"Maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!" RIP Bil Paxton, you legend! You had the best lines on this movie.

Paxton was notoriously hard on himself as an actor. I hope wherever he is, he knows that he was a great actor who is loved by so many and is dearly missed.

So glad this movie was made before CGI was a thing. This movie is the greatest argument against CGI vs. real effects ever made.

I might be old now compared to the youngsters watching today, but I was there during the hype of this instant classic action horror masterpiece leading upto the release in 1986. Today's Hollywood will never get back to doing films like this, and the 1980s is still the biggest pop culture decade of all time with every major iconic franchise making an appearance. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Predator, Robocop, The Terminator, Batman, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Rambo, Gremlins, Die Hard, Superman, The Karate Kid, Blade Runner, Conan, A Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th and Mad Max. All entries here with the exception of James Bond had their very best instalments solely in the 1980s. The greatest decade in film arguably apart from the 1950s in my opinion.

Saw this in High school summer vacation. A friend and I walked in the rain to the theatre for the 8 PM showing. We walked into the movie all humid and wet in a dim theatre and sunk in the front row chairs. I was never immersed as much in a movie as I was that night and it really felt like we were there - all tense, grimy and sweating like they were on lV426. One of my favorite movies of all time.

I remember in Poland I just woke up with a terribly hangover, hated to lay in my bed anymore and to be home so I went out just to recover crossing the street pointless and walking near the cinema I thought it would be nice to sit down in the darkness to rest so I bought the ticket even not asking about what a movie they show cause I didn't care. I come inside, sit down ...and then ,oh shit ...I forgot about my hangover.

Bill Paxton.... The first actor that made me cry upon hearing of his unexpected death. He always reminded me of my uncle...A good person with a good soul. I always looked forward to any movie or tv show he did... He'll be missed but always be remembered for the great memories he gave us all.... R.I.P. You were always the best part of whatever you did.

You may dislike the British crew but this is the best looking movie ever. They delivered big time.

Every time I watch Aliens it feels like the first time. There are only a handful of films in the world that can do that.

Rest In Peace, Bill Paxton. "Game over, man... Game over."

Funny how Hurd doesn’t mention that James Horner also got nominated for an academy award. They treated him terribly, and yet, under such pressure, he produced one of the most memorable scores in film history. RIP

Even now, 30 years later, this is one of the greatest movies and incidentally greatest sequels ever made. It holds up so incredibly well, from the writing to the music to the effects. gotta love it.

RIP, Bill Paxton, we miss you!

I watched this few days ago again and I have to say this film never seem to grow "old" or outdated. It's quite something really

I mostly watch Aliens at night, mostly.

Watches Aliens. Immediately watches this. Immediately watches Aliens again.

Rip James Horner.... His score is classic.

Amazingly, James Horner sounds like the most reasonable and sane person on the production.

"LET'S ROOOOOOCK!!!" "YEEEAAAAHHH!!!" Gives me goosebumps EVERY time.

Gosh, losing Stan Winston was a tragedy no one ever speaks of.

My buddy and I saw Alien when it opened in theater and we were on mushrooms. OMG! I was terrified and thought I was was going to be killed. When the movie was over I was shaking and drenched in sweat. Most awesome experience - but I swore I would not do psychedelics again. Saw Aliens while striaght and it still scared the crap out of me. Great sci-fi horror films.

The raw fucking skill and talent and art (they created on the fly) that went in the production of that movie is insane. Some of the techniques they used are awesome magic or awesome tricks even better than magic

"Aliens" (1986) is one of the 20 best movies ever made! This is a unique masterpiece! Hello from Athens Greece!

At 1:19:50 Cameron has a great quote, one that I think many filmmakers could learn from. Benefit from. "You don't create fear with gore, you create disgust. A whole different emotion." I think he hit that mark perfectly. It's about the same reasoning behind why "jump scare" is usually used as a negative critique of a moment or moments in films. Surprise isn't fear any more than disgust is. It only takes SFX to create disgust, and it only takes editing to create surprise. It takes *talent* to create fear.

James Remar was originally cast as Hicks, although why he was replaced was always shrouded in mystery. It wasn’t until recently, when Remar himself commented more explicitly on the issue, that the reason James Cameron fired him became clear: “I had a terrible drug problem, but I got through it … I had a great career and personal life, and messed it up with a terrible drug habit.” Remar said of his Aliens experience: “I was initially cast as Corporal Hicks, and I was fired after a couple weeks of filming because I got busted for possession of drugs, and Michael Biehn replaced me.”

