Alien Nation

Fox, Tues. Oct. 25, 8 p.m.

Cast: Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, Michele Scarabelli, Terri Treas, Lauren Woodland, Sean Six, Jeff Marcus, Ron Fassler, Scott Patterson, Jenny Gago, Michele Lamar Richards, Dana Andersen, Lee Bryant, David Purdham, Diane Cary, Susanna Thompson, Michael Durrell, Nina Foch, Susan Appling, Patience Cleveland, James Cooper, Sondra Currie, Terrence Evans, Jim Fyfe, Kevin Grevioux, Don James , Mary Komatar, Jordan Lund, Diane Markoff, Khin-Kyaw Maung, John Meyers, Haunani Minn, Lew Palter, Misa Schiffman, Elizabeth Storm, Blumen Young, Michael Zand.

Filmed in Southern California by Foxstar Prods. and Kenneth Johnson Prods. Executive producer, director, Kenneth Johnson; producers, writers, Diane Frolov, Andrew Schneider; based on characters created by Rockne S. O'Bannon; First production of Fox's new in-house Foxstar unit revives the 1989-91 TV series "Alien Nation," itself based on 1988 feature. Produced by and starring many members of original series team and aired in wake of Fox's "X-Files" success, film could generate life after its first death.

Overall concept "Alien Nation" is that an interplanetary slave ship has crashed on Earth, with humanoid survivors assimilating into the population of L.A. Repeating their roles from the original series, Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint star as Los Angeles Police Det. Matthew Sikes, a human, and his alien partner, George Francisco.

The original series ended with a cliffhanger in which ethnic "Purists" had invented anti-"Newcomers" virus; this telepic, scripted by Diane Frolov and Andrew Scheider and directed by Kenneth Johnson (a vet of the original series as well as "V"), picks up there. Second plot has an emissary from home planet Tencton sent to Earth to return slaves.

Whimsy, one of the original series' strong points, is erratic here: some of the aliens have taken such Earth names as May O'Naise, Teri Cloth, Norman Conquest and Kenny Bunkport; others' names are more conventional. Pierpoint occasionally misses his idiomatic English ("Are you implying I'm kitty-whipped?"), but only when show needs comic relief. First hour takes care of the virus plot (baddies are going to spray it over L.A. during an anti-killer-bee 'copter Malathion run) and dismisses the Purist leader (Lee Bryant) rather anticlimactically.

Second hour shifts into a fight against the Tenctonese emissary (Scott Patterson), which is far more interesting, not to mention witty. This, too, is where the theme of prejudice takes its most involving form, with focus switching from the futuristic equivalents of skinheads to Francisco's neighbors.

In one scene, neighbor Penny (Diane Cary) tells Francisco's wife that her family is uprooting to Idaho, and asks for her to keep the alien children inside so prospective home buyers won't be put off.

Look of the film is strong, lit by Lloyd Ahern II and with special effects Bill Millar and Digital Magic; makeup by Rick Stratton and crew. Acting is of a piece with material.

Other returning performers include Michelle Scarabelli, Lauren Woodland and Sean Rix as Francisco's wife, Susan, and two of three children (third, born during series' run, is evidently absent here); Terri Treas as alien biochemist (and Sikes'love interest) Cathy Frankel; Ron Fassier as police Capt. Grazer; and Jeff Marcus as Albert Einstein, an alien who works as a custodian in the police department.

Camera, Lloyd Ahern II; editors, Alan Marks, David Strohmaier; production designer, Brenton Swift; sound, Joe Kenworthy; music, David Kurtz.120 MIN.

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