Aliens Expanded: A New Species of Documentary (Digital + Blu-ray) (CreatorVC Crowd Funded Project) [USA]

[Lone Crusader]

Release date: August 2024 TBC
Purchase link: Aliens-Expanded
Price: $49 (Digital Only) - $99 (Blu-ray) - $139 (T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package) - $2,500 (Associate Producer) - $5,000 (Producer) - $10,000 (Executive Producer)
Notes: This is a crowd funded release the digital release June 2024/Blu-ray August 2024

Spoiler: Packages

Digital Only
$49 USD
A digital copy of Aliens Expanded and your
name in the credits.
Includes:
• Aliens Expanded (digital)
• Your name in the credits
• Soundtrack (digital)
Digital Delivery: June 2024

Blu-ray Package
$99 USD + Shipping
Aliens Expanded Blu-ray with slipcase plus
posters, sew-on patch, booklet, and more.
Includes:
• Aliens Expanded Blu-ray with Slipcase
• 2 Posters
• Sew-On Patch
• Commemorative Mini Booklet
• Certificate
• Your Name in the Credits
• Digital copy of Aliens Expanded
• Soundtrack (digital)
Digital Delivery: June 2024
Physical Items Despatched: July 2024
Please Note: Shipping is charged at the point of
fulfillment at cost. Please see FAQ for details.

T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
$139 USD
Add an Aliens Expanded T-shirt to your Blu-ray
and other physical rewards.
Includes:
• Aliens Expanded Blu-ray with Slipcase
• T-Shirt (2 Designs, S-3XL)
• 2 Posters
• Sew-On Patch
• Commemorative Mini Booklet
• Certificate
• Your Name in the Credits
• Digital copy of Aliens Expanded
• Soundtrack (digital)
Digital Delivery: June 2024
Physical Items Despatched: July 2024
Please Note: Shipping is charged at the point of
fulfillment at cost. Please see FAQ for details.

Associate Producer
$2,500 USD
Associate Producer credit on IMDB, poster, and
in the movie credits plus all the rewards listed
in the T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
Includes:
• Associate Producer Credit in the Movie
Credits
• Associate Producer Credit on IMDB
• Associate Producer Credit on Special
Poster
• Your Memories / Dedication in Our
Celebratory Booklet
• All Rewards in T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
(T-shirt, Blu-ray, Poster, Sew-On Patch,
and more)
Digital Delivery: June 2024
Physical Items Despatched: July 2024
Please Note: Shipping is charged at the point of
fulfillment at cost. Please see FAQ for details.

Producer
$5,000 USD
Producer credit on IMDB, poster, and in the
movie credits plus all the rewards listed in the
T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
Includes:
• Producer Credit in the Movie Credits
• Producer Credit on IMDB
• Producer Credit on Special Poster
• Your Memories / Dedication in Our
Celebratory Booklet
• All Rewards in T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
(T-shirt, Blu-ray, Poster, Sew-On Patch,
and more)
Digital Delivery: June 2024
Physical Items Despatched: July 2024
Please Note: Shipping is charged at the point of
fulfillment at cost. Please see FAQ for details.

Executive Producer
$10,000 USD
Executive Producer credit on IMDB, poster, and
in the movie credits plus all the rewards listed
in the T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
Includes:
• Executive Producer Credit in the Movie
Credits
• Executive Producer Credit on IMDB
• Executive Producer Credit on Special
Poster
• Your Memories / Dedication in Our
Celebratory Booklet
• All Rewards in T-Shirt & Blu-ray Package
(T-shirt, Blu-ray, Poster, Sew-On Patch,
and more)
Digital Delivery: June 2024
Physical Items Despatched: July 2024
Please Note: Shipping is charged at the point of
fulfillment at cost. Please see FAQ for details.

 

[Lone Crusader]

As for the "Accepting Orders Until", I just now came across this.

 

[Punker76]

I want the Blu-ray, but not interested in the tat that comes with, so a hundred bucks before shipping? Nah.

Hopefully once this "get your name in the credits" period is over, there'll be a standard edition available at a more sensible price.

