ALIENS (1986) - 4K UHD BLU-RAY Review

My thoughts on the remaster of ALIENS in 4K.
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#aliens #aliens4k #jamescameron #sigourneyweaver #oliverharper #retrospectivereview

[@duckhive]

"ALIENS is back! And this time.... IT'S FOR TEAL!"

[@kubrickenigma7977]

[soft clap]

[@johnmellor932]

Quality.😂

[@nx1379]

UHD quality zing😂

[@SquidkidMega]

Grain over man….grain over

[@kubrickenigma7977]

@@SquidkidMega [louder clap]

[@movieatorfilms]

The irony is they remove the grain just to eventually add the grain. The Alien 4K visually surpasses this in every way.

[@NebLleb]

IKR? Alien's superior shadows and lights mops the floor with Aliens' AI style.

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

Its a real shame Cameron dropped the ball hard when it came to giving Aliens a proper 4K transfer. Instead of doing an actual restoration of an actual film print, he instead upscaled the old Blu Ray master, DNR'd it and AI sharpened it to hell, slapped some weak HDR on it and called it a day. If Alien can get a proper remaster, its no excuse for Aliens to not recieve the same treatment.

[@Kacpa2]

Yeah its beyond lazy. Its almost bordering on stupid treatment of OG Star Wars films.

[@johnmellor932]

To be honest as a film maker, if I had to keep revisiting a film I made 40 years ago I'd be sick to death of it by now too. Aliens had it's run and he probably just wants to move on, same with the Abyss. Aliens is known to be Cameron's least favourite film technically , he hated the film stock or something and how it printed.

[@realshompa]

Let's hope for a private scan of a negative like the Star Wars 4K77.

[@gasti_musri]

Aliens blu ray> 4k aliens

[@revolverswitch]

he just hates film prints with a burning passion for some reason.

[@Neverfate]

I'll stick with my 2010 blu ray or quadrilogy DVD

[@ps5andstuffhere]

The bluray definitely better. I have 2014 US Bluray.

[@TroysMilitaryHistory]

Me too, the quadriligy box set is great, still stands up today

[@ps5andstuffhere]

I have the 4K also but it's too damn smooth looking. DNR

[@talaris-uk]

I have the quadrilogy and anthology boxsets, but I don't think I'll make the jump to 4K releases anytime soon.

[@chrisv9419]

I was fortunate to see it on 70MM on my 21st birthday back in 2019, I can definitely say the 4K version does not look like it’s theatrical counterpart.

[@jonfreeman9682]

I saw the original in cinema back in the 80s when everything was shot on film and it was great. Some of these high res versions lose that celluloid feel of film even though they are shot on film.

[@ericstaples7220]

That's because they denoised it with A.I. It at the very least has more detail than the old bluray that has film grain. So that is good.

[@citizen3000]

@@ericstaples7220 the previous one with film grain is better

[@EP3mentalist]

​@@ericstaples7220I got the Blu-ray set a couple of years ago, I thought the picture on Aliens was really good

[@CianODonnell]

Me too in IFI theatre in Dublin years back with an introduction by Michael Biehn

[@MichaelLaing71]

Thank you for the review. Whilst I understand James Cameron wanting to tinker with his films, I do think that a lot of the time, directors, editors, colour editors, do get caught up in the hype of a product, and think they have to turn up everything to eleven. We see this so often with films, particularly with HDR, with films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Akira just over doing everything. I work as a photographer and one of the biggest things I have learnt over 20+ years, is that you don't have to use every tool you have, particularly in post processing. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn as you always want to show how good you are, but often it backfires.

[@jonfreeman9682]

George Lucas did the same thing. He went back and improved a few things as digital technology weren't available at the time and some fans didn't like it but it's an improvement but feels off for fans who remember the original. Directors who are passionate about their projects is what makes it so great so it's understandable they want to go back use modern tech to spice up their classics. IMO the first 3 aliens are masterpiece in space horror and the little enhancements are just nice touches to what is already brilliant works of art.

[@bonjovi7399]

@@jonfreeman9682 THX 1138 improvements are pretty good becasue they blend in more. Apart from the shot of a CGI animal that appears midway through the film. Same with Empire Strikes back. Little touches to expand sets. It's when they start to add things that just don't fit like plastic looking CGI aliens

[@THEremiXFACTOR]

I think also they're desperate to pander to younger modern audiences, by making it look like it was shot digitally last week. They needlessly seem to want to update the film so it fits in with new releases.

