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Summary: Additional Trailers & Production Credits
Review: From the main menu go to the "Extra Features" submenu and there arrow all the way down until the vital-signs monitor at the bottom of the screen is highlighted. Press "Enter" now and you will see the production credits for this DVD. The disc also contains trailers to all 4 Alien Movies in the "Extra Features" section.
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Summary: I'll match your dead Alien..and raise you a Planet
Review: It's a true curse to always want things to work out when watching the "art" of film...imagine the disappointments! And then they ask you to suspend reason because it's "entertainment" e.g. (slasher wipes out young jocks, bested by frail femme). So, imagine if you will, how much of a pleasure this sequel to ALIEN was..It was actually the last film I ever paid to see at the theater more than once. It's truly that good, one of the best action films ever made. The plot - everyone should know it by now, (but one more time for the cheap seats) Ripley, lost in space, after the near wipe-out on the Nostr-whatever(where the heck do these names come from) is rescued by a salvage ship...a mere 57 years later. Bummer for her, and let's suspend the reality starting now, no alien contacts since. The Company (rather BIG Brother name there) blow off her fantastic story (I suppose all of Ash's entries aren't in the recovered logs) and yank her license, off you go, to the docks. And while Ripley tries to cope with life, her nightmares of impregnation drive her to agree to accompany Burke, Company man, and a squad of Colonial Marines back to -(guess where). And that's where this movie kicks off. What follows, anyway you care to view it, broke new ground in effects, writing, action scenes..you name it. Imagine if you will, the stubborn Texicans attacking the Mexican Army at the Alamo..They may have had heart, but the Marines soon (very soon) find they are no match for the Aliens. Down to a quickly dwindling group of survivors, the film never lets up in suspense or action. (I'll leave the character development and sub-plots to those better suited to flesh them out, but rest assured, they are superb on many levels.) What makes a film classic..in whatever genre, (in my opinion) is does it still stand up as watchable today?
ALIENS does..in every category. Cameron made a masterpiece (hey, I don't know the guy) in a series that was deep-sixed in Aliens3. Jeez, what a kiss off. I don't know if I will ever buy the DVD series (I have the VHS tape practically memorized)
but any collection SHOULD HAVE THIS MOVIE> A Classic!
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Summary: The most consistently exciting sci-fi horror ever made
Review: 'Aliens' is definitely one of those rare cases where the sequel is heaps better than the original. The first in the series was undoubtedly seminal - who could forget when the alien bursts out of the astronaut's chest? - but this uses all the ingredients of the first film and emphasises them tenfold. Agent Ripley (Weaver) awakes only to discover that she's been in hyper-sleep so long, lost in space, that everyone she knew back on earth is now dead. As it turns out, there's more aliens abroad, and before you can say 'oh no not again' Ripley's taken off with a motley crew of army-astronauts to take a look at a planet where a human colony disappeared, and there's rumour of alien interference. If this appears clichéd then it's a great credit to director/writer James Cameron that he adds just about every element possible to make this not only completely credible but also scary, exciting and even human. Cameron replaces one alien with a whole colony, good special effects with better special effects and a bigger cast that's every bit as impressive as the original crew from 'Alien'. It would be impossible to pick out the best element here, no doubt it will be different for different people depending on what they prefer. However, it's probable that this wouldn't have been half of what it was had not Sigourney Weaver been in the lead role. She epitomised the female action hero, perhaps even the action hero, with her role as Agent Ripley. Strong when she needs to be, touch, bitter and now thanks to Cameron a maternal instinct in the shape of Newt, the only survivor of the lost colony and the child that Ripley never got to have. It is this that will hold the interest of many and it's a rare action movie that can keep you on the edge of your seat one moment and then feel intensely for a lost little girl, who thankfully is a very good actress. In short, this is a real classic of its genre and comes highly recommended even to those who aren't a fan of the action flick. This is intelligent, nail-biting and, significantly, scary stuff and not to be missed.
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Summary: Girl Power!!
Review: I originally saw this movie upon it's release. It sticks in my memory not only because I don't often go to see a film in a movie theatre, aside from "art houses", but because it was one of the also few times I can recall ever experiencing a collective audience reaction, of shared awe, to a film. It remains one of the scariest, intelligent, hold-onto-your-seat horror/sci-fi films of all time. There had not been, and there has not been since, a creature to instill such terror onto an audience, as the one in this movie. To this day, as then, you can only say "How'd they do that??!!" But, for a movie to be truly terrifying, to the point that the audience is "involved", well..special effects alone can't do it. The players have to convey a total believability to an unbelievable situation. In this film, they succeed completely in scaring the living [daylights] out of you. Sigourney Weaver is incredible as Ripley, in this sequel which is far superior to any in the series. Her "Rambo" like, but still feminine turn in this role was as unique then, as now, for female roles, and is totally convincing. The supporting cast are all equally believable, Paul Reiser especially so as the definitive corporate slime-ball. Aside from Weavers "Ripley", I found the character of Vasquez, the super-butch she-commando who out-testosterones the men and monsters, to be one of the most memorable characters in this film, or any of it's kind, and her performance gives Weaver a run for her money. This film is just a non-stop, roller coaster ride of un-relenting terror. The unique, eerie music scored for this film only increases the sense of foreboding which never let's up. There are many memorable scenes, the climactic to- the- death battle between Ripley and the "Queen" alien, as Ripley defends the life of the orphaned little girl, being one of the most memorable, and, for my vote, the most awe-inspiring in motion picture history. This is a film that will impress even non- sci-fi/horror fans, with its' intelligence, story, and, oft-imitated but never even closely duplicated effects. All together, they make one of the most memorable movie experiences, that transcends its' "genre", and is ,simply , one of the best movies of the last 20 years. You knew then it was an immediate classic, and it has remained so. Feel like scaring the life out of yourself? Turn off the lights, pop in this film, and, as the then unknown Bill Paxtons character "Hudson" says, "We're on an express elevator to Hell !!"
