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|preceded_by(chronology) = ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]''|preceded_by(prod) =
 
|preceded_by(chronology) = ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]''|preceded_by(prod) =
 
|followed_by(prod) = }}
 
|followed_by(prod) = }}
'''''Alien 2: On Earth''''' ('''''Alien 2: Sulla Terra''''')''', '''also known as''' ''Alien Terror'' '''and''' ''Strangers'', '''is an unauthorized 1980 Italian sequel to the 1979 American film {{A1}}, written and directed by Ciro Ippolito. The plot has little connection to the original film.
+
'''''Alien 2: On Earth''''' ('''''Alien 2: Sulla Terra'''''), also known as '''''Alien Terror''''' and '''''Strangers''''', is an unauthorized 1980 Italian-British-American sequel to the 1979 American film {{A1}}, written and directed by Ciro Ippolito. The plot has little connection to the original film.
   
 
The film features a score by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angeli, performed by them under the pseudonym Oliver Onions.
 
The film features a score by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angeli, performed by them under the pseudonym Oliver Onions.
  +
 
==Plot==
 
==Plot==
 
As the world awaits the return of a crew of astronauts [[Alien (film)|deep space mission]], a young woman named Thelma Joyce appears on a television talk show to discuss caves. Soon after her interview begins, Thelma has a horrible psychic vision.
 
As the world awaits the return of a crew of astronauts [[Alien (film)|deep space mission]], a young woman named Thelma Joyce appears on a television talk show to discuss caves. Soon after her interview begins, Thelma has a horrible psychic vision.
Line 73: Line 74:
   
 
==Reception==
 
==Reception==
Reception to the film was mixed. Currently, the film holds a 28% Approval Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 3.7/10 on IMDb.
+
Reviews are generale favorevole for the film's splatter scenes, the set and the tension, but the content drew a mixed response from critics. Currently, the film holds a 28% Rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the general audience (The film has, to date, no professional reviews) and a 4/10 on IMDb.
   
 
Adam Tyner of DVD talk wrote "James Cameron once summed up his follow-up to {{A1}} as 'forty miles of bad road'. ''Alien 2'', meanwhile, is 'eighty-four miles of bad, period'."
 
Adam Tyner of DVD talk wrote "James Cameron once summed up his follow-up to {{A1}} as 'forty miles of bad road'. ''Alien 2'', meanwhile, is 'eighty-four miles of bad, period'."
   
The Blu-ray release of the film, however, has received more positive reviews from critics and fans alike.
+
The Blu-ray release of the film, however, has received more positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Tom Landy of ''High-Def Digest.com'' gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "It's tough to outright recommend this one to the masses, but for fans of the film or collectors of oddball cult curiosities then this Blu-ray is the definitive disc of Alien 2: on Earth to own".
   
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
 
*The plot in the film {{A1}} takes place in the year 2122 AD. This film, however, appears to take place somewhere in the 1980s, even though its story is supposedly set after the events on the ''[[USCSS Nostromo|Nostromo]]''.
 
*The plot in the film {{A1}} takes place in the year 2122 AD. This film, however, appears to take place somewhere in the 1980s, even though its story is supposedly set after the events on the ''[[USCSS Nostromo|Nostromo]]''.
  +
*The [[Alien (Alien 2: On Earth)|Alien]] in the film differs considerably from that seen in the original ''Alien'' (and the rest of the official franchise). Its [[Chestburster|infant form]] bursts out of the victim's face rather than the chest (leading some fans to christen it the "Faceburster"), while in its adult form it is shown to be a shape-shifting creature that attempts to assimilate other lifeforms. In this last regard it is similar to the titular creature in John Carpenter's 1982 film ''The Thing''.
*The [[Chestburster]] bursts out of the victim's face rather than the chest in this film. As a result, some fans have christened it the "Faceburster".
 
*The [[Alien (Alien 2:On Earth)|Alien]] is a shape-shifting creature, similar at the John Carpenter's film ''[http://thething.wikia.com/wiki/The_Thing_Wiki%7C The Thing]'' (1982).
 
*Some critics suggested that the film's narrative details and visual design and effects appeared to have been a major influence on Neil Marshall's ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent%7C The Descent]'' (2005).
 
 
*The "Faceburster" appears to have the ability to slice off heads with its tail.
 
*The "Faceburster" appears to have the ability to slice off heads with its tail.
 
*The [[Ovomorph (Egg)|Eggs]] in the film barely resemble the Eggs from ''Alien''. In the original film, the Eggs were grey-green, leathery and opened on top. The Eggs in this film resemble rocks, are blue and pulsate. They still open on top, though.
 