[@SamsChannelOfficial]

Glad you covered the previous releases in such technical detail and relieved to see a more sceptical response to this one. Compare a CU of Jonesy from the BluRay with the same shot in the 4k. So much detail in his fur that was baked into the grain on the 35mm print has been zapped. Using AI upscaling literally means the PC is making guess work of details. Not my cup of tea.

[@ailigimmo9668]

Glad You included A3 as well....perfect trilogy in my opinion :)

[@bened22]

I fully agree! I would have been very happy with an actual restauration of the original negative, with image problems and all. Is the original image soft and grainy? Great, I'll take it! I want to have the experience of somebody in the cinema in 1986 just with the advantage of modern digital distribution so I can see all details of the master and stay at home. That's 4K for me.

[@George_M_]

Damnit James, everything doesn't have to be teal.

[@Nicholas_Chen_]

He can’t help it it’s a habit by now.

[@ghostviggen]

Abyss was very teal on film.

[@Slashingthrough]

Just a shame this is what we gotten. 4K releases should be really better made in the end. Shame. Really sad to hear Oliver so negative about it. I had the same feelings with it. This is also the reason why I hardly upgrade from Bluray to 4K Bluray.

[@Oneaphelion]

Anthology bud, best its gonna get.

[@jonfreeman9682]

That's cause the original never had that resolution so it uses digital enhancements but it loses that celluloid feel. But the picture looks pretty good but maybe we remember it nostalgically?

[@Slashingthrough]

@@jonfreeman9682 You do know that full 35mm frame would have 5400 x 3600 pixels, right?

[@bonjovi7399]

@@Slashingthrough People think "analogue old analogue bad" for some reason

[@PetersPianoShoppe]

That’s a shame because there are many stunning 4K UHDs that are the closest you’ll get to a 35mm print in your home.

[@OSW]

Omg, i just watched your True Lies vid and asked for a comparison/buying guide, and that's exactly what this is! Thank you! Super helpful

[@travisbickle2004]

What annoys me about directors that alter their films for the worse is that WE are the ones who watch their movies the most, the likes of Cameron will not see his own film until the next anniversary. He could’ve had an extra directors approved version on the disc alongside the original version of the film that was cleaned, unaltered and remastered for 4k. So everyone is happy. 🤷‍♂️

[@RussellB]

I wish they'd take all the noise reduction money and put it into punching up the dropship crash rear projection scene. It's so effective, just a little contrast change on the background would make it blend in so much better.

[@2010vintagesandwichenjoyer]

BR of aliens still looks great in my opinion so i will hold on to it

[@edrooney1967]

Very good review reflecting my thoughts almost completely. 👍If we had a choice between Cameron's new preferred version and a version that's true to the original I wouldn't complain but this is (technical) revisionism - the opposite of film preservation.

[@markholohan4446]

Great to see that you and I agree about how Aliens looking rough and ready. Its supposed to grainy.

[@jasonotoole1822]

I've just bought the 4K Blu-ray as I'm a huge fan of the movie and definitely love my physical media. It still looks good to me in 4K and I really appreciate the way you have compared the different versions of the movie in your review.

[@garyharper2943]

Decided to stay with the Blu-ray on this one…too bad.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

Wow, I'd love to see how it was originally presented. Hopefully one day when they have exhausted making films looking pristine they should release the original raw releases.

[@ifnotyouthenwho]

Love your channel. And your content. This is the greatest film of all time.

[@ifnotyouthenwho]

I watched it in two vhs sittings when I was 13/14. I couldn't watch passed the arrival at Harley's... It absolutely ruined my sleep for weeks.

[@idiot_city5444]

Doesn't even come close to the original haha, get real

[@jakebiomask]

Bollocks ​@@idiot_city5444

[@jonfreeman9682]

Totally agree. IMO the first 3 aliens are masterpiece including David Fincher epic conclusion that deserve more love.

[@rocknrollkid90]

Disney should recall the 4K-UHD, Blu-ray releases of both, “Aliens” and “True Lies,” so they could fix their original, film quality with grainy, HDR.

[@LukeLovesRose]

Another reviewer says that the movie has grain. It's just super fine

[@catfishhornet]

They are not recalling sh*t because it's a subjective transfer, not a technical error. You might dislike it, some people love it. Disney just can't cater to everybody. The only person they can cater to is James Cameron...obviously, this is how he wants his film to be seen, and fans and reviewers that hate the transfer will just continue crying forever since this is the last physical release we will see of this movie.

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

@@catfishhornetI mean is it wrong that we have criticisms about the look? This is Aliens after all

[@BornslippyZ]

Disney is in the middle of transferring the disc duties to Sony. Which imo is a good thing.

