Alien: The Archive-The Ultimate Guide to the Classic Movies

Lovely book, weighty, thick stock and rich in detail. A perfect compliment to the two Rinzler “Alien” and “Aliens” making of books. I haven’t had time to fully digest Rinzler, and I expect there’s some inevitable duplication across the first two movies, but as a franchise under one roof, you won’t beat this.Like most of these types of retrospective, the interest and satisfaction will primarily be derived from the level of interest you have already have in the subject. So, if you love the movies, you’ll really dig this book.As an aside, this book (and the Rinzler books) benefit massively from the fact that their subject material covers an amazing confluence of practical effects and the supporting technology being right at that level where imagination and endeavour were really the only limit to “magic”. Like the original Star Wars Rinzler books, it’s not just the subject that makes this such a great period for documentation, they all also benefit from fantastic foresight and respect for the materials demonstrated by the original archivists and crafters, and they have something to show and tell other than “yeah, we threw some CGI on that, and then some digital hordes over there…etc.”Case in point being the The Predator making of that I recently bought brand for a few quid recently. Absolute bag-of-sh*te in comparison. Honestly. Paid under a fiver, and I’m too embarrassed to leave it in the local community library phone-box lest some poor soul get their hopes up.So in a nutshell. If you have even the slightest interest in the franchise, and / or good science fiction, and like to see how the sausage is made. This is for you.

Beautiful book

Exactly what I wanted, a lot of information about the creative side of the films and some amazing photos of behind the scenes. Love it, recommend if you’re a fan of the films or dark art/horror in general

This is filled with the most fantastic cinematic & backstage photos, drawings and spaceship diagrams!Giger, Scott & Cameron created a masterpiece that will surely last for decades, if not centuries to come.My only issue was that the literature format for each film got a bit repetitive; story, cast, spaceships, alien, repeat... Could have been more interesting and differed a bit with each film.

Good quality prose (in three languages) and pictures, good price too..

A must-own book for fans of one of the finest film series of all time. The book offers perspectives and pictures never-before-seen in the production of all four of the films, from the immaculate Alien to the divisive Alien: Resurrection. Perfect for a fan looking to brush up, or for a newcomer to the series, who wished to read more after viewing each film, the book's hefty size is not without good reason - photographs and artwork fill the pages, and readers will find themselves submersed in a world of cinematic magic and science-fiction perfection.Please, do not read this before you see the films. It will ruin the many twists and turns of the series, as well as dampen the pulse-pounding thrills the films offer when seen for the first time. Enjoy the films for what they are, and then learn how they came to be in this fantastic bible.

An enormous, not unconsiderable, collection of great photos and rare interviews, all printed on high quaity glossy sheets of paper, and bound between a beautiful slip cover. As an Alien fan, I thought I would expand my collection of media with this. I currently have the Art of Prometheus, Alien; the Vault, and the Art of Alien Isolation, along with may DVDs, Blu-rays and statuettes, so this is a must have, though I don't tend to read it that often; it just looks great with the rest of the collection. It's nice to see that there is at last some behnd the scenes media for the sequels to the 1979 classic, as I don't believe thre are any dedicated books for these films, and here they are in a massive package! Any self-respecting fan must have one!

Really fantastic, I do feel like a lot was left out though. Just as a fan you know a little more about the subjects than most and do wonder where that info would be in this book. I was interested in find more about what could have been or almost was in regards to the films themselves - Concept art, plot synopsis - which do feature, but mostly about Alien 3 being a completely different film - I would have like to have heard more about the others. Basically, I wanted to know more than I do and the majority is probably informative to most but a rehash to all hardcore fans.