SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT

"ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT"
(2003) (Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
None	Heavy	Heavy	Extreme	Mild

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Minor	Heavy	Heavy	None	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	Moderate	None	Mild	Extreme

QUICK TAKE:: Sci-fi/Horror: Crewmembers must contend with a deadly, rogue alien that's killing them one by one onboard their spaceship.

PLOT:

The commercial space vehicle Nostromo is headed back to Earth, but its onboard computer, "Mother," has received a mysterious beacon and thus decided to awaken the crew from their deep, interstellar sleep. Following their directive, the ship's captain, Dallas (TOM SKERRITT), decides they must investigate and thus they set down on an inhospitable planet.

There, Dallas and two crewmembers, Kane (JOHN HURT) and Lambert (VERONICA CARTWRIGHT), go to investigate and discover an ancient spaceship and the fossilized remains of a huge creature. They also discover an array of egg pods from which springs a small alien that attaches itself to Kane's faceplate.

He's rushed back to the ship, but Ripley (SIGOURNEY WEAVER) won't allow him in, knowing it will be breach the ship's quarantine. Science officer Ash (IAN HOLM), however, disregards that and Kane is saved. When the alien then appears to have died, the crew, including mechanics Brett (HARRY DEAN STANTON) and Parker (YAPHET KOTTO), prepare for another ten months of deep sleep.

A new alien, however, changes their plans when it literally pops out on the scene and flees somewhere into the massive ship. From that point on, the crew tries to avoid the alien that has acid for blood, is progressively growing larger by the minute and seems determined to kill all of them.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of the original film and want to see the director's cut, or have heard about the film but never seen it, they just might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For sci-fi violence/gore and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: SIGOURNEY WEAVER plays a crewmember onboard a spaceship who must contend with a deadly alien that's picking them off one by one. She uses some strong profanity but shows bravery and resourcefulness in dealing with the situation.
TOM SKERRITT plays her commander who similarly tries to deal with the alien intruder. He uses some profanity.
IAN HOLM plays the science officer who's suspiciously curious and protective of the alien creature. He uses some profanity.
HARRY DEAN STANTON plays one of the ship's mechanics who smokes and uses some profanity.
YAPHET KOTTO plays his buddy and fellow mechanic who's motivated only by money and uses strong profanity in reaction to what occurs onboard their ship.
JOHN HURT plays the first crewmember to be exposed to the alien. He smokes a few times.
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.; TOM SKERRITT plays her commander who similarly tries to deal with the alien intruder. He uses some profanity.
IAN HOLM plays the science officer who's suspiciously curious and protective of the alien creature. He uses some profanity.
HARRY DEAN STANTON plays one of the ship's mechanics who smokes and uses some profanity.
YAPHET KOTTO plays his buddy and fellow mechanic who's motivated only by money and uses strong profanity in reaction to what occurs onboard their ship.
JOHN HURT plays the first crewmember to be exposed to the alien. He smokes a few times.
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.; IAN HOLM plays the science officer who's suspiciously curious and protective of the alien creature. He uses some profanity.
HARRY DEAN STANTON plays one of the ship's mechanics who smokes and uses some profanity.
YAPHET KOTTO plays his buddy and fellow mechanic who's motivated only by money and uses strong profanity in reaction to what occurs onboard their ship.
JOHN HURT plays the first crewmember to be exposed to the alien. He smokes a few times.
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.; HARRY DEAN STANTON plays one of the ship's mechanics who smokes and uses some profanity.
YAPHET KOTTO plays his buddy and fellow mechanic who's motivated only by money and uses strong profanity in reaction to what occurs onboard their ship.
JOHN HURT plays the first crewmember to be exposed to the alien. He smokes a few times.
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.; YAPHET KOTTO plays his buddy and fellow mechanic who's motivated only by money and uses strong profanity in reaction to what occurs onboard their ship.
JOHN HURT plays the first crewmember to be exposed to the alien. He smokes a few times.
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.; JOHN HURT plays the first crewmember to be exposed to the alien. He smokes a few times.
VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.; VERONICA CARTWRIGHT plays the other female crewmember who reacts adversely to the situation in which she finds herself. She smokes and uses profanity.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated sci-fi horror film. Profanity consists of at least 5 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. A brief instance of sexually related dialogue is present, while a woman is briefly seen (in a nonsexual context) in her small panties and short/tight tank-top, and some small photos of bare-breasted women are briefly seen.

Violence consists of the alien creature killing various crewmembers, as well as some fighting, two mercy killings, and a near decapitation of what turns out to be an android. Some of that material has bloody/gory results, while those scenes, various "jump scenes" and most of the film will likely be unsettling, suspenseful or downright scary to some viewers. Several characters smoke.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, several instances of that occur (and go full strobe late in the film).

