I'm almost certain that the first time I ever saw this film on video (I never did see it during its theatrical release) there was no mention or use of the remote mini-guns that the Marines placed outside their "sanctuary", but I've since seen those guns in action. Does anyone know if there are several cuts of the video version in circulation within North America (Canada specifically), or import versions that would be different?? [In the original theatrical release, the sentry guns are mentioned in passing when Hicks inventories the weapons that survived the crash of the first dropship. This reference was deleted in the original VHS release. When the movie was first brodcast on network television, the sentry gun scenes were added (as well as some other scenes including one near the beginning involving Ripley mourning the death of her daughter). As far as I know, up until the Special Edition DVD release which also includes those scenes, that was the only version which contained the sentry gun scenes and the network (I think it was ABC) would brocast this altered version from time to time.] Answered by Diana Lucas
Aliens (1986) - 5 questions
Directed by James Cameron, starring Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, Sigourney Weaver
The "questions" section is for any random questions that occurred to you while watching this film, or anything you didn't entirely understand, and which Google or the IMDb can't help with. Submit them as a question, and hopefully someone will answer (the bold comments in brackets) - check back regularly. If the answer is wrong, or missing information, please use the "clarify answer" option. Don't feel limited - want to know what music played in a certain scene? Whether this was the first film to use a certain effect? Here's the place to ask!
I'm almost certain that the first time I ever saw this film on video (I never did see it during its theatrical release) there was no mention or use of the remote mini-guns that the Marines placed outside their "sanctuary", but I've since seen those guns in action. Does anyone know if there are several cuts of the video version in circulation within North America (Canada specifically), or import versions that would be different?? [In the original theatrical release, the sentry guns are mentioned in passing when Hicks inventories the weapons that survived the crash of the first dropship. This reference was deleted in the original VHS release. When the movie was first brodcast on network television, the sentry gun scenes were added (as well as some other scenes including one near the beginning involving Ripley mourning the death of her daughter). As far as I know, up until the Special Edition DVD release which also includes those scenes, that was the only version which contained the sentry gun scenes and the network (I think it was ABC) would brocast this altered version from time to time.] Answered by Diana Lucas Is the military privatised in the continuity of the films? Do they operate at the behest of the Company? Any official or generally accepted answer is appreciated. [From the books and comics, the answer seems to be that the Earth government still controls the military, but the megacorporations like Weyland-Yutani have so much influence, they can dictate pretty much what they want the govt to do with them.] Answered by Grumpy Scot If the company knew about the Aliens from the start and coveted them as a bioweapon, why did it take 57 years and the reappearance of Ripley for someone from the company to make another effort to get one? In the intervening 57 years, wouldn't the company have sent someone out to the derelict spaceship wreckage? [There will certainly have been changes within the company in that time - whoever sent the Nostromo to investigate is probably no longer present. Indeed, the failure of that mission might have got them fired and caused the company to shelve the mission altogether. All the company has to go on, as far as we know, is the warning signal - that's not much to commit huge quantities of money on. With the reappearance of Ripley on the scene, carrying new information about the alien threat, and, for the first time, making it clear just what a potent weapon these creatures might be, the company looks at the idea with renewed interest.] Answered by Tailkinker What ever happens to the female doctor that evaluates Newt? She evaluates Newt, says one line or so, then disappears forever. [Down in the tunnels, she is the soldier that says "Maybe they don't show up on infared at all." and is then grabbed and hoisted to the ceiling by an Alien. Later, Hicks looks at the controls in the APC and says "The Sarge and Deitrich (the female medic) aren't dead. Their signs are real low but they ain't dead." So she was coccooned and played host for new aliens.] Answered by Grumpy Scot What specific job in the Visual Effects Department did Suzanne Benson have? It must have been important because she won an Oscar for her work, yet she isn't credited on either version of the film. [The effects were done by a company called "The LA Effects Group". She was in charge of the team that did the work for Aliens.]You may also like: Alien | Alien Vs. Predator | Alien Resurrection | Aliens vs Predator: Requiem | Alien 3