84 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deluxe edition of Cameron's classic film sequel, January 4, 2004
Revised for Blu-ray:The Blu-ray edition of "Aliens" features a stunning looking transfer. Yes, it does still have film grain (well, it should-it was shot on film and removing the grain using digital noise reduction would also remove much of the fine detail). Fox has done a masterful job of transferring this for its Blu-ray debut.
The Blu-ray includes both versions of the film--the original theatrical cut as well as the extended version.
The Blu-ray looks exceptionally good in its presentation here. Audio sounds positively stunning at times with a nice immersive mix of the soundtrack (for a film of its time).
Cameron did the smart thing with Aliens--go in a completely different direction from Ridley Scott's film and create something unique that still had his signature on it. In fact, Cameron already had a story he had written with the same basic premise--it just didn't have Ripley nor did it have the Aliens from the film series. He adapted it and made it work for this terrific 5 star sequel.
Special Features:
The big difference is the commentary track from Cameron and various cast and crew members. This is kind of a slice and dice commentary. You get Cameron one minute, the main cast (with the curious exception of Paul Reisner and Weaver), producer Gale Anne Hurd and make up/creature effects wizard Stan Winston. It's a terrific commentary track and there isn't a lot of dead space so clearly this approach will work for most fans of the film. If you wanted to hear Cameron the entire time, well you're out of luck.
The extras are pretty indepth including Cameron's original story treatment and every from pre to post production footage and information. It's a great package.The film wasn't shot using anamorphic lenses (in fact a lot of Cameron's early features weren't shot in anamorphic widescreen because of the difficulty of lighting the optical effects among many other things but you'll hear more about that in the commentary section). This is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
ABOUT THE DVD:
There are some minor compression issues. Since Aliens was shot on film stock that was very grainy (it was a new film stock and you'll notice a lot of films from the time with a similar look). It actually enhances the feel and look of the film capturing the Vietnam era references that Cameron was making with the film. So it was grainy before and still looks that way.
Using a format called Extended Branching allows both versions of the film to be on the same dual layered DVD at the same time and saves disc space. I noticed a comment about the lack of a DTS soundtrack. My understanding is that Cameron was very happy with the sound on the original release and had no desire to fiddle with this version.
All in all a terrific version of the movie. The packaging is probably going to be better here as the Quadrilogy had a fold out accordian format which I hate.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
57 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Sci-Fi, July 30, 2002
Excellent Sci-fi film. The premise of this movie is that Sigourney Weaver must go back to the original planet where her deceased crew made first contact with the Alien, this time with a troop full of marines. This is a great movie that has classic Cameron action sequences and special effects, but also a frantic and claustrophobic atmosphere. All of the acting is well done, namely Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, and the little kid. The Alien Queen at the end still looks AWESOME. Quick warning, though, this is the SPECIAL EDITION, and that means you CAN ONLY CHOOSE THE DIRECTOR'S CUT, not the theatrical version. This may make a difference because about 17 minutes of footage are added, mostly for good reason, but occasionally it is unnecessary and/or slightly damaging to the suspense. My advice to you is RENT THE DVD first, just to make sure you like the new version and extra footage, and buy it later. In case you were wondering, most of the restored footage has to do with the colonists early on and some pretty cool sentry machine guns about 2/3 through. In my opinion, either version is great, too bad they didn't include both!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Aliens Blu-ray Review, April 12, 2011
This is my blu-ray review for "Aliens" from the Alien Trilogy set. Anyone who has seen "Aliens" a million times like me knows that it is a VERY grainy film. I blame this on the film stock used at the time. I will try to give you a fair/balanced review without getting too much in detail. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the film DID look better then I expected on blu-ray. (And no!...you can't always expect a blu-ray to look better). I assume the film I'm viewing will be the same as the single blu-ray "Aliens' which will be released in the near future. I know I wanted all four of them so I bought the whole thing. Yes!....I frowned on Alien 3 for many years to later REALLY like and respect it. Alien-Resurrection being the worst of the set and even it "got better" over the years. Will you see grain in Aliens?....most certainly yes!...three areas mostly that I saw....1. When Ripley is rescued (opening of the movie: the outer shuttle shot looks great, it's the inner shot where the salvage team comes in).....2. When Ripley is waking up at Gateway Station.....3. Where she is sitting at the garden bench waiting for Burk before the inquest wanting information about her daughter. Other then these three areas I found grain to be at a minimum. It seemed like the film improved as I got further into it. Some of the grain could be where the added footage for the extended version was cut in. I found grain most of the time where I wouldn't expect to see it and didn't see it where I held my breath knowing I was going to see it. The very few space shots of the Sulaco and the tactical landing craft are for the most part clear as a bell (these being the darker shots you would expect to see grain). There are scenes where you are simply amazed at the clarity (given what you're used to seeing). Flesh surfaces look rather good..not fantastic....I did notice surface texture (metal, fabric, hair, flesh) details more and could actually read nomenclature tags clear. I don't remember watching the dvd and being able to do so. I did notice the tactical landing craft wing lights were very sharp and clear as well as on the top of the air making facility tower. Anyone who has apprehensions to spending the money for a blu-ray version rest easy. You will not be disappointed. I am eagerly waiting for Cameron to do a blu-ray treatment on "The Abyss".....
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