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: None.

BLOOD/GORE: Ash cuts into one of the alien's "fingers" that's on Kane's face. Acid (its blood) then pours out and burns through the floor and subsequent floors below that.
We see the gooey underside of the alien creature (it might be gross-looking to some viewers).
Blood suddenly squirts out from a man's covered chest. Everyone pauses in shock and then more blood squirts out as a small alien creature erupts from his chest (covered in blood, while the wall has blood splatter on it).
Blood from a recently killed man falls down onto another man.
Ripley has a little bit of a bloody nose and Ash has some white, blood-like liquid down his head.
A man nearly decapitates a second man who turns out to be an android. All sorts of whitish liquid spews forth from the severe neck wound. We then see the android's severed head from which more white goo oozes forth, while other parts look half mechanical, half organic (with gory results from the opened skin).
We see a brief shot of some bloody, dead bodies.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: An unseen organization has deemed the crew expendable in exchange for safe return of the alien creature.
Some characters have fear/anger-induced momentary lapses of bad attitudes toward others.
Parker is motivated only by money.
Ash breaks protocol and quarantine rules in allowing others to bring Kane and an alien attached to his spacesuit mask back into the ship (although he says he's doing so to save his life).
A character tries to kill another.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to viewers, particularly younger ones and those with low tolerance levels for such material.
Alarms go off and some small fires break out onboard the ship after a rough landing.
Three crewmembers slowly make their way through the darkened corridors of an old spaceship. There, they find a huge and apparently fossilized alien creature (and there's talk that it appears to have exploded from within). We then hear (but they don't) that the beacon that awakened them was not an SOS, but rather a warning signal.
Kane goes down into a lower chamber and ends up sliding out of control into it. There, he finds various pods that have movement inside them. One slowly opens at the top and he slowly peers inside it (we see the gooey-looking alien inside). It then suddenly jumps on his spacesuit helmet face-plate. Moments later, we see two other crewmembers racing him back onto the ship.
We see the horseshoe crab type alien on Kane's spacesuit face mask and then on his face when the helmet is cut away. It's gooey, has its "fingers" wrapped around his face and a tail like appendage around his neck.
Ash cuts into one of the alien's "fingers" that's on Kane's face. Acid then pours out and burns through the floor and subsequent floors below that (the crew races to see where it's going and when/if it will stop before it gets to the hull).
Ash calls the others to the sick bay where they discover that the small alien is now off Kane's face and apparently hiding somewhere in the large room. Ripley, Dallas and Ash then slowly make their way through the room, looking for it.
A crewmember begins to choke and convulse at the mess hall table. Others try to help him, but the convulsions get worse until blood suddenly squirts out from his covered chest. Everyone pauses in shock and then more blood squirts out as a small alien creature erupts from his chest (covered in blood, while the wall has blood splatter on it). The creature then races away.
After that, the rest of the film is one tense/suspenseful scene after another as the survivors try to find and/or avoid the creature as it picks them off one by one.
Some crewmembers pick up what they believe to be the alien's movement on an electronic tracker and slowly make their way toward it.
We hear a heartbeat driven soundtrack as one man goes looking for a cat (in an otherwise mostly silent scene).
We see the now large alien rear up behind a crewmember who doesn't see it (a nearby cat does and reacts). The creature jabs out with its inner set of retractable jaws and lifts the man from the floor. Blood from that man then falls down onto another man.
A crewmember makes his way through a dark and tight airshaft through which they believe the alien is traveling. We then see an electronic display showing his position and that of the alien approaching him. As the others (watching the display) panic, he looks around but can't see the creature. By the time he does, it's too late and the alien attacks him (we don't see the impact).
A man grabs another man, but the second grabs the first's chest, causing him pain. The first then uses something to bash the second on the head, causing him to convulse. He then hits his head again, nearly decapitating the second man who turns out to be an android. All sorts of whitish liquid spews forth from the severe neck wound. The body then grabs the first man until another crewmember zaps it with an electric prod.
A crewmember is paralyzed with fear as the alien approaches her. A male crewmember tries to help, but the creature kills him (with its retractable set of inner jaws that jab out at him). We then see a tentacle like appendage go around the woman's leg and hear her screams, but don't see what happens to her.
Ripley slowly makes her way through the dark spaceship, armed with a flamethrower.
Ripley torches two crewmembers (who are alive but look rather bad) that she finds stuck in the alien's nest (they plead for her to kill them and she complies).
Ripley discovers the alien onboard her escape pod and then races back to deactivate the main ship's self-destruct mode.
Ripley races to board an escape pod and get off the ship before it self-destructs.
Ripley discovers the alien in a room with her and races into a small closet (with a glass window) where she tries to hide and then deal with the alien.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Unknown weapons: Carried by some of the crewmembers.
Flamethrower/Electric prods/Spear gun: Carried and used by the crewmembers while searching for the alien.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Why don't you just f*ck off?" "What the f*ck is going on?" "We'll blow it the f*ck out into space," "F*cker," "Same old sh*t," "That's a bunch of horseshit," "That's bullsh*t," "No bullsh*t," "What the hell /are we doing out here/was that/happened/is this/is that/are you doing?" "Let's get the hell out of here," "You're g*ddamn right," "Tough little son of a bitch," "Make damn sure," "Little bastard," "My ass," "Kitty crap," "...And get the hell out of here," "Shut up," "You son of a bitch" and "You bitch" (said to the alien).

