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Aliens - DVD
Writer: James Cameron, David Giler, Walter HillDirector: James Cameron Producer: Gale Anne Hurd Studio: 20th Century Fox Characters: Sigourney Weaver - Ellen Ripley Carrie Henn - Rebecca "Newt" Jorden Michael Biehn - Corporal Dwayne Hicks Paul Reiser - Carter Burke Lance Henriksen - Bishop Bill Paxton - Private Hudson William Hope - Lieutenant Gorman Jenette Goldstein - Private Vasquez Al Matthews - Sergeant Apone Mark Rolston - Private Drake Ricco Ross - Private Frost Colette Hiller - Corporal Ferro Daniel Kash - Private Spunkmeyer Cynthia Scott - Corporal Dietrich Tip Tipping - Private Crowe Features: Interactive Menus, Scene Selection, Original Theatrical Trailer, Behind The Scenes Footage, Interview With James Cameron, Still Photo Section, Includes Over 17 Minutes Of Restored Footage, Widescreen 1.85:1, ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC], ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC], SUBTITLES English, Spanish Review:I had a bit of Alien weekend, managing to watch the first three of the films in three days (I'll be watching the fourth one later this week more than likely). Aliens is the first sequel in the Alien Legacy, and was directed by James Cameron. This is one area where I have to give Fox lots of credit, they've always used each Alien film to launch a director's career, and at the same time have allowed the directors to make a unique film. Because of the changing director's chair, each Alien film feels unique, but they are all nicely tied together by, of course, Signourney Weaver's character, Ripley, and the Alien itself. Aliens is an Alien film, but as told by James Cameron. As such, it becomes less of a horror movie than the first film, and more of an action movie. I know a lot of people who actually think Aliens is a better movie than Alien. I'm torn on that issue because each film is so different from the other, it is worth noting however, that both films are fantastic. Aliens picks up several years after the first film, with Ripley's shuttle being salvaged as space junk. Of course the salvagers are quite surprised (and disappointed) to find a live human aboard the ship. Ripley returns to Earth, and tries to explain her ordeal to her superiors. Eventually Ripley ends up going back to LV426, the planet where the first Alien was discovered, this time with a batch of Marines. The cut of Aliens on the DVD is the extended director's cut, holding an extra seventeen minutes of footage which was cut from theatrical releases for time consideration. The only other place this cut was available was on Laserdisc, and the transfer there was slightly fuzzy and didn't really offer the best the format could do. The DVD is a very different story. This time the picture was taken from a new high definition transfer of the film, and it looks amazing. The picture is very three-dimensional, and leaps out at the screen. Also, it's very easy to see Stan Winston's amazing Alien puppetry at work here, and the Aliens are very frightening. The sound is equally good, but a bit light on the bass side given the number of explosions throughout the film. As on the Alien disc, extras here are abundant. Most of the extras are the same as what was provided on the laserdisc box set. A photo gallery, trailers for the films, and a very old behind the scenes documentary with James Cameron. All in all, they're great extras, but not up to the standard set by the Alien disc. Aliens picks up the pieces from where Alien left off, and makes a great movie. James Cameron offered us the rare treat of a sequel that didn't suck, and it's nice to see that for a change. Well worth the purchase, especially if you're a fan of action films, Alien, or James Cameron. Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
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