Aliens

Okay, this GenXer fully admits, I’d never seen any of the Alien franchise before about 2 weeks ago. My wife has been trying (for years), but frankly, I’m not into SciFi all that much. I do the Star Wars franchise (the ones I acknowledge as actual films), but beyond that, I just can’t get into it. But Amazon had Alien on Prime recently, so I told my wife I’d watch with her, and it turned out... it was actually pretty darn good. Then Amazon had a really good deal on Aliens - the sequel if you didn’t know - and we grabbed it. (We have also agreed to get Alien when it has a good deal) and, I liked it as well. it’s a pretty good movie. I was impressed. Never realized the first two were James Cameron films, but watching, I’m not surprised. I’d never paid attention, but then I could see his voice all over it. Alien and Aliens are smart films. Not just your run of the mill, giant dangerous monsters take over and kill people. In fact, I know there was stress and anxiety and action and heightened, growing tension as the Alien/aliens have to be hunted and destroyed, before they get closer to civilization. But I don’t remember blood and gore (for the sake of it or not). The great films don’t need to put it in your face, or at least do it in a way that you aren’t overwhelmed. All of that is expertly built into the action of the film. But the other thing about great action and thriller movies, they are about someone - there is a way for the audience to come in, be engaged, and want their hero to win. Aliens, like its predecessor, has that kind of heart. Without it, a person may still like movie, but there is always “something missing,” they often just can’t tell you what... so yes, Aliens has that heart... found in both our hero, Ripley, and her new charge, the little girl, Newt. Cameron has done a great job of picking up where the first one let off, then grab us and brings us into Aliens quickly and easily, then builds a story with both the action and growing energy most want, but the heart that your viewer’s heart knows it needs. There are the standout performances of Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn (Newt), Lance Henriksen, and Michael Biehn. In this turn, Paul Reiser does very well as the villain. But I think my biggest surprise was found in Private Vasquez, played by Jenette Goldstein. If you want to know why, watch Aliens. If you want to know even more... she’s the Irish mom in Titanic, the James Cameron masterpiece. And a few other parts - she’s an unknown/little know chameleon actor with such a talent, when I found out all she’s been in, I was blown away - she’s excellent. The story picks up where Alien left off, taking Ripley back to the planet of her greatest challenge and threat of death from... the alien now aliens. She and the others sent to find out (many years later) what has happened to an ill advised colony there. As things play out she and the others, a top military team, are hunted by even more aliens. They also find a young Newt, in need of their help - well, as far as a kid who’s survived on their own for so long needs help that is (think Jurassic Park 3). In the end, will anyone get off the planet... I can honestly say, I think you’ll have fun finding out. I will add, I have now watched the next in the franchise and did not like it at all. Why? Because it is completely missing what Cameron did - the heart as the hero of a SciFi film. Every movie needs heart and this SciFi has it.

So you may or may not have seen videos on Youtube calling the 4k transfer of Aliens an abomination. People showing frames where the AI has gone haywire, melting actor's faces in the background or just making things look glossy and artificial and fake. I was about to swear off buying this disc until I started seeing more and more reviews where people completely disagreed, saying that the transfer looked great and they didn't notice any of these weird aberrations. I'm here to say that I completely agree with the latter camp - I personally think Aliens 4k looks INCREDIBLE - it's a huge step up from the Blu Ray version, and I literally spent most of the movie just marveling at how crisp and clear everything looked. This is a movie I've seen dozens of times, on VHS, DVD, and Blu Ray, and I can say with confidence it's never looked better. (I was watching via a Panasonic UB820 4k Player and an LG B4 OLED TV, if that matters to anyone). There is only ONE time where I noticed the AI remastering went haywire - and it's unfortunately in the climax where Ripley is fighting the Alien Queen. She totally has googly eyes like a cartoon, but it's literally a few seconds out of a 2 hour movie and my wife didn't even notice. Get this if you're an Aliens fan and I bet you won't be disappointed!

The Aliens franchise scared me in the theaters they were so well done. Aliens was very good and I always thought it one of the best sequels but I always wondered how did the people live there for so long before the disaster happened. What caused the disaster to happen. This version briefly answers that question. For the same price, this one was worth getting.

If Ridley Scott's Alien was a haunted house in space, James Cameron's Aliens is a haunted house in space...with a roller coaster built in. Cameron somehow adds a sense of exhilaration when Alien survivor Ellen Ripley joins a team of future space marines on a mission to the same planet where her crewmate was infected in Alien. Released at a time in the 80s when action movies were starting to get a bit cartoonish, Aliens maintains a grounded feeling of tension and dread in between the explosions and gunfire. There are some scenes where you can tell the cast was acting in front of a green screen but the creature effects, which there are many, are flawless.

Great product! Fast shipping!!

