Alien Anthology – Alien Box Set

The Alien Anthology was recently released on Blu-ray disc, and it‘s the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves Ellen Ripley or those creepy xenomorphs with acid pumping through their veins. When the first film, Alien, debuted in 1979, nobody could have anticipated its success or staying power. Now over 30 years later, there have been four films (six if you count the Alien vs. Predator entries), comic books, video games, and a number of novels.

This Alien box set includes the first four films, plus two bonus discs with over 65 hours of archival and never-before-seen content. It’s all presented in high-def sound, and the interactive MU-TH-UR mode allows you to see the franchise in a whole new light. Each film is presented in widescreen with over 15 available subtitle options, and an alternate version of each motion picture is also presented (for a total of eight Alien movies).

By ordering the Alien Anthology from Amazon, you’ll save $50 off the list price, and future sales could lower the price even more. Even if you already own some of the movies on DVD, I urge you to shell out the cash for this Alien box set. It’s beautifully packaged, and you simply won’t find another Alien collection with this much attention to detail and bonus material.

Here’s a complete rundown of what you’ll receive when you order the Alien Anthology on Blu-ray:

Disc 1: Alien
Synopsis: Ridley Scott’s masterful melding of sci-fi and horror would forever change the face of both genres and help pave the way for films like Predator and Event Horizon. On the way back to Earth following a routine mission in space, the crew of the Nostromo receives orders to investigate a mysterious transmission from a nearby planetoid. When a crew member is brought back to the ship with something attached to his face, things quickly accelerate from bad to worse.
Notable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton
Disc Includes: 1979 theatrical version
– 2003 director’s cut with introduction by Ridley Scott
– Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott, writer Dan O’Bannon, executive producer Ronald Shusett, editor Terry Rawlings, actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt
– Audio commentary (only for theatrical cut) by Ridley Scott
– Final theatrical isolated score by Jerry Goldsmith
– Composer’s original isolated score by Jerry Goldsmith
– Deleted and extended scenes
– MU-TH-UR interactive mode with Weyland-Yutani DataStream

Disc 2: Aliens
Synopsis: Fifty-seven years after the events in Alien, Ellen Ripley is pulled from suspended animation and asked to return to the planetoid where she first encountered the murderous xenomorphs. But this time she’ll have backup, as a team of gung-ho Colonial Marines will be along for the ride. Unfortunately, none of them are prepared for what waits on the inhospitable surface of LV-426. James Cameron directs this sequel, sacrificing a bit of the horror of the original for an extra dose of white-knuckle action. The formula worked, as Aliens made a killing at the box office and propelled Cameron onto the Hollywood A-list.
Notable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn
Disc Includes: 1986 theatrical version
– 1991 special edition with introduction by James Cameron
– Audio commentary by director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, alien effects creator Stan Winston, visual effects supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, miniature effects supervisor Pat McClung, actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn and Christopher Henn
– Final theatrical isolated score by James Horner
– Composer’s original isolated score by James Horner
– Deleted and extended scenes
– MU-TH-UR interactive mode with Weyland-Yutani datastream

Disc 3: Alien 3
Synopsis: Before he became known for films like Seven and Panic Room, director David Fincher helmed this third installment in the Alien franchise. The action picks up with the escape pod seen at the end of Aliens crashing onto the surface of a refinery/prison planet. Ripley survives, but she’s soon surrounded by the world’s all-male population of murderers and rapists. And you better believe that a xenomorph or two were along for the ride.
Notable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Pete Postlethwaite, Lance Henriksen, Brian Glover
Disc Includes: 1992 theatrical version
– 2003 Special Edition (restored workprint version)
– Audio commentary by cinematographer Alex Thomson, editor Terry Rawlings, alien effects designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., visual effects producer Richard Edlund, actors Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen
– Final theatrical isolated score by Elliot Goldenthal
– Deleted and extended scenes
– MU-TH-UR interactive mode with Weyland-Yutani datastream

Disc 4: Alien Resurrection
Synopsis: Set 200 years after the last film, Alien Resurrection follows the disastrous efforts of the United Systems Military to contain and study the lethal xenomorphs. They need human bodies for their experiments, and these are provided by a group of mercenaries. But one of the mercenaries is not what they seem, and their actions coincide with an escape by the aliens and an all-out battle for survival. Ellen Ripley is back, by the way, but I won’t spoil the details as to how she’s survived for so many years. French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (The City of Lost Children) casts many of his regulars and contributes a unique visual look.
Notable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Brad Dourif, Leland Orser, Dan Hedaya, and J.E. Freeman
Disc Includes: 1997 theatrical version
– 2003 Special Edition with introduction by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
– Audio commentary by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, editor Hervé Schneid, alien effects creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., visual effects supervisor Pitof, conceptual artist Sylvain Despretz, actors Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon and Leland Orser
– Final theatrical isolated score by John Frizzell
– Deleted and extended scenes
– MU-TH-UR interactive mode with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

