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Aliens (Special Edition)

Aliens (Special Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: They mostly come at night...mostly
Review: "Aliens" is the near perfect sequel to the original "Alien" movie. Much of the credit for its excellence must go to James Cameron, who both wrote the screenplay, and also directed, what is generally acknowledged as a classic in the genre... Full of twists and turns, Aliens holds your attention to the very end.

This film firmly established the character Ripley as a science fiction icon, and helped define the female action hero. Like the original, Aliens has a good supporting cast, though perhaps not as distinguished. Paul Reiser, has probably never done a better job of acting, than he does here in the role of Burke, a pure weasel who ... Bill Paxson is the soldier Hudson,... Young actress Carrie Henn is wonderful as Newt. Michael Biehn, is Hicks, a levelheaded corporal ... Jenette Goldstein makes her film debut as the soldier Vasquez. And Lance Hendrickson is Bishop, a "synthetic" you can trust.

The special effects hold up rather well, though most of exterior scenes of the planet, buildings, vehicles and ships look a bit dated. It's interesting to note that radio and video communication, so far in the future, is so poor. And they still haven't improved those silly proximity meters, the ones that don't tell you where the enemy is until they are on top of you.

The special edition DVD contains 17 minutes of additional scenes that flesh out and complete the story. We learn more about Ripley's daughter, and what happened to the colonists on LV-426. The background provides insight into Ripley's relationship with Newt. Also included is an interview with James Cameron, which provides information about the film and also the man. Aliens SE, while not replete with extras, does provide a completed version of this terrific film. Your SF collection, would not be complete without this thriller.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Director's Cut really stinks.
Review: Everyone was saying how good the director's cut of this movie was, but now after seeing it, I think it really destroys the movie. The extra 17 minutes of bonus footage kind of makes the movie longer and more pretenious. The original motion picture version got right to the chase with a balance between the action and the character relationships that develop in the course of the movie, most specially for the Ripley/Newt relationship. If Fox ever does a new DVD of this movie and shows the original movie version alongside the director's cut version, then I would gladly buy it, but right at the moment with only the director's cut available, this is not possible.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic Sci-Fi
Review: 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!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Aliens(Rental Edition)
Review: If anyone was ever unsure about James Cameron's abilities as a director, they should watch this "Special Edition" of his 1986 masterpiece Aliens. This DVD features roughly 17 minutes of scenes that were cut from the theatrical release. After one viewing, I could understand exactly why Cameron elected to have them removed. The extra scenes have two very damaging effects on the film.
First, the character of Ripley is changed in some subtle yet important ways. The revelation that she was a mother who lost her own daughter during her escape from the encounter with the first Alien changes her relationship with Newt, the lone survivor of the mining colony. She is much more emotionally driven in the uncut version, and her attachment to Newt is more selfish (to replace her own lost daughter) than the previous assumption that Ripley's concern for Newt stems from the fact that she too was the lone survivor of an Alien encounter. Instead of ensuring that Newt's nightmarish experience will end, she seems to be trying to fulfill a maternal role. While this may provide a little more depth to the character, it detracts from her image as an independent, hardened, and cunning survivor.
The second problem with the Special Edition is much greater in scope and effect on the movie. The Theater version of Aliens was such a successful movie because it delivered unrelenting suspense. The audience could identify with the characters headed to investigate the "lost mining colony", as we only knew as much as the characters themselves knew. A colony of miners had suddenly and unexpectedly gone silent. Therefore, every discovery, every decision made by the Marines built upon the sense that something very big and very wrong had happened. This sense of impending doom culminated in the first firefight between the Marines and Aliens. The rest of the movie successfully presented the desperate situation that the survivors had found themselves in.
In contrast, the Special Edition eliminates most of that suspense. Not only do the scenes regarding Ripley's personal life slow down the pace of the movie from the start, there is an extended scene which details how the Aliens were brought into the colony. This one scene destroys the entire mood of the movie. There is no suspense or mystery as to what happened to the colonists after that scene. The audience knows what the characters themselves do not; the colony has been infested with Aliens. It is then difficult to share the character's anxiety and tension on the same level once we know what they do not.
All in all, this is still a fantastic movie with superb acting, incredible special effects, and heartstopping action. I only wish Cameron had released this film in the style of Terminator 2:Ultimate Edition (this included both the uncut and theatrical versions).
This version of Aliens is actually pretty interesting to watch. It provides a lot of interesting extra perspectives on the characters. But I wish I hadn't bought it. I can't see myself watching this version more than once or twice. If you are trying to convince someone that Aliens is a classic spine-tingler, this is not the edition to show them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Aliens, impregnating a great sci-fi movie onto a DVD
Review: This movie has a combination of everything: Sci-fi, Action, a little bit of humur, and 1 terrifying chest-hugger of horror. I can't forget the first time I watched it. In fact, I consider it a legendary movie of the 20th century. It set a new standard for all new sci-fi movies. Tribute to James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator 2, Aliens) and H. R. Giger.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: They're very hostile.
Review: And yes, they do bite. Not to mention that they have acid for blood and are virtually indestructible, plus their young will eat you for breakfast! Move over, E.T. These aliens are not friendly nor are they even humanoid. This is a close encounter of the worst kind.