[@realshompa]

just wait for the 8K transfers.....

[@markevayne]

Were you aware that you have released this on Alien day lv426! 26th April, bravo 👏

[@dnasty312]

My best friend and I are going to _Alien_ tonight!

[@markevayne]

Have a wonderful time, jealous 😅​@@dnasty312

[@Right_Said_Brett]

That would be 264 in the UK.

[@jimofthenorth8090]

You perfectly highlight my annoyance with all these 4k re-releases and that's the outcome of making it all look digital. To me that just makes it look like CGI. The shot of the lander flying over the colony looked terrible. Its just too clean.

[@jamiejoe4802]

The best 4k remasters are Robocop (it still has film grain and looks phenominal) The Running man (has film grain yet it looks like it was shot yesterday, the deep reds give off an A24 vibe and adds a new layer to the atmosphere) Dawn of Justice

[@personatodo]

Thank you for clarifying the reduced detail on the faces. Many blu-ray reviewers on KZbin seem to dodge this issue or outright deny it when you tell them. I felt they're all paid by Disney to give a glowing review.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

Reduced? The detail is significantly improved on the 4K

[@personatodo]

@@ApolloT-vp5dn yes there are artificially enhanced details but some of the faces in the medium shots is softer than the original blu-ray. This video has already proven that. Don't deny it.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

@@personatodo This video didn't prove anything. There's just as many videos showing the detail to be enhanced. Having watched the Aliens 4K disc this week, it looks fantastic and it's the best the film has ever looked.

[@ZZ21zx]

@@personatodonot all improvement is artificial. The blu-ray version by itself downscaled the scan, and a lot of details were missing in blu-ray.

[@personatodo]

@@ZZ21zx In the case of Aliens it is. The use the A.I upscale technology by Peter Jackson's team and it resulted in soft faces in some shots and in the worst case like True Lies the depth of field gone haywire because it can't determine between motion blurring and out of focus background and characters. The only movie that works well is actually The Abyss which is the best of the 3 transfers. You want real filmic quality and detail on the blacks, look no further than the first Alien in 4K. I watched it recently in the cinema and it's gorgeous, retaining the filmic quality and super fine grain.

[@ApustajaGearSolid]

I might be in the minority, but I much prefer the theatrical cut of Aliens. Seeing the colony before the Marines arrived just ruins the atmosphere of the film.

[@JimFarrand]

I think you are absolutely right. The marines have to go into these situations with only a vague report of what is happening. They don't really know what is going on until they have boots on the ground. The theatrical cut puts us, the audience, in that exact same situation. It makes you feel like you are one of the squad, rather than an external observer. The extra scenes don't add that much and they subtract from the film that sense of "what are we walking into?" I'm interested in those extra scenes and I'm glad I saw them, but they should be bonus disc material, not part of the film.

[@ofgs2]

Also - wow - in those completely untouched clips the purple lighting looks amazing! And James Cameron *doesn’t* want that look??

[@AleksandarBloom]

Purple looks abysmal. It looks like a tv movie.

[@STTPMASFTNE]

I agree. The original 35mm print looks fantastic in terms of color. Love the purples and dark blues. No idea how Cameron thinks teal looks better than that.

[@jackmalloy2869]

The purple-blue colours from 35mm looks amazing💙💜 8:51

[@norwegianblue2017]

I actually liked the 4K release overall. Yes, there were a few scenes that had noticeably waxy faces. But there were more scenes where the textures were much more defined. My only real gripe with the transfer is the brightness level. It's frustrating because I think the Blu-Ray was too dark and muddy. But now it is on the other end of the spectrum. That said, I think I like this version the best. There simply is no perfect version. The most accurate was probably the DVD, but then you are limited to DVD resolution and DVD sound.

[@catochagen]

I’ve seen Aliens many times. VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and Streaming. Honestly, though, I thought the 4K disc was pretty good and my new favorite transfer. The details and sharpness in certain scenes are unmatched. Is it as good as Alien on 4K? No, but then again, that transfer is a work of art and one of the best restorations ever made. Still, I think most people will be happy with Aliens on 4K.👍🏻

[@Kazimation]

Really clear and concise presentation, I've subscribed! Watched Aliens in 35mm cinema print which was nostalgic and amazing, I don't see anything beating that experience. In terms of a home entertainment version, I only have the DVD from the Quadrilogy, so I'll defo be upgrading to the 4K regardless of any bad opinions or reviews. Thanks for the heads up.

