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The Making of Aliens
Comprehensive and definitive volume telling the complete story of how Aliens was made, featuring new interviews with some of the cast and production crew, and including many rarely seen photos and illustrations from the Fox archives. As one of the most highly regarded movie sequels of all time, Aliens quickly embedded itself in the minds of cinemagoers around the world when it was released in 1986. Driven by the singular vision of director James Cameron and guided by producer Gale Ann Hurd, its relentless action and unforgettable characters helped cement its place as an undisputed classic of 1980s cinema. The Making of Aliens tells the complete story of how Cameron and Hurd, together with their immensely talented cast and crew, brought heroine Ellen Ripley back to the big screen-and upped the stakes by introducing a whole army of aliens for her to face. Interviews with the cast and crew, alongside revealing photography and fascinating concept art, illustrate the film's eventful journey from its beginnings as a sequel that nobody wanted to make through to its transformation into one of the highest-grossing blockbusters of the decade.
300 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2020
12 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
J.W. Rinzler
64 books103 followersJ. W. Rinzler has authored over 20 books including two New York Times bestsellers and a #1 best-selling graphic novel. With more than 600,000 copies in print, his books have been translated into seven languages.
J. W. Rinzler grew up in Manhattan, New York City, and then in Berkeley, California. He fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies. He was an avid comic-book and novel reader, an intrepid moviegoer, and had his mind blown by The Beatles, Star Trek, Bruce Lee, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Frank Frazetta, Michelangelo, and Mad Magazine.
Rinzler drew his own comic books (badly), then, in his 20s, moved onto figurative oil painting (okay-ly, but self-taught). He lived in France for almost 10 years, where he began writing. Back in the USA, he worked as executive editor at Lucasfilm for fifteen years, chronicling the work of George Lucas and his genial collaborators in a series of books about Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
During this time, Rinzler also directed and wrote an animated short Riddle of the Black Cat, based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, which was accepted into several festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival.
His latest book is an epic historical fiction thriller called ALL UP, an epic about the first Space Age, published in July 2020. The sequel will be out in a year or two...
Meanwhile his book on Howard Kazanjian, producer, is due in May 2021; and on Kubrick's The Shining in fall 2021.
Rinzler is married and has two daughters and one grandson. He lives on the northern California coast.
J. W. Rinzler grew up in Manhattan, New York City, and then in Berkeley, California. He fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies. He was an avid comic-book and novel reader, an intrepid moviegoer, and had his mind blown by The Beatles, Star Trek, Bruce Lee, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Frank Frazetta, Michelangelo, and Mad Magazine.
Rinzler drew his own comic books (badly), then, in his 20s, moved onto figurative oil painting (okay-ly, but self-taught). He lived in France for almost 10 years, where he began writing. Back in the USA, he worked as executive editor at Lucasfilm for fifteen years, chronicling the work of George Lucas and his genial collaborators in a series of books about Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
During this time, Rinzler also directed and wrote an animated short Riddle of the Black Cat, based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, which was accepted into several festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival.
His latest book is an epic historical fiction thriller called ALL UP, an epic about the first Space Age, published in July 2020. The sequel will be out in a year or two...
Meanwhile his book on Howard Kazanjian, producer, is due in May 2021; and on Kubrick's The Shining in fall 2021.
Rinzler is married and has two daughters and one grandson. He lives on the northern California coast.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 1, 2020
Ah if my friends who university could see me now (they would fall over with laughter at the loss of hair) but also climb over each other to get to this book - this film and the sound track to it is practically the soundtrack to my time at Nottingham.
So much so I can remember watching one run of the time (and yes it was watched that often) that there was a room of people repeating the dialogue word perfect - yes we were that sad.
But this book is an amazing record of what happened in the process of creating this film. Many books of this kind focus on an aspect (be it the art, the directorial process, the technicalities) where as this book reads almost as a historical record. The various events, both sides of the camera, the challenges that the crew and faced in getting the film made are all detailed here.
