Alien: Darksteel Cut

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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1979
Original Running Time:
115
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
114
Time Cut:
2
Time Added:
1
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
This is the director’s cut with some stuff taken out that always bugged me and adding back some stuff back from the theatrical cut. I also fixed the very inconsistent colour grading which varied from shot-to-shot in a few scenes.
Intention:
I have always wanted a hybrid of the theatrical and extended cuts of each Alien film that had the best parts of both so I no longer had to decide on which one to watch.
Additional Notes:
As I got deeper into the edit I realised how terribly inconsistent the colour grading was on the blu-ray. It seemed more apparent in the director’s cut. Basically they reframed quite a few shots and changed the colour grading in the process, so you would have the colour changing as the scene is going. I decided to restore a lot of shots from the theatrical cut and occasionally colour match them myself to keep it as consistent as possible.
Special Thanks:
I want to personally thank ArtIsDead for being so incredibly patient with me throughout the process of having my first fan edit approved. It has not been an easy road travelled getting a handle on my ADHD whilst helping my pregnant partner who just gave birth to my first child in January 2023.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I strived to not make any edits that have not already been done officially. Any editing change from the director's cut was originally done in the theatrical cut. I ensured that any shots throughout a scene were consistent with their colour timing, as some shots were reframed and recoloured in the director's cut.
Cuts and Additions:
Cuts:

12:39 - Cut crew listening to transmission scene
1:06:47 - Cut shot of xenomorph hanging up high waiting to kill Brett because it spoils the surprise to come

Additions:

1:02:11 to 1:05:58 - used theatrical version for Brett-looking-for-cat scene
49:20 to 50:19 - used theatrical version of Ripley-arguing-with-Dallas scene (adding back Ripley not trusting Ash)

Fixes:

14:39 to 14:42 - stabilised shot of Nostromo approaching LV-426
36:08 to 36:48 - regraded shot of Lambert slapping Ripley outside surgery
1:15:50 to 1:15:53 - reframed shot of Ripley looking at Lambert to match the previous shot
1:21:51 to 1:22:04 - regraded shots of Ash’s head being prepped for interrogation
1:25:29 to 1:25:35 - replaced shot of ship being prepped due to last frame turning green
1:40:55 to 1:40:59 - regraded part of shot of ship window as Ripley escapes Nostromo

Shots replaced with theatrical transfer:

7:46 to 7:52 - Parker telling Dallas he’s finishing his coffee
9:37 to 9:39 - Lambert in cockpit
12:32 to 12:39 - Dallas asking Parker “you got that?”, Parker responding “yeah” and Dallas saying “we’re going in”.
12:51 to 13:02 - Ash and Dallas on ship
13:10 to 13:16 - Dallas and Ripley on ship
13:29 to 13:31 - Dallas on ship
13:50 to 13:52 - Dallas disengaging ship
14:01 to 14:05 - Dallas starting ship up
23:02 to 23:28 - Ripley on the ship with her cat
24:19 to 24:22 - Ash observing alien ship on monitor
24:25 to 24:29 - Ash observing alien ship on monitor
25:12 to 25:23 - Ash talking to crew and observing alien ship on monitor
25:29 to 25:36 - Ash viewing crew camera footage
25:54 to 25:57 - Ash viewing crew camera footage
29:34 to 30:02 - Ripley telling Ash that Mother deciphered the transmission
36:05 to 36:08 - Dallas and Ash in surgery
36:48 to 36:57 - Dallas and Ash in surgery
36:57 to 37:00 - crew observing surgery
37:00 to 37:31 - Ash and Dallas operating on Kane
41:48 to 45:41 - Ash and Ripley in surgery
45:24 to 45:49 - Dallas being told by Ash to check on Kane
50:43 to 50:48 - Parker and Brett on ship during take off
50:59 to 51:06 - Lambert and Ripley on ship during take off
51:16 to 51:20 - Ripley on ship during take off
51:31 to 51:35 - Parker, Brett and Ripley on ship during take off
51:42 to 51:48 - Parker, Dallas and Ripley on ship during take off
51:57 to 52:54 - Crew discussing what to do with Kane
56:07 to 56:20 - Ash and the crew watching the baby Alien escape after killing Kane
1:05:58 to 1:06:41 - cat about to be caught and xenomorph coming up behind Brett
1:06:58 to 1:07:23 - cat watching after Brett was killed and Parker telling crew what happened to Brett
1:08:30 to 1:08:48 - Lambert and crew being instructed by Dallas
1:14:52 to 1:15:43 - Parker, Ripley and Ash talking after Dallas was killed by alien
1:15:46 to 1:15:50 - Ripley and Lambert looking at each other
1:15:57 to 1:17:45 - Ripley speaking to Mother and Ash surprising her
1:17:45 to 1:18:26 - Ripley trying to escape Ash
1:22:04 to 1:22:07 - Ripley slamming on table to wake up Ash
1:24:41 to 1:27:12 - Ripley, Parker and Lambert prepping for escape
1:40:11 to 1:40:55 - Ripley taking off from Nostromo
1:40:59 to 1:41:02 - Ripley looking at Nostromo
1:41:10 to 1:41:23 - Ripley being blasted with light from the destruction of Nostromo
Trailer

