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 Director
: James Cameron
Starring
: Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Michael
Biehn, Bill Paxton
Picture : 2.35:1, DD 5.1, Single-Side
Dual-Layer, Keep Case
Running
Time : 154 mins
The
story:
This time it's war
Set
57 years after the original Alien film, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney
Weaver) is found drifting aboard an abandoned space craft
in a state of deep hyper sleep. After being brought back
to earth by a deep space salvage crew she is subjected to
a disciplinary hearing which debunks the events that happended
aboard the ill fated ship. She is stripped of her licence
and is reduced to working as a cargo handler in the space
loading docks, she also discovers that LV426 (the Alien
planet from the first film) is now inhabited by colonists
intent on making the planet habitable for future generations.
When contact is unexpectedly lost with the colony, Carter
Burke (Paul Reiser) insists Ripley accompanies himself and
a crack team of US space marines to the planet as an advisor
on a rescue mission. Ripley agrees as long as her licene
is re-instated and she is plunged into space on course for
LV426 with the mean, hard talking marines. On arrival they
discover an abandoned city with no sign of life. Have the
inhabitants fled ? or is their something more sinister at
work ? What transpires is an epic battle of good versus
evil and a war that only one species can win.
The
summary:
On its release in 1986, Aliens proved that the big budget
sequel was far from dead. Filled with an untold amount more
tension than the original film it superbly takes the torch
to deliver one of the all time greatest action movies of
our generation. From the beginning we are treated to a story
that just grows and grows until you can almost feel the
suspense breathing down your neck and the adrenalin pounding
round your body. Released during the early part of the 1990's,
the Special Edition (Curiously only released on VHS in full
screen) included 17 minutes of additional footage cut from
the theatrical release. As with so many of Cameron's films
(T2 and the Abyss, being prime examples) the extra footage
was of such a quality and had such impact on the overall
story that you never quite understood why it was taken out
in the first place, other than to reduce the lengthy running
time. What was an impressively paced, action classic now
became an action icon. The whole key to the film is the
tension that I have already mentioned, especially the fear
of being hunted and pursued in a race to get out alive from
the stricken planet. Weaver shines again in her ongoing
portrayal of Ripley and Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton are
also splendid as two of the gung ho marines.
With
the release of the Aliens box set on DVD it was decided
that all the films would be digitally THX mastered together
with the addition of a 5.1 audio mix and the quality that
ensues is very impressive. The film is still subject to
a fair amount of grain but then considering its age we can
allow that. The 5.1 mix is a valuable addition and means
that for the first time the film has a soundtrack that is
worthy of the film.
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Extras:
*
Theatrical Trailers - Trailers
of all four of the Alien films
*
Directors Interview - An interview with a
rather young looking James Cameron, shot a short while after
the films theatrical release.
*
Photo Gallery - Contains photos of various
aspects of the film, including special effects models, sets,
aliens and publicity material surrounding the films release.
*
Behind the Scenes - A live action brother
the photo gallery. Shows how things for the film were developed,
how sets were made and how certan shots were obtained. very
interesting..
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