The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds
70%
Aliens theatrical release and special edition Blu-ray disc set

Aliens Blu-ray disc set

They mostly come out at night. Mostly.

  • print
  • alert

Review James Cameron is often credited with turning science fiction from a cult or B-movie genre into a one that earned not just big money but critical success too. The breakthrough film was Aliens and the year was 1986.

Aliens theatrical release and special edition Blu-ray disc set

Aliens on Blu-ray: Two films for the price of one and a half

Sure, George Lucas had already reinvigorated sci-fi on the big screen with Star Wars but that was just a panto with corridors. Ridley Scott should have been pronounced the father of modern sci-fi movies after 1979’s Alien but his 1982 commercial disaster Blade Runner left him extremely unpopular with the studios at the time.

Aliens theatrical release and special edition Blu-ray disc set

I’ve been looking for that shower head everywhere

So when the studios came looking to make a sequel to Alien, they approached James Cameron, a young gun still in his twenties who had become hot property after having written and directed The Terminator at high speed and under budget.

Aliens theatrical release and special edition Blu-ray disc set

“Let’s light a campfire and sing songs” – actual line from this scene

Aliens was an immediate hit, costing $18m to make but earning $131m at the box office. It had strong characters as well as big scares. It had guns and brains. Barry Norman loved it and Sigourney Weaver received a Best Leading Actress nomination at the Oscars – an award that would previously have been unthinkable for a sci-fi flick.

Aliens theatrical release and special edition Blu-ray disc set

Burke puts on his ‘come hit me’ face – that’s his usual one

Five years later, James Cameron unveiled a Special Edition of the film, which was essentially the 2hr 35mins masterpiece he’d originally created before being forced to cut 20 minutes for its 1986 theatrical showing. Both versions went on to enjoy lucrative video and DVD sales – it even appeared on Laserdisc. And here at last, both versions get their Blu-ray release simultaneously on one disc.

Hurrah! Aliens in hi-def!

Next page: Against the grain?

Re: Close ...

By the same (utterly facile) token, Aliens is just Zulu with aliens replacing the zulus. And Alien is Jaws with an alien replacing the shark.

Next you'll be valiantly arguing that the Magnificent Seven isn't a cowboy film because herp derp kurosawa derpity derp samurai derp.

10
0

Well, I'm happy to disappint you.

This movie has provided more usuable quotes with a direct application to my day job than is healthy.

"Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? ".

5
0

So, this is a lot like the DVD I already own,

but HD shows up the flaws in the filmstock, makes the visual effects look a bit ropey? Blu-ray players sound like a great investment.

5
1

Re: Close ...

In my times, UFOs were still of interest and infused with a sense of wonder and revelation.

These days, people are so used to flashing signs everywhere, not to mention bleeping noises, levitating cats and similar ADHD shit that they would not recognize a honest-to-god ufological spectacle if their sanity depended on it and would probably not even look up from their PSP if it transformed the golden retriever in their manicured suburban garden into microwaved steak, its pitiful cries muted by the sound of the latest ultraviolent, amphetamine-fueled TV serial.

3
0

Re: "disappint"

What happens to pints left in the presence of Reg commentards for any length of time. "What happened to your drink?" "Oh, it disappint. Best get another then!"

4
1

More from The Register

Microsoft reveals Xbox One, the console that can read your heartbeat
Upgrades Live service – and no always-on requirement
 breaking news
Review: Sony Xperia SP
The new mid-range marvel? Oh yes.
US boffin builds 32-way Raspberry Pi cluster
Beowulf cluster built for the price of a single PC
Dell's PC-on-a-stick landing in July: report
Wyse up, suckers, could this be a new set-side-stick?
Review: HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook
All roads lead to Chrome?
Borked your iDevice? Pay EVEN MORE to have it fixed by Applecare
Or scream at their hapless techies on their forums
HTC woes prompts 'leave now' tweet from former staffer
Chief product officer latest to bail from sinking mobe-maker
Euro PC shipments plummet into bottomless pit of DOOOOM
11th quarter of decline, 20pc drop on last year - Gartner