Alien Nation: Dark Horizon (1994)

ridiculous rating

Better Late Then Never

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

I just finished my dvds of Alien Nation Ultimate Movie Collection and Dark Horizon was a very good continuation of the popular series that got canceled in 1990.All of the original cast returned even though there were a few changes, five years had passed so scenes had to be re shot because old footage couldn't be used.What made the film shine was the good buddy cop routine between Francisco and his human partner Sikes it was the basis for the show and the movie. Picking up right where the final episode Green Eyes left off the fate of the tenctonese race is put into danger when a ruthless overseer called Ahpossno (Patterson) has been sent to recover the 250,000 slaves that disappeared five years ago. Meanwhile Susan (Scarabelli), & Emily (Woodland), have been infected with a virus designed to kill the newcomer race there are some other issues to deal with in the movie. Matt (Graham) had a falling out with George (Pierpoint) over his partner's promotion to detective 2 and his relationship with Cathy (Treas) is still having problems so he dates Lorraine Clark (Thompson). My favorite scenes were when Matt & George became friends again during a private moment in the hospital room where they sing a song to Susan who lays ill in her bed. Also after hearing some racist remarks from his human love interest he finally realizes that maybe a relationship with a tenctonese woman is possible.for fans of sci- fi action Dark Horizon provides plenty of entertainment and thrills from beginning to end.

The first thing that has to be said is that if you're not a fan of the Alien Nation TV series from the late 80's then this film will not only confuse you, but the chances are, you just won't like it. That however is not really a problem, as this film was never made with the intention of attracting a new global audience. Dark Horizon was made for the fans that were truly gutted and disappointed that the excellent Alien Nation TV series (like so many other American shows) was cancelled after the first series. The film is a continuation of the series and so sets out to resolve the cliffhanger ending, further character development and give insight into the 'Newcomers' background. It is also obvious from viewing the film that this was always intended on being the first of many TV films.The film itself is quite good. It manages to capture the essence and feeling of the original show whilst effortlessly transferring itself onto the big screen. There is a common danger that when TV shows are introduced to the world of films, they end up feeling like an overly long episode that tries too much to impress its hardcore fans, and tries too many new explanatory things to engage others. However, Dark Horizon embraces it's new format and uses it as a platform to further explore the history behind the 'Newcomers' and to show off some of the potential that the series promised. All the original cast members are back, which brings a smile to any fan. Emily (Laura Woodland) and Buck Francisco (Sean Six) were only kids in the series and so are obviously older looking as it has been five years, yet these little discrepancies have to be ignored. Some fans will point out little things that don't add up to the series, or don't exactly follow on from the cliff-hanger ending, but beggars cannot be choosers and it is the reviewers opinion that we should all be grateful that these films were made, that the cast and crew came back and that they give it everything to continue the Alien Nation legacy.The premise of the film evolves around a ruthless Overseer who is sent from one of their colony ships to Earth, to check for any surviving 'Newcomers'. This is inter-fused with Susan and Emily's attempted recovery from the newcomer killing disease. Like the series, Dark Horizon brilliantly blends the social dramas of family and relationships, with that of racism, police work and all-out action, which in this case involves killer diseases and samurai aliens. The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the relationship between Matthew Sikes (Gary Graham) and George Francisco (Eric Pierpoint). Their cop-buddy routine was the heart and soul of the series and this again shines through within the film. Alien Nation: Dark Horizon is a good film and more importantly an excellent follow up to the short-lived series. If you haven't seen the original Alien Nation TV series, go and buy it right now. Watch it, slag off the TV network for cancelling it, and then immerse yourself in the first of five follow up films: Dark Horizon.

This TV series was made in the mid 90s, but looks much older. The overall story of the alien slaves reaching the sunny shores of California is a good idea and may offer premises for both social comment and good drama. Unfortunately acting is so conventional, costumes and effects so poor that less than ten years after production this movie looks like an oldie. Hard core fans of science fiction (like myself) better watch an old Star Trek. At least, this was the original. 5/10 on my personal scale.

I loved this movie! It gave us a true insight into the background and history of the "Alien" race. It was nice to see the relationship between Matt and Cathy explored. They are a perfect "inter-species" couple. (The book "Cross of Blood" that is sort-of a sequel to this movie was a real disappointment though!) This movie allowed us to see the spiritual heritage of the Newcomers. It was interesting to see the similarities to the "human" world of spirituality! God did create All "Man" in the same light - regardless of whether or not they were born on "Earth"!!