Alien Nation (1988) on Netflix
300,000 enslaved aliens land in the Mojave Desert and settle in Los Angeles. Detective Matthew Sykes, whose partner was killed, is paired with Sam Francisco, the first Newcomer detective.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.3/1018,003 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes52%
Trailer
Plot summary
A few years from now, Earth will have the first contact with an alien civilisation. These aliens, known as Newcomers, slowly begin to be integrated into human society after years of quarantine but are victims of a new type of discrimination. When the first Newcomer police officer, Sam Francisco is assigned his new partner, he is given Matthew Sykes , a mildly racist veteran, the animosity between them soon gives way to respect as they investigate the Newcomer underworld, and especially Newcomer leader William Harcourt.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Alien Nation (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Mandy Patinkin's character Sam Francisco was originally named George Jetson, but three days before the start of shooting Hanna-Barbera would not allow the name to be used.
- The ceilings at the Biltmore Hotel were simply too tall for standard lighting equipment, so the crew hit on sending six to eight weather balloons up and bouncing artificial light off them to create the proper lighting mood.
- The Newcomer aliens were hairless by design, so each headpiece was custom painted with a spotting pattern where hair would be on a human, matched to every backup piece used for that character. The actors' hands were painted in a spot pattern too, after a plan to supply hand appliances was discarded.
- Jerry Goldsmith originally composed the score, but it was rejected in favour of music written by Curt Sobel. Goldsmith's rejected score was still used for the film's theatrical trailer.
