Aliens (1986) DVD Review – UK

After spending 57 years in hypersleep, Ripley returns to Earth to find no one believes her story of the alien that wiped out her crew. Unfortunately, a colony has since been established on LV-426 - and contact with it has now been lost.

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Runtime

2 Hours 28 Minutes

BBFC rating

Region

Region 2

Sound

Dolby Digital 5.1

Aspect

1.85:1

Release year

1986

Details

Recovered after drifting in space for 57 years, Ripley awakens to a corporate world that dismisses her warnings about the creature that slaughtered the Nostromo crew. The company line? There's nothing out there. Unfortunately for everyone concerned, there very much is - and it now has an entire colony to play with.

Reluctantly persuaded to accompany a squad of Colonial Marines back to LV-426, Ripley finds herself surrounded by swaggering soldiers armed with enough firepower to conquer a small planet. Pulse rifles, smart guns, motion trackers - the works. Of course, in true James Cameron fashion, all that confidence evaporates the moment the motion trackers start beeping in the dark.

Where Alien was claustrophobic horror, Aliens is full-throttle military sci-fi done properly. Cameron doesn't just increase the body count - he expands the universe. The marines are distinct, quotable and brilliantly cast. The pacing is relentless, the tension perfectly modulated, and the escalation from investigation to outright war is masterfully handled. By the time the Alien Queen stomps into view, Cameron has already earned the right to deliver one of the most satisfying final showdowns in cinema history.

And then there's Ripley. What could have been a stock action heroine becomes something far more layered. Her maternal bond with Newt gives the film genuine emotional weight, making the final confrontation not just explosive - but personal. This is blockbuster filmmaking with brains, brawn and heart. A rare triple threat.

Picture & Sound

The transfer isn't flawless. The early Earth scenes are a touch soft and occasionally grainy, with a merely average bit-rate. However, once we descend into the smoke-filled corridors of LV-426, the image finds its groove. The murky industrial interiors suit DVD well, with shadow detail holding firm and no obvious artefacting. It may not be razor-sharp throughout, but it captures the atmosphere exactly as intended - dark, oppressive and industrial.

The soundtrack fares better. Dialogue is crisp and anchored securely in the centre channel, but it's during the combat sequences that the mix comes alive. Gunfire rattles through the surrounds, alien shrieks echo menacingly and James Horner's pounding score drives everything forward with military precision. The restored sentry gun sequence is the standout moment - the rhythmic hammering of the guns, the dwindling ammo counter and the creeping dread make it one of the tensest scenes in sci-fi cinema. It may not shake the walls constantly, but when it chooses to flex, it does so with authority.

Menu & Extras

The animated menus are suitably atmospheric and well designed. The interview with James Cameron is essential viewing - a reminder that this was a director operating at the absolute top of his game. The behind-the-scenes material is especially satisfying, showcasing miniatures, full-scale sets and animatronics that still embarrass much of today's over-polished CGI output.

The restored footage - over seventeen minutes - is invaluable. The scene revealing Ripley's daughter having grown old and died adds powerful emotional context, reinforcing her connection to Newt. The extended colony material provides clarity, and the full sentry gun sequence is worth the price of disc alone. These are not throwaway additions; they feel like pieces that always belonged.

Overall

Aliens is one of those rare sequels that doesn't merely match the original - it evolves it. Cameron took Ridley Scott's haunted house in space and turned it into a full-scale war movie without sacrificing tension or intelligence. That's not luck. That's craft.

For a mid-80s production, the practical effects remain astonishing. No digital crutches, no weightless CGI. Just sweat, smoke, miniatures and mechanical genius. It makes later entries - particularly the CGI-laden Alien Resurrection - look oddly synthetic by comparison.

Nearly twenty years on, it still hasn't been bettered in the sci-fi action genre. It's quotable, rewatchable and relentlessly entertaining. Cameron at full throttle, Sigourney Weaver at her absolute best and an Alien Queen who still commands the screen. Quite simply, this is how you make a sequel.