Writer / Director: James Cameron / 1986 (Theatrical Cut) 1991 (Special Edition) / Runtime: 2 Hours, 17 minutes (Theatrical Cut), 2 Hours, 34 Minutes (Special Edition) / Released by: 20th Century Home Entertainment /
By Paul Dunne
26th April 2024 (Released: 22nd April 2024)
The Pitch: After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.
James Cameron’s recut of Aliens, which I first saw on the Facehugger-shaped Alien Trilogy boxset in 1991, was one of the early, widely available alternate editions of a popular film. First released in a 1991 Laser Disc version, the Aliens SE has run the gamut of platforms and releases, now coming full-circle with director-approved transfer that has angered some fans. Why? Cameron approved the use of an AI-driven process that has de-noised the film and smoothed much the super-35 millimetre film grain. I was nervous about this transfer, not least because the same process has been used on True Lies and The Abyss, two excellent Cameron films that crucially, have never been available on high-definition formats. Cameron is somewhat intractable about his films, as someone with his vast financial success usually is. If these transfers disappointed, there would be little chance that a boutique label would be given the opportunity to remaster them, if not because of Cameron’s control, then because of Disney’s input, since they are now copyright holders on the films after purchasing 20th Century Fox. So, after much online debate, is the transfer as bad as we’d all been led to believe? What should we expect from this release?
First, if you’re expecting a recreation of the 35mm experience, then you’re going to be upset. This isn’t it. Cameron has indeed smoothed out a lot of the skin tones on the film’s characters. Whilst they still look human, Cameron has somehow managed to make them look younger than they were when they made the film. For some, such as Michael Biehn’s grizzled Hicks, this is something of a detriment. The director has always hated the amount of grain on this film, something that was apparently due to the change in film emulsion in use by Kodak at he time. It’s worth noting that this is not the first time the film has gone through a JC-mandated de-noising, although that was last done for the blu-ray release and with more care. Cameron claims he never wanted a large amount of grain in the movie, so I guess we have to believe him. The distinct blue tint that was present in many blu-ray releases of the ‘00s and was certainly a feature of earlier Aliens releases is now gone, replace with a kind of teal look that’s now more indicative of digitally shot releases.
But there are pluses to this edition. Having seen the film many times on every format except that 1991 Laser Disc, it’s worth noting there’s always a small amount of excitement when looking a a film for the first time on a new format, as it gives you a chance to essentially view the picture anew, as if you’re watching it for the first time and it’s certainly no different here. What we lose in the representation of the big-screen texture, we gain in detail. The 4K release allows long-time viewers to get a fresh look at the film’s impressive set design and creatures, which look every bit a realistic – in the sense of them belonging in the frame and being present on the set, as opposed to being composited in later. Aliens is photochemical film from the photochemical age and although it used a lot of innovative processes in it’s making, such as the front projection used to give the film scale, some of these aren’t shown in the best light in this release. There’s a luminosity to the disc that makes the film look brand new. The lack of ageing that the restoration has given the film may be discincerting to come, but you cannot help but enjoy watching this. What hasn’t changed, or aged is the quality of the storytelling, script and action. Aliens is every bi the exciting, well-constructed movie you remember and worth revisiting in this release, although I would recommend keeping your blu-ray release if you own one, which will give you an experience more akin to the one you’re used to. The longer version of the film remains the superior version and continues to prove the validity of the extended cut in home entertainment. If you find yourself wanting to upgrade, this is one you want to buy.
Special Features:
All the features from previous box-sets and editions are present on this release, including the excellent documentaries Superior Fire-Power: The Making of Aliens.
Disc One (4K UHD)
Theatrical Version (2:17:15) and Special Edition Version (2:34:28)
Disc Two (1080)
Theatrical Version (2:17:15) and Special Edition (2:34:28)
Direct Access to New / Additional Scenes from Special Edition (HD; 20:03)
2003 Audio Commentary by James Cameron and the Cast and Crew
Final Theatrical Isolated Score is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is available on the Theatrical Version only.
Composer's Original Isolated Score is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is available on the Theatrical Version only.
Disc Three (1080)
The Inspiration and Design of Aliens (HD; 30:54)
Superior Firepower: Making Aliens (SD; 3:04:59)
Superior Firepower: Making Aliens Enhancement Pods (SD; 58:31)
Pre-Production
Production
Post-Production and Aftermath
Main Title Exploration (SD; 3:01)
Theatrical Trailers
