Every rating I've read on here doesn't truly capture the greatness of Aliens, Cameron's space time masterpiece. In some ways, a person might say that this (the special edition) is the Citizen Kane of sci-fi/monster movies. I say it stands on it's own as one remarkably made film, with impressive acting, amazing mechanical effects, descent visual effects (even though this film wasn't about visual splender). It's got ruthless energy, comedy up the ying-yang, and plenty of thrills to make the deadest of any human being leap. I was too young to see the theatrical version on the big screen, but since then--the special edition of Aliens has become a household name. Every few months, we can't help but sit down and watch this GREAT FILM!