Regular Price $9.98

Starring: James Caan,  Mandy Patinkin,  Terence Stamp,  Kevyn Major Howard,  Leslie Bevis, 
Directed By: Graham Baker, 
Rated: R (Restricted)
Release Date: 1988-10-07
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: Anamorphic,  Closed-captioned,  Color,  Dolby,  DVD-Video,  Subtitled,  Widescreen,  NTSC, 

Editorial Reviews and DVD Information about Alien Nation

Description
Thought-provoking, witty and entertaining, this action-packed blend of science fiction and police drama finds Los Angeles the new home of 300,000 humanoid extraterrestrial. When a gang of these Newcomers kills a police detective's (JAMES CANN) partner, he sets out to solve the crime with his new partner (MANDY PATINKIN) - the L.A.P.D.'s first Newcomer detective. But the unlikely pair soon uncover a far more dangerous threat to society.

Amazon.com Review
They get drunk on sour milk. They have two hearts and bald, spotted heads. They're highly intelligent, but if you drop them in seawater they'll melt into a puddle of goop. They're "Newcomers," and they arrived as refugees in a massive alien slave-ship, quarantined for three years and then reluctantly accepted as citizens of Earth. To some humans--including seasoned Los Angeles cop Matt Sykes (James Caan)--the Newcomers are unwelcome "slags." Sykes's own virulent "speciesism" intensifies when Newcomer thugs kill his partner, but he sees logic in teaming up with Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), the first Newcomer detective in the LAPD. Francisco's Newcomer knowledge is vital to their investigation of an alien drug ring, and a friendship grows from life-or-death circumstances.

A routine cop thriller with a comedic sci-fi twist, Alien Nation> has two things working in its favor: Caan and Patinkin form a memorable duo, and the basic premise--as conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon (who later developed the film as a TV series)--intelligently accounts for the sociological impact of an alien population. The subtle point is made that humans are extraordinary beings who squander their potential, and the evil of drugs--as dealt by a social-climbing Newcomer played by Terence Stamp--leads to a crisis that threatens to generate global intolerance. These points are well presented in a context of overly familiar plotting and standard-issue sarcasm. It's entertaining for a brisk 90 minutes, but in its attempt to be widely appealing, Alien Nation glosses over issues that might have made it more uniquely provocative. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews for Alien Nation

Underrated sci-fi thriller
This is a buddy-buddy cop, alien hangs it with human piece of cops n robbers that has good performances, some good action and a few nice little twists going on. Good, solid entertainment.Alien Nation

Fun-tastic!
James Caan and Mandy Patinkin are fabulous in this combination sci-fi cop/buddy film. The "alien" aspects of the story line are of course metaphores for what we all live with today, which makes it an interesting social commentary.

This is one of my favorite don't-have-to-think-too-hard movies that's also the premise for one of my all time favorite television shows. There need to be more films like this.Alien Nation

Alien Nation (original movie)
Alien Nation is classic science fiction now. The story is interesting; dialogue fair (though better than anything in Star Wars); and the acting, while not Oscar-worthy, is solid.Alien Nation

the movie that started the series
i thought this was a great concept. and, i hadn't seen Mandy Patinkin in a movie since "the princess bride". the movie doesn't have enough time to really go into detail about the newcomers like the series did but you get enough info to know that they are very different from us. it's more of an action movie than a sci-fi movie because it takes place on earth. these guy's crash landed on our planet and don't have a way to get back home so they try and adapt to our way of life. if you like action with a little bit of comedy and you don't really have to think too much about whats going on, then you'll like this one. it's a fun movie!Alien Nation

Alien Nation sent promptly in great condition
Alien Nation was sent promptly. It is in excellent condition. Great service!Alien Nation