As a fan of James Cameron, I was excited to buy this THX certified DVD and pop it into my player as soon as it arrived. Upon opening this DVD package, I first noticed the rather lazy disc design and booklet. I think the booklet can use a facelift with much more behind-the-scenes info rather then a resume on all the actors. When I buy a "Special Edition", I expect more then that. Call me crazy, but I want every aspect of the package to be 'special' if you are going to label a DVD package as a "Special Edition". But maybe I'm being picky......maybe not. So anyway, I popped the disc into my player and enjoyed the menu graphics....simple, yet attractive with easy navigation. I started to play the movie and was instantly impressed by the sound quality. I knew I was in for a treat. The picture looked terrific, with rich blacks and saturated colors. Fine detail and a clean transfer made this film a pleasure to watch. I hope all films are transferred from High Definition masters in the future....it really is a noticeable difference. The sound quality throughout the film was explosive. The surround elements are wonderful and the stereo separation is quite pleasing and realistic. There are many scenes where the bass will test your system, so be prepared for your ears to bleed a little bit. Although the vocals on the actors sound just a tad dated (a little flat in some areas), overall, this DVD sounds quite impressive. Having THX certification is almost a sure guarantee that your audio experience will be the best it can be. The disc also includes the usual stuff.....trailers, scene selecion.....but the addition of 17 minutes of restored footage is the real reason I bought this disc. The scenes fit flawlessly into the original cut, and if you are like me, you'll appreciate trying to recognize the scenes and enjoying the restored footage. I can see why they were originally cut, not being THAT important or necessary to the flow of the film, but having them included did not ruin the experience for me....I found the scenes quite enjoyable. In conclusion, I recommend this DVD to anyone who is a fan of the Alien series (except for Alien 3) and/or a fan of James Cameron. The original was wonderful, but as usual, James Camerons need to thrill us all comes through loud and clear in this sequel. Although I do recommend a better job creating the booklet and the disc graphic in this "Special Edition", every other aspect of this DVD is wonderful. Enjoy!

It's comparing apples to oranges at this point; both are delicious. A point must be made as both films are very unique beasts. ALIENS is as good an action film as ALIEN is a horror film. Poor Ripley is quickly black-listed, and soon finds herself doing menial work in civilian life, all the while suffering nightmares from her experience. That is, until contact is lost with the colonists on the very same planet, and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation suddenly needs her help. An executive named Burke (played by Paul Reiser, pre-Mad About You), makes her an offer—the company will reinstate her flight commission if she agrees to go back to the planet as an advisor to a squad of Colonial Marines, which is being sent to determine what happened. Hoping that a little alien ass-kicking will cure her post-traumatic stress, and save the colonists in the process, Ripley agrees to return. The result, of course, is more than two hours of sheer terror, in which the bugs always seem to have the upper hand. Cameron’s approach to this sequel is refreshing, in that he didn’t simply try to copy the classic horror tone of the original film. He approached Aliens as a straightforward combat picture, and crafted a script that’s filled with a different kind of tension in addition to plenty of action. There are some fun performances here, by actors who would later become fairly well known, among them Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, and the aforementioned Reiser (whose mid-80s haircut is about the only thing that really dates this film). The actual Xenomorphs appear far more insect-like in this movie, which taps into the deep-rooted, unconscious fear of insects that many people harbor. And all of this mayhem was created with just six alien costumes (not counting the Queen), which is surprising, given that the impression is of hundreds of the creatures attacking at once. With the Queen itself, Cameron managed to break new ground, showing us the final stage of the creature’s life cycle, unseen in the original Alien. The concepts and designs here are very true to, and respectful of, the work of the original film’s artists (including the great H.R. Giger). Whether you like Cameron’s approach or not, this is great production design. Aliens isn’t better than the original film—far from it. It’s just different. And it really works.Cameron takes the mythology and runs with it, although some changes don't make a lot of sense. If the queen lays eggs, why do the creatures need to lay eggs, Kane/Dallas/Marines/, inside humans? And the first film had the alien as an intelligent, cunning warrior whereas this film they are of the hive mentality and act like insects.... and there are some moments of bad dialogue from the usual tin-eared Cameron. Mainly said by rat Burk, played by Paul Riser. Its quibbling. The film is stunning visually and still holds thematic power. Hi-tech battle scenes, highlight this emotionally wrenching film, but it's Weaver who holds it all together - a complicated performance; she nabbed an Oscar nomination! Lance Henriksen as Bishop the android, makes for a great sidekick, despite getting cut in half! Outstanding!

UPDATED: Giving this a five star review now, it may not be a demo worthy disc but it is the best upscaled catalog movie I have ever seen from the 80s, the audio and video quality is actually quite good! Its not bladerunner 2049 good but relative to its age its the best remaster I’ve ever seen! Original Post: As someone who has owned Aliens on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, I’ve been waiting a long time for a proper upgrade, and this 4K release finally delivers! Video Quality: The new 4K transfer is a huge step up from the old Blu-ray. The overly smooth, waxy look caused by heavy DNR is gone, replaced with natural film grain that makes it look like a real movie again. HDR adds depth to shadows and brightness to highlights—dark colony corridors no longer lose detail, and explosions pop without being blown out. Colors and skin tones are much more natural. It’s not a flawless reference disc—some scenes still show the limits of the source—but it’s by far the best this movie has looked at home. Audio Quality: The Dolby Atmos mix is a big improvement over the Blu-ray’s DTS-HD track. The motion tracker’s beeps, gunfire, and alien screeches now move through the sound field with convincing directionality, and the overhead channels add a lot to the tension. Dialogue is clearer, and James Horner’s score has more presence. That said, this isn’t quite the jaw-dropping demo mix you’ll find on newer action blockbusters—it’s faithful to the film, but not a modern “shake the walls” track. Bottom Line: This is easily the definitive version of Aliens for home viewing. While it doesn’t quite reach 5-star demo disc territory, the improvements in both picture and sound over past releases are dramatic. A must-own upgrade for any fan of the film.