[@OldTime--Gamer]

I saw lots of people having the movie on streaming services complain about wax faces and smudges while the DVD 4k has still that super nice grainy effect. The only complaint i have is the BASS its like stripped almost i had to increase the bASS level of my subwoofer to the max ! BUt the audio is SUPERB !

[@mickbanner]

I always thought Aliens was a really dirty transfer (where Alien felt cleaner) Not sure if it was just my VHS. Anything updated 2010 onwards is welcomed

[@Pewpewpew182]

Very happy with this purchase. I felt like this was the best of the 4K release from Cameron.

[@wdunn06]

Agreed

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

Its the "best" until you start looking on closer inspection. Once you start noticing the problems its hard to say you paid your money's worth with this transfer.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

​@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9rWhy do I need a closer inspection? You're over analysing

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

@@ApolloT-vp5dn Because if you look closer you'll notice the bad noise reduction and waxy faces. Not worth the 55 dollars bud

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r None of which is evident whatsoever. You're talking nonsense.

[@loftlegacy]

Thank you for your honest, as always, review. I did buy True Lies on 4K and had a laugh of some of waxiness. Owning Aliens on Blu-Ray I think I'll stick with it.

[@ImmortalRimas]

I can imagine there might be more physical releases in the future. They’ll probably be one Alien 4K box set collection & maybe one more in 4K on a physical format the size of a GameCube disc before that dystopian all digital future where we own nothing and we have to like it that way and bow down to our megacorporate overlords!🤣

[@jimmijames8929]

It'd be good if you noted what type of screen you watched this on. I loved watching this on my 4K Oled, especially the optical effects that look so much better on the 4K. They always pulled me out on the bluray. I still own the Bluray but I'm going with JC on this one. Appreciate the review though.

[@ofgs2]

I recently re-watched my Blu Ray copy of Aliens just a few months ago and remember thinking to myself “wow, this looks really good!” It’s so strange to think even in the commentary track Cameron made (in 2003?) he comments on how heavy the grain was, while I think in the Blu Ray the grain looks perfect. So I guess James Cameron has always hated film grain and will stop at nothing to remove it all. Which is a shame, because a clean digital image just feels to sterile and soulless to me. Also I have to wonder if all this “AI” talk is just buzz words? How are these AI tools any different to sharpening and noise/grain reduction techniques in the past?

[@GeorgeSpiggot]

I'm still on the fence,, some of the images of the 4K do look atrocious but I suppose the only way I can really judge it is if I experience it myself. I will wait for a price drop. Thank you for your honesty.

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

Looks great in motion to me. How often do you watch a movie in still images?

[@GeorgeSpiggot]

@@ApolloT-vp5dn A fair point but any waxyness of skin and mainly the general lightning of the film image puts me off. I will purchase it at some point and hope that my fears are put to rest. 👊

[@CoinOpTV]

such a classic - looking forward to revisiting this on 4K

[@bennygerow]

Always appreciate your thoughts on films.

[@concordhifi]

As an audio and movie enthusiast, I was really wondering about this release. As I found the 30th Anniversary edition was a great transfer. Great review, well done.

[@olliech33bo15]

Just watched it, looks amazing. Faces look a bit waxy from time to time however the detail and clarity is amazing. Oled c2 65 ps5.

[@longann7560]

3 GODDAM CLASSICS !! FINALLY ! Althoug I totally agree that Abyss is the holy grail here !

[@BornslippyZ]

I kinda agree with you, but imo, on my setup, this was a leap. Especially in sound! Parts of Aliens I agree with faces having a sheen. But the HDR and contrast between light and dark scenes win me over. I do like the Blu-ray, and I agree with the grain presence but the contrast imo don’t look as good. And cool you actually answer why I like the 4K, the OG 35mm film JC used wasn’t good, he admitted that. And I saw in 35mm in 1986! JC isn’t doing the Lucus Redux on Starwars, so to me the did right on this disc and I am happy! Happy Alien day folks!

[@BigJwlz]

04:09 Thanks for posting images from the 35mm film print. The color saturation is stronger on film in my opinion.

[@palmspar]

I have the dvd, blu ray and the 4k of Aliens, i think the normal blu ray has the best look overall and sounds better then the atmos track on the 4k disk. I like also the 4k version its a clean sharp picture, but i think it could be done better with more effort. Maybe the grainy look of the blu ray with 4000 nits hdr is the best version of all, if that exist.

[@skeletorrobo]

Watched it in the cinema in '86. I recently got the cinematic release dvd. Still chuffed. Great review.

[@jonfreeman9682]

Same. To me it's the greatest space sci-fi horror of all time even to this day. I was amazed when I saw it back then in cinema and still now there's nothing that comes close. IMO the first 3 aliens are masterpiece of cinema including David Fincher epic conclusion which deserves more love.

[@oranmccann2476]

Even to this day I still own the Alien Quadrillogy box set. I honestly prefer it over any 4K

[@tomole79]

Same. As far as the documentaries like Superior Firepower go I prefer the Quadrilogy DVDs to the Bluray transfer. They were resized from the 4:3 DVD aspect ratio to 16:9 which makes some of the shots look like zoomed in

[@oranmccann2476]

@tomole79 While I admit Blu-Ray does have its benefits, I always prefer DVDs because of the authentic quality. I also liked that on the DVD, the documentary is split up into individual chapters, so it is easier to watch

[@edbaiza7757]

Amen Oran!!!!!!!!!

[@oranmccann2476]

@@edbaiza7757 Thanks

[@ps5andstuffhere]

Watching 2014 US Bluray. Looks better than the no grain 4K mess. More natural look. The 4K looks like a CGI film overall

[@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984]

A very concise and well said review. I'll stick by what I said about the Blu-Ray release over this 4K Hybrid version. True Lies had issues from the past, but I was less than impressed by the overall look of the film. Aliens has been revised to such an extent with the application of new A.I. tools that you can't ignore the elephant in the room. Unfortunately many people are ignorant and prefer riding the wave that this upscaled 4K Hybrid is an improvement when Aliens certainly isn't an improvement. This is a regression backward with film restoration. Hollywood is pushing hard with this technology, and Cameron plays along to promote this abhorrent technology. Now the flood gates will be opening to past films having the same techniques applied. Shocking! But don't tell that to the dumb asses who buy into this.

[@WillisWheeler]

I just got the 4K it looks amazing , I was running it on a ps5 , the only thing I will dig it for is when the rear projection shot are used in the movie

[@brianrosenthal82]

Normally I'm in total agreement with you, true lies looks extremely waxy in 4K, definitely couldn't argue that. But aliens absolutely floored me in 4K HDR. I was even remarking to my brother that this might be the single sharpest looking 4K disc I've ever seen and that's something considering the grainy structure of the original negative and the age of the film. So much so that I would say this is the first time in all my years of buying 4K media that I actually felt like I was watching something that justified the format. But to each their own, great review as always!

[@brewt1mer]

I agree it looks fantastic.

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

The 4K is just the Blu Ray upscaled and sharpened. Not worth a buy at all. Oliver is right about this

[@brianrosenthal82]

@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r there's no proof of that at all, It's simply speculation. As a matter of fact if you do some digging the old Blu-ray set was struck from a 4K scan/ master of the negative downscaled to 1080.

[@dominicarroyo6269]

​@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9rnot everyone feels that way bro and $24 ain't a bad price so

[@kyoto5]

Wow, thanks Oliver for your 4K review. I'm sticking with my blu ray version. You just saved me some money!!!

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

He's wrong though

[@wayne1da121]

I've watched two reviews now. Opinions polar opposite. This one states it's not much of an upgrade. The other stating must buy reference quality

[@rickbrookes9491]

It’s really cool and the only time I’ve seen a comparison to the original 35mm! I really like when movies are restored to what they looked like in original 35mm, but completely changing the look does bother me… instead of restoration, it’s changing how the film looks.

[@citizen3000]

That new box art is awful. What an eyesore.

[@Oneaphelion]

not even hot garbage, its just trash

[@Channel-io1di]

How are you showing the 35mm print scan? Where is that from and how does one watch it like that?

[@Pieman29666]

Idk, looked amazing to me tbh...

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

​@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r Step outside your echo chamber

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

Yup... the film looked fantastic in 4K

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

Its a waxy and oversharpened mess of a transfer. Not worth the price at all

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r Only if you haven't watched it. Which you clearly didn't.

[@TheIndigoEclipse]

I'm sad we've yet to get another Alien film that even comes close to the first two. Aliens is still my all time favorite film and I keep hoping someone, somewhere, can do the franchise the same justice it deserves. Heck, even a Series would be awesome. Like The Expanse was an awesome space series, so something with that much room to breathe for the Alien franchise would be welcome. There's a ton of novels and comics to use as a resource. Maybe one day...

[@SamM_Scot]

The Abyss seems like the best transfer outta the three new 4K releases :-)

[@realshompa]

The sad thing for us who use digital stores. The 2K version has been "upgraded" to the 4K version.

[@dvdmike007]

The AC-3 disc is the best looking by miles, mind you seeing the 70mm print it looked nothing like the 4k or BD

[@snappycattimesten]

Game over man. Game over!

