Fox, THX, widescreen 1.85:1/16x9, languages: English DD 5.1 [CC] & Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles: English, Spanish, single side-dual layer, 34 chapters, rated R, 154 min., $29.98, street date 6/1/99. Supplements: The 154-minute long version, with 17 minutes of restored footage not included in the theatrical or televised version Interview with James Cameron Behind-the-scenes footage Production artwork from the collections of James Cameron, Ron Cobb & Syd Mead Visual effects, storyboards and other materials from the collections of Robert Skota, Dennis Skota & Stan Winston Production photos Screenplay excerpts Annotated history of the production Advertising materials Theatrical trailer
Academy Awards: Winner of Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing. Nominated for Best Actress-Sigourney Weaver, Best Original Score-James Horner, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, 1986. Directed by James Cameron. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Carrie Henn.
In this action-packed sequel to Alien, Siguorney Weaver returns as Ripley, the only 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 disappearance of colonists on Lv-426 lead her to join a team of high-tech colonial marines sent into investigate. Personally supervised by director James Cameron, this special edition includes scenes eliminated prior to the film’s 1986 release, which broadens the narrative scope and enriches the emotional impact of the film
For many, it's the fantastic work of the actors that largely makes Aliens work as well as it does. Virtually every member of the supporting cast shines. Michael Biehn offers a surprisingly charming and understated turn as Hicks. Bill Paxton's whiny, cowardly Hudson and Jenette Goldstein's mega-butch Vasquez could and probably should have been nothing more than gross stereotypes, but the actors play the roles with such care and charisma that they're made into real people. Lance Henriksen turns Bishop into one of the most believable "artificial” people portrayed on film; he's not overwhelming about it at all, but he seems convincingly ‘off’ from the rest of the humans. Even Paul Reiser performs admirably as the weasel and unethical Burke.
Weaver is clearly what holds the entire Alien saga together, and her strengths were never so apparent as in Aliens. This film demanded the most of her; providing her with the most range of acting opprotunities. Aliens required such a strong emotional commitment from Weaver, since she forms such a tight bond with surrogate daughter Newt.
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