ALF, the impetuous alien who plummeted from outer space into the
Tanner family garage back in ’86 is now crash-landing on DVD!
Earth has just not been the same without this cosmic superstar and
his wisecracking antics! Catch ALF in all 25 out-of-this-world
episodes from the complete first season of his award winning’
primetime TV hit.
CRITIQUE
Before I go in-depth with the season
or the DVD itself, let’s take a blast from the past of my childhood.
Most children probably grew up with either Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse,
but I grew up with ALF. I had the ALF stuffed animal, the ALF 50-piece
jigsaw puzzle, the ALF books, the ALF bed-set, you name it. And I was
even ALF for Halloween when I was really little. So yeah, ALF was huge
part of my childhood. The kicker is, however, I haven’t been able to
catch any ALF reruns in years! Much like Salute Your Shorts or
Hey Dude from Nickelodeon, this four-disc DVD set was a long
time coming.
After watching the first season all
way through, I kind of understand why critics hated the series. For
one thing, ALF is beyond cheesy. When the camera is focusing on ALF
from the angle of his neck-on-up, you can tell it’s a puppet. When the
camera is focusing on ALF’s whole body, and especially when he walks,
he looks pretty phony, kind of like a midget or kid in a suit. But
despite that, I still love the show to this day.
The concept of ALF is a bit corny.
But underlining jokes and humor is topnotch. Remember how corny Mr. Ed
was?! But the humor was still brilliantly presented. That’s how you’re
going to have to look at ALF. It’s what happens when ET, Howard the
Duck, Mr. Ed, and
Garfield are mixed in a blender: Cheesy, but satisfying and funny as
hell.
The season went on with ALF's crazy
ideas and going on(s), while the family tries to fix it by the end of
the episode. It's almost like the Family Matters effect - Urkel
is so annoying and causes so many problems yet you can't stop but
admire him. ALF is also annoying yet lovable at the same time!
THE VIDEO
Lions Gate presents ALF in
fullscreen format. In some forms, the presentation looks better than
the one on TV. Let’s just say you can tell it’s from the 80s!
THE AUDIO
Lions Gate presents ALF in 2.0 Dolby
Digital Surround. Not a show worthy enough to blast in stereo.
Dialogue and jokes are heard with clearness. The few off the wall
sound effects are sometimes distorted but otherwise they sound fine.
THE EXTRAS
There is no featurette describing
the show’s history, success, and where the concept came from. There
isn’t even any commentary by ALF himself (or the man behind ALF.) NO
PROBLEM! The original un-aired pilot episode, gag/outtakes,
ALF trivia facts, and a very comical interactive menushosted by ALF himself, are presented. I think the concept of
the show finally being released is a special feature all on its own.
Yes, a retrospective making of or commentary would’ve been real nice.
But I can’t really shouldn’t complain.
FINAL THOUGHTS
ALF was my childhood. Looking back
and rewatching the shows brought back some old memories, like looking
through a time capsule. On one hand, the show is silly through the
eyes of a prospering 20-year-old critic. On the other hand, it’s still
a favorite of mine and it still holds the same laughs to this day.
This is only recommended for people that dig the show, but in my blood
it’s a MUST-BUY!