[@DoncoEntAgain]

I was fine with this 4k, but granted I've only ever owned Aliens on DVD. I certainly think that the film looks massively better than it did on DVD or Laserdisc. I personally think there's kind of a hipster aspect to Laserdisc collecting; the image is inferior and the discs themselves unstable.

[@kubrickenigma7977]

There is hardly anything hipster about us LD collectors. It's an absurd hobby, and yet we can't help ourselves. It's fun, not generally expensive and the format impresses in the sound department. For example, the Star Wars Special Edition on LD is flooring, as are so many of the DTS discs. Laser rot blows, but it can happen to other optical media.

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

Laserdisc uses direct film prints rather than digitally enhanced drivel. Saying people who collect Laserdisc are hipsters is very disrespectful and ignorant tbh.

[@kubrickenigma7977]

@user-jy2qu7pu9r It is a fascinating format, that's for certain.

[@DoncoEntAgain]

@@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r If you would rather watch a movie in standard definition with laser rot over a 4k restoration from Criterion, Arrow, or Kino Lorber, then I don't know what to tell you.

[@MosesWine]

This is like a DFIC review in 10 minutes 😂. I am super curious about the 4.1 and 2.0 audio mixes. Do we know if those are included with the 1080p presentation in the new set? Is the 1080p the new or previous transfer.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Never get enough of this one 😂❤👽🥶

[@BiggestMikey]

I feel like I'm on a lonely island. I'm the only person I know who loves ALIENS' 4K release 😅

[@ApolloT-vp5dn]

You're not alone

[@DarkoFitCoach]

Alien 1979 in cinema this weekend. Oh yeah!

[@Busenlilly]

That intro is THE SHIT! Very nice touch.

[@freelancer2011]

What kills me is that the colony in 'Aliens: Dark Descent' also went for teal, too! 😂

[@SwatDBOverlord]

A: Breakdown, the film was released Video on: 1987 CBS/Fox [with an Alternate Dropship Insert shot later reappeared on the 1989 CBS TV Version] December 18, 1991: Fox Video LD (Special Edition) [Alt Dropship Insert Shot/Including M41A/M240 goof correction, introduced for the 1989 CBS TV Version] (This version is the only has the exclusive pan-up shot to the Derelict) 1995 Fox Video LD: [With Original Dropship shot retained] (Official First Time ever debut of 1986 Theatrical Version [supervised by Lightstorm Entertainment]) 1999 THX/2003/04 DVD: 1991 Special Edition [with differences from the 1991 LD on Hadley's Hope (Additional wind gush)/Jorden Family Trip (Glowing lava color) and simply using the theatrical version as the main video source (which eliminates the additional cast, present on the 1991 LD)] 2010 BD/2023 Master (2024 4K UHD BD) although the 1991 LD elements were retained on Hadley's Hope (No additional wind gush)/Jorden Family Trip (Red Glowing lava color) and the M41A/M240 goof correction along with frame extension of tail-end shot on SE scenes], (including the SE cast retained [although with some title recreation to update the LD titles and match the OG Credit titles]), but this time Lightstorm took it upon themselves to introduced additional goof corrections: Med-Lab chair markings on windows, Alien Queen's garbage matte clean-up (need to take a closer a look on) [Visible on the older video versions, BTW] and hole in studio close to Bishop. B: Furthermore, not all of the extras for were carried over. For example, if you have the 2003 Image Entertainment DVD of the "The Alien Saga": Alien: Sigourney Weaver Screen-Test (Longer than the Alien Anthology BD, but reframed/cropped, to hide nudity [according to Lauzirika] (one wonders why cropped to hide/censor when MPAA/PA do not rate extras [you tell me]) (in a perfect world, I hope get to see this feature Uncut and Uncropped) Aliens: "Grunts in Space" Featurette Profile Pieces for James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver And Finally, C: "The Inspiration and Design of Aliens" was a Digital Exclusive Featurette (ditched my iTunes copy after hearing, Disney/TCS announced the extra to this new set). Ergo, this featurette is indeed "New to Disc" due to that the featurette is the most recent bonus feature being introduced to physical media. Have I read the paperwork correctly? Thank you and have a good one. David 🙂

[@mrmrgaming]

I really like the 4k, but, as soon as there is the slower/less action shots of faces, you do see the "Fine line wrinkles are there.....gone again, oh and back again" I think the perfect release would be the 4k, but just ease off 30/40% on the DNR.

[@retroworld8090]

This is probably Cameron's best film. It's a tragedy it was treated this way.

