Aliens: Special Edition

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DVD Review

Aliens deserved to be a five-star DVD -- and it is a good DVD, but several things keep it from being a great DVD.  My review is made more critical by the fact that I viewed this DVD the night after I viewed the 20th Anniversary release of the original Alien film.  Surprisingly, the sequel looks less sharp on DVD than it's predecessor, filmed six years earlier.  Aliens seems grainier with as many or more film-specks than the first.  I also noticed some digital artifacting, especially against solid backgrounds.  This is all despite a THX transfer, which should minimize such distortions.  Also, while I don't have a full Dolby Digital surround system set up, and generally have chosen to refrain from sound comments thus far, I must admit that the sound seemed better and the surround channels far more effectual on the Alien DVD.

There are extras -- Behind the Scenes footage, an interview, restored footage, one foreign language subtitle, still photos -- but just enough to bring it an above average rating.  A big pet peeve of mine is that although they included over 17 minutes of footage cut from the theatrical release, they don't tell you where -- about five minutes is very noticeable.  There is no "deleted scene access", nor is there an option to eliminate the extra scenes (which would be nice for those that wanted to see the original theatrical release). 

Menus are adequate, kind of neat, but really only average or slightly above.   The 1.85:1 widescreen format was chosen over the theatre-grade 2.35:1 format that was used on the Alien disk.  This was also a bit disappointing, but does make things look bigger, on most TVs. 

A nice still photo section is included on the disk, as is an interview with James Cameron.  Like the first disk, a small, glossy booklet is included in the case with a cast list and bios, list of DVD extras, and a scene selection guide.  Because this is such an exciting movie, I recommend it for your collection, but it was a disappointing DVD on the tail of Alien.

Movie Review

As part of the 20th anniversary of the original release, the four Alien movies have been released on both DVD and VHS as a four-volume (plus a bonus-making of video) collector's set called Alien Legacy.  I only purchased the first two movies of the series, however, as they are my favorite.

The second film in a four-part series, Aliens picks up where Alien left off.  Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), sole survivor of the first film, finally makes it back to Earth, more than 50 years after her first alien encounter.  Thanks to suspended animation, however, she looks no worse for wear.  After a rocky homecoming, involving questions about her actions aboard the Nostromo, she is persuaded to accompany a military ship back to the planet where she first encountered the alien.  A large group of colonists has ceased communication with Earth, and two squads of Space Marines, accompanied by Ripley as an alien advisor, are sent in to investigate.

The marines are tough and well-armed -- but this time there is more than one alien.  Many more.  Making a reprise with there award-winning personalities, the alien kin quickly begin to teach the marines a lesson.  Slightly funnier than the first film, and every bit as exciting, this film also gets off to a slow start, but is non-stop action during the second half. 

The introduction of young Newt (Carrie Henn) and an almost-romance between Ripley and Corp. Hicks adds a new element to this film, but not one that distracts us from the action.  Interestingly, this element is also cut from later films, despite its possibilities.

Lots of bodies, lots of aliens, lots of bullets -- strap yourself in and get ready to kick it up a notch.