CONTAMINATION
Blue Underground
95 Minutes. 1980. 1.85:1. Color

Starring Ian McCulloch, Louise Monroe and Martin Mase
Directed By Luigi Cozzi

There were several knock-offs of Ridley Scott's Alien. Fierce, hostile creatures with trapped characters in an isolated location. This popular concept has been extended to include exploding alien eggs in Contamination, Luigi Cozzi's horrific film involving a plan for world domination. After years of being available only in a cropped, murky and cut presentation, Contamination is available in widescreen through Blue Underground.

In the familiar opening, a boat without a crew wanders into the waters of New York City (a sequence almost identical to the opening of Lucio Fulci's Zombie). When police board the ship, they find a number of dead and bloody crew members. Moving further, they discover that the hull of the ship contains several coffee-shipping crates full of giant, green "eggs." When a police officer picks up one of the eggs, it explodes. A strange substance from inside the egg covers all but the Lieutenant when it explodes, causing the other people's chests to explode. The Lieutenant is taken by the government agents and is paired up with a tough female Colonel. A warehouse housing the eggs is discovered, along with people who are protecting them. The police raid the warehouse. The protectors of the eggs commit suicide by exploding some of the eggs onto themselves. The police and government agents destroy the stash of eggs and the warehouse. It is discovered that the eggs were shipped from South America.

Before leaving for South America and investigating the origin of the eggs, the Lieutenant and Colonel enlist the help of an ex-astronaut who reported seeing the eggs on an expedition to Mars. When they arrive at the "coffee plant," they discover that the eggs come from a giant creature known as the "cyclops," and its plan for world domination. The Lieutenant is eaten by the cyclops before the creature is destroyed.

Working on a small budge, one can notice that the acting in Contamination is below par. The scriptwriting and dialogue are equally awkward, containing lines that are a little superfluous and unnecessary.

This film has been released under several different titles, including Alien Contamination, Toxic Spawn and Alien 2. Video prints of this film, however, were cropped and grainy. True to form, the US video market was not kind to this popular genre title.

Blue Underground's stunning anamorphic widescreen transfer finally gives this film a proper presentation. The 1.85:1 transfer was made from the original negative materials, and it show. The image is bright and clear as can be, full of color, and is a tremendous improvement over the Paragon and Westlake video releases. However, the image is a little too bright and clean, revealing obvious matte painting shots of the Martian landscape.

In addition to the original mono soundtrack, Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 surround remixes are included on the disc. Deep, strong bass dominates the 5.1 track, and finally, Goblin's unique musical soundtrack can now be heard clearly without fuzzy distortion. However, for the collectors who are purists, the 2.0 mono mix is available. Many fans argue that it is important to include the original audio on a DVD release. Fortunately for them, this movie has a audio tracks for audiences with different preferences.

Among the extras is the Blue Underground-produced "Alien Arrives on Earth," a retrospective on Contamination. The documentary consists of an interview with Luigi Cozzi, clips from the film, and an array of stills, posters and photos. Cozzi explains his Science Fiction film influences and inspirations. Cozzi also explains his shaky relationship with the producers and the origin of the film's title. He also explains casting decisions and shooting locations. He noted that all of the helicopter shots were not of rented helicopters, but of ones that happened to be flying over New York City while setting up establishing shots. Costume design was also explained, being described as a neutral, timeless wardrobe that would work at the time of Contamination's release and also would be believable today. Cozzi covers everything else from special effects to set design.

"Luigi Cozzi on the Creation of Contamination" is a behind the scenes documentary that was made to promote Contamination at the time of its initial release. Much like the Blue Underground retrospective, this documentary explores Cozzi's influences, the story's origins and other points of production. Actual behind-the-scenes footage is included, with special effects makeup footage and setups. The documentary was shot on 16mm film, appearing very ambient and grainy. Fans of Roy Frumkes' Document of the Dead will appreciate this documentary.

A poster and still gallery contains an extensive set of international lobby cards, posters, behind-the-scenes photos and production stills. A conceptual illustration gallery reveals detailed storyboard illustrations that appear to have made it to the screen with little change.

The international theatrical trailer is a highlight among the special features on this DVD because it is an accurate representation of the movie it promotes. Key scenes set to the film's most prominent soundtrack music entice the viewer into seeing the film itself. The trailer is over three minutes long and truly captures the essence of the movie.

The most interesting extra is the graphic novel. The black and white comic spans 54 pages long and is in the PDF format (for use in both Macs and PCs). The comic was created around 10 years after the release of Contamination and reveals the original conceptions of Luigi Cozzi's characters - a more romanticized version of the seemingly sterile characters portrayed in the actual film. Even nudity is featured in the comic. The illustration is very detailed and has a Brenda Starr comic strip quality to it.

Fans of this film will be content with the treatment that Blue Underground has give this movie. The extras are extensive and sure to please the fans who cannot get enough of Contamination. Such a small budget film made over 25 years ago can be experienced all over again while contaminating a whole new generation of horror and science fiction fans.