I'd keep the park scene because it adds pertinent information to the film and the reveal is quite a clever shot.

I agree with you about the rest of the scenes though, in fact I'd go further and try to trim some of Newt and Burke's more cringe worthy lines (and screams in Newt's case).

I'd intercut the robotic guns with footage pulled from AVP2 to get past the cheapening re-use of Alien footage from other scenes in the film (frankly it's all AVP2 is any use for).

I don't know if anything can be done to lift the quality of the rear-projection work so it doesn't look quite as fake.

Bingowings said:

I don't know if anything can be done to lift the quality of the rear-projection work so it doesn't look quite as fake.

I experimented once with matting out the live action elements and color balancing the rear projection to look better, but I was unsuccessful. I encourage others to try, as exciting as the dropship crashing is, it looks really bad nowadays.

Darth_Coconut said:

I think that would be better cut park scene. I like how unspecific Ripley talk about how she once had girl like her. We dont know nothing about her and i like it. Besides it's action movie in the first place so cut it :D and move to the action part.

I understand that but unlike most modern action films Aliens (a science fiction action film) understands the principle of the roller coaster ride.

The scene helps with science fiction element but it also throws in an extra crank on the ascent of the ride which adds to the effect of the descent.

It's also one of Burke's less rubbish scenes.

Darth_Coconut said:

I think that would be better cut park scene. I like how unspecific Ripley talk about how she once had girl like her. We dont know nothing about her and i like it. Besides it's action movie in the first place so cut it :D and move to the action part.

This is why you should do this edit yourself.

Here is a good start,

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/ADigitalMans-Guide-to-MPEG2-AC3-Editing/topic/3444/

 

If cost is a factor there are a number of rather good free editing programs out there.

If you have enough room to add Linux (you can install Ubuntu on a disc partition if you want to keep Windows) Cinelerra has many of the features of Final Cut and Vegas but is completely free.

Movie creator is a nice little freebie too (it runs on most operating systems and comes from the same guys who produce the VLC player).

That's what chapter skip is for. :p

The re-used alien kill shots in during the robot sentry scenes ruin those sequences for me (which is why I recommended pulling some from the otherwise pointless AVP2).

They shot the guns going off but not the aliens getting squished so just used clips from the ambush at the nest from earlier in the film again when making the SE.

I'm actually not big on the sentry guns.  They do it twice, and it draaaaaaaaaags.  Hicks counting out remaining rounds over and over and over....

I like the scenes because it gives the aliens some of their edge back.

Sure they can be squished with some ease, compared to the one virtually unstoppable creature in the first film (still intact after getting the full blast of The Narcissus engines in it's face) but their numbers and their capacity to adapt and come up with a new plan adds a bit of necessary umph to what is essentially Zulu (the film) with acid for blood.