Review of Aliens: Special Edition

Introduction

“This time its War!” promises the tagline, and indeed after a long and typically ponderous build-up, James Cameron’s follow up to the 1979 original does develop an unstoppably relentless kinetic dazzle. Cameron wisely avoids trying to clone the bleak terror of Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’, and instead gives us one spectacular cataclysm after another. Particularly during the protracted denouement, which is essentially the cinematic equivalent of being run round the block eleven times by a snarling, slobbering phallic-headed monstrosity.

Video

Not a patch on the transfer for ‘Alien’, ‘Aliens’ appears weathered and scratchy. You get used to it, and I’ve seen much, much worse, but it stands as something of a disappointment considering the crispness of its predecessor. On the plus side, the added special edition scenes appear relatively seamless on DVD, on VHS their quality was wildly variable from the original cut, sign-posting the additions all too clearly.

Audio

Pretty clean. Although its often hard to tell with five tracks of yelling, screaming, explosions and gunfire, blaring over the soundtrack. As with ‘Glory’, ‘Aliens’ is an impressive showcase for James Horner’s pulse-racing score.

Features

The original theatrical trailer seems to be the first of the new school of ‘show everything’ previews, although its impossible to greet such a jumpy collection of classic action moments with a frown. The interview with James Cameron is somewhat uninspired, its certainly not a good substitute for a commentary track. The Behind the Scenes footage is of more interest, particularly test footage for the snarling Queen alien which looks like a bad parade float wrapped in a plastic bag. The collection of photos and production stills isn’t quite as comprehensive as on the ‘Alien’ disc, but its inclusive enough. The 17 minutes of addition footage has appeared before on VHS, and is wildly variable in quality and significance. Mostly, its extraneous, distracting and protracted: there’s a vaguely irritating explanatory section on LV-426 before the alien breakout where we are introduced to a more belligerent Newt and her nosy parents; an unnecessary venture involving high-powered machine guns that amazingly survived the landing craft crash. Mostly the new footage is forgettable and unnecessary, stretching out the narrative even longer and further illuminating Cameron’s flaws as a writer (Act 1’s that stretch on into infinity, Act 2’s that linger plotlessly). One scene, better explaining Ripley’s maternal attraction to Newt is ultimately arbitrary but beautifully restrained, almost single handedly making this self-indulgent ‘Director’s Cut’ worth it.

Conclusion

Generally regarded as ‘Nam in space, a description which comes fully loaded with a rather distracting xenophobic subtext which simply isn’t compatible which Cameron’s generally Liberal and pluralist tone: Motherhood is praised, even sanctified; ‘Me’ generation Corporate cocksuckers are cruelly lampooned in the guise of Weyland Yutani’s on-hand lackey Carter Burke (a brilliant Paul Reiser); the Colonial Marines display a typical ethnic and gender diversity (blacks, latinos, Poles, women, even androids!) Indeed, there’s not much to be gained from loading Cameron’s simplistic action narrative with a heady nationalistic subtext. Under such a simplistic description, the colonists who have been impregnated by aliens (presumably Viet Cong) are innocent Vietnamese who unknowingly and unwillingly hide the enemy from within their own bodies. Yuck! Indeed, apart from blatantly obvious physical allusions (the marines look and speak like Vietnam era grunts), there’s not much to go on. Cameron does indulge in themes that repeat themselves throughout his films: Strong, liberated female leads, the threat of nuclear war, etc, none of which is illuminated with particular success here.

If Cameron’s film doesn’t have the complexity of the original, that’s just one of the many reasons its so compelling as an action/adventure. We’re basically dealing with a gung-ho WWII mission movie here, with modern day sci-fi accessories and Laissez-faire social conscience: Ripley, on the aliens: “You know Burke I don’t know which species is worse, you don’t see them f***ing each other over for a goddamn percentage”. Its not without suspense, the face-hugger escape scene is a bone chilling classic. Or emotional dimension (Ripley’s maternal instinct with the orphaned Newt is overripe but surprisingly moving). However, Cameron’s emotional pot-shots have always been as much hit as miss, and an attempted romantic interlude with soft-spoken nice-guy marine Hicks is a washout (amazingly, made even more embarrassing with additional footage). Fortunately, Cameron spends more time concentrating on the slow boiling volatility between Ripley, Burke and the endlessly effective pressure cooker of Bill Paxton’s Hudson, whose cowardly breakdown resembles an actor revelling in a near comedic melodramatic excess.

‘Aliens’ is on safest ground however when Cameron reels out the hardware and lets the juggernaut set-pieces run their course. The unremittingly intense climax manages to sustain a gripping level of suspense for an admirably sustained length of time (plus a brilliant additional 4th act shocker which I won’t spoil). He’s always been a craftsman who constructs imaginative and gripping action scenes, and a somewhat incompetent writer who creates almost indescribably fatuous characters. Fortunately, in ‘Aliens’, the focus is more on the former than the latter, and what there is of the latter is significantly more hit than miss. Exhausting, inventive, surprisingly developed and satisfyingly boisterous, ‘Aliens’ is never quite as involving or original as ‘Alien’ but the endlessly exciting bombast is a more than competent distraction.