FINALLY! After years having only Ridley Scott’s original masterpiece in the Alien series, we get what many (including me) consider one of the best sequels ever made. The wait is over, and there’s good and bad—all tied to the main man responsible for the classic: James Cameron.

What the Hell does that mean? Well, if you read my recent review on Cameron’s Titanic, you’ll know his penchant for new scans to shy away from archival fidelity and lean very much into modern displays and modern sensibilities. You’re gonna hear a lot of decries of ‘DIGITAL SCRUBBING’ and ‘WAXY” but not from this reviewer. Yes, this no longer looks even in the realm of what we saw in cinemas. No, it isn’t the scrubbed-out mess that was Terminator 2.

Set 57 years after the original, Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) escape pod is happened upon by chance, and she is brought out of hyper-sleep, only to face harsh scepticism over the events on the Nostromo. Stripped of rank, working a dead-end job, Ripley is conscripted (unwillingly at first) by a dodgy company man (Paul Reiser) to accompany/advise a group of marines back to the planet where the derelict ship that started the original shit show remains. A colony of terraformers are on that planet, have been for years, and have suddenly stopped communicating with earth. ‘The Company’ wants to know why.

From the outset, Aliens confidently immerses you in a completely different genre. This is a war film, not a horror movie. It sets the stakes at a brisk pace, establishes Ripley’s struggles, and then unleashes an unstoppable hell upon her. Replacing mood and indecision and employing foreknowledge to create rising dread was genius. You know what they’re all headed into, and yet the alien is expanded to include a hive-like hierarchy and enough of Giger’s creepy monsters to fall an army (even though there were only 6 suits built!) This film starts indestructibly strong and never trips. There are some iconic performances from the likes of Lance Henrickson, Jenette Goldstein and the late Bill Paxton. Weaver definitively earned her 1 million-dollar pay day (hard fought, as well).

Cameron wisely avoided Scott’s wheelhouse, taking the beast from the master’s film, and making his own world with it. It’s sure of itself, knows its strengths and plays the living shit out of them. It’s an absolute masterclass in science-fiction action. A sequel that equals, if not debatably exceeds the original.

Ultimate Collector's Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 4K

Home Video Distributor: Disney/Buena Vista
Available on Blu-ray - March 12, 2024
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; English: Dolby Digital 4.1; French: DTS-HD HR 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Music: Dolby Digital 5.1;
Discs: 4K Ultra HD;  Blu-ray Disc; Three-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

VIDEO

Okay, here we go. If you are a stickler for adherence to the original presentation, I’m calling it now, you are not gonna be happy. As he has done several times now, Cameron has overseen a heavy-handed presentation that brings the image into the 21st century. The process is not digital scrubbing, but I have the same (complaint?) issue as the Titanic transfer: it’s an AI-based, algorithm driven clinical grain reduction and applied balances. The personality of the picture, the cinematography, as originally designed and photochemically constructed, is altered. What you are getting is a (debated) native 2160p digital presentation of this flick, with solid image delineation, razor crisp fine detail and Dolby Vision/HDR10+ colour timing that makes things really pop. It’s a sanitised transfer that looks great on a modern TV, but as a faithful scan of what it originally looked like, it’s a failure. Depending on which side of the fence you sit on, you make your own mind up if it’s worth the purchase.

Note: The copy I was sent to review started jamming and pixelating during the theatrical cut at around chapter 23. There were no signs of damage, however I was forced to stop the movie, eject the disc and wipe it thoroughly with a lint-free cloth to get through a first watch (which it did without further incident.) That’s not a great start for your first release of this film, Disney!  

AUDIO

Dolby ATMOS. Enough said. No? This is stellar stuff. A 7.1 mix for the ages. Throaty base, immersive atmospherics, ear-piercing screams and shrills, and busy, bordering on abusive (in that pleasurable way!) directionality. Give the neighbour’s dogs some ear plugs! This is so, very, very, very good. It’s THE reason to upgrade!

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

The crappy new cover art exclaims this to be a ‘Ultimate Collector’s Edition’… That’s a big call, considering the Alien box sets are considered by many physical media hounds to be some of the best releases ever. This isn’t ultimate in any way, but it’s decent in what it offers. While it does port over the bulk of features from the copious releases of yore, there is nada in the way of new material. The one pleasant surprise was the inclusion of both the theatrical and extended editions in 4K (If they are, in fact true 4K. Some sources—who know more about this stuff than me—attest it might be an upscale). You also get a digital code, only usable in the US. Not happy the three-disc set is stacked into a piss weak two-disc keep-case container (maybe that’s why my 4K disc stuffed up!?)

Disc One (4K UHD)

• Theatrical Version
• Special Edition Version 

Disc Two (1080)

• Theatrical Version
• Special Edition
• Direct Access to New / Additional Scenes from Special Edition
• 2003 Audio Commentary by James Cameron and the Cast and Crew
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score
• Composer's Original Isolated Score

Disc Three

• The Inspiration and Design of Aliens
• Superior Firepower: Making Aliens
• Superior Firepower: Making Aliens Enhancement Pods
• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production and Aftermath
• Main Title Exploration
• Theatrical Trailers

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 137 mins
Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron
Cast: Sigourney Weaver; Michael Biehn; Carrie Henn
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-fi
Tagline: This Time it's War.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them f*cking each other over for a go**amn percentage."
Theatrical Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Official Site:
Release Date: July 18, 1986
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: March 12, 2024.
Synopsis: Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.