Aliens (Ultimate Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser

Release Date: March 12, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

The terror continues in this chilling, critically acclaimed sequel written and directed by James Cameron. Ripley, the sole survivor of the space tug Nostromo’s deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, is found after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. She agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426—and this time it’s war. Aliens stars Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn and Paul Reiser.

Please Note: 20^th Century Studios Home Entertainment/Disney provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

THE MOVIE – REVIEW:

The fan-favorite franchise sequel ‘Aliens’ rejoins sole survivor Ellen Ripley as she is uncovered in Cryostasis by a salvage team more than fifty years after narrowly escaping her previous deadly journey. After being brought back and informed about the changes having occurred since her disappearance, she soon finds herself under scrutiny for the loss of the ship and crew. Upon discovering that the planet where the deadly alien originated from is now colonized with families living throughout, she reluctantly accepts an invitation to travel there with a team of elite soldiers in order to evaluate the current situation after contact is lost, and eradicate any traces of the creatures. Unfortunately the company naturally has other intentions and the journey soon turns into the fight of her life when they encounter the xenomorphs in staggering numbers.

The beloved sci-fi sequel was directed by James Cameron from a screenplay by Cameron and a story by James Cameron and David Giler & Walter Hill. Cameron does a magnificent job at the helm of ‘Aliens’ capably guiding along this fast-paced and action-packed follow-up. The cast of the film includes Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein and more, with nearly all contributing solid and capable performances in each of their respective roles, and helping in their own right to make this one still hold up as remarkably well today as it did nearly forty years ago.

Following the events of Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 ‘Alien’, James Cameron’s sequel ‘Aliens’ was first unleashed upon moviegoers in the Summer of 1986 and took viewers on an explosive and far more action-packed ride than its predecessor, forgoing the more eerie, slow-burn style of the original in favor of a bigger, more explosive experience that’s basically the definition of a big screen blockbuster. While the majority of the franchise fans tend to hold both films quite dearly, many over the years seem to prefer Cameron’s action-packed follow-up for its full blown excitement and intensity that gets going at a steady pace and only goes full speed from there on, all boosted by an all-star cast led by Sigourney Weaver reprising her role of Ripley.

‘Aliens’ delivers an unabashedly exciting, fast-paced and beautifully crafted ride that still holds up in most respects today and honestly still manages to look better than many recent films; something that’s no small accomplishment for a film released nearly four decades ago at this point. No matter what film in the series may be your favorite, it’s nearly impossible not to appreciate how big and stylish Cameron took this sequel which ups the ante enormously and delivers a much different type of sequel; something that’s still refreshing today, especially considering just how faithfully he kept many elements of the first film while altering others in a manner that doesn’t disregard or insult its predecessor, but merely complements and builds upon it.

OVERALL:

20^th Century Studios Home Entertainment brings ‘Aliens’ home once again, this time available for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD, released alongside other notable James Cameron films ‘The Abyss’ and ‘True Lies’ which each make their Blu-ray and 4K UHD debut (reviews of the other two titles to follow later this week). The new 4K release features both the 1986 Theatrical Version and the 1990 Special Edition of the film in full Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision (even more notable as it marks one of the first Disney titles to be released with Dolby Vision) and HDR-10. While the presentation looks sharp, clean and impressively detailed, not to mention quite outstanding in many ways, some will surely be disappointed by just how much of a modern look the remastered film has undertaken (although something many will likely expect from a James Cameron film remastered) and much of the grain and other rough elements notable of its source have been largely scrubbed this time around. The new Ultra High Definition presentation is paired with a new and quite aggressive Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that’s quite great for the most part, as well as a truly impressive and massive collection of previously released bonus material.

Fans who don’t mind the more modern remastered look and those who simply want to own the 4K release of this one regardless should be pleased by everything included within, but many diehard fans who are pickier about staying true to a film’s roots may want to sample the presentation prior to purchasing. The changes may be somewhat jarring from the onset but at the same time it’s also surely the best this film has looked in many ways.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Aliens’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks tremendous in many respects while it also disappoints in a few others. It delivers a clean, smooth and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any issues to be uncovered throughout, although at the same time many may be understandably disappointed to discover that it often looks like an entirely different film.

