Aliens, James Cameron’s adrenaline-rush sequel to Ridley Scott’s haunted house in space original, makes its 4K digital debut. However, only the theatrical cut gets the 4K treatment at this time.
The Production: 4/5
Fifty-seven years after defeating and escaping from the alien that killed the entire crew of the Nostromo, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is discovered floating in space by a salvage team. After being debriefed and her findings pretty much ignored, the company begins to take her seriously when all communications with a colony assigned to terraform a distant planet in the same quadrant as the Nostromo suddenly cease. A platoon of Marines are assigned to check out the planet, and Burke (Paul Reiser), the company representative, offers Ripley a chance to join the mission as consultant and be re-instated as part of her compensation. At first, Ripley refuses to go, but the nightmares of her experiences aboard the Nostromo combined with the fact that the colony consists of several families who may be in danger convinces her otherwise, along with Burke’s promise that if the terrifying aliens are found that they would be destroyed.
Aliens was only James Cameron’s third film as a director (following Piranha II: The Spawning for which he was fired from and the surprise sleeper hit The Terminator which he wrote and directed), but used much of what he learned from working in the visual effects department at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures to craft what he described as being more of a roller coaster ride compared to Ridley Scott’s haunted house original, Alien. The movie is a slow burn for the first thirty minutes or so as the Marines make their way in outer space to the planet colony (think of it as the line queue at a theme park), and kicks into high gear when Bill Paxton’s Private Hudson exclaims “We’re on an express elevator to hell, going down!” as they descend to the planet. Aliens is a terrific blend of science fiction, horror, and action genres, and is the apex of the Alien franchise. James Cameron was offered the chance to recut the film in 1990, running an additional seventeen minutes that adds more character development to Ripley and her relationship with Hicks (Michael Biehn). At the time of this writing, only the theatrical cut has been included in 4K, with the special edition only available as a special feature in HD.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Aliens was photographed and completed on 35mm film in the 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. For this release, additional clean up and processing to the film was completed by Park Road Post in New Zealand to create a new 4K digital intermediate. It was then graded using Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range, all under the supervision of director James Cameron. Disney has released this new 4K version of the theatrical cut to PVOD platforms on December 12, 2023, with a physical media release due in March 2024.
Much of the heavy grain seen on previous home video releases has been reduced, although there is still a noticeable level of fine grain visible. The image contains a high level of detail including fabric and wall textures. Colors are vivid and do not appear overly saturated, and has less of an overall bluish tone that was found on previous releases. Black levels are deep and inky with strong shadow detail. However, some of the matte paintings and front projection effects are a bit more obvious in this 4K upgrade.
Your best experience can be found on the Apple TV app, particularly on an Apple TV 4K device, which is devoid of any noticeable compression artifacts. The Apple TV app on non-Apple devices and Movies Anywhere are a close second, appearing a tad darker but again no noticeable compression artifacts. Vudu is a distant third, whose encode did exhibit some instances of banding. All of the above are in Dolby Vision and HDR10. At the time of this writing, Prime Video only offers an older HD transfer.
Audio: 4.5/5
Aliens has always had an impressive sound mix, from its theatrical 70mm 6-track Dolby and 35mm 2-channel matrixed Dolby Surround to its stereo surround LaserDisc and VHS mixes and through to its 5.1 mixes for DVD and Blu-ray. Now in Dolby Atmos (with a Dolby Digital+ 5.1 core) for this digital release, it is even more immersive than ever before. This is a wider, more intense mix with beefy LFE to better accentuate explosions and crashes and give James Horner’s excellent score an even more impressive low end. The Apple TV app on an Apple TV 4K device sounds like it has a wider dynamic range than found on the same app on non-Apple TV devices or Movies Anywhere and Vudu.
Special Features: 4/5
Apple TV appears to have the motherlode, while Prime Video is movie-only.
Apple TV (only on Apple TV devices)
Aliens: Special Edition (1080p; 2 hrs. 35 mins.): The 1990 special edition cut in HD and 5.1 audio, sourced from the new 4K remaster, yet only the theatrical cut is provided (as of this writing) in 4K across all platforms.
James Cameron Introduction (SD; 0:35): Cameron’s brief audio introduction to the special edition cut with production stills. Interestingly, he notes that this is his preferred version of the film, yet only the theatrical cut is provided (as of this writing) in 4K across all platforms.