JUMP SCENES: A sudden sound in a quiet scene might startle some viewers.
A creature suddenly jumps on a person's spacesuit helmet face-plate.
Something suddenly drops down from the ceiling and makes a noise in a quiet but tense scene.
The sudden sight and sound of a cat in a locker might startle some viewers.
A sudden sound might startle some viewers.
The alien suddenly shows up in the shot as a man turns around.
A cat suddenly surprises Ripley.
A sudden blast of steam might startle some viewers.
The alien's arm suddenly flips out and startles a person.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A heavy amount of ominous music plays in the film.
We hear a heartbeat driven soundtrack as one man goes looking for a cat (in an otherwise mostly silent scene).

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 5 "f" words, 8 "s" words, 18 hells, 6 damns, 5 S.O.B.s, 1 ass, 1 crap, 11 uses of "G-damn," 4 of "Oh God," 2 each of "God" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "For God's sakes," "Good God," "Jesus," "Jesus Christ," "My God" and "Oh Jesus."

SEX/NUDITY: We see some of the male crewmembers in their boxers when they're awakened from a deep space sleep.
Parker makes some innuendo toward Lambert when he says that he'd rather be eating something else right now (referring to her) but that right now he's going to eat some food.
We see small photos of bare-breasted women adorning a wall in the spaceship.
We see Ripley in a short and tight tank-top and some very small panties and see the top of her butt as she bends over (as she prepares to go into deep space sleep).

SMOKING: Brett smokes at least 5 times (and rolls his own cigarettes), while Kane and Parker each smoke several times.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Space travel.
Extraterrestrial life.
Parker is motivated only by money.

VIOLENCE: A creature suddenly jumps on a person's spacesuit helmet face-plate and then has its "fingers" around his head and its tale-like appendage wrapped around his neck.
Lambert slaps Ripley, and the two struggle and must then be separated.
Ash cuts into one of the alien's "fingers" that's on Kane's face. Acid then pours out and burns through the floor and subsequent floors below that (the crew races to see where it's going and when/if it will stop before it gets to the hull).
An alien bursts from a man's chest (with bloody results), killing him.
We see the now large alien rear up behind a crewmember who doesn't see it (a nearby cat does and reacts). The creature jabs out with its inner set of retractable jaws and lifts the man from the floor. Blood from that man then falls down onto another man.
An alien attacks a man (we don't see the impact).
Ripley grabs Ash and pushes him back against a wall.
Ash rips out some of Ripley's hair, throws her into some equipment and then throws her into another room. He then rolls up some papers, sticks them in her mouth and attempts to smother her with them.
A man grabs another man, but the second grabs the first's chest, causing him pain. The first then uses something to bash the second on the head, causing him to convulse. He then hits his head again, nearly decapitating the second man who turns out to be an android. All sorts of whitish liquid spews forth from the severe neck wound. The body then grabs the first man until another crewmember zaps it with an electric prod.
A crewmember torches an android's head with a flamethrower.
The alien kills a crewmember (with its retractable set of inner jaws that jab out at him). We then see a tentacle like appendage go around a woman's leg and hear her screams, but don't see what happens to her.
Ripley torches two crewmembers (who are alive but look rather bad) that she finds stuck in the alien's nest (they plead for her to kill them and she complies).
Ripley bashes some equipment out of fear and frustration.
A massive explosion destroys a ship.
Ripley opens a hatch to send the alien off into space, but it grabs the opening. She then shoots it with a spear gun and then fires the ship's rockets to blast it before it hurtles off into space.

Reviewed October 13, 2003 / Posted October 29, 2003

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