Ripley's return to hell (Aliens (DVD))

Member Name: GroundZero

Product:	Aliens (DVD)
Date:	01/03/01 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very exciting, great action sequences

Disadvantages: None

After the success of the original film, James Cameron (later to direct Titanic) wanted to take a radically different approach for the sequel. Where the original relied heavily on the clautrophobic atmosphere, and the fact that you see very little of the alien itself, Aliens is far more action oriented. It is no less of a film because of this however, and is certainly one of the best films in the genre.

After waking from a 57 year hypersleep, Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor of the first film, learns that the planet where they first encountered the alien is now a colony. Her horror at learning this fact is compounded when she is told that all communication with the colonists has been lost. Reluctantly agreeing to return to her own private hell, Ripley returns to the planet along with a team of marines, essentially to eradicate any sign of the aliens.

Things inevitably start to go wrong, however, and soon the marines are battling just to stay alive. Their previously gung-ho attitude soon turns to one of terror as they realise just why Ripley had feared returning so much. Ripley’s maternal instincts emerge when she finds the only survivor of the colonists, a young girl called Newt, who reminds her of her own daughter. This development adds an extra element to the film, with Ripley determined to save Newt rather than simply escaping herself.

The action sequences are electrifying, especially when the surviving marines are trying to escape from the alien horde. This is one of those films where you are never too sure just who is next for the chop. Its probably not a film for the squeamish or faint of heart…

The Special Edition Region 2 DVD contains an extra 17 minutes of footage not used in the original cinematic release. The additional material really helps the film, filling in a number of gaps that the original release skipped over. The colony on LV-426 is shown prior to the discovery of th
e alien eggs, and the introduction of the first alien into the colony is explained. In addition, the extra footage shows Ripley’s sadness when she learns of the death of her daughter while she has been in hypersleep.

The film is presented in a widescreen ratio of 1.85:1, and looks impressively crisp. Even with the large amount of predominantly dark scenes, there is very little evidence of artifacting. Sound is Dolby Digital 5.1. Even with a 2 speaker and subwoofer setup, the sound quality of this DVD is hugely impressive.

Special features are quite impressive, although not quite up to the standard of Alien. In addition to a typically polished interactive menu screen, there is an interview with Cameron, in which he discusses how he wanted to evolve the story from where the original left off. He also mentions how the whole film was produced with only 6 alien outfits, something you would never believe after seeing their relentless attacks in the movie! Sadly there is no director’s commentary, which would have been an extremely desirable extra.

A series of behind the scenes shots show how the special effects sequences were created, including a rather amusing chest-burster dancing about, and the alien queen, which appears to be made out of bin bags, getting jiggy in the parking lot. Its funny to see how unrealistic the aliens look out of context – terrifying in the film, but hilarious when they’re viewed in isolation.

The original trailer is provided, along with a large number of still photos, split into sub-categories. These show the incredible detail of the models used in the film.

This is still one of my favourite action movies. I loved it the first time I saw it, but the addition of the extra footage has improved it greatly. Although not as out and out scary as the first film, it still manages to shock and thrill in equal amounts. This film is one of the few cases where a sequel proves n
ot to be a let down. It’s a shame, then, that the subsequent two films didn’t reach this high standard again.

Summary: