Alien Quadrilogy

Posted by Darkness on April 24, 2010 (Updated: 17-Sep-2020)

 Alien QuadrilogyThe Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc box set released in December 2003 devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here the films have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and vision. Four discs contain the original theatrical versions of each film in addition to the extended versions with ALIEN containing the 2003 Director’s Cut. The special features include commentaries, interviews, multi-angle anamatics, pre-production, production and post production featurettes. The final bonus disc contains rare still archives, theatrical and television trailers, interviews and fascinating special effects footage.

Alien Special Features

DISC ONE

  • 1979 Theatrical Version
  • 2003 Director’s Cut (Dual Versions available via Seamless Branching)
  • THX Optimizer
  • Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusset, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt (ONLY on the 1979 Theatrical Version)
  • Introduction to 2003 Director’s Cut by Director Ridley Scott (1 min)

DISC TWO – The Beast Within: The Making Of Alien

Pre-Production:

  • Star Beast: Developing The Story featurette (18 mins)
  • First Draft Screenplay: By Dan O’Bannon (with Introductory Notes by O’Bannon)
  • The Visualists: Direction And Design featurette (17 mins)
  • Ridleygrams: Original Thumbnails And Notes
  • Storyboard Archive (377 pages)
  • The Art Of Alien: Conceptual Art Portfolio
  • Truckers In Space: Casting featurette (15 mins)
  • Sigourney Weaver’s Screen Test (with Optional Commentary by Ridley Scott) (5 mins)
  • Cast Portrait Gallery: Photo Archive (17 images)

Production

  • Fear Of The Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978 featurette (24 mins)
  • Production Gallery: Photo Archive
  • Continuity Polaroids (101 images)
  • The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo And Alien Planet featurette (18 mins)
  • The Sets Of Alien: Photo Archive (163 images)
  • The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design featurette (32 mins)
  • The Chestburster: Multi-Angle Sequence (5 mins)
  • H.R. Giger’s Workshop: Photo Archive (24 images)

Post-Production:

  • Future Tense: Editing And Music featurette (17 mins)
  • 7 Deleted Scenes
  • Outward Bound: Visual Effects featurette (19 mins)
  • Visual Effects Gallery: Photo Archive (33 images)
  • A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction To The Film featurette (20 mins)
  • Poster Explorations (53 pages)
  • Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive (53 images)
  • Premiere Photo Archive (29 images)

Easter Eggs

  • On Disc Two go to the ‘Navigation Options’ page. Use the Number Pad on your DVD Player’s Remote to Enter the U.S. Theatrical Release Date for ‘Alien’: 5-25-79. You’ll get the ‘DVD Production Credits’.

Aliens Special Features

DISC ONE

  • 1986 Theatrical Release
  • Special Edition (Dual versions available via seamless branching)
  • THX Optimizer
  • Audio commentary with director James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, Stan Winston, Robert Skotak, Dennis Skotak, Pat McClung, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Christopher Henn and Carrie Henn (ONLY in the ‘Special Edition’)
  • Introduction to Special Edition by director James Cameron

DISC TWO – Superior Firepower: The Making of Aliens

Pre-Production:

  • 57 Years Later: Continuing the Story featurette (11 mins)
  • Original treatment text by James Cameron
  • Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction featurette (13 mins)
  • Conceptual artwork gallery
  • Multi-angle previsualizations
  • Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization featurette (17 mins)
  • Cast portrait gallery

Production:

  • This Time It’s War: Pinewood Studios, 1985 featurette (19 mins)
  • Production photo gallery
  • Continuity Polaroids gallery
  • The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action featurette (15 mins)
  • Weapons and vehicles photo gallery
  • Bug Hunt: Creature Design featurette (16 mins)
  • Beauty and the Bitch: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien featurette (22 mins)
  • Stan Winston’s Workshop photo gallery
  • Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn featurette (14 mins)

Post-Production:

  • The Final Countdown: Music, Editing and Sound featurette (15 mins)
  • The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects featurette (28 mins)
  • Visual effects photo gallery
  • Aliens Unleashed: Reaction to the Film featurette (12 mins)
  • Film ‘finish and release’ photo gallery

Easter Eggs

  • Disc 2: Go to the ‘Post-Production’ area. Navigate up from ‘The Final Countdown’ -featurette selection, and highlight an icon at the top of the screen. Press ‘enter’: You’ll get ‘A Boy and His Power Loader’ -featurette (9 min)
  • Disc 2: Go to the “Navigation Options” –page. Use the number pad on your DVD player’s remote to enter the U.S. theatrical release date for the ‘Aliens’: 7-18-86. You’ll get the ‘DVD production credits’.

