Underneath its mottled latex, Graham Baker's 1988 alien noir is formulaic buddy-buddy cop-movie fare. Set in a near future where aliens ("newcomers" or, less politely, "slags") have shacked up in LA communities, it pairs James Caan's grumpy cop with Mandy Patinkin's bulbous-headed new boy. Predictably, the once-bigoted Caan learns to accept his eager-to-please alien.
DVD Extras:
Featurette, behind-the-scenes footage, trailer, TV spots.These days, Alien Nation looks just like the pilot for the crap TV show it became. Its Enemy Mine-style attempts at racial allegory are glib and patronising, while Caan and Patinkin work their buddy-movie beat with tired steps. The disc ain't up to much, either - the featurette's from release and the behind-the-scenes is blink `n' miss stuff. Don't bother.
