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Fans debate over which film is better, Alien or Aliens. In MY personal opinion, Aliens wins only because of the extended edition. This film was made and released 7 years after the original. Despite this large amount of time, Aliens was only completed within the last week of release. This made the films release even more anticipated. When the film finally came out, it was greeted with praise and box-office success. And this film deserved all the succes it got. Why? Well, let's find out. The plot: The female survivor from the first film, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), has been in floating through hypersleep. When she wakes up she discovers that she has been in hypersleep for 57 years. Haunting dreams follow her and when she finds out that an expedition to planet LV-429 is taking place, she decides that she has to go to stop the nightmares. While there, she and a group of marines including Hudson (Bill Paxton) and a robot called Bishop (Lance Henriksen) find themselves in the middle of nest of aliens wanting to kill them. This plot is somewhat cliched, but back in 1986, it was fairly new and refreshing. It gives the proper amount of build-up and allows for several well-done action sequences. The Cast: The film features a fairly large cast of marines including Paul Reiser as the human villain, Carter Burke. He plays his character like a secondary villain should be played. He is despicable and just an unlikable person. Then we have Michael Biehn as Corparal Dwayne Hicks. He is the solid male lead and does his job. He is able to play off a the secret hero and can be a very likable character. Next, we have a very young Carrie Henn. She plays a young girl named Newt who is the only survivor of previous alien infestation. Despite no previous expeirience in acting, she is fantastic and it lightens the dark and eerie tone a bit to see her, yet darkens to see her actual appearance. After that we have previously mentioned Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. Both do great work, but have unconnectable characters, but those problems were not in the acting. Both are great. The other cast members do their jobs until their death scenes greatly. Finally, we have the main star, Sigourney Weaver. Her acting is always a treat and her character is the hero who we want to see survive. The effects: This films effects are quite good, but this film gets bashed (along with countless others) for having unrealism. But this was before CGI was invented, and when everything had to be done by hand in front of a camera. These effects were very well done in 1986, and are still fair by todays standards. They do a good job at making you believe in the Aliens, who themselves are quite menacing and disalining to someone with a weak stomach. But what film would be comlete without EPIC EXPLOSION-RIDDEN ACTION SEQUENCES?! This film, while still having plenty of explosions, does not rely on just explosions to make a great action sequence. This make the movie more classic and nostalgic, as well as different and refreshing to watch. Anything else: The score by James Horner is fantastic and really helps the movie. The films' two taglines, not all that great, but aren't horrendous either. The films' poster is a little choppy, but still nice to look at. The pacing, some say it's slow, which it can be, but it is an appropriate amount for the film. Final Verdict: Great movie. Must watch. ***** out of ***** Extended Edition: That is the version that I have reviewed above.Read full review
A lot can be said about the 1986 sci-fi masterpiece, "Aliens". This sequel to the original from 1979 is not only much better than the first; it turned out to be the best film of the entire quadrilogy. In this installment, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the only sole survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with skepticism - until the mysterious disappearance of colonists on LV-426 leads her to join a team of high-tech colonial marines sent in to investigate. Over the years, many filmmakers have utilised the video and DVD markets to release alternate versions of their feature films. But one of the first, and still one of the most popular is the classic 1991 Special Edition of "Aliens". Enthusiastically embraced by fans of the original theatrical release, director James Cameron considers this cut to be the best possible version of the film in the absence of time constraints. This extended version of the film made its official home video debut in a 4-disc laserdisc release. In a true labor of love, Cameron painstakingly supervised the transfer of the film, matching the colors and texture ro the original release. All the restored scenes were taken from the original negative. Almost wenty minutes of footage has been restored. From the shocking mention of Ripley's daughter and the introduction of Newt's family, to the fleeting yet emotional moment where Ripley and Hicks reveal their first names, this additional footage broadens the narrative scope and enriches the emotional impact of the film. Now, the original 1986 theatrical version and the 1991 special edition are combined together. The 2nd disc features supplemental production materials, relating to the movie. If you have somehow missed seeing the Special Edition of "Aliens", then get ready to experience James Cameron's total alien vision.Read full review
This set is the best and most complete edition of ALIENS you can find, mainly because it includes the original theatrical release, which is so hard to find anywhere outside of VHS. The extended version is really the better edition of the film, but there's nothing wrong with the original either, which moves along at a better pace. However, the extended version is now the standard, and is the only one available in almost every DVD set. More importantly, they are disappointing in the limited number of special features available. ALIEN, for example, was given a much better treatment on other DVD releases concerning special features, but ALIENS was not much more than just the special edition, until they got it right with this set. The 2-disc set was first (and still) available in the impressive Quadrilogy collection, but was thankfully made available individually for those who didn't want to deal with the disappointing last two installments. The extras include cast & crew commentary, interviews, and features, but the biggest "extra" is to have the original theatrical release again. It's nice to see, even if for nostalgia's sake, the version we were all first blown away by.Read full review
I'll 2nd the emotion - PERFECTION! BETTER than the 1st! Didn't see the 1st/original - DON'T worry: THIS is the one to see! Mothers (and feminists, single-mothers, and movie-lovers alike) - OWN this movie! You want to see motherly instinct at its most powerful - HERE you go! Human vs Alien moms GO AT IT! Another James Cameron example of SWEET BALANCE of love, sci-fi, action, and drama! Indeed, Weaver, Biehn, Reiser, Henriksen, and Paxton "all give career-making performances in this landmark sci-fi extravaganza!" Ripley (AND young "Newt") outwit, outlast, and out-MACHO the MARINES sent in to fix the alien situation! BUY it, add it to your libarary WITH CONFIDENCE! thepokedad
My most favorite movie of of all time and it shows how it made it mark on future movies that came after it. James Cameron gave one best scfi action movies of all time . This dvd is must is must own for your collection. This film earn 7 academy awards . for this type of film to be notice at the time by the academy of arts and sciences was rare thing at the time. A must see movie .
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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