James Cameron vs. the British production crew sounds like a movie in of itself. Tea time is serious business.

There was a screening of Aliens at my local university back in the day. I went to see it with a friend, Rusty. When Ripley appeared in the mechanical lifter to do battle with the mother alien Rusty stood up from his seat mesmerised and bellowed 'FUCK YES'. Ahhh good times.

this has go to be up for best sequel ever. this is a film i can watch over and over to this day.

"Stop your Grinning and drop your linen, we've found em" Probably my favourite movie ever.

All these years later with all the new tech i still haven't seen any sci fi/horror movie better than this.

Seeing Bill Paxton makes me sad but also glad he was in this film. He was (and still is) an undervalued actor. He was magnificent in this film and uniquely captures how any viewer of the film would act in that situation....you'd be shitting yourself!

My stepfather took me to this movie when it premiered. I was 11 at the time, and Aliens scared the living daylights out of me. The worst part was I couldn't even ask to sleep in their room because I was afraid that they might have a chest buster in them. So I named some of my toys after the colonial marines and slept with Hicks (a Pound Puppy) in my arms all through the night for weeks on end. I still have that stuffed dog and am such a fan of this movie that I watch it at least once a week.

Can't believe I'm watching something longer than the actual movie.

The best movie ever. The one that set the bar so high that not even Cameron reached up anymore.

_"Somebody wake up Hicks...."_

They’d mostly acted in commercials and smiled after takes. .. mostly

This is --------hands-down------one of THE all-time best action films ever made. -------I still get my heart pounding , though I've seen it at least 25 times. ----------------------------------WolfSky9, 72 y/o

Game over man, game over. RIP Bill Paxton.

I watched Aliens on tv, very late one night when I was 14 or 15 years old. It was the Director's Cut, it was fucking amazing, and it has aged fantastically to the point that I am going to watch it again in 2021.

This is THE BEST sci-fi action movie of all time.

Still one of the best movies I've ever seen.

for 1986 this movie still holds up today. great movie

84, 85, 86 man ther was some GREAT films made in the mid eighties, Aliens, Back to the future, The breakfast club, Terminator, Amadeus, Predator??, Beverley hills cop, ghostbusters, top gun, karate kid, stand by me, platoon..

Sigourney Weaver is a magical actress and the entire cast and production unit were utterly brilliant. I have never felt so exhausted after watching a film (Terminator was close, but Aliens is an entirely different feeling). A wonderful film and everyone who participated deserves all possible praise for what they produced.

One of the greatest movies of all time. Why can't the movies of today be like this? :(

Like so many others, I worship the aesthetic of this film. The singular vision of Cameron and his colleagues permeates one scene after another. So many elements became woven dynamically into this film as if by providence. If this film were made today with a massive budget, modern technology, and all the time in the world, I doubt it would have turned out as well. Money constraints, scheduling problems, culture clashes between production crew, people with different acting backgrounds, etc. And yet it all resulted in something amazing. It was lightning in a bottle and I don't think it can be captured again. I've so much more respect for the fact that everything was done with practical effects, set work, and clever photography, not to mention some of James Horner's finest scoring work; even though it's undeniable he lifted several of the musical motifs from classical ballets almost note-for-note, it nonetheless remains a fine example of art through adversity just like the rest of the film. Today this would all be done in post-production CGI leaving nothing to the imagination, and while modern effects can show abundant detail, it lacks the organic authenticity of something shot on actual film like this was, no matter how many computers it gets processed on. I am particularly moved by Sigourney's humanity and personal onus as caretaker with Carrie Henn towards the end of production when they were the only ones still shooting on a very cold set with a lot of physical stunt work; she looked after Carrie's well-being on the set just as much as she did in the story, so what we see was only partially a characterization insofar as the technicality of a camera being on. It says a lot about Sigourney as a person and it shines through with an unspoken presence in the film, adding an intangible humanity to the screen that has yet to be truly recognized, much less rivaled, in any other film of the franchise.

2:49:10 "There were no test-screenings for the film; we didn't have time" - and right there is probably a major reason why this film is a timeless classic. I hate to think about the version of Aliens we could have ended up with if the film had been subjected to that damaging process...

