Aliens 30th Anniversary Blu-ray

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Still waiting on specs/extras/details but this is coming in Sept.

If nothing else, the packaging is nice.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

And then some details emerge!

James Cameron's Aliens will receive a 30th anniversary edition Blu-ray release on September 13 via Fox. It will be available for pre-order from Fox's booth at San Diego Comic-Con later this month, and the first 250 pre-orders will receive an exclusive lithograph.
The set will feature a new interview with Cameron on the design and inspiration of the film, along with both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film. Other special features include a commentary track and deleted and extended scenes. Art cards featuring Cameron's concept sketches and a book of Aliens comic art round out the set.

To celebrate the release, San Diego Comic-Con will host an Aliens reunion on July 23 with writer/director James Cameron, producer Gale Ann Hurd, and stars Sigourney Weaver, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, and Carrie Henn.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

Kay, so new transfer would be interesting...I'd like to see how they would handle that. I know that there was a lot of complaining about the grain on the first blu. I don't pretend to remember exactly what the film looked like when I saw it in 70mm, but I do remember that it was dirty looking and dark.

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

I think Cameron addressed the grain by saying that he was using a new kind of film stock that didn't really take off and produced a more grainy look.

Not too interested in this set. The last Blu was fine.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

Much of ALIENS was shot in low-light on very high-speed colour negative stock (I think to minimise the need to use excessive studio lights which would give the film a very different 'feel'), resulting in a very coarse structure to the image. In interviews, Cameron seems displeased with this aesthetic, and IIRC the Blu-ray transfer used a then-new noise reduction algorithm to reduce the coarseness inherent in the film stock on which the picture was shot whilst also retaining fine detail within the image.

I'd love to see an HD transfer that presented the film without the noise reduction of the previous Blu-ray release. I'd happily buy another release if it contained a new, less 'revisionist' presentation that had the rough and coarse structure of the film-as-shot.

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

I didn't notice the DNR too much. But I think I might have an older Blu copy of Aliens.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

I didn't notice the DNR too much. But I think I might have an older Blu copy of Aliens.

The noise reduction is very well applied, Alex. IIRC it 'mutes' the coarse grain without eliminating a significantly noticeable amount of fine detail - so it's not too 'destructive'. As I recall, prior to the release of the Blu-ray Cameron said in interviews that he had 'de-grained' the film, which caused many people to expect the release to be worse than it was. Certainly, it's not 'terrible', and most people seem happy with it :)

Incidentally, reading some links to try to refresh my memory of this controversy, I found this interesting interview with Van Ling in which he diplomatically discusses the ALIENS restoration: http://www.hdvision-mag.com/2011/05/...interview.html

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

I also don't have a 50 inch screen. ;)

No desire to get one, I could give a shit about 4K or any of that.

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

No desire to get one, I could give a shit about 4K or any of that.

There's something very wrong with your consumerist instincts. You should be buying this to replace your overly denoised blue ray which you bought to replace your low res DVD which was to replace your ld which was split over two discs which was to replace your vhs which was just laughable... and you should do it in full knowledge that this was scanned at 4k and there will be a 4k release along shortly. That's what the real men are doing anyway.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

I like having a big screen, but the need to double and triple dip isn't there except on very few titles.

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

There's something very wrong with your consumerist instincts. You should be buying this to replace your overly denoised blue ray which you bought to replace your low res DVD which was to replace your ld which was split over two discs which was to replace your vhs which was just laughable... and you should do it in full knowledge that this was scanned at 4k and there will be a 4k release along shortly. That's what the real men are doing anyway.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

There's something very wrong with your consumerist instincts. You should be buying this to replace your overly denoised blue ray which you bought to replace your low res DVD which was to replace your ld which was split over two discs which was to replace your vhs which was just laughable... and you should do it in full knowledge that this was scanned at 4k and there will be a 4k release along shortly. That's what the real men are doing anyway.

[Darcy Parker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy Parker]

I'd be more excited about anything related to Aliens if I hadn't realized on my last viewing that it is a shitty movie.

[sukebanboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sukebanboy]

I'd be more excited about anything related to Aliens if I hadn't realized on my last viewing that it is a shitty movie.

Harsh

Ita a bit dated now...but when it came out it was good. Especially in the theater. It was a new kind of Alien film with loads of action....we are too bombarded with bug budget action movies these days..so not as interesting....

[Darcy Parker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy Parker]

Harsh

Ita a bit dated now...but when it came out it was good. Especially in the theater. It was a new kind of Alien film with loads of action....we are too bombarded with bug budget action movies these days..so not as interesting....

It is a lobotomized war movie with one side being a crappy reworking of Giger's awesome creature design, and the director's cut only makes it more excruciating. Cameron is not a very good director or writer, and this movie was not a good follow-up to the original Alien.