[@TheSuperCenaFan]

I was just just watching your Alien Resurrection review and noticed this on my recommended page. Funny coincidence.

[@MrHhoommeerr]

Laser disc, lol. But I agree with you 4K version looks too clean. I have seen Alien in 35mm a few times at the New Beverly Cinema.

[@pacershark452]

5:12 THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I have been saying for YEARS that NO STUDIO shoots their movies in 4K@60fps. It's TOO expensive and uses TOO much storage space. In addition, even in 2024 it take's ENORMOUS computer power and TIME to render CGI at that resolution. The point is that 4K UHD is FALSE ADVERTISMENT.

[@jonfreeman9682]

It's upscaled with enhancements. Not sure if you notice any difference though as I kinda prefer the old celluloid look.

[@pacershark452]

@@jonfreeman9682 Agreed. I do too. What Annoys me is that the studios are killing Physical media before we got a PURE 4K@30/60fps release of a good action film. my DEEPER suspicion is that they will do VERY limited releases in the future of that very thing, and charge an arm and a leg for for it. Not only that, but streaming PURE 4K films will cost us a EVEN MORE that regular films in data plans. What a mess.....

[@jakedizzle]

@@pacershark452They’ll just go through smaller companies like shout factory.

[@thermonuclearcollider4418]

Cinematographer here. Movies these days are not shot at 48\50\60fps (save for slow-motion shots), but they are shot in 4K and even higher resolutions (5K, 6K, 7K, 8K). For about 15 years the standard for mastering has been 2K, but in the past 5\6 years more and more productions have been switching to 4K delivery. So, no, it's not false advertisement per se. The problem is that it's not that easy to see the benefit from that increase in resolution, wether you're watching the movie in a theater or at home, as the human eye cannot see a very high amount of detail from afar.

[@pacershark452]

@@thermonuclearcollider4418 Ok, This is partially MY fault because I should have been clearer. Indie movies, romantic comedies and short films could be shot in 4K and higher because the overhead to process movies like that would be within striking distance. But i DO NOT believe a big studio is going to spend the money it would take to shoot a MASSIVE blockbuster in true native 4K with all the CGI trimmings in matching resolution. Much less 5,6,7 & 8K. 8K?! Are you INSANE?!?! Not even APPLE would pay for something like that, much LESS have the hardware to process it and they're a trillion dollar company. And look; I'm not saying I KNOW, im just saying I don't BELIEVE it based on the cost/benefit analysis I'VE seen. But if you're in the industry and you're seeing it for yourself, then that's what it is.

[@garrettbays6942]

I am mainly commenting because I constantly love it when you slip in a personal opinion or annoyed sound in your reviews; specifically your groan during your updated Dune (1984) review when you mentioned the year the film takes place, and in this video, when you at first say that we should respect Cameron's decisions on his modifications of his films, and then adding how annoying it is. I love it! As to the film itself, I hate it. However, I love James Horner's music, especially when he gives it a Penderecki sound when they are searching for survivors. Brilliant soundtrack, and often more interesting than Goldsmith's music for the first film.

[@SoggyDonuts79]

This whole tampering with the color started with the Wachowski brothers and making The Matrix look green like parts two and three instead of the original blue

[@daveruda]

The 35mm color and contrast looks better than anything on these digital formats. The bluray is really nice thou...just wish it could be adjusted a bit towards the 35mm look..

[@hairywelder5188]

Bought this just for the blu ray and out of curiosity tried the 4k disc in my xbox one and it bloody played , never knew till now 😂 I've had this on VHS , a bootleg VHS of the special edition from the laser disc, it was one of my first dvds and blu rays then got the quadrilogy on blu ray and now this .

[@ryanmaddugal]

0:55 "Aliens was a big hit back in *1996* " Wait you meant to say, 1986 right?

[@cruzgallegos5071]

The biggest disappointment for me was the total lack of LFE channel for this movie. It would be as bad as watching Bladerunner 2049 and disconnecting your subwoofers before watching the movie.

[@mattkendzior]

Happy Alien Day! Love the review. Thanks!

[@jagdeepsingh3887]

Im not a fan of grain. Watching aliens on blu ray on my projector was a grainy mess after getting used to watching 4k films. People say it looks like it was shot yesterday. Whats wrong with that ? I dont mind it. This copy has extended and theatrical. Needs to add a grain and no grain version aswell to please everyone i guess.

[@DancingSk3L3tons]

Imo the 4k looks great 🤷 I'm not a movie aficionado though lol just a simple stoner who watched it and had no complaints :)))

[@benr2270]

Thank you for your honest review! you just saved me $40.

