Alien Nation

"Prepare Yourself."

1988 1h 31m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🥫

52%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 353🥫52%Rotten Tomatoes●45Metacritic★6.3IMDB · 17,215

Science FictionCrimeThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A few years from now, Earth will have the first contact with an alien civilization. These aliens, known as Newcomers, slowly begin to be integrated into human society after years of quarantine.

“Prepare Yourself.”

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Cast

James Caan
Matthew Sykes
Mandy Patinkin
Samuel 'George' Francisco
Terence Stamp
William Harcourt
Kevyn Major Howard
Rudyard Kipling
Leslie Bevis
Cassandra
Peter Jason
Fedorchuk
Conrad Dunn
Quint
Jeff Kober
Joshua Strader

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Graham Baker
Writers: Rockne S. O'Bannon
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Graham Baker, shot by Adam Greenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Curt Sobel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kent Beyda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

James Caan and Mandy Patinkin and Terence Stamp carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Prepare Yourself.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094631 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Graham Baker directs. Adam Greenberg behind the camera. Curt Sobel scores. Kent Beyda cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Graham Baker, shot by Adam Greenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Curt Sobel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kent Beyda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5James Caan and Mandy Patinkin and Terence Stamp carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Prepare Yourself.".
7IMDB entry: tt0094631 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Adam Greenberg
Original score: Curt Sobel
Editing: Kent Beyda
Production design: Jack T. Collis
Costume design: Erica Edell Phillips
Makeup / hair: Janice Alexander
Sound: Don J. Bassman
Stunt coordinator: Conrad E. Palmisano
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Budget: $16,000,000
Box office: $32,155,047
Return: 201% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Alien Nation (1988)
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 45/100
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 17,215 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations total

Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Graham Baker

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

kevin20192025-06-20
★ 5/10
"Alien Nation" is a very routine film that doesn't even attempt to add any additional layers to provide a sense of mystery or intrigue and it also isn't helped by a desperately predictable quality. You know from the beginning that William Harcourt is up to no good and even the series of murders is conveniently solved in a risible and problem free fashion. The film also has the feel of a television movie-of-the-week throughout and there is no sense of adventure - or even a baffling and perplexing secret at the heart of the story for that matter - and there is a distinct feeling that everyone involved in front and behind the cameras is just going through the motions for the sake of a lucrative pay day and they have no real interest in how the finished film will turn out.

Production companies