BLU-RAY REVIEW: Alien 2 On Earth (1980)

ALIEN 2 ON EARTH (1980) Blu-ray

Release Date: March 22nd 2011

Label: Midnight Legacy
Region Code: All Region
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 84 Mins
Director: Ciro Ippolito
Cast: Belinda Mayne, Mark Bodin, Roberto Barrese, Benny Aldrich, Michele Soavi

Plot: A group of cave explorers are confronted in an underground cavern by a mysterious living rock. Little do they know that it bears home to deadly, flesh-eating creatures, intent on wiping out the entire human population. Can they survive and ultimately prevent Earth's total annihilation?

Film: The upstart niche film label Midnight Legacy have chosen director Ciro Ippolito's fairly obscure ALIEN 2 ON EARTH (1980) as their initial Blu-ray/DVD release. There's not too many niche labels emerging in today's trying marketplace. In fact the only one comes immediately to mind, Intervision Picture Corp. who've  just recently unleashed a salvo of Jess Franco titles. Alien 2 On Earth is one of those crazy unauthorized pseudo-sequels that came out of Italy in the 1970's and 1980's. Not all were atrocious, and many were quite good such as Lucio Fulci's ZOMBI 2 (1979) which was marketed as a sequel to George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). It features a zombie battling a shark, 'nuff said. Like many Italian films of the era Alien 2 on Earth is nearly incomprehensible at times, shrouded by a thick fog of surreality and has little to do with the film it lifts from, Ridley Scott's ALIEN (1979). Looking back it's no wonder there was such a glut of ALIEN knock-offs in the 80's as the studio delayed a sequel to Ridley Scott's horror-stunner until 1986. The world wanted more and Italy was only too happy to oblige legions of ravenous fans.

This slab of Italian b-movie madness begins as a manned space capsule is set to splash down off the coast of California. The Navy have assembled a recovery team and we are treated to a confusing montage of grainy 8mm stock footage of space capsules and Navy fleet maneuvers - it's nearly unwatchable but it does set-up that the spacecraft was mysteriously found to be empty upon splashdown. We are then introduced to Thelma (Belinda Mayne, of KRULL) the leader of a team of spelunking speleologists and her boyfriend Roy (Mark Bodin of ANTHROPOPHAGUS) as she make an appearance on a television program to comment on the returning space mission. What qualifies her for such commentary eludes me, but I'll allow it.  While on air Thelma suffers a psychic breakdown of sorts which renders her unable to carry-on the interview. It's an odd occurrence and not explained to my satisfaction but throw reason to the wind for it will not be needed here or elsewhere in this film. Next thing we know Thelma and her team are gearing-up for a weekend of cave exploration when Burt (played by actor turned director Michelle Soavi, CEMETERY MAN) discovers a peculiar blue rock and promptly tosses it in his backpack for examination later. Turns out this is no rock at all but the egg of a parasitic alien organism that was somehow scattered throughout the coastal during the arrival of the unmanned space capsule. Again, no explanation, just go with it. Once below ground things are what some might generously call deliberately paced, not that the first 20 minutes were screaming with action though. Adding to the sleepy time hypnotic pace of the film is an alternately sleepy and creepy score from Guido and Maurizo De Angelis. Mercifully at about the forty-five minute mark the blue meteorite/alien egg shows signs of life. It begins to pulsate and hatches a beasty that looks like a bloody pile of loose meat. Entering through the mouth the parasite incubates and then explodes not from the chest, but from the victims head, completely decimating the face in a spew of bloody viscera. The facial eruptions are by the far the most enjoyable parts of the film and in true Fulci-gore style there are several instances of grotesque eyeball mutilation. Once the creature makes itself known the spelunkers are forced deeper into the cave looking for an alternate exit.

 While most of the remaining team have their faces popped like blood filled zits Thelma and Roy escape the cave and the finale of the film plays out in a bowling alley, WTF right? There they are confronted by the barely-seen and apparently much larger creature.   Unfortunately the films seemingly meager budget seems to have been spent on the face decimating eruptions and what we get here are rather disappointing POV shots from inside the creatures mouth, again looking like a pile of bloody shredded meat. Thelma again escapes the creature and runs through the now abandoned streets of San Diego implying an apocalyptic ending wherein that the creatures have taken over the city, perhaps even the world. .

DVD: Midnight Legacy's inaugural release of Alien 2 On Earth is surely the definitive version of film, transferred from the original 35mm negative, its uncut and  runs longer than any other version available. This perfectly compliments Midnight Legacy's Mission Statement of releasing films uncut in their original aspect ratios/audio in spine-numbered, limited edition collectible pressings. The film is presented in a 16:9 enhanced 1.85:1 aspect ratio in wonderful 1080p and looks surprising good, it's crisp, clear and offers a good amount of fine detail. The colors are vibrant and the natural grain is not overwhelming. The depth of the black levels are quite good, inky and deep. The image is a bit soft but after watching a unrestored trailer from the film's Dutch VHS release it's quite clear how stunning the blu-ray truly is, great job on Midnight Legacy's part for the brilliant transfer. I would have to assume this is far superior to even the initial theatrical release of the film. Audio options consist solely of a DTS-MA 2.0 stereo mix, there are some occasional hiss and pops but nothing overly distracting. Far more concerning is the fact that the film was entirely dubbed in post-production as most Italian films of era were but this is no fault of Midnight Legacy. No subtitle options are included.  The special features are kept to a minimum with only the aforementioned Dutch trailer and a 11 minute special effects outtake reel, not outstanding but given the obscure nature of the film there's probably not much available. I would've loved subtitles and a Ippolito commentary or a brief featurette speaking to the many ALIEN knock-offs of the era but the fine transfer is appreciated.

