Customer Reviews

Aliens (Widescreen Director's Cut)

5 star:		(330)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I don't know what the Editorial reviewers above were thinking, but it just makes me want to smack my forehead in disbelief. The original cut of Aliens is MUCH better than the Director's Cut. This was back when Jim Cameron still knew how to make a great movie--long before the bloated and tiresome Titanic. The extra scenes in Aliens: Reloaded add absolutely nothing. We don't need to know EXACTLY how the colony got decimated by the aliens. We just know it has been. The NOT knowing is what is really scary. By adding in that scene at the beginning showing exactly how the alien ship is discovered by the colonists and how the "infection" begins--well, it just completely blows all suspense in the first third of the film. By not showing that, it puts the viewers on the edge of their seats--we KNOW something has gone horribly wrong, but we don't really know anything for certain. That's what tension is all about. That's how Cameron gives you that creeping dread for so long--that's why, when there's the first big (fake) scare on the planet, you practically jump out of your skin--because you've been so tense for so long! Don't shoot your wad by over-explaining. As for establishing how Ripley's daughter grew up and died while Ripley was a frozen popsicle for 60 years? Well, boo-hoo. Total bathos. Frankly, I thought it was much better that she bonded with Newt without any explanation, except the fact that how on earth could ANYONE not bond with and not care for that smart, brave kid? And she goes back for Newt because of their bond, and because it's the Right Thing To Do. Hello? Do we need the melodrama of Ripley's lost daughter for that to be emotionally genuine and satisfying? No, we don't. I was so glad not to have some kind of maudlin back story to explain people's relationships to me. I can fill in the blanks myself, thanks. Audiences are not that stupid. None of the added scenes in the Director's Cut of Aliens are needed. Watch the original. Accept no substitutes. And now that the original is finally available on DVD, which it wasn't for a long time--well, there's just no excuse.

Aliens is one of the best scfi movies of all time I only gave it 4 on 5 because i ranther watch an action movie but it still is EPIC because it has action suspence people who dont like scfi should still see this movie because it has everything in it.

Aliens is NOT a rehash of Alien. They are completely different films. While Alien used suspence and shock factor to get the audience (I didn't drink milk for weeks after seeing it!), Aliens is an action-packed powerhouse. Heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat cinema at it's finest. My hat is off to James Cameron for directing and re-writing the script.

Quick rundown of the plot of Aliens:

Flight Lt. Ripley (Sigorney Weaver) wakes up after an unusually long hyper-sleep to find out that the horror she left behind in "Alien" has taken on massive proportions.

You'll see a bunch of familar faces in Aliens:

Michael Biehn (Terminator, The Abyss) as Hicks
Paul Reiser (Mad About You, Diner) as Burke
Lance Henrikson (Millennium, The Quick and the Dead) as Bishop
Bill Paxton (Twister, Titanic) as Hudson
...and a few others that will make you do a double-take. -See if you can figure out what other movie "Private Vasquez" was in with Bill Paxton.

The visual effects are astounding. Thanks to DVD, details can be seen that were blurred in the VHS format. (I can finally read what is written on Ferro's helmet!) This film takes clear advantage of the DVD format and its THX re-mastering. I feel sorry for you if you don't have a large screen and full surround-sound at home for this one! Watching it in wide-screen format reveals all of the detail that has been missing for so long in the pan-and-scan format.

The Special Edition goodies include scenes that were cut from the theaters. The "new" footage (previously only available in LaserDisc format) blend seamlessly into the film. They all add value. I kept thinking "I don't remember that" and "HEY! NOW I get it!" If you've never seen the 17 minutes of added footage, you're in for a treat!

You'll also find Behind the Scenes footage and a photo gallery in the Special Edition. All perks that make this purchase worth while. Even the main menu on the DVD is a treat.

Do yourself a favor, buy this action classic and watch it the way it was intended to be seen!

I realize that I may get flak for writing this, but I found Aliens to be ultimately overrated, a commonality I have found with many of James Cameron's films. (And this is coming from a proud Canadian who is usually quick to point out when a great director hails from my native land.) I have no problem with abandoning the horror of the excellent first film with action, as rehashing horror in any franchise tends to provide fodder for the direct-to-DVD market. Don't get me wrong, Aliens was a good action movie, and, to me, there is no question that Sigourney Weaver's Ripley is the greatest screen heroine of all time, particularly in this movie. (Tell me you don't get chills when she utters the classic "Get away from her, you b----!" line.) The problem here is that I can't help but get the feeling that James Cameron, uh, hates humans.

Did anyone else get that notion while watching Aliens or The Abyss? (Even if, due to an admitted degree of subtleness, you missed the "people are the only ture bad guys" message in these films, you probably couldn't escape it in Avatar, as you were unrelentingly beaten over the head with it for three hours.) As much as Aliens featured incessant blasting of the nefarious beasts, I couldn't help but feel that we were meant to empathize with them, particularly whenever Paul Reiser or Bill Paxton started beaking off about the greatness of man. (A word about Bill Paxton: A fine actor who may be the only human to be killed off in all three of the great sci-fi franchises, Alien, Predator, and The Terminator. Somebody should really write a role for him in Star Wars Episode Seven, and actually let the poor guy survive.)

I don't have a problem with empathetic aliens or monsters, (The Moorwen in the movie Outlander, and even Godzilla, as examples.) but what I can't stand is movies that seem to have the underlying message that humans don't even deserve to defend themselves from vicious slaughters. (Prime example, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. I was seriously hoping that Vince Vaughn would get eaten after his supposedly noble decision to remove the bullets from Pete Postlethwaite's elephant gun resulted in the massacre of the entire cast. This is the freakin' hero?)