And what is more the material is as detailed and fresh even after all these years - I have read many a making of book where you can see whole swaths of material lost to time - not here. I suspect that there is enough unused material to fill another book all over again.
So while I remember watching this film to the point it felt like I was actually in it - now I can read about the people who really were in it and not only are those peoples stories incredible it makes the film all the more special for it to
So much so I can remember watching one run of the time (and yes it was watched that often) that there was a room of people repeating the dialogue word perfect - yes we were that sad.
But this book is an amazing record of what happened in the process of creating this film. Many books of this kind focus on an aspect (be it the art, the directorial process, the technicalities) where as this book reads almost as a historical record. The various events, both sides of the camera, the challenges that the crew and faced in getting the film made are all detailed here.
And what is more the material is as detailed and fresh even after all these years - I have read many a making of book where you can see whole swaths of material lost to time - not here. I suspect that there is enough unused material to fill another book all over again.
So while I remember watching this film to the point it felt like I was actually in it - now I can read about the people who really were in it and not only are those peoples stories incredible it makes the film all the more special for it to
February 6, 2024
Rinzler the true 🐐 of making of’s.
January 22, 2021
Another excellent book by JW Rinzler. Every time I dive into his books, I emerge with more appreciation and deeper insights into the creative works he captures. This ALIENS book is methodical, in-depth, and immersive, as are his other volumes. It makes me want to revisit the film again to see these new layers peeled back, and that’s probably the best compliment one could give.
October 22, 2021
Loved all the Rinzler "making of" books, was very sorry to hear of his passing. Learned some cool BHS nuggets from this one, as always.
January 23, 2023
Another exceptional illustrated making-of companion by the incredible JW Rinzler – what a loss his untimely death has been to film culture.
December 25, 2024
OK, so for every 'Aliens' fan there are 3 sources that they should study thoroughly:
- the 'Superior Firepower' documentary by Charles de Lauzirika (released on 'Alien Quadrilogy' and 'Anthology' DVD/Blu-ray sets)
- this book
- the recent 2004 5+ hour documentary 'Aliens Expanded'
Both documentaries - in my opinion - concentrate more on human stories compared to the book, which delves heavily into the artistry of special effects. As I'm indifferent to FX, I can only give the book 4 stars. Still, there are some stories here that are not covered by either of the documentaries, so you really want to buy it or at the very least borrow it from your local library.
- the 'Superior Firepower' documentary by Charles de Lauzirika (released on 'Alien Quadrilogy' and 'Anthology' DVD/Blu-ray sets)
- this book
- the recent 2004 5+ hour documentary 'Aliens Expanded'
Both documentaries - in my opinion - concentrate more on human stories compared to the book, which delves heavily into the artistry of special effects. As I'm indifferent to FX, I can only give the book 4 stars. Still, there are some stories here that are not covered by either of the documentaries, so you really want to buy it or at the very least borrow it from your local library.
October 13, 2020
I'm a big fan of Aliens. A friend of mine introduced me to the film when we were in our late teens. We were blown away while watching it on a 25" tube TV from a video tape. I picked up the collector's edition of the Laser Disk some years later and we went through all of the production notes (CAV based pages of text). It was there we immersed ourselves in the director's cut, at the full length James Cameron wanted the film to be. When I heard about this book, I picked it up.
It is amazing to see how a film of this scope is put together. It is even more amazing to learn just how crazy the production was. I knew there was drama, but the book really highlights the tension between the different groups responsible for the movie. Or just how hectic the final weeks were as they went down to the wire to put it together.
I found it interesting there was a lot of ad-libbing happening in the film as the actors dug into the roles. Bill Paxton was doing a lot of it as Hudson. There were a lot of fun quotes from the actors about different scenes and how they approached the characters.
I was hoping for even more detail. The Laser Disk had extensive production notes, including early drafts of the film. One had Apone surviving the assault on the Atmosphere Processor, for example. What is here in spades is shots of the sets & models, including a lot of the concept art used.
