Amazon.co.uk Review
Coming 15 years after the release of
Aliens, this soundtrack edition was well worth the wait. Fans of Horner's gung-ho militaria for Ripley and the troops will be delighted with the excellent sound quality of this new digital mix. It's crisp and clear with a snap to the stride of the ever-present snare drums, and allows unsettling depth to the low brass. Fans will also drool at the wealth of additional material that boosts the running time to one-and-a-quarter hours. Ripley's "Bad Dreams", meeting "Newt", their one-on-one with the "Facehuggers", and the all-important confrontati on with "The Queen" are now here. On top of that, there are five bonus tracks totalling 12 minutes of fascinating alternatives that might have been. Fans will probably know that director James Cameron cut and pasted the music; this is how it should have sounded. With that in mind, the only thing the you'll miss is the final version of "Combat Drop" that's in the film. Horner didn't do it! To! find out how and why, the detailed booklet is the place to address your silent screams. Otherwise, this time it really is more score. --
Paul Tonks