I had the opportunity last night to watch the original theatrical release of Aliens. Ouch. It’s not nearly as good as the director’s cut. The original effectively neutralized some of the tension by omitting several scenes which I found valuable when included. For those who haven’t seen the director’s cut, I found four key scenes being cut in the theatrical release.
First, early in the movie Riplely’s introduced to the fact that her daughter has been dead for years. I find it makes the ensuing scenes with Newt emotional on an additional level as a kind of pseudo mother-daughter relationship in some respects.
Second, in the director’s cut, instead of an abrupt cut from Ripley’s debriefing by The Company to the contact lost scenario with the colony, there is an intro scene where the colony receives orders from The Company to investigate a particular grid square. Newt’s father, whom she accompanies, along with her brother and mother, arrive on the scene in a surveying rover. Much like in the original Alien, Newt’s father is attacked by a parasite. Unsurprisingly, the entire colony falls.
Third, we are brought to the colony itself, where the Colonial Marines move in. During the motion tracker sweep, the theatrical release cuts a tension building scene where a false signal brings fourth the unfounded assumption that an alien is on the prowl. Upon investigation, mice are discovered.
Fourth, once the APC has been ‘wasted’, we find Hicks inventorying the salvaged equipment. However, his mention of the computer automated sentry machineguns is omitted along with multiple later scenes where tension builds as the aliens are engaged by and initially phased by the auto sentries. To return later in full force, the aliens find an alternate route into the complex. The degree to which the aliens have no fear of death, are intelligent, and seemingly unstoppable, is notably reduced by the omission of these scenes, along with seeing Hicks and Ripley operate effectively together when planning the locations for the sentries.
I find myself feeling somewhat cheated with these scenes removed, even if the film is 17 minutes shorter as a result. Much like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I’ll take length over a lower quality release, where possible.