2003 Special Edition Audio Commentary: An edited assemblage of talent before and behind the camera: director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, effects artists Stan Winston, Robert Skotak, Dennis Skotak, and Pat McClung, and co-stars Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn, and Christopher Henn. As with all of these edited tracks, prime information is provided with very little dead time, so fans will savor this if they haven’t heard it already.
The Inspiration and Design of “Aliens” (1080p; 30:55): Created for the film’s 30th anniversary in 2016, Cameron discusses his love of Ridley Scott’s original, how he became involved in the project, and his inspirations for the film.
2003 Theatrical Edition Audio Commentary: Nearly identical to the special edition commentary with the same participants.
Final Theatrical Isolated Score (HD; 2 hrs. 17 mins.): As the title says, James Horner’s music score in its final form.
Composer’s Original Isolated Score (HD; 2 hrs. 17 mins.): James Horner’s original intentions for the score before last minute editing to the final theatrical cut.
Superior Firepower: Making “Aliens” (SD; 3 hrs. 5 mins.): A highly detailed look at the making of the film.
Superior Firepower: Making “Aliens” Enhancement Pods (SD; 59:10): If the above documentary wasn’t enough, 25 additional short featurettes are included that cover everything else such as test footage, props, and a salute to the late Stan Winston.
Preproduction: Includes a text slideshow of James Cameron’s original story treatment, pre-visualization vidoematics (SD; 3:17), storyboard archive, The Art of “Aliens” gallery, and Cast Protrait Gallery.
Production: Includes Production Image Gallery, Continuity Polaroids Gallery, Weapons and Vehicles Gallery, Stan Winston’s Workshop Gallery, Colonial Marine Helmet Camera Feeds (SD; 5:08), Video Graphics Gallery (SD; 4:06) and Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers (SD; 3:38).
Post Production and Aftermath: Includes Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes from Special Edition (HD; 20:40), Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned (SD; 1:33), Deleted Scene Montage (SD; 4:08), Image Galleries (Visual Effects, Music Recordings, Premiere, Special Shoot), Main Title Exploration (SD; 3:01) and Trailers (SD; 5:08).
Movies Anywhere
James Cameron Introduction (SD; 0:35)
Aliens: Special Edition (1080p; 2 hrs. 35 mins.)
2003 Special Edition Audio Commentary
The Inspiration and Design of “Aliens” (1080p; 30:55)
2003 Theatrical Edition Audio Commentary
Final Theatrical Isolated Score (HD; 2 hrs. 17 mins.)
Composer’s Original Isolated Score (HD; 2 hrs. 17 mins.)
Superior Firepower: Making “Aliens” (SD; 3 hrs. 5 mins.)
Superior Firepower: Making “Aliens” Enhancement Pods (SD; 59:10)
Pre-Visualization Vidoematics (SD; 3:17)
Colonial Marine Helmet Camera Feeds (SD; 5:08)
Video Graphics Gallery (SD; 4:06)
Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers (SD; 3:38)
Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes from Special Edition (HD; 20:40)
Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned (SD; 1:33)
Deleted Scene Montage (SD; 4:08)
Main Title Exploration (SD; 3:01)
Trailers (SD; 5:08)
Vudu
James Cameron Introduction (SD; 0:35)
Aliens: Special Edition (1080p; 2 hrs. 35 mins.)
2003 Special Edition Audio Commentary
The Inspiration and Design of “Aliens” (1080p; 30:55)
2003 Theatrical Edition Audio Commentary
Final Theatrical Isolated Score (HD; 2 hrs. 17 mins.)
Composer’s Original Isolated Score (HD; 2 hrs. 17 mins.)
Superior Firepower: Making “Aliens” (SD; 3 hrs. 5 mins.)
Superior Firepower: Making “Aliens” Enhancement Pods (SD; 59:10)
Production Footage (SD; 12:54): Includes Pre-Visualization Vidoematics, Colonial Marine Helmet Camera Feeds, Video Graphics Gallery and Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers.
Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes from Special Edition (HD; 20:40)
Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned (SD; 1:33)
Deleted Scene Montage (SD; 4:08)
Main Title Exploration (SD; 3:01)
Trailers (SD; 5:08)
Overall: 3.5/5
Seeing Aliens in 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos is a treat, although it would have been nice if the Special Edition cut had been included in the same formats (although the studio has indicated that they are working on getting that included).
The Abyss, Aliens and True Lies will be available in 4K Ultra UHD for the first time ever on December 12 at digital retailers and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc March 12, 2024. Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water Collector’s Editions will also be available at digital retailers December 12 and on Blu-ray December 19.
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