Review of Alien Nation (1988) by Stuart K — 29 Mar 2014

Directed by Graham Baker (Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) and Impulse (1984)) and written by Rockne S. O'Bannon (creator of seaQuest DSV and Farscape) and produced by Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator (1984) and Aliens (1986)), this sci-fi thriller had done the rounds of Hollywood since the early 1980's until Fox picked it up.

It's central premise is a good idea, even if it has been done before. In 1991 (Razz), an alien race known as Newcomers came to earth, 300,000 of them in fact, and Earth became their new home, but most of the human population hate them, and a lot of them live in a slum called Slagtown.

When Los Angeles Police Detective Matthew Sykes (James Caan) witnesses two Newcomers murdering another Newcomer, Sykes' partner Bill Tuggle (Roger Aaron Brown) is killed in the crossfire. Skyes is even less happy to learn that his new partner is a Newcomer Samuel Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), and they have to investigate a conspiracy involving Newcomer businessman William Harcourt (Terence Stamp) and his goal for power.

It's a silly piece of sci-fi hokum, but it does have it's moments, even though it doesn't know whether it wants to be a police buddy film or a police revenge film. It might have spawned a TV series and a load of TV movies, the first film could have been better and it has nothing new to say.