Just to put it out there, the game "Alien: Isolation," does this series a LOT of justice.

this movie is timeless..if it came out today it would still be a cutting edge awesome movie..the original predator is very similar to this film in term of it being timeless.classic awesome film that i never get tired watching over and over

18M budget!!! That's not much more than comedies in the 80s! 18M for 'Aliens' and 180M for 'Wild Wild West?'

A documentary!! What. I’m 40 years old and this is in my top three film of all time. Have watched a million times. A documentary!! Omg I have to watch this now

Bill Paxton is right about himself that he did over-act, but he did it perfectly.

Aliens, Terminator 2, Rambo First Blood Part 2.....James Cameron sure does have a knack for sequels.

R.I.P., Al Matthews. Thank You for service, _both_ for the military _and_ for *ALIENS....*

This is my favorite movie of all time. Know every line...probably have watched it 200 times or more. On my tablet or computer..always the first movie I load.

Filmed at Acton Power Plant. I never knew that. Ten minutes from my house!

Watching this reminds me why I love and prefer movies before CGI came about. Filmmakers of old had to work incredibly hard. CGI doesn’t have to struggle to control the circumstances of reality that may not be cooperative for a fictional envisioning. It doesn’t have to coordinate so many elements that are out of its control to find that perfect moment to grab that shot.

God I miss the candidness and honesty of old behind the scenes documentaries, instead of the polished PR heavy fluff they put out now

You know a movie's good when there's a 3 hour documentary about the making of it.

After Cameron introduces the new characters and premise about 39 minutes in.... The ensuing 91 minutes is the greatest action film ever put on film.

It is still an absolute brilliant piece of work. It will never age. In Alien, Scott admired the beast and wove an atmosphere of terror. Cameron brought in the guns, the all conquering guns, and showed how completely useless they were. The xenomorphs can step it up to any level! Terrifying and brilliant.

When I was a kid I watched this movie...home...alone. I was so terrified that I could not look at the screen directly and hid my face with my hands and peeked through my fingers. However I just had to watch it to the end despite my fear, to see what would happen next. For days and days I was in shock, anxious, nervous, loss of appetite, couldn't sleep, It was an experience I will never forget and no other movie ever made me feel this way.

Absolutely bad ass ! The subtle use of the original soundtrack in the background is brilliant.

The genius of Jim cameron, was he understood, that if the audience cared for the marines, they would invest in their journey. This is a major contributing factor to why Aliens was a huge success and now considered a classic. And rightly so. R.I.P Bill Paxton.

27:50 I loved that character. The mother/daughter relationship between Ripley and Newt drove the second film. I wish they had ended the franchise with the second film. It just hasn't been the same.

This movie still blows my mind. Even though over the years it has made the trasnsition from cutting edge to nostalgic I will still sit down and watch it when ever it is on. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has watched "Aliens" over 100 times.

I still watch my Alien series movies. You start off with Alien and you have to watch the next three. The best Sci-Fi Horror EVER. I've always loved Sigourney...and her acting...

"they can bill me"

Went to the theater three straight Fridays to see Aliens. It struck me. Hard. My favorite movie, ever.

When James Cameron tells you to slide into a wall, you fuckin slide into that wall. Thanks for the memories Bill Paxton, Hudson was a character among characters.

The story of Cameron vs the Tea would be so damn entertaining to see as a movie.

Happy 35th Year Anniversary Aliens 🎂 Original Release: July 18th 1986

The effort that went into this documentary, and the others in this 20th century dvd release of the Alien series is so amazing. This is what great film extras should always aspire to be as in depth as these. A film school all on its own, and a great inspiration for all who wish to follow this path of career.

about halfway through this, KZfaq stopped the documentary and reminded me that it was time for tea and crumpets.

THE best scifi movie ever made to my opinion. No matter what they throw at us now with computergraphics etc etc, they will never get up to the level of the hard work they put into this movie with real stuff they used and make it just as good or better.

My respect for Sigourney is immense. That she is anti-guns, but she understands that her "job" is to do the best she can in fulfilling the director's vision. Intellectually, she's definitely well above average. To be against guns, but to realise how addictive shooting stuff can become? Such a bright lady, I would love to meet her in person. My respect for Jim is immense. I'm not bright enough to converse properly with him.