*The [[Ovomorph (Egg)|Eggs]] in the film barely resemble the Eggs from ''Alien''. In the original film, the Eggs were grey-green, leathery and opened on top. The Eggs in this film resemble rocks, are blue and pulsate. They still open on top, though.
 
*Some critics have suggested that the film's narrative details and visual design and effects appeared to have been a major influence on the 2005 film ''The Descent''.
*Since ''Alien 2 ''is an "unauthorized" sequel (meaning that it wasn't approved by Fox, the company that released ''Alien''), it has never been released in any'' Alien ''film collection or boxed set with the other films in the series. Therefore, the only way to obtain the film is through the rare ''Alien Terror ''VHS or the Midnight Legacy DVD release, which is far easier to find.
 
  +
*The conquest of Earth by the Xenomorphs is also a major plot point in many of the [[comics]] and [[:Category:Alien novels|novels]] of the ''Alien'' franchise.
*Despite being intended as a sequel, it is, for the most part, considered a rip-off instead.
 
 
*Since ''Alien 2 ''is an "unauthorized" sequel (meaning that it wasn't approved by Fox, the company that owns the rights to the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' franchise]]), it has never been released in any'' Alien ''film collection or boxed set with the other films in the series. Therefore, the only way to obtain the film is through the rare ''Alien Terror ''VHS or the Midnight Legacy DVD release, which is far easier to find.
   
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
atvhs.jpg|The ''Alien Terror'' VHS cover.
 
atvhs.jpg|The ''Alien Terror'' VHS cover.
  +
Alien 2 German VHS.jpg|German VHS cover.
  +
Alien 2 French poster.jpg|French poster.
  +
Alien 2 Spanish.jpg|Spanish VHS cover.
  +
Alien 2 logo.jpg|Italian logo.
 
at titile.jpg|The ''Alien Terror'' title card. The number "2" was sloppily covered in post-preduction.
 
at titile.jpg|The ''Alien Terror'' title card. The number "2" was sloppily covered in post-preduction.
 
alien 2 egg.jpg|The egg in the film.
 
alien 2 egg.jpg|The egg in the film.
  +
Alien 2 cast.jpg|The protagonists.
 
Faceburster.jpg|A Faceburster erupting from Jill's face.
  +
Alien 2 button.jpg|Burth see a button part of the alien.
  +
Alien (2) from Alien 2.jpg|Burth and Maurine are infected.
 
Alien in a human body (Alien 2).png|An Alien in the Cliff's body.
 
Alien in a human body (Alien 2).png|An Alien in the Cliff's body.
  +
Alien from Alien 2.jpg|An Alien erupts from Cliff's face.
 
faceburster 2.jpg|Thelma watches as a Faceburster is about to attack Roy.
 
faceburster 2.jpg|Thelma watches as a Faceburster is about to attack Roy.
 
Alien 2 POV shots.png|The Alien's POV when it is in Roy's body.
 
Alien 2 POV shots.png|The Alien's POV when it is in Roy's body.
Faceburster.jpg|A Faceburster erupting from Jill's face.
 
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
[[Category:Non-canon articles]]
 
[[Category:Non-canon articles]]

Revision as of 19:45, 7 August 2014

Alien 2: On Earth (Alien 2: Sulla Terra), also known as Alien Terror and Strangers, is an unauthorized 1980 Italian-British-American sequel to the 1979 American film Alien, written and directed by Ciro Ippolito. The plot has little connection to the original film.

The film features a score by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angeli, performed by them under the pseudonym Oliver Onions.

Plot

As the world awaits the return of a crew of astronauts deep space mission, a young woman named Thelma Joyce appears on a television talk show to discuss caves. Soon after her interview begins, Thelma has a horrible psychic vision.

After the spacecraft returns to Earth missing its occupants, a girl on a beach discovers a weird, blue pulsating rock. Her mother soon finds her with her face ripped off.

Thelma and her husband Roy meet up with their friends at a bowling alley. After a short gambling session, they leave to go explore a cave.

The group stops at a roadside cafe' to buy food and change into their caving gear. Thelma's friend Burt discovers a blue rock that he decides to keep in his pack. The group can't figure out what type of rock it is.

The group finally arrives at the cave, and quickly rapells to the bottom to set up camp for the night. Thelma tells Roy that she feels that something horrible is about to happen, but Roy calms her down.

Thelma's friend Jill discovers the blue rock that Burt dropped while rapelling the previous day. Before Jill can touch it, the rock opens up and a Facehugger attacks her face. Thelma senses what is happening and panics. Roy calms her down, then decides to go find Jill's body.

Roy rapells down into a hole and finds Jill, alive and with her face intact. He straps her to a lifter and she is lifted up to the rest of the group. Jill is set aside by herself, still unconscious. While the group is taking pictures of the many rock formations, a Chestburster erupts from Jill's face and attacks Burt's neck. Burt is dragged upside down as the creature slices his neck repeatidly until his head falls off.