User reviews

4 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.8(4)
Audio Editing
 
9.8(4)
Visual Editing
 
9.8(4)
Narrative
 
9.5(4)
Enjoyment
 
9.3(4)
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
This edit of the Alien movie was nearly the perfect version of it. The audio quality was solid and consistent the entire movie. The editor really nailed it here with the color corrections along with using the theatrical version of shots to maintain consistent quality throughout. I definitely did not notice anything off here. Well done here.

It was an excellent choice to add in more content from the theatrical edition while cutting portions of the director's cut. This helped improve both the narrative and increase my enjoyment.

On the flip side, I do partially agree with another reviewer that the cocoon scene was best left out of the movie. Personally, I actually really like the scene myself. However, the placement in the movie is very disruptive to the pacing. Ripley is supposed to think she is alone and trying to escape from a ship about to explode. This would would not be the best moment for her to come to a complete stop.

Other elements I would have liked to see were some of the more extended shots from the the theatrical edition that were removed from the director's cut. Other than those minor issues, the edit itself is effectively flawless and maximizes the potential of the movie.

I want to thank darksteel1335 for sharing this edit with me. This will be my go-to version going forward and I do recommend others to give this a chance - particularly those who are interested in a hybrid version of the theatrical and director's cut.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
(Updated: February 26, 2024)
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I have had this edit for several years.

I liked it overall and the idea of merging the two versions together mainly works.

I would love to see an updated version with surround sound and smoothed out.

Great first edit!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Owner's reply March 17, 2024

Thanks for your review but the fan edit does have Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. If you downloaded the 2GB version, it has Dolby Surround 2.0 audio.

Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Ridley Scott said when he released the Director's Cut that he only did it for the money and that the theatrical was his preferred cut. I would agree with him, as I find many of the DC's cuts unnecessary, especially Ripley's mistrust of Ash. This edit does a great job in reinstating those scenes and adding some of the better DC scenes like the crew listening to the distress transmission scene and the Lambert slapping Ripley scenes, and with top-knotch color grading to boot. It's a near-perfect cut, and would be perfect if not for the addition of the scene where Ripley finds Dallas and Brett turning into the xenomorph eggs. It's a scene I never really cared for, as it contradicts the xenomorph life cycle established by "Aliens", and even if "Alien" was a standalone movie, it still slows the pace and the sense of urgency to escape the Nostromo before it self-destructs that the TC had.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it, but it doesn't replace the Theatrical Cut for me.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
B
Report this review Comments (2) | Was this review helpful? 2 0
Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
I have always thought this is a very creepy space movie and also how government and corporate wants/needs are deemed more important than a human life. And this edit still keeps all that intact for me. Remember I don't do "techie" reviews. But I did (finally?) see one edit that was a bit off. Dunno if it is in an original copy of the film. But for me it does nothing to distract the enjoyment of this film/edit. Usually when I watch a film or tv show I have other things going in the background either just for noise or to glance at in case I get bored with what I am watching. But this edit kept my attention until the end credits. The color was great and I saw detail that I have not seen in the past. One thing that did stand out for me is that the ship and all the other hi hi tech stuff the had to accomplish their "mission" but the video monitors were crap. I know at the time no real cgi or good video monitors so.... Ok on my entertainment scale I will give this 4.75 popcorns out of 5. Nothing to do with the edit but just some other "dated" things in the film. This was a fun time

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Owner's reply December 03, 2023

Thanks for your glowing review! I am so glad you enjoyed it. Hope you look forward to my Aliens edit next.

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