Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Alien 2: On Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 15, 2018

Ciro Ippolito and Biagio Proietti's "Alien 2: On Earth" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with Eli Roth; and special effects test. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is as bad as advertised.

The trick that can make low-budget films like Alien 2: On Earth look attractive and interesting is this: the director quickly builds very strong atmosphere and then essentially replaces the story with it, which allows him to turn the negatives of the production into positives. It is an old trick, but it is not easy to pull off. Thom Eberhardt did a pretty good job with Night of the Comet precisely because he was able to convince that the minimalistic environment in which his characters are left to survive is what his film is about, not the silly interactions and the dilemmas that they face there. There are also directors that do not have trouble getting proper funding for their projects but intentionally recreate these restrictive conditions so that they can do the trick. Michael Haneke, for instance, did precisely that with the excellent Time of the Wolf in which the bleak environment again becomes the story.

I sat down to view Alien 2: On Earth a few nights ago and almost immediately after the opening credits disappeared I knew that Ciro Ippolito and Biagio Proietti were going to try to do the trick. The subject matter was appropriate and it was very obvious to me that their film was intended to be a thriller that would rely almost exclusively on its atmosphere to impress. Unfortunately, from the moment that beautiful girl walked on the beach the film basically began disintegrating because the lack of proper skills to build the crucial atmosphere was impossible to ignore. For example, even basics like camera handling are so problematic that there are short scenes where it actually looks like the camera operator is struggling to decide where to stand and how to capture the action. Elsewhere the camera just refuses to move on and creates the impression that there is actually something important happening before it but instead there is just the cold wall of a poorly lit cave. Eyes that have spent years watching genre films will also very quickly spot how during supposedly key scenes somewhere in the back there are random folks looking straight into the camera wondering whether there is something important happening in their area. It is bad.

There are some old reports claiming that Ippolito carefully chose the title for the film to make it look like a sequel to Ridley Scott’s classic hit. This too is an old trick that has benefited many Italian directors. However, in this case I don’t think that enough people were fooled to believe that there was any legit connection between the two.

*Director/writer/actor Michele Soavi has a small role, but he probably became involved with this project because at the time he had financial problems. Even if you are a fan of his work, avoid.

Alien 2: On Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alien 2: On Earth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from the same master that Midnight Legacy used to produce this release in the U.S. back in 2011. The master that was prepared is actually very strong, but it appears that at some point very light degraining was applied across the entire film. Unfortunately, the effects of it can be quite obvious on larger screens as they impact delineation, shadow definition in the darker footage, and depth. The good news is that there are still some pleasing visuals, but it is very easy to tell that without the degraining the technical presentation would have been quite impressive. Also, there are no age-related imperfections and image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Alien 2: On Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The film was overdubbed in English, but this was almost certainly a very cheap job and it easily shows. To be perfectly clear, the entire track has more or less the same dynamic level but in some areas balance actually becomes quite unconvincing. As a result there are a few quite awkward flat spots where one can easily be fooled to believe that there is some sort of a mastering problem. Unfortunately, this is how the dub was finalized.

Alien 2: On Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Alien 2: On Earth. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Special Effects Test - (13 min).

• Franchised Terrorist: An Interview with Eli Roth - in this video interview, Eli Roth explains how he discovered Alien 2: On Earth and why he thinks that it is a minor gem. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Trailer Reel - a collection of trailers for other 88 Films releases.

• Cover - reversible cover with alternate art.

Alien 2: On Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Italians have a very long history of trying to capitalize on the success of Hollywood blockbusters while financing strange copycats and 'sequels', and they have actually produced some quite wonderful gems. Unfortunately, Alien 2: On Earth is not one of them. It is a cheaply made and rather poorly shot horror thriller whose only redeeming quality is its decent soundtrack. There is a nice video interview with Eli Roth on this release in which he argues exactly the opposite, but I just never saw any of the things that he was apparently impressed with.