Special Features:
- Dutch VHS Trailer (3:10)
- Special Effects Outtakes (11:27) [1080p]

Verdict: ALIEN 2 ON EARTH is an occasionally interesting spaghetti exploitation flick and if you're a connoisseur of ALIEN knock-offs there's definitely something to enjoy here if only a few choice moments of gore. While it's not essential cinema it is definitely an obscure curiosity and an interesting first-step for this young company.  If they're are able to sustain the high standards set forth here and keep the obscure treasures coming they could easily  join the ranks of Synapse, Severin and Code Red as a force to be reckoned with in the niche home entertainment market. 3 outta 5

www.Midnight-Legacy.com/

ALIEN 2 ON EARTH (1980) coming to DVD from Midnight Legacy

ALIEN 2 ON EARTH Coming to DVD and Blu-ray 

on March 22 via Midnight Legacy

ALIEN 2 ON EARTH (1980)

Release Date: March 22nd 20111

LABEL: Midnight Legacy

REGION CODE: All Region

DIRECTOR: Ciro Ippolito

CAST: Belinda Mayne, Mark Bodin, Roberto Barrese, Benny Aldrich, Michele Soave

Classic Italian Horror / Sci-Fi Film Never-Before-Released in the United States

For their inaugural release, Midnight Legacy is presenting the first-ever widescreen release of Alien 2 On Earth. The uncut, English language, 1.85 widescreen release of the 1980 Italian Horror / Sci-Fi film directed by Ciro Ippolito (Sam Cromwell), is coming to DVD and Blu-ray on March 22.

This film has never been released in the United States... Only a handful of countries saw a cropped and edited VHS release nearly thirty years ago. This definitive version, transferred from the original 35mm negative, runs longer than any other version seen throughout the world. It is the presentation that finally represents the intended vision of Alien 2 On Earth.

"We are immensely pleased to have partnered with MVD as it presents a strong opportunity for strategic market penetration for our releases with a distributor who shares our vision for preserving and delivering films of the highest technical quality," said Dolph Chiarino, Co-Founder of Midnight Legacy. "MVD possesses a rather unique model within key business sectors bringing Midnight Legacy titles to the broadest possible audience."

For the past 10 years, Chiarino and Bill Knight (founders of Midnight Legacy) has been the go-to people for independent genre labels to release European horror and sci-fi titles on DVD. Whether it is to provide elements, ensure a title was uncut, or to advise what titles would be choice candidates, their knowledge proved to be quite lucrative for companies such as Anchor Bay, Blue Underground, Synapse, Media Blasters, and quite a few others.

"When we started this venture, we knew we had to be fully committed to going the distance when preserving many rare films without the typical cost cutting procedures employed throughout the industry," said Chiarino. "A rather distinctive hands-on approach encompassing personally supervising the transfer work in Rome, the disc work here, and simply building relationships with some of the most respected film and post-house individuals that share our vision. These are all key facets that deliver a measurable benefit to the viewer. As far as we are aware, we are the only genre company creating Digital Intermediates (DIs) for all of our titles. The results are more of a major restoration rather than simply a "new" transfer, and it certainly is visible to our viewer base."

Midnight Legacy's most fundamental principal was to establish a trust between the consumer and the brand... One that ensures all titles are fully uncut, properly framed, and presented in a definitive version of the absolute highest quality. With over 23 years experience dealing in these types of films, Midnight Legacy is proud to bring many rarely seen titles to the their collection. They pride themselves on respecting the original intentions of the filmmakers, and preserving the legacy these films have created.

"MVD is proud to represent Midnight Legacy," said Ed Seaman, COO of MVD Entertainment Group. "Between the classic content they are uncovering and their commitment to excellence, they separate themselves from the pack. MVD has a lot of experience representing classic horror, and Alien 2 On Earth is a great start with Midnight Legacy, particularly considering the great job they have done with the restoration, transfers and packaging."

"Alien 2 On Earth" SYNOPSIS:

A group of cave explorers are confronted in an underground cavern by a mysterious living rock. Little do they know that it bears home to deadly, flesh-eating creatures, intent on wiping out the entire human population. Can they survive and ultimately prevent earth's total annihilation? The film stars Belinda Mayne, Mark Bodin, Roberto Barrese, Benny Aldrich, Michele Soavi and Judy Perrin.

Blu-ray FEATURES:

- Brand new 1.85:1 high definition transfer from the original 35mm negative featuring significant additional footage not seen anywhere in the world.

- Ultra high bitrate AVC encode @36 MBS, on a BD-50, faithfully representing our 2k scan and preserving the integrity and look of film.

- English DTS MA 2.0, fully restored from the original audio masters, and respectful of the original sound design.

- Special features include the only surviving trailer from the mega rare Dutch VHS , and effects outtakes transferred directly from the negative B-roll in full HD.

- Limited Collector's Edition designed as a true collector's item.

Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvwVFDNDXcg

Blu-ray Info: www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=MLBD001

DVD Info: www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=MLDVD001