While it might have been cancelled after its first season by the
FOX network, the Alien Nation TV series--much like its plucky heroes--proved to
be too tough to vanquish. Starting in 1994, FOX aired the first of five TV
movies that continued the Alien Nation saga. The series’ cancellation had been
particularly frustrating for its fans because the season ended on a cliffhanger
as Susan and Emily--the wife and daughter of Newcomer detective George
Francisco--were exposed to an engineered virus, designed by bigots known as
Purists, that was created in order to wipe out the immigrants from the stars.
Dark Horizon, the first movie in the Alien Nation - Ultimate Movie Collection,
finally deals with this annoying cliffhanger in a satisfying way.
Yet the Purists aren’t the only problem that George and his partner, detective
Matt Sikes, have to face in DH. The original outer
worldly slave masters of the Newcomers discover the location of earth, and send
a special forces scout to assess their condition. Dark Horizons is satisfying
mainly because it wraps up several storylines left dangling from the cancelled
first season of AN, but it’s also great to see these characters back in action
once more. The second movie, Body And Soul, deals with an exceedingly large
Newcomer who escapes from a hidden research lab with a small Newcomer girl in
his arms. Meanwhile, Matt and his Newcomer girlfriend Kathy struggle to learn about the
birds and the bees of interplanetary sex amidst a main plotline that deals with
a possible hybrid between humans and Newcomers.
As it’s name implies, Millennium, the third movie
in the series set, deals with the turn of the century--and all of the hype and
hysteria that ensues. The main villains this time out are a Newcomer cult that
ensnares Buck, George’s son. One fun note is that the internet--which was just
on the verge of becoming a household item back in 1996, when this film first
aired--is referred to here as the Optinet. The Enemy Within, the fourth Alien
Nation film, chronicles the surprising bigotry among the Newcomers for the
Eenos--a lower caste of the aliens who performed the dirty jobs aboard the slave
ships. Even the liberal-minded George isn’t above being disdainful of the Eenos,
going so far as to ignore the pleas for help one one of them.
During this, Matt and Kathy struggle to get along when they move in together. Much
hilarity is the result.
One little problem I had with The Enemy Within is
the fact that, despite being in a traumatic life-threatening situation where
they’re literally assaulted from all sides, neither George or Matt will use
their guns--instead they choose to slug their way out, despite the fact that
their guns are easily within reach the whole time. It’s also interesting in all
of the films how Kathy has become the go-to girl for all things scientific.
She’s a regular medical doctor who will also abruptly perform autopsies, as well
as question perps while they’re under hypnosis. Matt sure knows how to pick ’em!
The Udara Legacy, the final film in this series, is
perhaps the best of them all. Dealing with a villain who uses a mind control
technique over select Newcomers, making them commit crimes, it has a shocking
revelation concerning Susan. Terri Treas, who plays Kathy, was visibly pregnant
while filming this movie, and despite director Kenneth Johnson’s best efforts,
it still shows--as Johnson himself points out during his enjoyable commentary.
Speaking of which, all five films have commentaries by Johnson (who directed all five movies), and
he’s a great deal of fun to listen to. His commentaries are humorous and
informative at the same time, giving loads of detail concerning how each
shot was set up, who the actors are in a given scene, and other interesting
facts. He comes across as an extremely affable person who often makes jokes at
his own expense. The special features also have gag reels--compilations of
outtakes and bloopers--on the first three films which are very funny, plus
several making of documentaries, and still galleries.
But, aside from the commentaries, my favorite of the special features is the
2007 reunion between the Alien Nation actors, who all gather in Johnson’s living
room to reminisce about their experiences. The camaraderie between these folks
is very apparent--making it easy to understand why Alien Nation was so popular:
these people loved being with each other. This is located on the final disc, and
also serves as a chance for fans to see the Newcomer actors without their makeup. Fans of
the original series should have this set sitting side by side with the Alien
Nation DVD series on their shelves. The collection of films, along with a great
special features section, make Alien Nation: The Ultimate Movie Collection
the perfect companion piece to the original Alien Nation series DVD set.
--SF
