[Grain Of Salt] Aliens/3/Resurrection 4K Remasters Inbound

[BlueMarsalis79]

Mhm, maybe I am incorrect about Resurrection, been a minute.

And agreed... ? But I am talking presentation of what exists, not the film stock or aesthetics or anything like that. 

(Apparently several sounds are missing from the atmos, part of the box hitting Gorman, the ramp closing sound after Spunkmeyer turns up, the "a lot of these parasites" line sounds better than before.)

[The Cruentus]

Resurrection is beautiful on blu.

Aliens will always be the worst looking of the films regardless of format.

Its to do with how they filmed it right? So its got that film grain even in hd.

[SiL]

Its to do with how they filmed it right? So its got that film grain even in hd.

They filmed on new, fast stock that had a lot of grain, which is a common issue with film stock intended for low light (look at the scene in Predator where Mac says he'll take first watch -- jeez).

The cinematography is also kind of plain. Lots of iconic shots throughout the film, but it just feels very functional. Which isn't a bad thing at all, it's just in a series of movies that have really, really gorgeous cinematography so it's the odd one out.

[E. Shaw]

Aliens will be the worst looking of the Alien films in 4K and that's nuts.

I watched the UHD version a couple of days ago and it looked really bad. This happened with Lord of the Rings Bluray first release, the HD removed all the work of smoke and shadows and etc to blend the CG with live action, most notable was The Belrog, it looked in HD like bad cgi from a video game.

[Nukiemorph]

A negative one. He complains about the waxy look, but praises the colors on the previous blu-ray AND praises the cover-art on this new UHD.

A mixed/positive one, and probably the one that echoes my feelings the most. He cited specific examples where DNR smudge jumps out at him, but says it didn't break the experience for him overall.

And another positive one. He acknowledges how many people are complaining about the DNR, but says he personally likes the enhanced sharpness and detail.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Aliens will be the worst looking of the Alien films in 4K and that's nuts.

I watched the UHD version a couple of days ago and it looked awful. This happened with Lord of the Rings UHD.

Nothing hurts me in the realm of current home theater more than the butchering of the Lord of the Rings that happened on 4K, the DNR, the ghosting, changing the flashbacks and flashforwards to be grey... it pains my soul. 

[E. Shaw]

Aliens will be the worst looking of the Alien films in 4K and that's nuts.

I watched the UHD version a couple of days ago and it looked awful. This happened with Lord of the Rings UHD.

Nothing hurts me in the realm of current home theater more than the butchering of the Lord of the Rings that happened on 4K, the DNR, the ghosting, changing the flashbacks and flashforwards to be grey... it pains my soul. 

Oh no! That sounds horrid! Better keep my Standard Definition set then.

[Prez]

Aliens will be the worst looking of the Alien films in 4K and that's nuts.

I watched the UHD version a couple of days ago and it looked awful. This happened with Lord of the Rings UHD.

Nothing hurts me in the realm of current home theater more than the butchering of the Lord of the Rings that happened on 4K, the DNR, the ghosting, changing the flashbacks and flashforwards to be grey... it pains my soul. 

Good thing I've got my beautifully packaged Extended Editions of that trilogy still (even if I have the UHD version too).

You and others have given me much food for thought in my initial thought to purchase Aliens in 4K. As I said I didn't mind the Digital Version but perhaps now I won't spend a small fortune getting the physical copy.

[Acid_Reign161]

For what it's worth, 35mm transfers for Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 theatrical cuts are now all out in the wild after someone broke a gentleman's agreement. If you don't mind a bit of a rough grindhouse look, they are beautiful to watch. (Alien 3 has never looked so good - beautiful depth, and no green outlines around the rod puppet). I'd stay clear of the 4k UHD of Aliens, it's not worth a penny. (And in honesty, it's no longer Aliens).

[BlueMarsalis79]

Will have to track them down, I will probably watch Alien 4K for the beautiful HDR and ease of access, but Aliens and Alien³ might not get better for quite some time.

[Wweyland]

So what is the best release so far?

[BlueMarsalis79]

Still the 2010 Blu-ray.

[Acid_Reign161]

So what is the best release so far?

For me, if we are going for best official releases only;

Alien [UK Facehugger Boxset VHS]
Alien: Director's Cut [US Dtheatre /DVHS]
Aliens [First UK Laserdisc]
Aliens: Special Edition [UK or USA Laserdisc]
Alien 3 [Blu-ray]
Alien 3: Assembly Cut [Blu-ray]***However, roll with the Special Edition DVD if you don't want the audio mistake from the seamless branching on the blu-ray***
Alien Resurrection [US DTS Laserdisc]
Alien Resurrection: Directors Cut [Blu-ray]
Prometheus [No clear winner; 4K UHD for best picture quality, 3D Blu-ray for theatrical presentation]
Alien Covenant [4k UHD]


However, if we include unofficial releases also, I'd 100% switch out Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 theatrical cuts for the 35mm transfers, Alien Resurrection theatrical Blu-ray (regraded to laserdisc colour palette), and add the Alien Covenant IMAX aspect ratio 1080p blu-ray as a 2nd viable option (though in my opinion the latter is better as a companion, you really want the 4k UHD for the correct colour grading)

[BlueMarsalis79]

I could never watch one of the DVDs again honestly. Maybe to pine over the menus, but that's all really, I'm interested in Blu-ray and above.

[Slutty Badger]

I could never watch one of the DVDs again honestly. Maybe to pine over the menus, but that's all really, I'm interested in Blu-ray and above.

Ah, I remember seeing the Special Edition of Aliens on DVD for the first time. Blew me away.