They certainly don't make films like this anymore. Getting parts from decommissioned RAF Vulcans, using mirrors to make rooms look bigger, crew vs director, people almost getting killed with flamethrowers, asbestos, poisonous fumes, a runaway aircraft tug and falling pieces of set. They could make a feature film just about this production.

1000 Thanks for the friend who posted this documentary here! I loved it in all ways! I wish I could get a copy on CD, to pass to my younger child who's much like my self and will love these movies like his dad.

This kind of filmmaking is what’s missing from todays cinemas … and it’s a damn shame

27:54 I love Carrie’s British accent back when she was a child living in the Uk

I remember seeing this in theater, and being absolutely exhausted by the end from adrenaline over load. I had to go home, and watch cartoons for a couple hours just to chill out. Then I went to it again the next night. It was the first movie I ever saw multiple times in theater. I ended up seeing it 4 times on the big screen.

1:07:04 1.) Always treat a gun like it's loaded. 2.) Never point a gun at something you don't intend to shoot. That guy is 100% correct. Guns are tools and you treat a tool that kills with respect - even on a set. I wish more people had his sensibility.

What is up with those 1400+ dislikes? What an awesome movie...a director with a vision and a great making of....

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards in 1987, including one for best music-original score. This was the first of many for composer James Horner.

This is why I've watched it 100 times I still watch it and I don't go to cinema anymore!!!!

Thank you for uploading this documentary, I love it.

No CGI and its perfect !

James Horner, H.R. GIGER, BILL PAXTON, Thank you all so much for the creative contribution to a timeless classic that'll remain terrifying for many years to come. Gone but not Dared FORGOTTEN!!!!!

This will always be one of the best movies ever made to me ever. I never got people were all like Avatar is the best movie ever and here I am thinking that did you not see Aliens, Terminator 2, and Titanic?

His name is James, James Cameron The bravest pioneer No budget too steep, no sea too deep Who's that? It's him, James Cameron James, James Cameron explorer of the sea With a dying thirst to be the first Could it be? Yeah that's him! James Cameron

Stan Winston was a fucking superhero. Nobody builds monsters anymore. It's all done by a Goddamned computer, and it looks stupid as fuck.

Men and women alike always point to Ripley as the Gold Standard for "strong, female characters". But seriously... it's well earned, and not because Ripley is the toughest, baddest woman in cinema. It's because motherhood kicks ass, and this film revolves around Ripley's relationship with Newt. Dudes watching this film always give a, "Hell yeah!" when Ripley comes out at the end, and it's almost entirely because she's comes out to protect Newt, not just because the loader is cool. Watching this documentary, the best casting choice they could ever have made was Carrie. Since she had NO training before, but a great attitude, yards of talent, and a hell of a lot of grit, she really _was_ Newt. Sigourney as an actress was super-protective of Carrie on set, and it absolutely shines through in the film between Ripley and Newt. These two bonded in real life, and it makes the movie work, too. I'm sure if the 80's version of Dakota Fanning landed the role, it would have been acted really well, but I don't think the super-protective relationship would have been nearly as strong, because Sigourney really felt an honest need to protect this brand-new actress during the shoot. That's a different relationship than working with someone who sees this all as old hat. This is the best sci-fi action movie of all time. It's the Gold Standard by which every movie gets judged in terms of writing, plot, character development, action, design, and effects.

One of the greatest movies of all time.

one of the rare sequels that rivals the original in quality

My favorite of the Alien films by far.

Bill Paxton had the best lines 'Game Over man, Game Over!' - I didn't know Ron Jeremy was the miniature effects supervisor... (@ 49:41) that guy gets around.

I love the practical affects it is so much better than CGI.

57 YEARS LATER (Continuing the Story) 1:09 BUILDING BETTER WORLDS (From Concept to Construction) 11:06 PREPARING FOR BATTLE (Cast and Characterization) 24:36 THE RISK ALWAYS LIVES (Weapons and Action) 1:01:15 BUG HUNT (Creature Design) 1:16:29 BEAUTY AND THE BITCH (Power Loader vs Queen Alien) 1:32:55 TWO ORPHANS (Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn) 1:55:21

The original 'Alien' had a rather meager $11 million budget. I was surprised to read, that 'Aliens', with the much expanded sets, increased budget only to $18.5 million. I always thought it must have been at least $30 million or so. Amazing, what the production design did here!

I wish I could go back to the 1980's!