Class of 88: “Prepare Yourself” for Graham Baker’s ALIEN NATION

It's no surprise that the decade that gave us Gordon Gekko and his infamous quote, "Greed is good," would be rife with films unpacking heavy social topics like police brutality, social inequality, ultra-violence, and in the case of Graham Baker's Alien Nation, racial tension, tolerance, and acceptance. Somehow I missed this film, despite it being the topic of conversation in many sci-fi and horror circles, not to mention that it influenced many other movies in the genre, from Neill Blomkamp's District 9 to last year's Bright, directed by David Ayer. It also spawned a number of Alien Nation-related products, including a series of comics and novels, a TV series on FOX by the same name that ran for one season in 1989, and five TV movies. So, without further ado, as the movie poster suggests, prepare yourselves for a dive into a buddy cop sci-fi action movie with a solid cast of characters, cool action sequences, special effects and makeup that hold up, and a message that is as true then as it is today.

Alien Nation (1988) stars James Caan (The Godfather, Misery) as Detective Matthew Sykes, Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride, CBS' Criminal Minds) as Detective Sam Francisco, and Terence Stamp as William Harcourt. It is also worth noting that Gale Ann Hurd (The Terminator, T2: Judgment Day, Aliens, The Walking Dead), along with Robert Kobritz and Bill Borden, produced this project.

Set in the (then) future in the year 1991, an alien race called Newcomers land in Los Angeles. They were bred for hard labor on a ship that crashed onto our planet. With the ship completely wrecked and no other way back home, they decide to assimilate to life on Earth with humankind. Initially, citizens are apprehensive, but over time allow the Newcomers to integrate into their way of life so much so that they even appoint the very first ever Newcomer detective. But make no mistake, not everyone is okay with this integration—look no further than Sykes himself. Partnered up by Captain Warner (Francis X. McCarthy), Sykes and Francisco must track down the source of a powerful narcotic being sold by a drug kingpin that has infiltrated the Newcomer community.

The film starts off a little slow in the beginning, but it works because the film's writer, Rockne S. O'Bannon, has to establish the inner workings of the world. We learn who the Newcomers are, how they got to Earth, why they can't return home, how people feel about them, and how some have risen to the upper echelons of human society all in a matter of three years. That is a lot of ground to cover, and O'Bannon finds a steady pace to keep information flowing.

Instead of heavy exposition that explained how society worked since the aliens arrived, we get clever interactions and dialogue. There's something the "well-to-do" Newcomer character Harcourt tells detective Francisco at a dinner in his honor that rang in my mind almost as soon as he said it. He tells Sam, “Remember, you are out there setting an example for our community. I should be keeping my eye on you.” I can't tell you how many times I myself have felt the pressure to succeed and be at my best at all times because I am a representative for my community in the eyes of many. Many times it's a matter of life and death and the same is true for detective Francisco.

Sykes certainly doesn't help to make Francisco feel at home on the force. He constantly cracks jokes and at one point openly admits that he is a bigot towards his species. He feels almost proud of it in a way. The other cops aren't any better with talks of how frustrated they are that the Newcomers don't speak English and when they do, they only speak it when they want to. But don't think for a second that Francisco doesn't stand up for himself. For every horrendous joke Sykes makes, he has something to say right back—even explaining how the surname Sykes resembles two words in his language that, let's say, rhymes with "bit head."

Getting away from the story for a moment, James Caan's performance is solid, but Mandy Patinkin as Sam Francisco is the standout for me. I didn’t think once that he wasn’t a Newcomer. Although this alien race isn’t real, his mannerisms and speech pattern feel otherworldly and convincing, and I find that true for almost every actor who portrays a Newcomer. It's also interesting to watch Terence Stamp, whose slimy, uppity portrayal of William Harcourt is compellingly nuanced. Despite the friction between humans and the Newcomers, there seems to be little racial tension between humans of other ethnicities. Sykes and his first partner, a black man played by Roger Aaron Brown, have a pretty good rapport as they banter jokingly back and forth while on the beat. In full disclosure, I haven't seen the television series or the movies, so I am not sure if this has already been discussed, but I would have loved to see how things were resolved between ethnicities, but I also understand that there is only so much time in one movie.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the action scenes and the special effects in Alien Nation. You can't have a buddy cop sci-fi action movie without them. As far as the action goes, there are a few memorable moments, ranging from a few car chases that are interesting to watch, but aren't nearly as tense as the frantic shootout between the police and a gang of Newcomers who rob and kill a convenience store owner. The sound effects of the gunshots and the shells falling on the ground are very well done, with the specific sound and intensity of the shots reminding me of the shootout between the bank robbers and the police in Michael Mann's Heat. It sounds as scary as if you were there.

On the visual side, the special effects were done by Stan Winston Studio, with hands-on work created by Alec Gillis (who appeared in the movie briefly as a Newcomer bartender), Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, and Tom Woodruff, Jr. The goal was to create an aesthetic that didn't look rubbery, and they nailed it. The reason why the makeup and special effects look as timeless as they do after 30 years is because of the practical and minimal approach by the team. Newcomers look like humans, but are still very different from us, especially on an internal level—they drink sour milk to get drunk and salt water will dissolve them in minutes.

Looking back nearly 30 years after Alien Nation was released, I see a film that may not have completely hit on every level, but is still fun and very thought-provoking. James Caan and Mandy Patinkin pull off solid performances as partners who have more in common than meets the eye, with Sykes growing as a person in the end. Watching Sam interact with his family, and getting to know him on a deeper level as they immerse themselves in the criminal underworld helps change Matt's opinion of not only Sam, but the entire Newcomer population. He goes from making disparaging remarks to correcting the people around him who make those same remarks in his presence, even going as far as striking a detective when he and his men spray paint "E.T.P.D." on their police car. It is in no way fair that anyone should have to present themselves a certain way in order to be seen as human or respectable, but it does help to change the minds of some, especially in Detective Sykes' case.

The end credits includes the Four Tops’ song “Indestructible,” and although the lyrics may be slightly cheesy, it doesn't make them any less true: “Two hearts that can beat as one. There ain't a single thing we can't overcome. We're indestructible.” Those lyrics perfectly boil down the overall message of Alien Nation. Two humans, no matter how different, are still humans, and when we see each other that way, there isn't anything we can't accomplish.

---------

Check here all month long for more special features celebrating the Class of 1988!