It was fun to read about how the cutting edge effects (for 1986) were done & for the small budget allotted. No graphics here. All models & huge ones at that. A time when a lot of craftsmanship when into physical items & are not a green screen post graphics effect. Read to relive the time of Aliens.
It is amazing to see how a film of this scope is put together. It is even more amazing to learn just how crazy the production was. I knew there was drama, but the book really highlights the tension between the different groups responsible for the movie. Or just how hectic the final weeks were as they went down to the wire to put it together.
I found it interesting there was a lot of ad-libbing happening in the film as the actors dug into the roles. Bill Paxton was doing a lot of it as Hudson. There were a lot of fun quotes from the actors about different scenes and how they approached the characters.
I was hoping for even more detail. The Laser Disk had extensive production notes, including early drafts of the film. One had Apone surviving the assault on the Atmosphere Processor, for example. What is here in spades is shots of the sets & models, including a lot of the concept art used.
It was fun to read about how the cutting edge effects (for 1986) were done & for the small budget allotted. No graphics here. All models & huge ones at that. A time when a lot of craftsmanship when into physical items & are not a green screen post graphics effect. Read to relive the time of Aliens.
June 18, 2021
One of the best "making of" books I've read. Full of exclusive and exquisite content - including written material, artwork and photographs - this book explains the trials and tribulations of the making of what is one of the greatest science-fiction/action films of all time. What makes this book particularly great is the behind-the-scenes access it gives the reader to many of the actors and production crew. It's so rich in detail that it's the Bible of the making of this very cool film.
March 3, 2023
If you love this film or Jim Cameron or film production in general, this is simply a must. The book itself is gorgeous and full of great images (although bulky and hard to read in bed!), and chock full of totally fascinating detail. It's amazing the film is as great as it is, given how incredibly fraught and difficult it was to make. Cameron's complete genius for imagery and design shines through on every page -- his talent (and mania) is on incredible display here.
September 12, 2020
Such a good walk through the production of Aliens from beginning to the end. This is one of my favourite movies and I learned a lot more about it and the personalities, conflicts and comradery of the cast and crew. If you’re an Aliens fan this is a great journey back and gives context to all the choices made.
May 6, 2021
This is a very detailed history of the making of one of my favorite all-time movies. The background, anecdotes, little details, etc. All of that is here along with many pictures and behind-the-scenes looks that I'd never seen before. Add in detailed information on the actors, how they were chosen, what they went through for this movie and this book is a MUST for any fan of the movie.
April 22, 2023
A hefty, weighty tome, this really is 'everything you wanted to know about Aliens but were afraid to ask'. The book follows the production in filming order, from conception to marketing and premiere. Most fascinating are the human tales of life and incidents during the making of the movie, of course. Exhaustively detailed, full of glossy photographs, this is essential for fans of Aliens.
May 16, 2022
Rinzler does it again. Goes behind all the nooks and crannies, including the relationship, both professional and personal, between Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron. Kudos to her for proving herself at a time when being a producer was almost exclusively a boy’s club.
Great stories, great read.
Great stories, great read.
February 8, 2022
Simply incredible. A privilege to own and read. Huge format, lavish, and packed with information and photos… it’s hard to imagine a better book, about one of the greatest films in cinema history.
I pray that J.W. Rinzler eventually gives the same treatment to many more science fiction classics.
I pray that J.W. Rinzler eventually gives the same treatment to many more science fiction classics.
December 29, 2020
A well-researched book that covers the making of the film in exhaustive detail.
January 10, 2021
Brilliant book about brilliant movie. Filled with exciting and interesting details and tremendous amount of unseen photos and drawings.
March 16, 2021
Must watch this movie again. Bye-bye
January 23, 2023
Just a fantastic read. I've watched Aliens too many times to count but
you've no idea the travails and hardship it took to bring it to screen
until you read this.
you've no idea the travails and hardship it took to bring it to screen
until you read this.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews