Review Detail
9.2 25 10
(Updated: March 07, 2022)
Overall rating
8.4
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
8.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
8.0
QUALITY
Quality is often difficult to rate with a Grindhouse edit... it's MEANT to look bad... right? From my perspective, the majority of this looks like a nice crisp scan of a filthy print - works for me. Obviously some deleted scenes are worse for wear, which actually works for the concept. My only real qualm is that the first "MUTHER" segment seemed to have no processing whatsoever when showing the computer screen - no grain etc. - and looked exceptionally clean and hi res (I assume this wasn't intentional since later instances do have added wear). Otherwise, it's suitably grindhousey.
VISUAL
Some interesting stuff going on here (particularly toward the end), and I'm curious where some of the footage was from. The intro looks great and a lot of the visual degradation feels appropriate for the concept. Some of the "washed out"/over-exposed grading I found to be too harsh on the eyes when there were bright/flashing lights, or torches waving about etc. (and sometimes white walls), but there was nothing jarring in terms of cuts. Extra footage is well integrated and is only obvious due to the lower resolution of deleted scenes.
AUDIO
As a way around the original score, some scenes are basically silent except for the new music - no hiss, no foley. This doesn't sound right to me, and the music itself can come across too clean as well. Key sound effects will often poke through, which is good, but some added "film hiss" would help a lot in selling this. Sometimes when these effects poke through the original film hiss pokes through with it and it kind of exposes the absence of foley here.
I found there to be a bit of volume fluctuation at points, mostly the first half: dialogue or sound fx being too loud, while music would be very quiet, or vice versa (music drowning out quiet dialogue). To a certain extent the "grindhouse" vibe allows for imperfection, as that's kind of the point, but some of the audio just seemed too full and crisp and then not at other times. I mainly noticed this near the beginning; it felt like less of an issue for most of the second half. In short, I think some of the audio could have done with more "wearing"/degradation, and a lack of consistency with that is what I assume to be the reason for fluctuating levels. Between the two, the visual work is definitely more convincing of the Grindhouse vibe.
In terms of cuts and trims made, nothing was obvious or jarring.
NARRATIVE
No plot holes to speak of and the new narrative bits work well. Lines are dropped in occasionally to make the characters "worse" as is often the thing with Grindhouse. These are well integrated, but other parts of dialogue almost negate the added lines sometimes. It felt to me like some simple cuts or trims to lines could have gone a long way to changing up the characters a bit more and making their attitudes come across differently. There's still quite a lot of concern and compassion and decency shown on the whole, which sometimes mildly jars with an inserted f-bomb or whathaveyou.
Another comment I have is on the pacing: the original Alien is a slow-paced film, but it gets away with this because of the score and tone and atmosphere. Here, the tone is different, the score is different, and while trims have been made, it sometimes felt like a slog (the original doesn't). Part of that, i think, is a fairly restrained approach to tweaking much (not all) of the original narrative, beyond rescoring (and the rescoring itself changes the vibe and draws interest away from some of the original film's character development); I think there are still some conversations that could be trimmed down, without really hindering the core narrative, that would aid this.
ENJOYMENT
I have to admit I am not as hot on the Grindhouse craze as a lot of people are, but Alien is a favourite of mine and I have enjoyed a couple of the "classic" Grindhouse edits from fanediting history - so I couldn't not check this out. Overall, I enjoyed it, but some parts more than others. I would have loved to have seen more narrative bending ala the final act.
I don't want to spoil anything for others, but I'll just say that the new Ash plotline is very amusing and got a few chortles out of me. Seedy, for sure, but that kinda comes with the territory. The ending is significantly different as well, and you should stick around after the credits.
Thanks for the experience, Gieferg :)
Quality is often difficult to rate with a Grindhouse edit... it's MEANT to look bad... right? From my perspective, the majority of this looks like a nice crisp scan of a filthy print - works for me. Obviously some deleted scenes are worse for wear, which actually works for the concept. My only real qualm is that the first "MUTHER" segment seemed to have no processing whatsoever when showing the computer screen - no grain etc. - and looked exceptionally clean and hi res (I assume this wasn't intentional since later instances do have added wear). Otherwise, it's suitably grindhousey.
VISUAL
Some interesting stuff going on here (particularly toward the end), and I'm curious where some of the footage was from. The intro looks great and a lot of the visual degradation feels appropriate for the concept. Some of the "washed out"/over-exposed grading I found to be too harsh on the eyes when there were bright/flashing lights, or torches waving about etc. (and sometimes white walls), but there was nothing jarring in terms of cuts. Extra footage is well integrated and is only obvious due to the lower resolution of deleted scenes.
AUDIO
As a way around the original score, some scenes are basically silent except for the new music - no hiss, no foley. This doesn't sound right to me, and the music itself can come across too clean as well. Key sound effects will often poke through, which is good, but some added "film hiss" would help a lot in selling this. Sometimes when these effects poke through the original film hiss pokes through with it and it kind of exposes the absence of foley here.
I found there to be a bit of volume fluctuation at points, mostly the first half: dialogue or sound fx being too loud, while music would be very quiet, or vice versa (music drowning out quiet dialogue). To a certain extent the "grindhouse" vibe allows for imperfection, as that's kind of the point, but some of the audio just seemed too full and crisp and then not at other times. I mainly noticed this near the beginning; it felt like less of an issue for most of the second half. In short, I think some of the audio could have done with more "wearing"/degradation, and a lack of consistency with that is what I assume to be the reason for fluctuating levels. Between the two, the visual work is definitely more convincing of the Grindhouse vibe.
In terms of cuts and trims made, nothing was obvious or jarring.
NARRATIVE
No plot holes to speak of and the new narrative bits work well. Lines are dropped in occasionally to make the characters "worse" as is often the thing with Grindhouse. These are well integrated, but other parts of dialogue almost negate the added lines sometimes. It felt to me like some simple cuts or trims to lines could have gone a long way to changing up the characters a bit more and making their attitudes come across differently. There's still quite a lot of concern and compassion and decency shown on the whole, which sometimes mildly jars with an inserted f-bomb or whathaveyou.
Another comment I have is on the pacing: the original Alien is a slow-paced film, but it gets away with this because of the score and tone and atmosphere. Here, the tone is different, the score is different, and while trims have been made, it sometimes felt like a slog (the original doesn't). Part of that, i think, is a fairly restrained approach to tweaking much (not all) of the original narrative, beyond rescoring (and the rescoring itself changes the vibe and draws interest away from some of the original film's character development); I think there are still some conversations that could be trimmed down, without really hindering the core narrative, that would aid this.
ENJOYMENT
I have to admit I am not as hot on the Grindhouse craze as a lot of people are, but Alien is a favourite of mine and I have enjoyed a couple of the "classic" Grindhouse edits from fanediting history - so I couldn't not check this out. Overall, I enjoyed it, but some parts more than others. I would have loved to have seen more narrative bending ala the final act.
I don't want to spoil anything for others, but I'll just say that the new Ash plotline is very amusing and got a few chortles out of me. Seedy, for sure, but that kinda comes with the territory. The ending is significantly different as well, and you should stick around after the credits.
Thanks for the experience, Gieferg :)
User Review
Format Watched?
Digital
T