Alien 3 Special Features

DISC ONE

  • 1992 Theatrical Release
  • Special Edition (Dual versions available via seamless branching)
  • THX Optimizer
  • Audio commentary with cinematographer Alex Thomson, editor Terry Rawlings, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Richard Edlund, Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen (ONLY in the ‘1992 Theatrical Release’)

DISC TWO – The Making of Alien3

Pre-Production:

  • Development: Concluding the Story –featurette (17 mins)
  • Tales of the Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward’s Vision featurette (13 mins)
  • Conceptual artwork gallery (organized by subject)
  • Pre-Production: Part III featurette (11 mins)
  • Storyboard gallery (organized by scene)
  • Conceptual artwork gallery (organized by subject)
  • Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger’s Re-Design featurette (10 mins)

Production:

  • Production: Part I featurette (18 mins)
  • Production photo gallery
  • Furnace construction time-lapse sequence (4 mins)
  • Adaptive Organism: Creature Design featurette (20 mins)
  • A.D.I.’s Workshop photo gallery
  • EEV Bioscan multi-angle video
  • Production: Part II featurette (14 mins)
  • Production: Part III featurette (8 mins)

Post-Production:

  • Optical Fury: Visual Effects featurette (23 mins)
  • Music, Editing and Sound featurette (15 mins)
  • Visual effects photo gallery
  • Post-Mortem: Reaction to the Film featurette (8 mins)
  • Special shoot photo gallery

Alien Resurrection Special Features

DISC ONE

  • 1997 Theatrical Release
  • Special Edition (Dual versions available via seamless branching)
  • THX Optimizer
  • Audio commentary with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Hervè Schneid, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Pitof, Sylvain Desperetz, Ron Pearlman, Dominsigue Pinon and Leland Orser (ONLY in the ‘1997 Theatrical Release’)
  • Text introduction to “Special Edition”

DISC TWO

Pre-Production:

  • From the Ashes: Reviving the Story featurette (10 mins)
  • First draft screenplay text by Joss Whedon
  • French Twist: Direction and Design featurette (26 mins)
  • Under the Skin: Casting and Characterizations featurette (13 mins)
  • Creature, make-up and costume test footage (12 mins)
  • Marc Caro character design gallery
  • Conceptual art gallery
  • Storyboard gallery
  • Multi-angle previsualizations

Production:

  • Death from Below: Fox Studios, Los Angeles, 1996 featurette (31 mins)
  • In the Zone: The Basketball Scene featurette (7 mins)
  • Production photo gallery
  • Unnatural Mutation: Creature Design featurette (26 mins)
  • A.D.I.’s Workshop photo gallery,

Post-Production:

  • Genetic Composition: Music –featurette (13 mins)
  • Virtual Aliens: Computer Generated Imagery featurette (10 mins)
  • A Matter of Scale: miniature Photography featurette (23 mins)
  • Visual effects photo gallery
  • Critical Juncture: Reaction to the Film featurette (14 mins)
  • Special shoot photo gallery

Easter Eggs

  • Insert the bonus disc. Enter the ‘Post-Production’ section of the disc and there go to the second page. Now, highlight the menu entry ‘Back’ at the bottom of the page and press the ‘Down’ arrow key on your remote control This will highlight a glyph at the top of the screen and give you access to another segment in which infamous DVD producer David Prior is talking about being cast as an alien in the movie ‘Alien Resurrection.’ Talking about the coolness of the job as well as the discomfort he was suffering, is a great addition.

Bonus Disk

  • ‘Alien Evolution’ documentary
  • ‘Experiment In Terror’ original promotional featurette
  • Ridley Scott Q & A
  • Laserdisc archives. Trailers and TV spots
  • ‘Alien 3’ advance featurette (3 mins)
  • ‘The Bob Burns Alien Collection’ featurette
  • ‘Dark Horse’ artwork gallery

Region Comparisons

The Alien Quadrilogy has virtually the same special features across all regions. There are some differences. For instance, in the Region 1 version, it allows you to listen to commentaries in either version of a movie whereas in Regions 2/4, the commentaries can only be heard in the Theatrical versions of Alien, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, or on the Special Edition of Aliens. The Region 1 version also has an optional “deleted footage” marker, and you´re also able to view the deleted footage from the theatrical cut’s “Supplements menu”. Both of these options are missing from the Region 2/4 discs. R2/R4 are also missing the DVD-ROM feature “Interactive Script”, and the text introduction to Special Edition of the “Alien3” .

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