... There is an obvious continuity between the films but having no prior knowledge of the previous terrifying episode in Ellen Ripley's life in no way detracts from the enjoyment, in fact seeing the Aliens for the first time in this film is just as awesome as it was for those of us who met them ... Read review
James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
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James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
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In this action-packed sequel to Alien Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley the only ... more
survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with skepticism until the mysterious d...
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James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
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Production Year: 1979 - Science Fiction - Director: Ridley Scott - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Advantages: the perfect sequel to the first film Disadvantages: none
...enjoyment, in fact seeing the Aliens for the first time in this film is just as awesome as it was for those of us who met them first time around.
After being the sole survivor of a massacre on a mining ship, which resulted in its total destruction, Flight Officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is found drifting through space in cryogenic suspension. Upon returning to earth a series of revelations take place. The first is that she ... ...there are potentially hundreds more aliens there and as Ripley poignantly points out "just one of those creatures wiped out my entire crew". When reports of colonists going missing come in, a team of marines is set in to investigate along with Ripley as advisor and a company representative. What follows is a clash between a team of heavily armed marines and a hive of the deadliest predators evolution has ever produced.
With the phenomenal success of the film "Alien" it was inevitable that a sequel would be forth coming what was surprising was that it took nearly seven years before it hit the screen. It was, however, worth the wait. But how to you follow such a groundbreaking film? You make it bigger that's how. For all its grandeur and stunning visuals, "Alien" is a small story, a handful of humans pitted against one adversary on a mining ship. For the second outing, this time with James Cameron at the helm, the story widened, the action factor was geared up and if one alien was scary enough, as the title suggests, this time it's brought its friends. Although this film is clearly a sequel, it does stand alone as a film in its own right and in no way requires the viewer to be familiar with the first. There is an obvious continuity between the films but having no prior knowledge of the previous terrifying episode in Ellen Ripley's life in no way detracts from the enjoyment, in fact seeing the Aliens for the first time in this film is just as awesome as it was for those of us who met them first time around.
After being the sole survivor of a massacre on a mining ship, which resulted in its total destruction, Flight Officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is found drifting through space in cryogenic suspension. Upon returning to earth a series of revelations take place. The first is that she has been away from earth for 57 years and consequently her friends and family are gone, she is alone. As if that wasn't enough, the company she works for hold her responsible for the loss of the ship and as such revoke her pilots licence meaning her career is over. Worse than that though is the fact that the planet where they first encountered their nemesis has been colonised by a small wave of pioneering families and as Ripley knows there are potentially hundreds more aliens there and as Ripley poignantly points out "just one of those creatures wiped out my entire crew". When reports of colonists going missing come in, a team of marines is set in to investigate along with Ripley as advisor and a company representative. What follows is a clash between a team of heavily armed marines and a hive of the deadliest predators evolution has ever produced.
The film has retained the look of the original, again a dark maze of corridors and rooms is the main setting for the action, this time a planet based colony complex rather than a space ship. This again allows for the claustrophobic terror and the subdued lighting amongst grim service ways, high tech laboratories and industrial units and we also get some out side shots of the wind blasted planet. He same work man like feel has be created as before and this is why the film doesn't look dated even though film making has moved on so much. Science moves on so quickly and as such our image of the future moves with it rendering many science fiction movies ridiculous looking in a short period of time. With both Alien and Aliens the look is so practical and functional that it still fits easily in our bubble of believability.
And if the look of the film has been maintained it becomes apparent that James Cameron is able to bring to the screen what Scott did so well in the first. With the original film heavy on the drawn out suspense, Cameron combines this with a bigger slice of action. And as the marines begin to encounter their alien foe the film races of in a relentless roller coaster ride of bullets, bombs and blood. But what raises this film up into the shortlist of truly great science fiction is, again the development of the characters. There is so much action there isn't much time to individualize the characters but they at least rise above the level of canon fodder and you find yourself on the side of the good guys very quickly. The marines contain all the stereotypical characters that you expect, the tough talking Sergeant Apone (Al Williams), the wisecracking Private Hudson (Bill Paxton), the sombre Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), the unflappable hard as nails Vasquez (Jeannette Goldstein) and the synthetic human-with-a-heart Bishop (Lance Hendrickson). Balancing this are Gorman, their mission leader who is so by the book and inexperienced that he's in danger of being shot by his own troops long before the aliens get anywhere near him, and Carter Burke, the slimy company executive with an ulterior motive, played to perfection by Paul Rieser, who is normally known for nice guy comedy roles. A special note has to be made of Bill Paxton who plays a marine cracking up under the pressure and fear of the events and Michael Biehn the corporal who has to take control and hold it all together. Both have worked with Cameron before in The Terminator and both are brilliant here.