Get ready for some action because (unlike in "Alien") the protagonists are well-equipped and well-trained, consisting of a futuristic space militia. The acting is great throughout the movie in terms of character development and dynamics. Standouts include 'Newt,' the orphan girl who finds herself in the midst of a war for survival, 'Bishop,' the android, and 'Vasquez,' the woman warrior.

"Aliens" is more than just an action film in a sci-fi setting. It is also a psychological horror film, playing into a number of our subconscious fears. These include fear of aliens (which in this case is justified), fear of childbirth, and distrust/paranoia of government, big business, and the scientific community.

The special edition adds a 15-minute scene with Newt and her family going on a field trip in an all-terrain explorer and is to be preferred to the regular edition.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ho-Ah! The Best of the Alien Saga!
Review: Wow! I loved the movie Alien but this one by far is way better. I bought this movie immediatly when it came out on special addition on DVD. The DVD menu is well done with the marine camera shots and the special features are great too. I liked how instead of having just the Aliens' trailer, it had ALL the Alien trailers as well which is very rare these days. The photos were cool to look at and I loved how they described all the marines' equiptment.

Now the movie itself was also awesome! I have a huge thing for marines and even thought they all died (except for Hix played by Micheal Bean) I still loved the movie. I loved how Bill Paxton played Corporal Hudson, the nerdy/bad boy electronics expert. They all did a great job as portraying the marine look and attitude. And I thought the equiptment looked pretty darn convincing and cool at the same time.

The special effects were not only great at the time of it's release but are still good today. The crew did an excellent job with the aliens, the marine spaceship and dropship.

I also loved James Horner's musical soundtrack. He did an excellent job in Terminator 2, True Lies and The Last of the Mohicans however I think this was one of his best mastpieces. He deserved an oscar for this one.

The acting could not have been better. I mean Pual Riser was the corporate bad guy, that's pretty cool and unexpected. Micheal Bean was great as the quiet, battle hardened marine. Bill Paxton as mentioned above. I'm not a Weaver fan but she did a great job anyway.

The suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will root for the marines. Don't worry, the kick some serious tail and go down in all guts and glory. And it was very tame gore and language wise as compared to other suspense movies. That made me very impressed.

I can go on all day ranting about this movie but instead, I recomend you buy this movie today. It's a great buy and fun to watch no matter how many times you watch it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Aliens"
Review: Aliens (R) *****/5
Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Lance Henriksen.
Directed by: James Cameron.
Synopsis: A group of Marines head to a small terraforming planet to do battle with the aliens that have infested the colony.
Special Features: Behind the Scenes Footage, Interview, Still Photo Section, Trailer.
Review: This tale of a group of marines sent to investigate a disturbance at a colony is my second favorite film of all time. This is the sequel to "Alien". It takes the horrific elements of the first film, and it multiplies them infinitely once the marines discover what is going on the aliens launch a relentless onslaught that lasts the entire film, and never let's up. In the meantime we get to know and love the characters Weaver the reluctant hero, Biehn the charismatic leader of the marines, Paxton the cowardly marine, Henriksen the synthetic, Goldstein the tougher than nails marine, and a slimy Paul Reiser. Every performance is outstanding hire this casting agent. Cameron is an excellent director and this is his finest film. He injects atmosphere, lighting, and pure kinetic energy into this film. Producers cut a lot of this film, but it is now restored. Producers leave the director's films alone already. As for the DVD? This is nowhere near the "Alien" release. The film doesn't need it, but it did deserve it. Come on 20th Century Fox we want a 2 disc set!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ALIENZ
Review: i've seen many "alien" moviez but these four are best. absolutely wonderful creature design and visual effects still can embarass any modern movie. Weaver played her best in this movie. Paxton takes 2nd place with his character. unbelievable story. This movie combines horror and action.

some good news:
ALIENS-5 (not soon but coming) are under Cameron's dirrection.
Hope those alien dudes wont be replaced by fake computer graphics

Rating: 5 stars
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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