Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Alien 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 22, 2019

Have you had any debates as to whether Alien should be better classified as a science fiction or a horror film? Maybe there’s a film geek gene that gets passed down from father to son, for my younger son has raised this very issue on several occasions. I personally don’t think there really needs to be a differentiation, though one of the things that I think probably instantly set Alien apart, and something that continues to fascinate audiences to this day, is what a successful hybrid of the two genres the film is. I frankly hadn’t watched Alien in years before sitting down to experience it again (and in some ways, anew) in this new 4K UHD version, but the visceral intensity of the horror aspect along with the futurist ambience of the science fiction element captivated me as much as on my first viewing. I will say one thing with regard to the science fiction side of things, and one which may have been patently obvious to many other viewers through the years, but which suddenly struck me for the first time on this particular viewing: as manifestly different as they are, Alien rather strangely has some interesting elements in common with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Obvious analogs include a mysterious trip in outer space, not to mention contact with some kind of alien, but there’s a whole subtext in Alien concerning so-called “AI” and hidden ulterior motives that play very much like at least the foundational underpinning of 2001’s HAL aspect. That said, the "horror" side of things in Alien is arguably even more gut wrenching (in more ways than one) than the science fiction contributions, and for better or worse (depending on how you react to things), this 4K UHD version of Alien pretty significantly ups the "eww" factor of several special effects sequences, not to mention the ability to see things (or Thing) that go bump in the night.

Is there anyone left in the industrialized world who isn't at least somewhat acquainted with Alien? If so, I refer you to my colleague Casey Broadwater's Alien Anthology Blu-ray review for at least a semblance of this film's plot mechanics.

Alien 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Alien is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. The initial PR blast sent to me by Fox states:

The film was restored in 4K in 2018 by 20th Century Fox at Company 3/Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, supervised by Ridley Scott and Pam Dery, with the 4K scans were done [sic] at EFilm.

This is a largely incredible looking upgrade, especially in keys areas of clarity, detail levels and probably especially shadow detail. As fans of the film are most likely already well aware, huge swaths of the story take place in extremely dark conditions, and there is a whole host of new details noticeable now in previously hidden nooks and crannies. Overall clarity is also materially improved throughout the presentation, with a really solid uptick in fine detail levels, even when lighting conditions aren't optimal. The improvements in clarity going rather deep into the frame continually impressed me — for just one admittedly mundane example, keep your eyes peeled in the early tracking shots through the spaceship, and when the little "bobbing" toys appear in the background, you can make out details on them that are simply MIA in the 1080p Blu-ray version. Our Forum on this title is virtually exploding (chest cavities beware) with opinions on the color grading of this release, and I have to frankly state I didn't see a huge difference in the overall palette here courtesy of HDR. Yes, there is definitely improved saturation, but in terms of general color temperature, things looked relatively similar to my eyes when doing a side by side comparison with the 1080p Blu-ray (my home theater is set up so that I can pretty much toggle between 2160p and 1080p versions played through two separate players). That said, there are some subtle but noticeable differences, starting as soon as the credits sequence, where the effulgent glow from behind the planet looked slightly more green-yellow to me in the 4K UHD version than on the 1080p Blu- ray. The yellows of the "pod" scenes with Dallas interfacing with "Mother" also have a somewhat more burnished, honey like glow in this version. The most appealing differences to me were in the big final showdown sequence, where the flashing lights surrounding Ripley offer some really beautiful oranges and reds that are considerably more vivid and nuanced than in the 1080p Blu-ray version.

Now on to the element which may provoke a bit of controversy, at least with regard to my personal perceptions. I have frequently stated in my reviews of 4K UHD product that I haven't always been totally "convinced" by how grain looks in the increased resolution this format offers. My complaints in this regard have been mostly leveled at Lionsgate releases, where grain can frequently look noisy or swarm like, and where it can kind of hang or freeze in unnatural looking ways. Now, Alien is frequently a very grainy looking outing, and some sequences here, notably a bunch with the white backgrounds of the spaceship, just looked a little odd to my eyes. The "awakening" scene is probably exacerbated by a bunch of optical dissolves, but if you keep your eyes peeled toward the upper section of the frame, the grain kind of swarms and clumps weirdly and just doesn't look completely natural to my eyes. While this chunkiness is probably most noticeable in the more brightly lit scenes, it isn't confined to them — there's a brief view "outside" at circa 23:06 which is swathed in darkness and mist where the same clumpiness accrues. Other viewers may well find the grain resolution well within the bounds of what they feel is "organic", but I personally had a few passing if admittedly niggling qualms in this regard. It never approached the levels of some of the more problematic Lionsgate releases I've personally reviewed, but it stuck out enough to me that I felt it warranted mentioning.

All of this said, this is undeniably a major upgrade in video quality, with manifestly increased detail levels and a really appealingly saturated palette. To my eyes, the most significant upgrade here is with regard to shadow detail, which is materially improved in this version.

The Director's Cut also available on this disc is not all native 4K, and there are some noticeable variances in image quality that give things an at least slightly more heterogeneous look than on the Director's Cut on the 1080p Blu-ray. For that reason, some may actually prefer the Director's Cut at the lower resolution of the 1080p Blu-ray.

Note: As linked to above, my colleague Casey Broadwater wrote an exhaustive review of the Alien Anthology, and I refer interested readers to that review for Casey's assessment of the video quality of the 1080p Blu-ray included with this release.

Alien 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In what may be at least a minor letdown for some audiophiles, the 4K UHD version does not include a new Dolby Atmos or DTS:X mix. The disc repeats the same excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which Casey assessed in his Alien Anthology Blu-ray review. I've ported over Casey's score from that review to this one. The DTS-HD Master Audio 4.1 track on this disc, listed as recreating the original theatrical experience, has really appealing surround activity, and I frankly didn't notice a whale of a lot of difference in the imaging and separation as I toggled back and forth between it and the 5.1 track. LFE on both the 5.1 and 4.1 tracks is quite impressive.

Alien 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 2003 Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott and the Cast and Crew


• 1999 Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott (Theatrical Version only)


• Final Theatrical Isolated Score is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and available on the Theatrical Version only.


• Composer's Original Isolated Score is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is available on the Theatrical Version only. This attempts to "reconstruct" Jerry Goldsmith's original intentions, which were radically edited and reworked for the final film.


• Deleted Scenes Index (HD; 6:39)

Alien 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some wise poet once stated that a rose by any other name would stil smell as sweet, and in a somewhat analogous way, it probably doesn't matter into which genre you prefer to stuff Alien, the film is still going to be a total adrenaline rush one way or the other. This 4K UHD version offers significant upgrades in detail levels, palette saturation and especially shadow definition. I frankly didn't see a huge difference in the palette, but the upgrade in what you can see in the "darkness" is extremely notable. I personally felt that the grain resolution here was occasionally a bit on the chunky side, but some of that at least is understandably due to things like optical compositing. One way or the other, I can't imagine fans of Alien not being thrilled with this release. Highly recommended.