Aliens is one of those movies that I can plop down and watch anywhere, any time. It has a classic story structure that always seems to allay even my most stubborn hipster propensities -- as aliens are jumping out of people's chests. In this behemoth of a documentary (3 hours, guys!) we get to see everything that went into making Aliens, from the construction of the APC to the Queen her slobbering self. The doc is packed with great information on the scripting, set building, and shooting of the film, so free up a block of your time and check it out after the jump.
The documentary is called Superior Firepower: The Making of 'Aliens', and the thing I really like about it is how thorough it is. The filmmakers are so detailed when they share information and stories about the film that, even if you didn't have the budget or the crew to make a film like Aliens, you'd at least know more than a few tricks to make something similar (kind of.)
For instance, Lance Henriksen, who plays the android Bishop in the film, tells a story about how the mixture for his blood went bad and he got food poisoning. He reveals, though, that it was made with milk and yogurt. These are the questions that have stayed with me throughout my childhood and into adulthood -- not even being sarcastic. I always wondered what Bishop's blood was made of, what the Queen's slobber was made of, how the filmmakers made the Queen move.
And speaking of that, the creation of the Queen is especially interesting. We're given a full rundown on everything that went into making her: the research and development, James Cameron's old test footage of an early prototype, and each intricate hydraulic or puppeted control that made the Queen move.
Check out the documentary below:
What did you think of the documentary? What information surprised you? Let us know in the comments.
[via Filmmaker IQ]
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22 Comments
Great series of articles V R! Have you seen the making of the Abyss, oneofmthe craziest docs ever about sheer bloody minded determination!
July 28, 2013 at 12:30PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks, Robin! I haven't seen it, but put a doc about the making of any movie in front of me and I'll be all over it.
July 28, 2013 at 1:54PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I know what you mean. Definitely worth checking it out, the guy is such a stubborn ass I think very few would have been able to finish that film under those conditions. You can find it cut up into parts on YT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGwhMHNmPpA
Definitely worth a watch. mental.
July 30, 2013 at 2:04AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yeah - if I ever think that my film shoot is tough, I just need to think about how they made "The Abyss". James Cameron has no limitations in his thinking which helps him to achieve some amazing results but I wonder if it also means that he doesn't care about the people who work for him.
October 17, 2015 at 12:30PM
You had me at "mostly".
July 28, 2013 at 1:37PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Me too!
July 28, 2013 at 2:40PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
i sincerely appreciate this headline
July 28, 2013 at 9:43PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
thanks for this documentary, very informative and fun to watch
July 28, 2013 at 2:54PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Why in the hell wasn't this on my Quadrilogy Blu-ray set?
July 28, 2013 at 6:43PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
So you buy the 4K version.
July 28, 2013 at 7:19PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
It's on Disc 5 of the British Blu-Ray - "Aliens" > "Superior Firepower" (there's a cheaper 4 Disc set that does not include the special features).
July 29, 2013 at 11:11PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
This was back before Cameron let his love for technology supplant his knack for storytelling.
July 28, 2013 at 7:21PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Absolutely!!!! With Avatar (and to some extent Titanic), Cameron started down the road of Lucas and Spielberg instead of putting as much effort into the story and script as the technology tools used to tell said story convincingly.
July 30, 2013 at 6:30PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Wowww so nice! Thanks for that! Really fun!
July 28, 2013 at 8:19PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
FYI, you're linking to pirated/ripped content from a DVD/Blu-Ray extra that people pay for. A change in your editorial policies?
July 28, 2013 at 10:12PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
huehuehuehue
July 29, 2013 at 2:49PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
policies schmolicies
July 30, 2013 at 4:19PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
This movies is a tremendous amount of work. Very Nice documentary!
July 29, 2013 at 12:39AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Lol - I've watched Aliens over 100 times and read the script cover to cover at least 50 times yet it wasn't until someone commented that I got the 'mostly' reference. #hangsheadinshame
July 29, 2013 at 2:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
So someone ripped the behind the scenes material from the dvd?
July 29, 2013 at 5:06AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
by the way,
probably the most interesting part, is the bonus clip in the end of this documentary.
Which is about a young film school graduate who got to work for Cameron by building a Powerloader from the movie, just because someone bet him to do it !
July 29, 2013 at 9:54AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
miu miu ショップ
August 12, 2013 at 12:49AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Love this doc. The Alien anthology collection comes with it as well as one for the original Alien and all the sequels. It's like 6+ hours of behind the scenes and probably the most comprehensive I've ever seen. Anyone who's into the genre should check it out!
October 17, 2015 at 6:02AM