___
|
|
Genre Movies
DOWSE Guide to the
Movies
by Tony Lee editor of
Pigasus
Press
Archive
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Alien Nation
90 minutes (18) 1989
Director: Graham Baker
Cast: James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp
review by Steven Hampton
This highly successful SF cop thriller, knowlingly scripted by Rockne S. O'Bannon,
and co-produced by genre specialist Gale Anne Hurd, spawned a sometimes witty if often
routine series (developed for by Kenneth Johnson, the man behind The Incredible
Hulk and V) of 22 episodes plus five TV movies.
The setup is ingeniously simple. Aliens have landed on Earth and created a major
immigration problem for the US. Finding these derisively termed "slags" housing and
work means that aged cop James Caan gets a bald, weirdly intelligent new partner in
'Sam Framcisco' (Mandy Patinkin). The alien adjusts to human ways much easier than
Cann's grouchy detective, though both cops learn to respect one another's talents and
attributes before too long. The villain of the piece is Terence Stamp's drug-dealer.
Another alien intent on securing his place in capitalist America, bulldozing over
competition from more down to earth rival gangs. The racism element is often played
for laughs, and it's the biological differences between humans and Tenctonese that
ensure this film's place in SF cinema (the testy Sam gets drunk on sour milk, other
aliens are destroyed by saltwater).
Alien Nation: Dark Horizon
89 minutes (12) 1994 Fox
Director: Kenneth Johnson
Cast: Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, Terri Treas, Scott Patterson, Michele Scarabelli
review by Peter Schilling
With the same cast as the TV show, which featured on the ITV regions, this engaging
SF cop-drama goes some way towards expanding on the original's gimmicky buddy-movie
idea. Xenophobic Purists subject Newcomer aliens to a virus that doesn't affect
humans at all. The situation gets complicated when an alien overseer arrives from
deep space, to roundup all the former slaves and conquer humanity. Ken Johnson, the
creator of V, handles the political and racism allegories well enough.
Back to Movies on Dowse index.
........................................................................
Back to
main page
Archaeology
Architecture
Art
Autos
Books
Computing & Internet
Cryptozoology
Dowsing
Dreams
Education
Entertainment
Fantasy art
Fiction
Free Stuff
Games
Gardening
Geography
Geology
History
Landscapes
Movies
Music
Mysteries
Myths & Legends
Paranormal
People
Philosophy
Poetry
Religions/Beliefs
Science Fiction
Sciences
Security online
Shamans
Theatre
Travel
TV
Urban Legends Webmasters tools
Writing & Publishing
................................
dowse your start page