As opposed to the more noisy, grain-heavy and slightly older appearance that fans of the film are accustomed to, this new Ultra High Definition video presentation (and its accompanying Blu-ray presentation included in the package) look so clean and scrubbed at times that it almost seems shiny and much of the grain and other traits associated with the movie have been mostly removed and cleaned up. Unfortunately this does result in a slightly smoother and modern look being given to the film, although at the same time the detail and clarity of close-ups, character faces and other various details are shockingly sharp and visible, with new details and tidbits repeatedly noticeable throughout. The Dolby Vision HDR also makes a nice addition and contributes a darker, ominous tone that fits the film, while also featuring some more vibrant and accurate colors balanced by splendidly rich and deep black levels. Overall, this is an impressive but also perhaps overly altered Ultra High Definition video presentation that should thrill some fans while ultimately disappointing others depending on personal preference.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack offers a clean, crisp and hard hitting audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all seven available channels in order to send everything from the film’s score to a flurry of action effects including gunshots, explosions, debris and more whipping throughout the various speakers, along with vehicle activity, heavy wind and other nature effects, plus plenty more at every reasonable opportunity throughout, all while making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible every step of the way. Overall, this is a pretty great new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that holds up nicely throughout and should excite fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Aliens’ is absolutely jam-packed with previously released bonus content, the majority of which can be found on a dedicated Blu-ray disc within. For the sake of simplicity and easier navigation, I’ve broken down the extras by disc below.

Disc One (4K UHD Feature) includes both the 1986 Theatrical Version and 1990 Special Edition Version of the film, along with a ‘Special Edition Introduction by James Cameron’ (approximately 30 seconds) and an ‘Audio Commentary by James Cameron and the cast and crew’ featured on the Special Edition. Also included is ‘Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes from the Special Edition’, plus the ‘Final Theatrical Isolated Score’ and the ‘Composer’s Original Isolated Score’ both of which are available on the Theatrical Version.

Disc Two (Blu-ray Feature) features the same content included on the 4K feature disc listed above. The only difference between the discs is the quality of the video and audio on the feature film itself.

Disc Three (Blu-ray Special Features) is fully loaded with extras which have been included on previous versions of the film. Included on the disc are numerous behind the scenes Featurettes, Still Galleries and much more. Included are ‘The Inspiration and Design of Aliens with James Cameron’ (running approximately 31 minutes in length), along with the multi-part feature ‘Superior Firepower: Making Aliens’ (running approximately 3 hours and 5 minutes altogether), plus the companion Featurette collection ‘Superior Firepower: Making Aliens Enhancement Pods’ (approximately 58 minutes combined).

The ‘Original Treatment by James Cameron’ is also included, plus ‘Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Videomatics with Optional Audio Commentary by Miniature Effects Supervisor Pat McClung’ (3 minutes) and Galleries including ‘Storyboard Archive’, ‘The Art of Aliens’ and a ‘Cast Portrait Gallery’, along with Production Galleries including ‘Production Image Galleries’, ‘Continuity Polaroids’, ‘Weapons & Vehicles’, and ‘Stan Winston’s Workshop’. Also featured is full-screen footage for the ‘Colonial Marine Cameras’, plus a ‘Video Graphics Gallery’ and ‘Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers’ footage is also featured.

More notable extras include the ‘Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned’ (approximately 90 seconds), in addition to a ‘Deleted Scene Montage’ (4 minuts) and the ‘Full Laserdisc Archives’. A ‘Main Title Exploration’ (3 minutes) is also included, along with ‘4 Theatrical Trailers’ for the film (5 minutes altogether) and 4 additional Image Galleries including ‘Visual Effects’, ‘Music Recordings’, ‘Premiere’ and ‘Special Shoot’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Remastered Blu-Ray disc included in the release and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8/10

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James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’ is Now Available to Own in a 4K Ultra HD Ultimate Collector’s Edition from 20^th Century Studios Home Entertainment