The genre of science fiction, or more broadly speculative fiction, can be a very powerful medium. We can adventure through space in the distant future, or imagine alternative views of our own world. One is free to dwell in a universe free from time or place; to escape the modern world or discover a deeper meaning to that very same world. Review the literary works of Huxley, Orwell, Heinlein, Dick, Herbert, Sturgeon, Ellison, Bradbury, Vonnegut, Le Guin, and others, each adept at propelling the reader into strange, parallel, or wildly disparate realities. Keeping in the spirit of this topic, let us picture the arrival of an alien race to earth. After a lengthy quarantine, they are released to dwell amongst the inhabitants of America. There is, of course, an inherent level of racism that develops against these new members of society. The narrative ideas are vast: this ancient race struggling against a government where they are not represented; pointed social commentary on the civil rights struggle and of race relations since; these foreign beings coping with the garish culture of the United States; examining the class structures of immigrant populations; something, anything..........
What we end up with, however, is ALIEN NATION, a film that is essentially a cop/buddy flick starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin. They are out to stop a drug lord and avenge the death of Caan's partner before they retire (or something to that effect). The point is is that ALIEN NATION, other than having Patinkin in outlandish makeup, offers nothing new to the tired clichés of this genre. Caan plays a veteran detective named Matthew Sykes, who after the death of his best friend/partner sets out to solve the crime himself. He is teamed with Sam Francisco played by Patinkin. Now Francisco is a "newcomer", a member of an alien race, bred for slavery, and whose native language closely resembles the peaks and valleys of a heart monitor. They learn at an incredible rate (hence they speak English) and get silly on sour milk. Salt water can disintegrate their flesh (a popular contrivance in late 80's cinema, WARLOCK being another example) and have bald spotted heads. At first Sykes is harsh and unwelcoming, but after a night of booze and rancid dairy products, he warms to the good natured Francisco. It would seem that the "slag" that killed Sykes' partner is involved with a scheme to distribute a drug that was rationed as a reward for hard labor on the slave ship. They begin to suspect the involvement of a wealthy "newcomer", William Harcourt, played by Terence Stamp (who, alas, had several more years of films like this before he made a comeback with THE LIMEY). This drug, in normal doses, produces enhanced strength, and in larger quantities causes a kind of gigantism. I'll stop there, but you can see where this is going.........
The frustrating thing about ALIEN NATION is that so very little of the "newcomer" culture is explored by the writers. We get bits here and there, but they are mainly used for comic effect or as plot devices. They have two hearts, but why? In the obligatory morgue sequence (replete with a coroner eating a sandwich), the aliens are shown to have no genitals, but a "stripper" in a later scene is shown to have breasts. Do they nurse their young? Are they warm blooded? I may be over analyzing these points, but they are valid in creating a plausible alternate race. The actors do what they can: Patinkin, an odd choice for a role such as this, is pretty good at bringing a sort of wide eyed innocence to the character of Francisco. On the other hand, James Caan seems to have a hard time taking this material seriously; his performance is functional, but he seems on the verge of breaking out into laughter during certain scenes. The direction, by Graham Baker (THE FINAL CONFLICT), is somewhat uninspired and there are few memorable sequences to speak of. The musical score by Curt Sobel (who replaced Jerry Goldsmith, after his lively, though weird, music was rejected) adds very little to creating an aural signature for the "newcomers." Stan Winston contributes fine creature makeup, although the incarnation towards the end appears almost identical to the monster from PUMPKINHEAD which Winston directed the same year ALIEN NATION was released. The film is, admittedly, mildly entertaining, in a goofy sort of way, but I couldn't help wanting more development from the narrative. There were several made for television movies and a series spawned by the film, but from what I understand these continuations offer little in the way of expanding the scope of the original concepts. To make a long story short, ALIEN NATION generates many interesting questions, but instead of answers, there are car chases. Oh well.......4/10
What we end up with, however, is ALIEN NATION, a film that is essentially a cop/buddy flick starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin. They are out to stop a drug lord and avenge the death of Caan's partner before they retire (or something to that effect). The point is is that ALIEN NATION, other than having Patinkin in outlandish makeup, offers nothing new to the tired clichés of this genre. Caan plays a veteran detective named Matthew Sykes, who after the death of his best friend/partner sets out to solve the crime himself. He is teamed with Sam Francisco played by Patinkin. Now Francisco is a "newcomer", a member of an alien race, bred for slavery, and whose native language closely resembles the peaks and valleys of a heart monitor. They learn at an incredible rate (hence they speak English) and get silly on sour milk. Salt water can disintegrate their flesh (a popular contrivance in late 80's cinema, WARLOCK being another example) and have bald spotted heads. At first Sykes is harsh and unwelcoming, but after a night of booze and rancid dairy products, he warms to the good natured Francisco. It would seem that the "slag" that killed Sykes' partner is involved with a scheme to distribute a drug that was rationed as a reward for hard labor on the slave ship. They begin to suspect the involvement of a wealthy "newcomer", William Harcourt, played by Terence Stamp (who, alas, had several more years of films like this before he made a comeback with THE LIMEY). This drug, in normal doses, produces enhanced strength, and in larger quantities causes a kind of gigantism. I'll stop there, but you can see where this is going.........
The frustrating thing about ALIEN NATION is that so very little of the "newcomer" culture is explored by the writers. We get bits here and there, but they are mainly used for comic effect or as plot devices. They have two hearts, but why? In the obligatory morgue sequence (replete with a coroner eating a sandwich), the aliens are shown to have no genitals, but a "stripper" in a later scene is shown to have breasts. Do they nurse their young? Are they warm blooded? I may be over analyzing these points, but they are valid in creating a plausible alternate race. The actors do what they can: Patinkin, an odd choice for a role such as this, is pretty good at bringing a sort of wide eyed innocence to the character of Francisco. On the other hand, James Caan seems to have a hard time taking this material seriously; his performance is functional, but he seems on the verge of breaking out into laughter during certain scenes. The direction, by Graham Baker (THE FINAL CONFLICT), is somewhat uninspired and there are few memorable sequences to speak of. The musical score by Curt Sobel (who replaced Jerry Goldsmith, after his lively, though weird, music was rejected) adds very little to creating an aural signature for the "newcomers." Stan Winston contributes fine creature makeup, although the incarnation towards the end appears almost identical to the monster from PUMPKINHEAD which Winston directed the same year ALIEN NATION was released. The film is, admittedly, mildly entertaining, in a goofy sort of way, but I couldn't help wanting more development from the narrative. There were several made for television movies and a series spawned by the film, but from what I understand these continuations offer little in the way of expanding the scope of the original concepts. To make a long story short, ALIEN NATION generates many interesting questions, but instead of answers, there are car chases. Oh well.......4/10