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Summary: Aliens: Better, WAY BETTER, Than The Original
Review: Aliens is one of the best films ever made and is way better than Alien. Unfortuanlly, the 2 bad sequels can kind of out shadow it sometimes. Aliens takes Sigourney Weaver, in a Oscar-Nominated Role, and has it where she is in the future. She goes back to the alien's planet and must defeat them. She teams up with some of the most memorable characters from any film, the Marines. Lead by Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn of The Terminator), they are tougher then the aliens, but not as quick. Aliens was breakthrough in Special FXs and makeup effects. The alien queen, from the cover of the DVD, is a very life-like creature and looks like it can do a lot of damage. It has amazing set designs of the Alien queen's hive and the colony of which the aliens have taken over. Sadly enough, the DVD doesn't due this film justice. It does not have the special features that Aliens needs. But, this is still a must have for any collection.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: Just about everyone who has seen this film agrees that it is rare in that it is a sequel which is better than the original. The directors cut is a longer than the original and has a lot more scenes. It is hard to see why they were cut originally as they do not change radically the character of the film. Aliens is a film that is set over a very short time period. The basic plot is that some combat personel called marines and sent to investigate a colonly which has been destroyed by an Alien life form. The marines transport is destroyed by the Aliens and with it most of their ammunition. They have to hold out for half a day until a rescue ship can be piloted down from orbit to rescue them. The attraction of the film is the plot density and the characterisation. A lot of science fiction films have simple linear plots and the characters fall into a narrow range of sterotypes. Aliens has a large range of characters all of whom are interesting and none fall into the simple patterns of good guy, female love interest or cannon fodder. The other aspect of the film is its pace. Once the marines land on the colony the film exudes tension and menance. The action scenes are convincing and heart renching. And of course the film is significant in having a female lead who has a real role instead of being a love interest. Probably the best science fiction film made and one of the better films in any catagory.
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Summary: Here alien, alien!!
Review: Ripley comes back with the cat that made it through the first film, and is pronounced negligent for destroying the company ship. License revoked and no longer in her own time, several decades have past while she was frozen, she remains on the space station to work as a forklifter. A colony on the planet where her past crew met their demise has not been responding to the companies calls. Solution? Oh,yeah... you guessed it. Their solution is to send a recon mission with Ripley as their advisor. Why would she do this? Right again. To get back her flying license and return to active duty as an officer. Well, heres where it gets interesting. Ripley is traveling with young, over zealous officers who show very little respect for their commander. Of course there is droid on board who Ripley is instantly weary of to the point of threatening him to watch his back. Once they arrive on the planet, they discover that the only survivor is a little girl. Ripley takes the little girl under her wing and soon they have a strong bond of friendship. In true Alien style, the crew slowly start to dwindle in numbers, the fuel is low, and the commander is killed leaving Ripley and a Corporal as highest ranking officers. It's a fight to the death to escape the clutches of the alien and her nesting ground. Add betrayal, friendship, a spark of sexual attraction, not to mention the action pack sequences and this film packs a powerful and gripping punch.
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Summary: As good as Si/Fi, Horror genre gets.
Review: Its so rare in, my opinion to find a fallow up movie(even though Aliens is totally different form Alien) that really dose live up to the first masterpeice. Ecspecily in the Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy genre. I used to think there was no such thing as a follow up flim that was better then the first. Aliens is a example that it could be done.
From the opeaning sceen you are held in compelling suspence that last the whole 2 and half hours without it ever letting up. Sigourney Weaver deilevers a fantastic performance. As for the DVD? It is great.
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Summary: Does it get much better?
Review: Okay, this movie kicks every sort of buttocks imaginable. Is that established? Good. Aliens is in a class all its own, and I must say it's one the greatest sci-fi films to date. The only complaint with the whole movie that I have is this: It's the future right? Right. Well once the marines' space ship has been successfully destroyed by a pesky alien and they're all stuck on the planet, why couldn't one of them take out a cell phone and say "Hey we're pretty screwed down here, send another ship!" Today it's 2002, and everybodies got a freakin' cell phone! The date in that movie is like 4002, and the "state of the art marines" can't even ringy-dingy their home base, to say their screwed. Other than that the movie's great, I recommend it to anyone in the mood for a thrill ride.
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Summary: This time it's WAR!
Review: James Cameron's gung-ho sequel is generally regarded as being superior to Ridley Scott's original. In my opinion, Scott's "behind you" approach to Alien works better than James Cameron's modus operandi: "blast everything into outer space". Regardless, it's a great thrill ride, adorned with menacing Aliens (hats off to Stan Winston, the special effects are brilliant) and an equally menacing Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver got an Oscar nomination for the role). The DVD adds more footage including Ripley's discovery that all her family have died since the last film, and although the added scenes tend to slow the pace sometimes, they add to the character, and make the film feel more complete. Great visuals, ear-splitting sound and Cameron's trademark over-the top action make this a must buy.
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