The "Faceburster" quickly grows into a mature Alien and slaughters the group one by one, multiplying with each kill. Thelma and Roy manage to outrun the Aliens and escape the caves. They jump into their car and drive towards the city.

On the way to the city, they discover a police car, but no police officers are in sight. They stop at the roadside cafe' again, only no one is there. Roy tries to call for help on a payphone, but no operator is available. They get back into the car and continue to drive to the city.

Thelma and Roy finally get back to the city, but strangely, they can't find anyone. They stop at the bowling alley to find that it's empty, too. Roy goes to the back, only to be killed by an Alien waiting there. The Alien chases Thelma through the bowling alley, until she hits it in the head and leaves.

Thelma runs through the empty city streets, calling for help but getting no answer. She finally stops yelling and sits down in an intersection. Suddenly, text shoots at the screen, warning the audience "You may be next!", implying that the Aliens have taken over Earth.

Release

ALIEN_2_ON_EARTH_Trailer_-_The_Cinema_Snob

ALIEN 2 ON EARTH Trailer - The Cinema Snob

The original theatrical trailer for Alien 2: On Earth

Alien 2: On Earth was released theatrically in Italy on April 11, 1980 and in West Germany on March 19, 1982.

The English-dubbed version of the film was never released theatrically in the United States. Instead, it was released directly-to-video under the title Alien Terror. The US version of the film is slightly different, being much darker overall (making it hard to watch, especially the cave scenes) and having the sky at the end of the film tinted red, for unknown reasons.

Alien 2 blu ray

Alien 2 Blu-Ray cover

On March 22, 2011, Midnight Legacy re-released the English-dubbed version of the film on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States under its original title, Alien 2: On Earth. The re-release includes fully remastered picture and audio. This version of the film is longer than any other version, and includes deleted scenes and trailers.

Alternate Titles

Alien 2: On Earth has had a confusing release. Since its original release, the title has been altered, twisted, or sometimes completely changed from the original title, making the film very hard to find sometimes.

International titles for Alien 2 were:

Alien 2: Sulla Terra (Alien 2: On Earth) - Italy (Original title)

Alien 2: To Teras sti Gi (Alien: The Monster of Earth) - Greece

Alien Volta a Atacar (Back to Alien Attack) - Portugal

Alien, die Saat des Grauens kehrt zurück (Alien, The Seeds of Horror Returns) - Germany

Le Monstre Attaque (The Monster Attacks) - France

Alien 2: On Earth- USA (DVD and Blu-ray release)

Alien Terror - USA (VHS release)

Strangers - USA (Alternate VHS release)

Reception

Reviews are generale favorevole for the film's splatter scenes, the set and the tension, but the content drew a mixed response from critics. Currently, the film holds a 28% Rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the general audience (The film has, to date, no professional reviews) and a 4/10 on IMDb.

Adam Tyner of DVD talk wrote "James Cameron once summed up his follow-up to Alien as 'forty miles of bad road'. Alien 2, meanwhile, is 'eighty-four miles of bad, period'."

The Blu-ray release of the film, however, has received more positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Tom Landy of High-Def Digest.com gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "It's tough to outright recommend this one to the masses, but for fans of the film or collectors of oddball cult curiosities then this Blu-ray is the definitive disc of Alien 2: on Earth to own".

Trivia

  • The plot in the film Alien takes place in the year 2122 AD. This film, however, appears to take place somewhere in the 1980s, even though its story is supposedly set after the events on the Nostromo.
  • The Alien in the film differs considerably from that seen in the original Alien (and the rest of the official franchise). Its infant form bursts out of the victim's face rather than the chest (leading some fans to christen it the "Faceburster"), while in its adult form it is shown to be a shape-shifting creature that attempts to assimilate other lifeforms. In this last regard it is similar to the titular creature in John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing.
  • The "Faceburster" appears to have the ability to slice off heads with its tail.
  • The Eggs in the film barely resemble the Eggs from Alien. In the original film, the Eggs were grey-green, leathery and opened on top. The Eggs in this film resemble rocks, are blue and pulsate. They still open on top, though.
  • Some critics have suggested that the film's narrative details and visual design and effects appeared to have been a major influence on the 2005 film The Descent.
  • The conquest of Earth by the Xenomorphs is also a major plot point in many of the comics and novels of the Alien franchise.
  • Since Alien 2 is an "unauthorized" sequel (meaning that it wasn't approved by Fox, the company that owns the rights to the Alien franchise), it has never been released in any Alien film collection or boxed set with the other films in the series. Therefore, the only way to obtain the film is through the rare Alien Terror VHS or the Midnight Legacy DVD release, which is far easier to find.

Gallery