[@TheQuantumShell]

Oh man, how I miss the good ol' days. Everything had that kind of magic and now it's all lost as it looks more like a documentary and not a movie :(

[@dragondaveltd1992]

#SupportPhysicalMedia

[@saintmanuel]

I think that ever since JC started with Avatar, he lost a bit of traditional cinematic feel of 35mm film. Looking at some of the examples from the UHD BluRay as well as knowing the DVD and BluRay, the treatment Aliens got now, is a bit too much. Like you said, it looks as if it was shot with a digital cinema camera, but lost some of its charme and organic quality. I am not against a better color grading for remasters, but noise reduction etc. is too much for my taste

[@kevinweithers1223]

Amazing review, thank you.

[@newtypepunk9967]

Gawd I hate when they change the tint colours, this happened with Batman and Terminator, I'm like I might as well put my VHS on at this point, just keep it pure to how it was, funny I'd rather watch the laser disc version you showed, over the 4k version, you're spot on about the faces, meh I have the quad blu rays thats good enough for me.

[@THEremiXFACTOR]

8:51 My god, the 35mm colour grading is so cool. The 4k looks like it was shot in a swimming pool. I've heard various arguments about this release, but seeing these image comparisons here it's clear how flat and digital the new image looks. I can see why people are pissed off.

[@zzygyy]

It's extra crisp and high resolution. Enjoy it for the detail. I will still keep my bluray copy

[@jon4715]

Great review, and what a shame. Have you reviewed the LotR UHD editions? There are scenes in the UHD that have dramatically less detail than the Blu-rays, even to the point of erasing a distant Legolas from a shot.

[@ghostviggen]

After watching 35mm scans of Aliens, I can say that no release manage to recreate the theatrical look of Aliens. It’s just to bright.

[@Heimkineast]

People wanting filmic look above all should just stick with DVD or VHS in my opinion. No mention of the poor HDR grading 👎🏻

[@BERNDSBG]

DVD has not even the resolution to display "grain" properly. Thus it is unable to render anything "filmic".

[@tdvols]

Not impressed with the 4 k which is not what I expected after they did such an amazing job on the 4 k Alien release!

[@gregoryberrycone]

the people who worked on this should never be allowed to touch a piece of editing or color grading software again

[@rng81]

Looks way too artificial for my taste, especially the hair looks like topaz ai upscaling. Also i hate DNR. True Lies looks horrible too in some scenes.

[@MarkSleper]

I very much disagree with your assessment concerning the visual quality. Try to imagine this was the way Cameron would have wanted it to look. I saw this in theaters when it came out in the eighties (sorry, old guy here) and we had to accept how the picture quality was back then. We had to see ‘through’ the grain to get in on the action. This is so much more sharper and more clear (definitely an esthetic Cameron loves when you see how the Avatar movies look). I don’t think a director wakes up one morning and decides to have as much and as thick grain as possible in his picture. If he had the technology back in the eighties to make it look as clear and sharp as this, he obviously would have. This is the next best thing. I have a dedicated home theater with sound isolation, acoustic measured materials, an LG 83” OLED and a 7.1.4 Atmos Setup with B&W speakers all around and in ceiling. This looks and sounds terrific! The immersion is astonishing, details are on a level never before seen with this movie. I can’t see anything wrong with it and don’t understand you recommending the standard HD Blu Ray over this. Maybe it’s a matter of taste? Or difficulty getting over something you’re so used to? Anyway, we all have our right to our opinions, I as well as you. So, Happy Alien day! Looking forward to the soon to be released Aliens Expanded!!!

[@Eva01-jy2qu7pu9r]

This isn't as clear and as sharp as it can be though. If he actually back went to the film negatives and did a proper transfer from the ground up like Alien recieved eariler, the result would've been an astronomical improvement. But instead he's literally selling a 2K upscale and charging it for a ridiculous price point. Thats not cool in the slightest man.

[@mia-mx2xd]

No no ,your being way too over critical . Removing film grain while retaining the detail is not detrimental to image, It's just a clean up process. Just because your obsessed with film grain doesn't mean its a standard, just as modern movies don't have have film grain unless artificially applied . if your judgeing on realism you would not see or have film grain in really with the naked eye. Also look at planet earth series on 4k they have remarkable depth and clarity without film grain, Could you imagine having film grain on that series?. Film grain is a relic of the past film processes and limitations. By your accounts all 4k movies without grain should be thrown under the buss . 4k is a format to be enjoyed and should not be subject to negativity. On a personal note i enjoy film grain especially when it has a light layer. Bottom line is depth and clarity .