I had one mission in the summer of 1986.
One all encompassing goal so totally consuming that for a
brief period of time I even forgot about naked women. That
pursuit, that goal, that Raison D’Etre, was to see Aliens.
I tried three or four times to sneak into a theater, and
even had a friend’s mother buy us tickets, but was never
able to get in since it was an R rated movie and I was only
14. Finally, I pestered my parents to the point of exhaustion.
They acquiesced to my whimpering, took pity on me and we went
to see it.
But what was so special about the movie? I mean, why was
I so hysterical? I was too young to see the original when
it came out in the theater, and in fact up to the release
of Aliens, had only seen it two or three
times on home video. While Alien scared the
bejeezus out of me, it had not become a favorite, played over
and over again in our Betamax.
So why turn the sequel to a movie I only tangentially enjoyed
into a prepubescent Grail Quest?
 Because,
quite simply, this time, it’s War.
Alien is a taught, tense, utilitarianistic
future monster movie. Aliens is Sci-Fantasy
with explosions, guns, nuclear weapons and a shitload of aliens.
At 14, that kicks ass.
In telling the continuing tale of Ellen Ripley, the only
survivor of the Nostromo, Aliens took only
the essential concept and then proceeded to flesh out a universe.
Ridley Scott’s original is almost totally devoid of
back-story while Aliens created an expansive
tapestry to paint on that spawned two sequels, a retarded
cousin (Alien
Vs. Predator) and dozens of books, comics, and role playing
games.
Certainly James Cameron should receive the lion’s share
of credit, but Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett’s
script was brilliant as well.
The story went like so: Ripley is found alive, adrift in
space 57 years after the battle on the Nostromo. She is rescued
and taken back to Earth, where she begins adapting to life
not being hunted down in her underwear. Then a call comes
in that the corporation Ripley works for has lost contact
with a colony on the planet where the original alien was found.
 Ripley
reluctantly joins a team of colonial marines sent to investigate.
They must destroy the creatures if they are found.
And that’s it. That’s the plot. The whole shebang.
The rest of the movie is one long battle of attrition between
the aliens and the marines, culminating in one of cinema’s
best bitch fights since Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft
in The Turning Point - Ripley versus a Queen
Alien. This cat fight also produces one of the corniest pieces
of dialogue from the 1980s. “Get away from her you BITCH!”
is synonymous with Ripley and Aliens, and
while you laugh at it now, in 1986 you know you cheered.
The movie features some rock solid performances from Cameron
regulars - Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, John Connor’s
foster mom, and Bill Paxton way before HBO thought to pay
him to shake his money maker on screen in that show about
Mormons. It also has Paul Reiser, but he gets it in the end.
And did I mention it features a buttload of aliens? The whole
planet ends up swarming with them. If one was frightening
then thousands are fantastic!
 The
marines get sliced. They get diced. They get bit. They get
eaten. They get impregnated with chestbursters. They are a
thoroughly ineffective fighting force and fun every step of
the way.
Aliens also happens to be a pro-woman film.
Think about it. Look who is standing at the end. Hicks? Hell,
he’s off to nap time after getting his rear end beat
like a dog that took a dump on your sofa. Bishop? He’s
not even a man, he’s an android, and he gets ripped
in half by the queen. You have Ripley, Newt and the queen.
An entire compliment of battle hardened bug hunters failed,
but one strip miner from the backwaters of the galaxy manages
to take out one of the most vicious and destructive creatures
in the universe.
The extended version on this set doesn’t add a ton,
but offers some nice longer scenes with the colonists. That,
and you get to know Newt and Ripley a little better in some
scenes cut from the theatrical release.  It’s
great that you have the option for both on the disc, which
is exactly how it should be.
Aliens has some of the best creature effects
(can’t tell the aliens are guys in rubber suits), awesome
model work, and great special effects of any 1980s science
fiction movies. The marines in particular look like soldiers
- their equipment looks futuristic but also militaristic,
instead of fantasy like. The eye for detail by Cameron with
regards to the look and the sets, and the editing and pace
are all top notch.
At the end when you are left with the final shot of the now
safe Ripley and Newt, you feel like the roller coaster is
pulling in after the ride, satisfied and ready to do it all
again. Aliens, like the other great summer
blockbusters, is loud and noisy and full of explosions, and
pure fun from start to finish.
Presentation
It may not be the best audio track of any DVD, but
it’s a fine sounding copy that will rock the house when
you turn it up loud. Visually, the Collector’s Edition
looks fantastic. The additional scenes are all cleaned up
and look as good as the rest of the film.
Extras
There are a ton of extras - all very
interesting - which come directly from the awesome Alien Quadrilogy
set. Essentially it’s a series of mini documentaries
that string together into a larger whole. These include:
Pre-Production:
57 Years Later (continuing the story), Original Treatment:
by James Cameron, Building Better Worlds (from concept to
construction), The Art of Aliens (conceptual art portfolio),
Pre-Vis Anamatics
Preparing for Battle (casting & characterization), Cast
Portait (still gallery)
Production: This Time It's War (Pinewood Studios, 1985)
 Production Gallery (photo archive), Continuity Polaroids,
The Risk Always Lives (weapons and action), Weapons and Vehicles
(photo archive), Bug Hunt (creature design), Beauty and the
Bitch (Power Loader vs. Queen Alien), Stan Winston's Workshop
(photo archive), Two Orphans (Sigourney Weaver and Carrie
Henn)
Post-Production: The Final Countdown (music, editing and sound),
The Power of Real Tech (visual effects), Visual Effects Gallery
(photo archive), Aliens Unleashed (reaction to the film),
Film Finish & Release, Easter egg (A Boy and His Power
Loader) and
Commentary by: Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn,
Terry Henn, Lance Henriksen, Gale Anne Hurd, Pat McClung,
Bill Paxton, Dennis Skotak, Robert Skotak and Stan Winston.
From the
commentary and interviews, you get the feeling that many of
the actors liked working for Cameron and on this film in particular.
Cameron did not get along with the British crews at Pinewood,
and it shows in some of the production docs. These supplements
are some great looks into the story development and the shooting
at Pinewood in particular. The commentary is nothing grand,
but I love commentaries so it’s awesome to have one
on here, though I would have loved a solo Cameron track.
The Bottom Line
A huge blockbuster hit, one of the top 10 movies of the 1980s
to me and a wonderful set for collectors and fans.
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