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Aliens (Special Edition)
Aliens
Special Edition
Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser
Director: James Cameron
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense
R     1999     2hr 17min

In this action-packed sequel to Alien, Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, the only survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with ske...  more »

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser
Director: James Cameron
Creators: James Cameron, David Giler, Gale Anne Hurd, Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett, Walter Hill
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense
Sub-Genres: James Cameron, Monsters & Mutants, Alien Saga, Robots & Androids, Space Adventure, Aliens, Mystery & Suspense
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 06/01/1999
Original Release Date: 07/18/1986
Theatrical Release Date: 07/18/1986
Release Year: 1999
Run Time: 2hr 17min
Screens: Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
Edition: Director's Cut,Special Edition
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
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Member Movie Reviews

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 8/13/2023...
Classic sci-fi that is Sigourney Weaver's brand! Many other great stars such as Winona Ryder, Michael Biehn, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Lance Henriksen and others; and Directors James Cameron, Ridley Scott and others made this well executed plotline and series! A must watch!

Movie Reviews

Deluxe edition of Cameron's classic film sequel
Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 01/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.This is essentially the same version that was released in the Alien Quadrilogy boxed set back in late November. Here's the deal; this picture quality isn't a huge step up from the previously available DVD. Cameron was very happy with the high definition transfer made in 1999 and, besides tweaking it a bit when it comes to compression artifacts, this isn't a whole lot different looking or sounding. 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. I should warn you, though, that this is not an anamorphic movie. It wasn't shot that way (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). So this is presented in its original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio but not in a anamorphic format.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."
Classic Sci-Fi
Big Erik | USA | 07/30/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"
Aliens - One of the best Sci-Fi action flicks ever made!
K. Wyatt | St. Louis, MO United States | 01/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're searching for a high speed, low drag super action thriller, search no more because "Aliens" is the film you're looking for! Even if you've not seen the first movie, "Alien" you'll still be able to enjoy this film to the fullest. That was of course by the design of the producers and this films superb director, James Cameron. Few sequels ever out do or exceed the accomplishments of their predecessors but "Aliens" can certainly be counted among those select few! With an exceptional script and an extremely talented cast, James Cameron crafted one of the best films to have ever graced the silver screen and the home theater screen.Few films raise the blood pressure such as this one does as James Cameron and crew crafted a film that excels in all points, from intense suspense to breakneck pace in action. What's even better is that this film bears many viewings; I can't even begin to remember how many times I've watched this extraordinary film. The VHS tape I had for the film died long ago and this review is for the June of 99 DVD release that has long since completely sold out prompting the latest DVD release!If you've watched more than one James Cameron film, you might begin to notice a bit of a recurring pattern as far as the exceptional actors that always seem to make it into his films, time after time. "Aliens" of course stars Sigourney Weaver in the role that has made her a household name and her performance for this film is extraordinary to say the least. Chief among the Cameron cronies (meant in a nice way of course) are Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and Jenette Goldstein who all perform brilliantly in this film and can be found in many of his other exceptional films. Also of note in "Aliens" is the dramatic role for Paul Reiser, a genre he's long since abandoned for comedy but his performance is quite memorable.Director James Cameron also wrote the script for "Aliens" along with David Giler and Walter Hill, all of which deserve all of the accolades they've received and continue to receive for their work on this incredible film. Few directors capture the imagination as he does. Of note also is James Horner, who was responsible for the score and the work he did on this film turned out to be quite exceptional, as is usual, whenever his name appears in the credits, the film is usually a huge success. Just a note on the "Space Marines" featured in this extraordinary film, from a present day soldier's point of view. No matter what happens in the future, I seriously doubt that the Marine Corps would ever adopt wearing US Army rank insignia on their uniforms. I'm sure that many a present day Marines has had their feathers rustled a bit upon noticing this minor error in costume design.The Premise:It is nearly sixty years after the conclusion of "Alien," Ripley and Jonesy the cat are still quite happily sleeping away in their cryo-freeze compartment aboard the shuttle after sending the first alien out the airlock. The film opens with a salvage crew opening up the shuttle and finding her and the cat! After she's awoken, she learns that she's been floating around for fifty seven years and the company she works for is none to sympathetic to her cause, basically blackballing her. Unbeknownst to her, the "company" sends someone out to investigate her story and not too long thereafter nobody from the planetoid is heard from again. This of course prompts the company to send the space marines and Ripley as an advisor to find out what happened to the terraformers...What follows from there is one of the best and most intense Sci-Fi action/thrillers to have ever been made and I would highly recommend this film to any and all who are fans of films in this genre!This review is for the June of 99 DVD release. I found that the THX and 5.1 Surround worked quite well for this film. The seventeen minutes of the restored footage for this film is quite seamlessly added to film and serves extremely well in enhancing the experience of this movie. With reference to the latest release, I would definitely recommend that version if you don't already have a copy, especially if you're into a lot of the Special Features. While the version I'm reviewing today seems a bit sparse in the special features area, the new release appears to be replete with them, making it a very wise purchase. {ssintrepid}Special Features:-Behind the Scenes Footage
-Interview with James Cameron
-Still Photo Section
-Original Theatrical Trailer"