The ultimate way to watch Aliens, but is it the best?

The Film

★★★★★ | A sci-fi classic for a reason, and one of the greatest action films ever made.

One of the iconic sequels to any film out there, Aliens remains a groundbreaking sci-fi actioner that thrills to this day. Yes, some parts of it have aged poorly (looking at you, Vasquez), and it is a huge tonal shift from the first film. But when you’re watching the film, it’s hard to complain.

Picking up decades after Ripley lost her crew to a vicious lifeforms they picked up on LV421, Aliens finds our hero drifting in deep space. The world has changed, and the once deserted planet is now a terraforming colony for frontier families. Only, all communication has suddenly ceased, and it’s up to a group of roughneck marines to find out what’s going on. Ripley, once again, has to come face to face with her darkest fears.

This is a film that looks like its creator. Everything James Cameron has a fondness for can be found here as well. Marines, women so tough they’re almost a parody, big guns, bigger mechs, and overwhelming odds against nature. It’s big and loud and often quite dumb, but it’s never not entertaining. To think this was a low budget film with only a few alien suits to its name. Yet you won’t find any cut corners here. Aliens looks far more expensive than it actually is.

For fans of the genre, you couldn’t ask for more. While Alien might be the classier and more sophisticated of the two, Aliens is a roller-coaster of a film. It is a spectacle that redefined the action genre in the same way that Ridley Scott’s unnerving masterpiece did for horror. From the moment it was released, everything would be compared to Cameron’s film, and to date, everyone is still trying to better it.

Technical Specs & Presentation

★★★★ | A classy, understated presentation

• Contents: 4K UHD disc/ 2 Blu-ray’s
• Subtitles: English SDH, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norwegian.
• Release Date: March 12th, 2024

Aliens comes in a three-disc Blu-ray case with new artwork to commemorate the Ultimate Collector’s Edition. The discs feature color coded matte labels, each stylized to look like material from the film itself. I like this kind of comprehensive look on my films, and it adds to the feel of why I prefer physical media in the first place. When I pick out the film from my shelf, every part of it makes it feel like I’m already getting onboard the experience.

Other than that, there’s little extra to write home about. A slipcase variant of the release was available, but it sold out extremely quickly. Because this is just a single film release, it’s also not a big box set like Alien Quadrilogy from almost 20 years ago. And while I personally would have loved an extra booklet or swag, none of that is available here. It’s not a deal-breaker, but calling something “Ultimate” anything would imply a bit of extra.

Or maybe I’m just being pedantic.

Video

★★★ | An often spectacular visual feast that only occasionally stumbles due to AI shenanigans.

• Video Resolution: 2160p/HEVC H.265/Dolby Vision HDR/HDR10
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Boy, this is a mixed bag. For now, and probably for the foreseeable future, this is the only way to watch Aliens in high-definition. It’s the version that James Cameron claims he wants out there, and yet I can’t help but feel it is not the best version we could have got.

Compared to Alien, released last year, the differences are noticeable. Where Alien focused on a thorough reproduction of the original print, only cleaning the material where it absolutely needed it, and utilizing high dynamic range to a brilliant extent, Aliens goes hog wild with AI enhancements and digital noise reduction. The results are, well, confusing.

Sometimes, the image looks incredible. The first sequence, where Ripley’s pod is rescued in deep space, is staggering. It’s the first time I could tell the water droplets covering her cryo chamber are actually glitter! Little details like her clothes, blankets, and fur on Ripley’s cat are all immaculate. It’s a great start.

But then you start to notice little oddities. Skin textures pop in and out depending on how far the person is from the camera. Background detail disappears and reappears. Sometimes, actors lose their features entirely! Often, they’ll look like wax figurines. Then, when you least expect it, they’ll look pristine once again.

That’s because Aliens uses AI restoration, and it showcases why that’s not always a good idea. AI doesn’t understand nuance, and details that a human would notice will always go amiss with an algorithm. So, for every beautifully restored bit, where clearly the processing is useful and should be praised, there are a handful of scenes that are so distracting, they’re outright bad.

If this was the case with only one of the cuts of the film, I wouldn’t mind so much. I could always watch the theatrical edition with an older restoration or one that didn’t rely on AI so much. But both versions of the film suffer from the same shortcomings. They’re a case of “some good, lots of bad”, and if you love the film and have seen it multiple times in the past, you’ll instantly notice where it doesn’t add up.

