Alien Nation
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: October 7, 1988 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Eventually, though it happens later rather than sooner, the conventional aspects of Alien Nation overwhelm the novelty. Read full review
60
VarietyStaff [Not Credited]
Solid performances by leads James Caan and his humanoid buddy-cop partner Mandy Patinkin move this production beyond special effects, clever alien makeup and car chases. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneDave Kehr
Alien Nation is a sluggish, forced and hopelessly derivative action thriller, sporadically redeemed by the wit of its stars and the velvety sheen of Greenberg's night photography. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
There are, thankfully, a few humorous and imaginative touches here and there, but Alien Nation is hardly inspired. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldBill Cosford
Though there's some wit on the fringes (including splendid use of a Reagan stump-speech line), the whole thing plays a lot like a Miami Vice via Star Trek. [7 Oct 1988, p.E10]
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is simply a failure of imagination. Nobody looked at the screenplay and observed that it didn’t try hard enough, that it had no surprises, that it didn’t attempt to delight its audiences with twists and turns on the phoned-in plotline. Read full review
40
Washington PostRita Kempley
Alien Nation wants to be "In the Heat of the Night" as science fiction, but it's neither morally instructive nor prophetic. It proves a lumbering marriage of action and sci-fi that alienates both audiences. It's too dull for one and too dumb for the other. Read full review
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