Can't say I'm a big fan, parts near the beginning I find interesting, the playing with expectation does work. But in terms of actual improvement on the Special Edition beyond that? Nothing notable in my honest opinion. It's not even an improvement on the visual level like this video :
https://youtu.be/aI5x8ybJZxM In fact this might even be a step down opting for the Dog instead of the Ox host (that's undoubtedly more in tune with what the film's saying) and instead of taking out or altering parts that come across as mostly unnecessary, this version adds on nearly everything it can.
Although I can understand the logic behind much of the decisions taken, a lot of rather obvious things that surely make a net positive change stay bafflingly identical, for example: For the opening no shots of inexplicable Egg(s) or Facehugger(s), up until the abattoir, no Murphy asking about a thing we never see, putting us on the same page as Ripley, and then we get filled in about what happened exactly by Bishop as our protagonist does. Perhaps also concealing the fact the cryotubes appear different from Aliens to AlienĀ³ until we see them slide from the Sulaco into the EEV. No redundant Arthur and Troy checking through batteries. No redundant "Let's make it to the furnace." No "I think I've found Vincent!" And change Lance Henriksen's Credit to: "Bishop & Michael Bishop"
I'm sorry but it doesn't come close to the potential lurking within.