Alien Nation (film)
Alien Nation is a 1988 American science fiction film directed by Graham Baker and produced by Gale Anne Hurd, Richard Kobritz and Bill Borden. The storyline was based on a screenplay written by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It stars James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp, and Kevyn Major Howard. The film depicts the integration of aliens settling in Los Angeles, much to the dismay of the local population. The film's plot is a science fiction variation on the buddy cop genre.
The filmmakers also introduced some sociological ideas, such as the effects of illegal immigration, discrimination and racism as the aliens try to interact and fit in with human society. The aliens have enlarged spotty craniums, two hearts, can consume only raw food and are sensitive to seawater which acts like an acid on their skin. Over the course of the film, their slavery past is alluded to as they are genetically modified for slave labor.
Alien Nation premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on October 7, 1988, grossing $25,216,243 in domestic ticket receipts. The film earned an additional $6,938,804 in business through international release to make a combined $32,155,047 gross revenue, making it a moderate financial success. The film was met with mixed reviews before its initial screening in cinemas, although it has become something of a cult classic. The popularity of the film's concept spawned a television series that ran for one season in 1989, and five television movie sequels during the 1990s, in an attempt to continue the character development surrounding the fictional alien culture.