Alien Nation

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Alien Nation

R,

1988,

1h 30m,

Sci-Fi

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Watchlist

50%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

44%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In Los Angeles circa 1991, humans live alongside extraterrestrial humanoid beings whose spaceship crash-landed three years earlier. This coexistence is not always harmonious, as exemplified by segregated slums and the uneasy partnership of police detective Matthew Sykes (James Caan) with new humanoid partner Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). However, the pair begin to overcome their differences as they investigate a slum drug ring led by the slippery William Harcourt (Terence Stamp).

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Critics Consensus

Alien Nation takes the interesting premise of extraterrestrials living among us and doesn't do enough with it, emphasizing a police procedural plotline over the more intriguing sci-fi elements.

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Jay Carr

Boston Globe

May 12, 2018

Instead of exploring the differences and strangeness of the aliens, and giving them the kind of interesting particularity that "Blade Runner" did, Alien Nation can't domesticate and demystify its aliens quickly enough.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

This plot contains the elements of a good idea, but it does so little with it, and is so cheerfully willing to recycle an absolutely standard story, that the idea is finally just frustrating.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Sep 9, 2026

The film boasts good actors in bad roles. James Caan effectively plays a walking cliche, but do his credit he almost gets away it by sheer force of personality.

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Adrian Martin

Film Critic: Adrian Martin

Jul 30, 2025

2.5/5

It quickly becomes a formulaic buddy cop action-thriller with a suspiciously reactionary message about what constitutes bad alien behaviour.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Jul 5, 2022

Alien Nation is the height of nonsense, but its not offensive, it moves quickly and it has Terence Stamp. [Full review in Spanish]

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Mar 24, 2021

5/10

Were it not for the thinly-veiled social commentary, little of this would be original.

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Anakin L

Feb 24, 2019

Not a bad story or movie, but not one I would say is a must see

Hagrid W

Sep 13, 2018

Whereas the premise is intriguing and the cultural differences between the two main characters are amusing for a while, soon the movie decides that it should be more action than sci-fi, imploding in an awful last half-hour full of car chases, stupid twists and ugly TV clichés.

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Aug 10, 2018

"...takes the interesting premise of extraterrestrials living among us and doesn't do enough with it, emphasizing a police procedural plotline over the more intriguing sci-fi elements." Agreed.

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Hermione S

Dec 4, 2017

I don't understand the hate for this movie? While it hasn't aged particularly well, it really brought to light some interesting questions and cultural insights, for the time. Over all, this movie was the alien version of Colors and it did quite well, but watching it now is a little tough.

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Finn M

Nov 4, 2017

A good 80s movie cop movie which happened to have aliens in it.

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Graham Baker

Director

James Caan

Det. Sgt. Matthew Sykes

Mandy Patinkin

Det. Samuel `'George'` Francisco

Terence Stamp

William Harcourt

Kevyn Major Howard

Rudyard Kipling

Leslie Bevis

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Synopsis

In Los Angeles circa 1991, humans live alongside extraterrestrial humanoid beings whose spaceship crash-landed three years earlier. This coexistence is not always harmonious, as exemplified by segregated slums and the uneasy partnership of police detective Matthew Sykes (James Caan) with new humanoid partner Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). However, the pair begin to overcome their differences as they investigate a slum drug ring led by the slippery William Harcourt (Terence Stamp).

Director: Graham Baker
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, Richard Kobritz
Screenwriter: Rockne S. O'Bannon
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.7M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround

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