Tuesday, January 2, 2024

4K Digital Review: Aliens

 


Aliens is James Cameron's sequel to Ridley Scott's wildly popular and intensely scary Alien movie. We pick up after the end of Alien where Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) had escaped the Nostromo with her life and then spent the next 57 years in hibernation sleep in her escape pod. The escape pod is picked up by a savage ship and when Ripley awakens she discovers that everything and everyone she loved has died. 

The company that Ripley worked for is still thriving and very upset that she had destroyed a $43 million spaceship despite what she told them about an alien species they encountered on LV 426. Ripley also learns that there are colonists on LV 426 and there has been no incident from the supposed alien species in 20 years. At the same time, a scouting party runs into the same alien spaceship that the Nostromo did 57 years ago and proceeds to wipe out the colonists on LV 426.

Communications is lost with LV 426 and the company sends a ship full of Marines and include Ripley as a consultant. The Marines are ambushed by the aliens and are now cut off from their escape route and drop ship. The survivors now have to survive the night and hope they can get to a second drop ship and get off the planet before it is too late. 


Video:

The 4K scan is interesting to me. While it isn't perfect, the sets and machines looks incredible, it's the faces that look weird and fake. The skin tones look almost like putty at times. So, the image isn't completely horrible, just problematic.


Audio:

The Dolby Atmos mix is fantastic as per the norm for Disney. The dialogue is crisp and clean as usual. The surround sound is very effective in all the action pieces. The cries of the aliens and the laser blasts envelope you. The large mech mover that Ripley uses provides some of the best surround audio of the movie as it adds weight to the scene.

Bonus Features:

    • James Cameron Introduction – A message from writer/director James Cameron introducing the Special Edition version of the film.

      2003 Audio Commentary by James Cameron and the Cast and Crew-Special Edition – 1990 Special Edition Commentary by James Cameron and the cast and crew.

      The Inspiration and Design of ALIENS – For the 30th anniversary, writer/director James Cameron reveals new insight into his own inspiration and the design elements for Aliens.

      2003 Audio Commentary by James Cameron and the Cast and Crew – 1986 Theatrical Version Commentary by James Cameron and the cast and crew.


      Isolated Scores
      ● Final Theatrical Isolated Score – This isolated track presents, as accurately as possible, James Horner's music score in its final form following extensive reworking during the post-production process.
      ● Composer's Original Isolated Score – Although there are a few instances where the length of individual sequences was changed slightly after the music was recorded, this isolated score track presents, as accurately as possible, James Horner's original intentions.

      Superior Firepower: Making Aliens – Immerse yourself in the world of ALIENS with 11 fully-loaded featurettes that deconstruct all that went into making this sci-fi thriller, from casting to creature design to post-production and everything in between.

      57 Years Later: Continuing the Story
      ● Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction
      ● Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization
      ● This Time It’s War: Pinewood Studios, 1985
      ● The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action
      ● Bug Hunt: Creature Design
      ● Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn
      ● Beauty and the *****: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien
      ● The Final Countdown: Music, Editing and Sound
      ● The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects
      ● ALIENS Unleashed: Reaction to the Film


      Superior Firepower: Making Aliens Enhancement Pods – Supplemental video pieces to complement Superior Firepower: Making ALIENS.

      ● Without Sigourney Weaver
      ● Origins of Acheron
      ● Building Hadley's Hope
      ● Cameron's Design Philosophy
      ● Finding an Unused Power Plant
      ● Cameron's Military Interests
      ● Working with Sigourney Weaver
      ● The Importance of Being Bishop
      ● Paul Reiser on Carter Burke

      The Paxton/Cameron Connection
      ● Becoming Vasquez
      ● On Set: Infiltrating the Colony
      ● Props: Personal Light Unit
      ● Simon Atherton Talks Weapons
      ● Praising Stan Winston
      ● Test Footage: Chestburster
      ● Fighting the Facehugger
      ● Test Footage: Facehugger
      ● Stan Winston’s Challenge

      Test Footage: Queen Alien
      ● Stan Winston's Legacy
      ● Cameron's Cutting Edge
      ● Sigourney Weaver's Triumph
      ● Re-Enlisting with Cameron
      ● From Producer to Stunt Double

      Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Videomatics
      • Angle 1: Videomatic

      Angle 2: Videomatic/Final Shot Comparison
      • Audio Commentary by Miniature Effects Supervisor Pat McClung

      Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes From Special Edition
      ● Ripley's Daughter – Burke informs Ripley that her daughter died two years ago.
      ● Van Leuwen's Verdict – Van Leuwen reads the findings of the court of inquiry.
      ● The Colony/The Jordens' Discovery – The colony is bustling with life and activity. Newt, along with her brother and parents, come upon the Derelict ship.
      ● Burke's Answer – At Ripley's apartment, Burke explains why he's making the trip to LV-426.
      ● INT. Sulaco – Establishing shots of the interior of the Sulaco before the crew awakens from hyper-sleep.
      ● Hudson's Hubris – As they descend in the drop ship to LV-426, Hudson boasts about their advanced weaponry.

      False Alarm – Hudson and Vasquez detect motion in the colony, only to find it is pet hamsters.
      ● Ripley Pauses – As she enters the colony, Ripley hesitates for a moment.
      ● The Sentry Guns – Hicks reveals they have robot sentry systems. While examining the colony blueprints, Ripley and Hicks discuss where to place the robot sentries.
      ● Fire in the Hole – Hudson and Vasquez set up the UA 571-C remote sentry weapons and following a quick test, seal the tunnel.
      ● Last Line of Defense – The Sentry Guns dutifully scan the tunnel for incoming targets.
      ● Newt's Questions – Newt quizzes Ripley about the fate of her parents.
      ● Hudson's "Ant" Theory – Hudson speculates on how the Aliens are organized and reproduce.
      ● The Aliens Attack – The Sentry Guns unload on multiple targets.
      ● The Aliens Retreat – Under withering fire from the sentries, the Aliens are temporarily repulsed.
      ● First Name Basis – As Ripley departs the drop ship to try and rescue Newt, she and Hicks share their first names with each other.


      Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned - Long one of the most sought-after lost moments from the entire ALIEN Anthology, this scene depicting Carter Burke's fate is now revealed.

      Deleted Scene Montage - This collection of scene extensions and omitted moments represents the remainder of deleted scenes not appearing in either the Theatrical Version or the Special Edition.

      Still Galleries and more
      • Original Treatment by James Cameron
      • Storyboard Archive
      • The Art of ALIENS
      • Cast Portrait Gallery
      • Production Image Galleries

      Continuity Polaroids
      • Weapons and Vehicles
      • Stan Winston's Workshop
      • Colonial Marine Helmet Cameras
      • Video Graphics Gallery
      • Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers

      Post-Production Aftermath
      • Image Galleries
      • Laserdisc Archives
      • Main Title Exploration
      • Theatrical Trailers
      o Teaser Trailer
      o Theatrical Trailer
      o Domestic Trailer
      o International Trailer
Conclusion:

Aliens is still one of the best sci-fi films around. While the video isn't perfect, the audio is and the ton of bonus material make this a must have for your collection.

Aliens is available on digital and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on March 12, 2024.

*The movie was provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment for the sole purpose of review and the review is strictly my own opinion*

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