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

i was feeling down on the final 'accepting orders' day and indulged in some questionable retail therapy by ordering this. 'questionable' in that not everything about the production timeline and star involvement lines up, and i do not care at all about the credits 'benefit.' but the rest seems interesting, and i love the film, so had to go for it, even at that price. after all, how will i know if it's any good if i don't get it?

 

[paulboland]

I want the Blu-ray, but not interested in the tat that comes with, so a hundred bucks before shipping? Nah.

Hopefully once this "get your name in the credits" period is over, there'll be a standard edition available at a more sensible price.

It's a fan crowd funded release there is no guarantee that a standard physical retail edition will happen later.
It might happen but at the moment that's not planned.
This crowd funded project started back in 2022 by CreatorVC


Their website lists new and previous documentary releases

HOME | creatorvc

www.creatorvc.com

CreatorVC previous releases did not get retail physical media releases they only had crowd funded blu-ray releases and later digital streaming releases
A retail digital version more likely will happen at a later date with likes of Apple iTunes/Vudu/Google Play/Prime


Streaming Services
Examples
Shudder in UK/Ireland later had some of their previous releases example In Search of Darkness Part III
Amazon Prime in UK has In Search of Tomorrow

​

 

[Punker76]

It's a fan crowd funded release there is no guarantee that a standard physical retail edition will happen later.
It might happen but at the moment that's not planned.
This crowd funded project started back in 2022 by CreatorVC


Their website lists new and previous documentary releases

HOME | creatorvc

www.creatorvc.com

CreatorVC previous releases did not get retail physical media releases they only had crowd funded blu-ray releases and later digital streaming releases
A retail digital version more likely will happen at a later date with likes of Apple iTunes/Vudu/Google Play/Prime


Streaming Services
Examples
Shudder in UK/Ireland later had some of their previous releases example In Search of Darkness Part III
Amazon Prime in UK has In Search of Tomorrow

​

Yup, there's no guarantee of a standard edition but I'd rather wait and keep my fingers crossed than shell out a hundred smackers.

If it doesn't happen.... Well I still got the 3hr Superior Firepower doc to enjoy.

 

[apsmith21]

This was interesting, got a ton of social media ads for it but in the end couldn’t justify the expense

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

have now received my digital copy of the doc. it has 18 chapters running to 4 hours 15 minutes , with an additional 30 mins of credits with video inserts due to the crowdfunding. not watched it yet, but skipping through very quickly it looks interesting, high quality, and well made.

i've also received the digital soundtrack and a number of other nice digital extras.

as for the physical media - "Can’t wait for your Blu-ray? Any physical rewards you ordered are currently being manufactured and you will receive an email requesting payment for shipping in August. Shipping is due to begin at the end of August and you will receive an email once the item has been shipped."

 

[nekromantik]

got my digital version also
will wait for blu ray before watching.
I did add my name but not full surname haha
I do kinda regret paying this much money but aliens is my fav movie..

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

got my digital version also
will wait for blu ray before watching.
I did add my name but not full surname haha
I do kinda regret paying this much money but aliens is my fav movie..

because, as you say...

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

happy days. i received the digital versions a while back, and i have now received the physical version. unboxing below, or just here for pictures in the album.

i can't deny that $99 for the physical blu-ray and added bits is pretty expensive. that said, having viewed parts of it, i also can't deny that the doc is really very good and well worth a watch for fans . which is what i am, so i essentially paid more to help make it a reality, and hopefully enable them to do more docs, like the forthcoming one for The Thing. or so i tell myself.