H.G. Giger's Alien creature was designed to be the sum of all nightmares, so empathy was never once in the cards, and I think Cameron turned what could have been a great movie into a good movie by trying to incorporate that. Then he throws in the absolute "Are you kidding me?" scene where the soldiers are ordered to hand over their ammunition in the heart of an alien-infested hive, out of concerns that a stray bullet might hit a reactor. Then the ammunition is promptly dropped into the reactor, (Can we all scream "DUH!") eliminating what could have been a lot more firefights, and suddenly this good movie is only an okay movie.

But, hey, it's still a bazillion times better than Alien 3.

I never had seen Aliens series films before. I was avoiding them thinking that I have seen enough modern version of sci-fi and alien films. Seeing good review, I watched first Alien and then Aliens. Both films are superb. They maintain the suspense through out the film. I don't know what was the magic in these old films that is hard to beat in new sci-fi films even with all the new computer generated imageries. Sigourney Weaver acting is superb. Character Ripley shows that how in crisis situation only some are naturally born to take the lead. I recommend watching the film.

although Aliens is not the iconic film that alien is,it is still a
better film.this film adds a new element by having multiple aliens
rather than just the one.it improves upon the look of the creatures,and
while maintaining high suspense,adds more action.this film is less
character driven than the first.the characters are more developed
though and there is more of a group dynamic going on.we have some of
the characters fighting each other,as well as the alien threat.the
pacing is a bit better in this film.Obviously,this film is not
responsible for the rebirth of horror/sci fi,since the original lays
claim to that.but it is,in its own right a classic and will be
remembered for a long time to come. 5/5

although Aliens is not the iconic film that alien is,it is still a
better film.this film adds a new element by having multiple aliens
rather than just the one.it improves upon the look of the creatures,and
while maintaining high suspense,adds more action.this film is less
character driven than the first.the characters are more developed
though and there is more of a group dynamic going on.we have some of
the characters fighting each other,as well as the alien threat.the
pacing is a bit better in this film.Obviously,this film is not
responsible for the rebirth of horror/sci-fi,since the original lays
claim to that.but it is,in its own right a classic and will be
remembered for a long time to come. 5/5

You already know how great this movie is, and I won't bore you by reiterating the plot. The thing that really irks me about this dvd are some of the extended scenes. They were cut out for a reason. I think the scene where the colonists discover the alien ship ruins alot of the suspense. It's too much information. It's so much scarier when you don't know EXACTLY what happened.
Another scene that bugs me is on the drop ship where Hudson goes on this "we got guns, we got knives" tirade. Please. I didn't want to lose all respect for this character, but, thanks to this scene, I have.
Aside from these 'mishaps' the rest of the extra footage is great. The scene where Ripley discovers her daughter is dead is absolutely essential, and I don't understand why it was cut out in the first place.
The scene with the 'sentry units' lends the movie an incredible amount of suspense, and after you see it you won't be able to go without it.
This dvd could have been perfect if you could somehow choose which scenes you would like to be included. Unfortunately, you'll have to sit through some redundant, and, at times, embarassing scenes.

This sequel to ALIEN displaces scares for "action." I got such a headache watching after the first few minutes. The killing of the aliens looked like a bunch of exploding fireballs utilizing quick-cut camera style filming, which mistakes creating confusion for creating excitement.

Director James Cameron has achieved the impossible. He not only
succeeds at expertly crafting a sequel that not only lives up to
Ridley Scott's excellent original Alien, but he also goes into
a different direction and creates one of the most brilliant and
throughly exciting sci-fi action film ever made along with Term-
inator 2 Judgement Day. The story picks up where Alien left off,
Lt. Ellen Ripley (Played by the superb Sigourney Weaver) and the
orange cat Jones go into a deep sleep and are woken up fifty-seven years later. Shortly after Ripley wakes up, she starts having bad nightmares about her last experience with the acid
spitting space creature from the last film. After the colony of
LV-426 loses contact with some colonists, the corporation headed
by Carter Burke (Paul Reiser), whose actions are questionable
asks Ripley to come back and fight her fears, by leading a team
of tough marines, she eventually accepts. After getting there, she is introduced to the marines which include Hudson (the hill-
arious Bill Paxton), Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), the restrained
Hicks (Michael Biehn), and the android Bishop (the awesome
Lance Henriksen), who does this awesome knife trick. At first
Ripley does not accept Bishop's friendship after her last encou-
nter with an android, which was Ian Holm's Ash from the first film. However, after things go awry on the planet LV-426, the
marines along with Ellen Ripley must fight the aliens and accept
Bishop's friendship. Another fascinating element of Aliens is the mother daughter relation between Ripley and Newt, who is
played by one time actress Carrie Henn. The outstanding cast is
excellent: Sigourney Weaver was so superb in her role that she
was garnered an oscar nomination for best actress, Bill Paxton
delivers a comediac performance as Hudson (Game Over Man), Michael Biehn is awesome as Hicks, Lance Henriksen is brilliant
as humane android Bishop, Carrie Henn is sweet as little girl

Newt, and Paul Reiser surprises you with what kind of character
he actually is (you won't symphatsize with him here). If you
want a film with exciting thrills, awesome action-packed enter-
tainment watch Aliens for that happens to be one of my favorite
action film's.