to life on his adopted planet without sacrificing his own cultural identity. This intelligent, enthralling, and action-packed collection is a must-own for Alien Nation fans and science fiction fans alike!
Alien Nation: Dark Horizon
Dark Horizon picks up right where the series left off when Ahpossno, a ruthless Overseer, is sent to Earth to return the Tenctonese to slavery, putting the fate of the entire planet on the line.
Alien Nation: Body And Soul
Sikes and Francisco investigate the case of a girl who appears to be half-human and half-Tenctonese, and Sikes and his Newcomer love interest must learn about interspecies physiology.
Alien Nation: Millennium
With the twentieth century drawing to a close, Francisco’s son Buck is drawn into a deadly cult, and it’s up to Francisco and Sikes to save Buck and uncover the cult’s sinister truth.
Alien Nation: The Enemy Within
Francisco is forced to confront his own prejudices while investigating the death of an Eeno, a member of a lowly and reviled caste of Tenctonese waste-eaters.
Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy
Could there be a connection between law-abiding Newcomers committing violent crimes and the Udara, a Tenctonese extremist movement dedicated to overthrowing the Overseers?”
“Alien Nation: The Ultimate Movie Collection” is not rated.
Mini-Review:
I was a big fan of the original “Alien Nation” film. It was a brilliant sci-fi story. And like most classic sci-fi, the aliens and fantastic elements are just a cover for them to explore more real world issues in this case discrimination and race relations. That’s what made this the perfect setup for a TV series. There were endless issues they could explore on those topics and beyond while still being an interesting cop drama. The “Alien Nation” TV series explored the origins of the Tectonese, drug addiction, inter-species romance (outside of Arkansas kidding!!!), and male pregnancy (“Alien Nation” covered it before Oprah, Arnold, and DeVito). After the series was cancelled in 1990, I missed many of the TV movies that aired from 1994 to 1997. Now they’re on DVD for me and other fans to enjoy.
I was wondering how the series would hold up after 10 years of being off the air. I’m happy to report it’s still a solid show. The characters are all still unique and interesting. Sikes and Francisco still have perfect chemistry as buddy cops. The alien aspect still works as a way to spice up what could have otherwise been a boring cop drama. I believe it would still hold up if it were on TV today.
I was particularly happy to see that they didn’t skimp on the bonus features. Not only do you get commentaries with each episode, but there are ‘making of’ featurettes. They’re little more than home movies shot on the set, but it certainly gives you a unique behind the scenes look at every aspect of the making of the film. But the real highlight of the bonus features is a retrospective featuring a number of the original cast hanging out in the creator’s living room. They’re all a little older and a little grayer (except for Lauren Woodland who played Emily Francisco and is a lot hotter), and you feel like you’re sitting in on a family reunion as they reminisce about making the show.
This is a DVD set that will please established fans of the series as well as newcomers (no pun intended) who have yet to discover “Alien Nation.”
