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Movies / On DVD / Alien: The Director's Cut
Alien: The Director's Cut

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Alien: The Director's Cut (2003)

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Reviews Counted: 49

Fresh: 46

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 8.1/10

Consensus: Director Ridley Scott re-edits his 1979 sci-fi classic to produce an elegantly re-mastered film that is as terrifying and effective as ever.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sci-fi violence/gore and language

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release: Oct 29, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $1,954,649

Synopsis: For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, movie audiences will be able to experience Alien on the big screen, as Twentieth Century Fox releases Alien The Director's Cut, a special edition of director Ridley Scott's science... For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, movie audiences will be able to experience Alien on the big screen, as Twentieth Century Fox releases Alien The Director's Cut, a special edition of director Ridley Scott's science fiction/horror classic, in theaters nationwide this Halloween. For this digitally remastered special edition of what many have called the "scariest movie ever made," Ridley Scott has incorporated new footage never before seen in movie houses. Working closely with Twentieth Century Fox, Scott oversaw a restoration of the original film's negative, as well as further digital enhancements. In addition, Scott and his team of archivists went through over 100 boxes of film footage, unseen in almost 25 years, which were discovered in a London vault. From this wealth of material, Scott selected new "Director's Cut" footage, which then underwent digital restoration, matching it to Alien's news-"polished" negative. The film also features a brand-new six-track digital stereo mix. Fox released the original Alien in May 1979. The film was hailed by critics and audiences worldwide as seminal work of science fiction, and went on to gross over $100 million worldwide, a remarkable number for that era. The film's success spawned a film franchise for the studio, with three adventures in the saga following in 1986, 1992, and 1997. Alien launched the career of Sigourney Weaver, whose character Ellen Ripley became one of the genre's first and most enduring heroines. The film also stars Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Sir Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The producers are Gordon Carroll, David Giler and Walter Hill, and the screenplay was written by Dan O'Bannon from a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto

Director: Ridley Scott

Director: Ridley Scott
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Alien: The Director's Cut

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Ratings Image

Whether this is the first time you have seen Alien, or the third or fourth... The tension never abates – the film never lets you off the hook.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/06/03
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Alien is a triumph of style over substance, of lean over fat.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/07/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image

Going back to the beginning and seeing where it all began, this film had a lot to live up to in my eyes. In the end, I was just left wondering what all the fuss was about.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
11/25/03
Shawn Bowers
Kansas City Star
Ratings Image

... one of the few films that can be predicted perfectly, but it?s so well crafted?and so damn exciting?that we just don?t care.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/23/03
Blake French
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

Nearly a quarter of a century down the line, a great film has been made greater.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
11/14/03
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
Ratings Image

It remains one of the best examples of sustained tension.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
11/06/03
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
Ratings Image

When Scott was finished, he thought it was too long and that the added material threw the pacing off. Therefore, he cut his own Director's Cut. (Alien Quadrilogy)

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/06/03
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image

'A chance to see Ridley Scott's ruthlessly efficient shocker back where it belongs, on the big screen.'

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
11/05/03
Paul Arendt
Teletext
Ratings Image

For reviewer Todd Gilchrist, puberty began in earnest when he witnessed Sigourney Weaver getting physical aboard a doomed spaceship.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
11/04/03
Todd Gilchrist
FilmStew.com
Ratings Image

Still one scary mother.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
11/04/03
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image

fuller and scarier

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/02/03
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

Thrill again to how thoroughly conceived the whole thing is, how impeccably acted and genuine in its suspense.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
10/31/03
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
Ratings Image

Turns out not to be one of those movies that improves in the memory, but actually is better than you remember, mostly because it puts its multitude of imitators to shame.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
10/31/03
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Ratings Image

Scott knew how to create tension, and the movie still has plenty of white-knuckle impact, although it's a little tamer than I remembered.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
10/31/03
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Ratings Image

What you will find is that the old mayhem is still masterful and that there is nothing like the big screen for this type of mortally wounded space exploration.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
10/31/03
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
Ratings Image

Watching it again reminded me how remarkably the sound engineers did their jobs.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
10/31/03
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
Ratings Image

Alien still thrills because of Scott's relentless focus on terror.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
10/31/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Ratings Image

It's scary, smart, well-acted and just as effective now as it was in 1979. Go see it.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
10/31/03
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly
Ratings Image

Whether altered for the sake of incorporating superfluous extra material (cat fight!) or for reasons even less compelling, the editing rhythms here are way off.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
10/30/03
Ron Stringer
L.A. Weekly
Ratings Image

The movie inspired three sequels and remains undeniably frightening. It also marks a significant step in the evolution of modern science-fiction films.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/30/03
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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