Another touch that makes this more than a testosterone fuelled action movie is the relationship between Ripley and Newt, a young girl who has survived hiding in the air ducts. As Ripley assumes the role of mother, something that was taken away from her due to the long time lost in cryogenic suspension, her mission to wipe out the aliens becomes almost secondary to protecting her young ward, almost changing the nature of the movie as it nears its conclusion. But for all its development from the first film and addition of more human issues, the over riding factor that makes this film so good is its pace. One stunning scene after another is presented, be it full on action, or slow suspense, all are masterfully done and pay homage to the first film but also set new standards. It's a film that picks you up and carries you along with it, a film that really does make you want to watch it from the relative safety of behind the sofa, and it's a film of truly awesome film making talent from all concerned. Two more films did follow this one but its all down hill from here I am afraid.
...made Cameron's name, it was Aliens and Terminator 2 that cemented his place at the head of Hollywood's A-list for directors. The action is slick and well-paced, and all the set-pieces are full of tension - particularly Ripley's "search" towards the end of the film. Cameron uses the backdrops and sets well in his shooting of the film - the environments are all cold and sterile, fitting in with the bleak future the Alien films depict. The complex is ... ...viewer is that when the aliens attack, you think there's hundreds of them swarming all over the place - in actual fact, there are never more than SIX on screen at the same time (they only had six suits!). A masterful piece of vision by Cameron all round.
DELETED SCENES:
As you may or may not be aware, there is a "Special Edition" of Aliens, including 15 minutes of added footage which Cameron had to cut on the orders of 20th Century Fox, who had ...
superpricee 25.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Aliens (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Weaver, the action Disadvantages: Ripley's haircut, Hicks' christian name
...films of all time.
Aliens is something very special indeed. It is one of the most thrill packed films that I have ever seen and, whether you're talking about the raw original version of Aliens or the Special Edition which was released with additional footage, is an absolute dream (or nightmare, whichever you prefer). Sigourney Weaver, director James Cameron and the alien created by H R Giger are really the only common links between the two epics, ... ...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aliens is set some 57 years after Ripley (played by Weaver) was the sole survivor of the extraordinary events on the deep space ship, Nostromo. The ship had happened upon a planet packed with odd alien eggs and had been terrorised by a horrific new arrival. After polishing off the foul brute, Ripley had put herself into suspended animation with her cat, Jones, and set off in the direction of home.
A salvage ship located ...
dave27 25.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Aliens (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Great story, and sooo atmospheric Disadvantages: none, not even to this day.
...original. Personally I think that Aliens is in this category. Now, I agree this is an outlandish claim. Ridley Scott's original Alien, is potentially one of the most atmospheric, and terrifying films of all time. In its time, it was perfect. The effects were great, and the performances exceptional. I believe that if I had of been writing this review ten years ago, then Alien would win hands down, but in today's market the award must go to the original's ... ...that has come out recently, Aliens is as enjoyable to watch now, as it was on its general release in 1986. The film was directed by James Cameron, who as we all know is one for creating a spetacle. His direction to the film is in stark contrast to Scott's original. Where Scott went for raw science fiction, and horror, Cameron has created a rip-roaring action adventure. I think it is plain to see that Cameron was heavily influenced by the recent success ...
giksy21 12.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Aliens (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: An adequate sequel to the 1978 film Alien Disadvantages: Could have had more special features on the DVD
Aliens DVD Special Edition
1986 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
148 Minutes
Written and Directed by James Cameron, who also directed:
Ghosts of the Abyss 2003
Titanic 1997
Terminator 2 1991
The Abyss 1989
The Terminator 1984
Starring Actors:
Sigorney Weaver - Ellen Ripley
Al Mathews - Sergeant Apone
Michael Biehn - Corporal Hicks
Jeanette Goldstein - Private Vasquez
Bill Paxton - Private Hudson
Carrie Henn - Newt( Rebecca Jorden)
... ...Minutes of Restored Footage
Aliens is the sequel to the Ridley Scott 1978 film Alien, the story follows on from the last film with Ellen Ripley(and the ginger cat Jones) in hyper sleep aboard the commercial ship Nostromos escape pod.
Some 57 years have passed, the pod is discovered in deep space by accident and Ripley is taken to a gateway station where she has to attend an inquest into why the Nostromo ship was destoyed and why all of the crew ...
kel_myu 04.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Aliens (Special Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: Excellent presentation of the film itself in terms of both image and sound; comprehensive photo gallery; interesting interview with James Cameron. Disadvantages: No Director’s Commentary; only one trailer included; no music audio options — essentially, this is not an extras-lite DVD, but it simply has nowhere near as much content as the Alien DVD it follows.
...was slotted into my player. Aliens is a very popular film indeed, and some people even seem to like it more than the first film. My own opinion, however, is that this film, whilst admittedly good, is slightly inferior to Alien, and unfortunately the same turned out to be true of the DVD release.
