Superior Firepower: Making Aliens




release year: n/a
genre: documentaries
viewing setting: home Bluray, 11/16-23/20

synopsis: From the definitive Blu-Ray boxed set, this is the first cluster of assorted documentaries about the 1986 movie Aliens.

impressions: All of these are on disc 5 of the set, and are the major pieces which together comprise the 185 minutes of "Superior Firepower" (the other group is called "enhancement pods" and totals another 59 minutes.) Breakdown:
  • 57 Years Later: Continuing the Story - various ideas for a sequel, and how they got James Cameron involved, and how they retained Sigourney Weaver
  • Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction - designing the colony, the ship, and the APC tank
  • Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization - casting and military training for those playing the Colonial Marines
  • This Time Its War: Pinewood Studios, 1985 - the quirks of filming in England
  • The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action - creation of the Marines' weapons
  • Bug Hunt: Creature Design - how they moved from the limited creature exposure in the first film to much more in this one
  • Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn - how a 9-year-old actress handled a role like this
  • Beauty and the Bitch: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien - the making of the full-sized Alien queen, as well as the machine Ripley used to fight it
  • The Final Countdown: Music, Editing, and Sound - James Horner's challenges scoring the film
  • The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects - all the things they used to make the models for the film
  • Aliens Unleashed: Reaction to the Film - accolades and award nominations

    acting: n/a

    final word: These were the major supplements for this movie, from the definitive Alien Anthology Bluray set; I'd highly recommend these (and the other chunk, if you want even more.)

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