Having said that, when I tested the disc on a smaller 55’’ TV, with people who don’t obsess about these details, Aliens received nothing but praise. Most found it remarkable that it looks like it was shot yesterday. For them, the sharpness and added clarity was a bonus. Even as I pointed out where I found the transfer lacking, most couldn’t see the difference — or simply didn’t care.

It’s part of a larger conversation, one about fidelity and the very definition of 4K, that deserves to be had. For me, Aliens is a step-down visually from the definitive version of Alien. But this is also the version the director wants out there, so at what point is the artist simply wrong?

If you already have the Blu-ray copy of Aliens, and want to only hold on to the version you remember seeing in theaters, Aliens 4K won’t be for you. If you’re just looking for a crisp and clear version of a film you enjoy, you might enjoy this one, too. I just wish it was something as easy to recommend as its predecessor.

Audio

★★★★★ | Even if you don’t own a home theater setup or a soundbar, you’re bound to enjoy the stellar audio that Aliens has to offer.

• Audio formats: English 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

A good sound mix doesn’t just mean a film is loud; it means that it doesn’t matter what kind of setup you’ve got, the spectrum remains rich, and the dialogue intelligible. Here, Aliens delivers one of the best audio tracks that you can find. An exceptional, demo-worthy showcase that works whether you’re wanting to go big and bombastic, or while watching on lower volume late at night.

I tested the 4K disc on my home theater setup, featuring a Dolby Atmos speaker system and AV receiver.

Much of the Dolby Atmos track is front-heavy, with an emphasis on crystal clear dialogue and pristine reproductions of the delightful 80s sound effects. Where the Atmos and surround sound kicks in is the howling winds, scuttling of aliens, and wholly impressive roars of flamethrowers. The entire final act, featuring Ripley’s descent into the queen’s lair, is a barrage of one spectacle after another.

I appreciate a mix that doesn’t drown out the audio, and Aliens is nothing short of exquisite on this point. Even when the film gets loud, the audio track takes great effort to highlight the dialogue in a way that sounds natural and never excessively sharpened. When the marines are ambushed in their first encounter with the aliens, you have almost six or seven voices going off at once, and it never sounds muddled. There’s a constant awareness to where the dialogue is coming from, and even as the blasts from shotguns and explosions kick in, I didn’t find myself reaching for the remote to balance out the louder effects.

In comparison, when viewed on regular TV speakers, I found the experience equally fantastic. I tested the disc on a Sony XH9005 and a Samsung Q80D, both featuring only 2x10w speakers, and found the sound still punchy and crystal clear. Even if you don’t own a home theater setup or a soundbar, you’re bound to enjoy the stellar audio that Aliens has to offer.

Extras

★★★★ | A comprehensive package with very little new material.

There’s very little new material on the Ultimate Collector’s Edition, but what there is remains superlative.

The new HD features amount to less than an hour of runtime, and feature mostly repeat information that can found on the more comprehensive, and better, documentaries on the Blu-ray.

The biggest draw here is Superior Firepower, an almost three hour documentary covering every aspect of the making of the film. Comprehensive and exhaustive, it’s one of the best behind the scenes looks at filmmaking there is. This is from the time before studios began fearing that people would see just how difficult making films actually is, and the final result is spellbinding. All the fights, compromises, and difficulties are on display, and it makes the final film that much better as a result.

The audio commentaries are equally revelatory, with Cameron, the producers, set designers, visual effects artists, and actors all getting a say in how the film took shape. Everyone has their own memories of how things happened, and the contradictions are fascinating. Very few of the subjects are in the same room together, and there is, at times, a sensation of editorializing in how its cut together. But this is nonetheless a stellar commentary track worth listening. Especially if you’re a fan of Aliens.

All the extras are subtitled, which is an equally nice surprise.

Check out the full list of extras from here.1

Overall

★★★★ | An essential 4K release — even with its shortcomings.

Aliens remains a quintessential sci-fi spectacle, one that has not aged a day since its original release. The visual presentation on the 4K disc is a mixed bag, yet for most, it is probably enough to warrant an upgrade. The audio, on the other hand, is exemplary, and one of the best demo discs for Dolby Atmos sound systems.

For film students and fans in general, the extras are terrific, featuring a wealth of material that make the 3 disc set more than worth getting.

If this is the last version of Aliens we’re getting, I’m happy with it. I would have wished for something closer to Alien in terms of visual fidelity, but I respect Cameron’s decision to update the looks exactly as he wanted to. The fact that we’re getting both versions of the film is also a welcome addition, and makes this the most comprehensive version of the sci-fi classic available.