THE FILM
The film starts as Ripley is found in a state of suspended animation, drifting through space in one of the Nostromo escape pods after the events ... ...the region 2 market, and Aliens is another solid (if admittedly not exceptional) disc.
· Rating: 18.
Aliens is actually, when one sits back and considers, a very, very violent film indeed; it was unlikely ever to achieve a rating other than 18 on this basis, especially with the footage added to make up the Special Edition.
· Region: 2 (PAL encoding).
Region 2 covers Europe and Japan; this disc should be suited to all UK DVD players, as well as ...
B.Bligh 01.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Aliens (Special Edition) (DVD)
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Advantages: Sci-fi's greatest terror gets another outing with an extra 30 mins of footage Disadvantages: Could never compete with the original
In a moment of boredom and unwilling to sit through Jeremy bloody Kyle yet again I shuffled through my DVD collection and, fancying something in a sci-fi vain, settled for 'Alien 3: 2-Disc SpecialEdition'. Not the best movie on the shelf but one I hadn't seen for a while. Unlike Jeremy bloody Kyle!
This, the third instalment of the 'Alien' saga, sees Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as her emergency evacuation pod crash landing onto Fiorina 161, a desolate planet inhabited by the former inmates of a maximum security facility. It is not long before she realises that an alien was also onboard the craft and has now taken refuge in the mining facility. With no weapons or advanced technology Ripley and the others must use their wits and guile to trap a beast intent on killing them all - except Ripley that is!
The film has an abundance ...
Advantages: Too many to list Disadvantages: It ends too soon
shine. Alien 3 spring boarded his career and he had soon moved on to bigger and better things including In The Name Of The Father, The Usual Suspects, and now The Omen. His character of David is one of the most warming, he really cares and really wants to help, and he adds humour and diversity to the film.
Finally we have Lance Henrikson as Bishop, who plays another striking role. In a dual role he plays both the caring android and the uncaring manager of Weyland Yutomi, who created the Bishop android. Weyland Yutomi are the agency that triggered off the whole situation from the first film. The goal for him has always been to get a preserved alien to use in warfare.
I guess I should not forget Clive Mantle who has a very brief role but and went on to play Mike Barrett for several years in both Casualty and Holby.
The DVD itself comes ...
Advantages: great, fun movie, excellent C.G effects and loads of extras!!!!! Disadvantages: a little tame on the gore and violence factor compared to the previous films!
DVD title: Alien vs Predator
Certificate: 15
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Sales and distribution: 20th Century Fox
Other information: two disk extreme edition, letter box version 16:9
The battle we have all been waiting for since predator 2. Two of the most fearsome alien races face off in a battle to the death, only this time they have brought it to our world, earth.
Well Alien vs Predator has been on the movie list for a long time. The idea for the two races to face off was the brief glimpse of the predator's trophy, an alien skull in the predator's ship at the end of predator 2. This sparked of a frenzy of excitement, the two races fighting each other for the title of champion species. The fans hunger for both the aliens and predators to confront each other set of the series of comic books and computer games, which would undoubtedly ...
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo, is asked to go back to the planet where the aliens were first found, when communications with the colonists are lost... Includes the scenes edited from the 1986 film release.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox, 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date
15/05/2000, 12/04/2004, 06/03/2006
No of Discs
1, 2
Catalogue No
01802 DVD, 01802 CDVD, 0180201034
Editor
Ray Lovejoy
Creator
James Cameron
Screenwriter
Walter Hill, James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, David Giler
"...A flaming, flashing, crashing, crackling blow-em-up show that keeps you popping from your seat....[Weaver] is a one-woman army..." (New York Times, p.C11, 18/07/1986)
"...Technically, [the] film is superior in all respects. Special effects are varied and always convincing..." (Variety, 09/07/1986)
DVD Description
Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor from the original ALIEN, is awakened after 57 years of drifting through space, her stories disbelieved by Company executives who tell her that the alien's planet is now inhabited and colonized. When contact is suddenly lost with the colonists, Ripley returns to the planet with a squad of marines, an android (Lance Henriksen), and a Company executive (Paul Reiser) with a mission of his own. Once on the planet, no survivors can be found except for Newt, a little girl who awakens motherly instincts in Ripley just in time for the acid-blooded aliens to attack in what quickly becomes a one-sided battle for sheer survival. Considered by many to be the best of the series, ALIENS is a fast-paced, high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action films and cemented director James Cameron's status as one of Hollywood's leading directors following the success of THE TERMINATOR. Weaver received an Academy Award nomination and became a feminist hero for her strong, sensitive performance as the survivor Ripley, while costars Reiser, Henriksen, and Bill Paxton all give career-making performances in this landmark sci-fi extravaganza.
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