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Disc 5: Making the Anthology
Synopsis: This extras disc is loaded down with featurettes about the making of each film in the series.
Disc Includes: The Beast Within: Making ALIEN
– Star Beast: Developing the Story
– The Visualists: Direction and Design
– Truckers in Space: Casting
– Fear of the Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978
– The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo and Alien Planet
– The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design
– Future Tense: Editing and Music
– Outward Bound: Visual Effects
– A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction to the Film
– Enhancement Pods
Superior Firepower: Making ALIENS
– 57 Years Later: Continuing the Story
– Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction
– Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization
– 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. Queen Alien
– Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn
– The Final Countdown: Music, Editing and Sound
– The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects
– Aliens Unleashed: Reaction to the Film
– Enhancement Pods
Wreckage and Rage: Making ALIEN3
– Development Hell: Concluding the Story
– Tales of the Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward’s Vision
– Stasis Interrupted: David Fincher’s Vision
– Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger’s Redesign
– The Color of Blood: Pinewood Studios, 1991
– Adaptive Organism: Creature Design
– The Downward Spiral: Creative Differences
– Where the Sun Burns Cold: Fox Studios, L.A. 1992
– Optical Fury: Visual Effects
– Requiem for a Scream: Music, Editing and Sound
– Post-Mortem: Reaction to the Film
– Enhancement Pods
One Step Beyond: Making ALIEN RESURRECTION
– From the Ashes: Reviving the Story
– French Twist: Direction and Design
– Under the Skin: Casting and Characterization
– Death from Below: Fox Studios, Los Angeles, 1996
– In the Zone: The Basketball Scene
– Unnatural Mutation: Creature Design
– Genetic Composition: Music
– Virtual Aliens: Computer Generated Imagery
– A Matter of Scale: Miniature Photography
– Critical Juncture: Reaction to the Film
– Enhancement Pods
– MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience to Access and Control Enhancement Pods

If you’re a hardcore fan of the Alien franchise, click here to order the Alien box set from Amazon

Disc 6: The Anthology Archives
Synopsis: Another disc loaded with featurettes concerning the making of each film in the Alien franchise. These in-depth extras take you from pre-production all the way to post-production.
Disc Includes: ALIEN
(Pre-Production)
– First Draft Screenplay by Dan O’Bannon
– Ridleygrams: Original Thumbnails and Notes
– Storyboard Archive
– The Art of Alien: Conceptual Art Portfolio
– Sigourney Weaver Screen Tests with Select Director Commentary
– Cast Portrait Gallery
(Production)
– The Chestbuster: Multi-Angle Sequence with Commentary
– Video Graphics Gallery
– Production Image Galleries
– Continuity Polaroids
– The Sets of Alien
– H.R. Giger’s Workshop Gallery
(Post-Production and Aftermath)
– Additional Deleted Scenes
– Image & Poster Galleries
– Experience in Terror
– Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive
– The Alien Legacy
– American Cinematheque: Ridley Scott Q&A
– Trailers & TV Spots
ALIENS
(Pre-Production)
– Original Treatment by James Cameron
– Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Videomatics with Commentary
– Storyboard Archive
– The Art of Aliens: Image Galleries
– Cast Portrait Gallery
(Production)
– Production Image Galleries
– Continuity Polaroids
– Weapons and Vehicles
– Stan Winston’s Workshop
– Colonial Marine Helmet Cameras
– Video Graphics Gallery
– Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers
(Post-Production and Aftermath)
– Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned
– Deleted Scene Montage
– Image Galleries
– Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive
– Main Title Exploration
– Aliens: Ride at the Speed of Fright
– Trailers & TV Spots
ALIEN 3
(Pre-Production)
– Storyboard Archive
– The Art of Arceon
– The Art of Fiorina
(Production)
– Furnace Construction: Time-Lapse Sequence
– EEV Bioscan: Multi-Angle Vignette with Commentary
– Production Image Galleries
– A.D.I.’s Workshop
(Post-Production and Aftermath)
– Visual Effects Gallery
– Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive
– Alien 3 Advance Featurette
– The Making of Alien 3 Promotional Featurette
– Trailers & TV Spots
ALIEN RESURRECTION
(Pre-Production)
– First Draft Screenplay by Joss Whedon
– Test Footage: A.D.I. Creature Shop with Commentary
– Test Footage: Costumes, Hair and Makeup
– Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Rehearsals
– Storyboard Archive
– The Marc Caro Portfolio: Character Designs
– The Art of Resurrection: Image Galleries
(Production)
– Production Image Galleries
– A.D.I.’s Workshop
(Post-Production and Aftermath)
– Visual Effects Gallery
– Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive
– HBO First Look: The Making of Alien Resurrection
– Alien Resurrection Promotional Featurette
– Trailers & TV Spots
ANTHOLOGY
– Two Versions of Alien Evolution
– The Alien Saga
– Patches and Logos Gallery
– Aliens3D Attraction Scripts and Gallery
– Aliens in the Basement: The Bob Burns Collection
– Parodies
– Dark Horse Cover Gallery
– Patches and Logos Gallery
– MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience

So there you have it: the Alien Anthology box set on six Blu-ray discs. If you’re a fan of the series, this collection deserves a special place in your movie library. And if you’ve never experienced the adventures of Ellen Ripley as she battles acid-bleeding xenomorphs, I suggest you get your butt in gear and purchase this Blu-ray box set immediately. Amazon offers the lowest price available online, and the small commission we make for sending you there will allow us to keep updating you on great box sets in the future.

Also recommended:

• The Twilight Zone Box Set
• Masters of Horror Box Set
• 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa
• 24: The Complete Series
• Lone Wolf and Cub Box Set

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