Rating: 
Summary: Deluxe edition of Cameron's classic film sequel
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Bona fide, better than the original, masterpiece
Review: Aliens is one of those few movies that is better than the original and pretty much tops the horror/sci-fi list. What most people forget is that Aliens is downright scary and probably one of the most frightening films ever made. Aliens has all the elements that you would expect for a genre like this one and then some others that you would not. It also has several great action set pieces to boot all hammered around within some impressive nerve-wrecking suspense conjured up its legendary director - James Cameron. The premise for this movie is set 75 years after the original. Warrant Officer Ripley who did battle with the first alien wakes up from deep space hibernation after being recovered from her space pod. She discovers that the planet she once visited which contained the alien is now home to some sort of human colony. When contact is lost with the outpost Ripley goes back to her nightmare world with a gang of heavy armour reinforced grunts to discover what has happened there. The rest is cinema history. Go see the most scariest action film of all time. The DVD transfer makes this epic look nothing short of stunning. What a ride! What a rush!
Rating:
Summary: The perfect example of Special Edition greatness!
Review: This version of a classic sci-fi action movie is the perfect example of a "special edition" version done right. It adds small, key scenes throughout the movie adding to the emotional attachments to certain characters and better developing the plot. If you liked Aliens in its original version, you'll LOVE the Special Edition. If you loved the original, you'll spend hours questioning why the special edition version wasn't theatrically released like it should have been. Bottom Line: BUY THIS MOVIE!!
Rating: 
Summary: No DTS Audio Track. Spare Us The Excuses Fox!
Review: Producers of this disc set claim there was not enough disc space to include the DTS track due to the 154 min. special edition run time. I find this extremely hard to believe. The Terminator 2 Ulimate Edition DVD is two minutes longer than Aliens SE and that disc has seamless branching, an audio commentary, Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, and the picture was superb. Bunch of BS if you asked me. The lack of a DTS track on this release is a major goof and, as such, just dropped the title from my reference list. Blunders like this are nothing new to 20th Century Fox. Keep in mind, they are the same bunch ... that gave us the non-anamorphic special edition DVD of The Abyss. Get a clue Fox!
Rating:
Summary: Finally
Review: A classic - ALIENS! Just bought a great home theater this summer. Aliens was one of the first DVDs I planned to order... then my surprise. Not Available. What!? I could only find used discs selling for $70++. Happy to see this out. Dont really care for any of the other movies in the Aliens series, but this was one of the best movies of all time!
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: No matter how many times you see ALIENS, you can never really appreciate James Cameron's thrille, which is certainly the best of the Aliens trilogy and one hell of a movie in its own right. This time around, just catch the nuances of Sigourney Weaver's Oscar-nominated performance as Ellen Ripley. Weaver shares her fear, her anger, her helplessness, her love for Newt, her unflinching courage in facing the queen Alien! It's a performance you don't usually find in a sci-fi film. Weaver is magnificent! Catch Michael Biehn's low-key performance as the kind marine, Hicks. Biehn who starred in the first TERMINATOR plays his role with quiet strength and he elicits the few smiles Ripley manages. And of course the horrifying beauty of Stan Winston's aliens, probably the most frightening "creature" ever committed to celluloid. Considering this movie was done before the advent of CGI, the special effects are awesome, and Cameron's tense pacing brilliant.
A True classic!
Rating:
Summary: Scariest Movie I Own
Review: I know it's a science fiction movie, but I get more freaked out by this movie than any other film I own. The film plays upon fears that people generally have--the unknown, the dark, insects--and exploits all of them brilliantly. The action scenes are very well shot, and the film, as a whole, is acted out very well. A must for any science fiction/horror fan (stop with this film, though; don't bother with the last two films in the "Alien" Legacy.)
Rating:
Summary: Heart pounding suspense and action
Review: I'm not much of a Sci-Fi movie fan, but this one blew me away. The writing, acting and directing are phenomenial. Suspenseful from beginning to end, it will keep you on the tip of your loveseat. It is one of my favorite all time movies - one I've watched about a dozen or so times. Trust all the glowing reviews you've read here. If you don't have this movie, get it. You will not regret it!
Rating: 
Summary: It's a director's Cut.
Review: Reportedly this new director's cut of ALIENS will have new footage not seen in the first two cuts of this movie, will tighten up the continunity more and will show more that this was and supposed to be the closeing chapter in the Aliens story, and that the events of the thrid and fourth films are to be considered "alternate universe" stories. at least that's what James Cameron has hinted at in recent interviews.
Rating:
Summary: Great show
Review: This movie talks about a group of people on a rescue mission and end up fighting aliens. if you have watched the first alien movie and you like it, you will simply love this movie. great plot and good special effects for movie. however, i feel that picture and sound are rather weak. the extras are limited as well. mostly are text based info. nevertheless, this movie must be in your collection.
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