View media item 28230
it's mailed in a fairly loose box to enable the posters to fit in, rolled, although they are not in a cardboard tube, which they should be:

Spoiler: How it was mailed

View media item 28231

the blu-ray slip and amaray do have the same artwork, which is a missed opportunity for a product aimed at film geeks:

Spoiler: slip and blu-ray photos + creds

View media item 28230View media item 28229View media item 28228View media item 28227View media item 28226View media item 28225

inside is the booklet, which is pretty good, 22 pages of photos, quotes and a few editorials:

Spoiler: photos of the booklet

View media item 28224View media item 28223View media item 28222View media item 28221View media item 28220View media item 28219

the patch you get is to increase your fandom by having a patch for the documentary. ok if you like that sort of thing:

Spoiler: patch photo

View media item 28218

and this is everything you get for your $99, including the two posters and the certificate, and of course the digital version and the digital doc soundtrack (which is a very synthwave-y thing):
View media item 28217
finally, here are the on-screen menus for the disc. there really is a lot on this :

Spoiler: on-screen menu photos

View media item 28216View media item 28215View media item 28214View media item 28213View media item 28212View media item 28211

all in all, the doc itself is more than good enough to make me happy, although they should offer a physical blu-ray only option for future releases, too.

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

finished watching all 4'15" of the substantive doc yesterday. it's really well made - episodic, rather than a long narrative, but no lesser for it. i found out lots i did not know before, and they got almost everyone involved on screen and discussing frankly.

Cameron's still self-aggrandising, but for this film he's allowed! Sigourney offers a lot on her feelings for the character(s). the onset stories are great, like the SAS bootcamp they all went to in the UK to train up as the marines, and Lance Henriksen being sick as a dog in the final scene because the cream and milk they were using for Bishop's 'blood' had gone off. plus a fitting tribute to Bill Paxton in there, too.

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

FLASH SALE OFFER. 2 weeks from now to get the blu-ray only package for $30 off. go here for the details.

grab it now!

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

until May 4th, you can now buy a new, extended 2 disc version of this release, or just upgrade & buy the additional disc of new interviews, the theatrical version of the 4 hour cut, and a collector's box to house it all in. purchase link.

excerpts from the linked page (there is a lot more there):

"Aliens Expanded is back with a new 2-disc Collector’s Edition featuring 14+ hours bonus content, including expanded interviews with James Cameron (Writer & Director), Gale Anne Hurd (Producer), Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Michael Biehn (Hicks), Lance Henriksen (Bishop), Paul Reiser (Burke), and many more!

In addition to your bonus interviews, the second disc comes with a new theatrical cut of the documentary, a special filmmaker Q&A, a unique numbered collector’s card, and a 2-disc slipcase that will hold both Blu-rays...

...The Extended Interviews

At the heart of the Aliens Expanded Collector’s Edition lie 12 hours of extended interviews. Edited only for sense and repetition, this is an unprecedented chance to listen to the interviews as they happened: ranging where the thought takes them, unmediated by film clips and directorial choices, often very funny and unexpected."

 

[Lenny Nero]

There's 12 hours of extra video on the 2nd disc alone?! Must be DVD quality, or are they using a different codec somehow, because I've seen pretty good 2160p rips of movies at 5-6gb in h.265...

Also, $100 seems a bit too [two] much for a documentary, however good and long it is, when it'll be a glorified interview anyway – they couldn't have gone back in time and filmed on the set or anything like that...

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

There's 12 hours of extra video on the 2nd disc alone?! Must be DVD quality, or are they using a different codec somehow, because I've seen pretty good 2160p rips of movies at 5-6gb in h.265...

Also, $100 seems a bit too [two] much for a documentary, however good and long it is, when it'll be a glorified interview anyway – they couldn't have gone back in time and filmed on the set or anything like that...

i'm assuming at this stage that it's 12 hours in total on both discs. and yes, it is a bit much, but in for a penny, in for a pound, and i've bought the extra disc and 'collectors box' upgrade, so will find out soon enough.

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

the doc has now won a Rondo Hatton horror award. not that familiar with those awards, but i will say i was impressed (surprised?) by how good the doc is, especially it's extensive, almost exhaustive coverage of all aspects.

director's thank you video

 

[Fmac72]

Those awards are legit so well done to the folks who won.

 

[steelmybeatingheart]

happy days. well, in for a penny, etc , so i did get the collectors box and additional disc. added photos to the album.

the box itself is very thick and sturday, with a nice glossy (but admittedly basic) cover and no back art. it fits the two combined amarays perfectly.

View media item 28393

Spoiler: Aliens Expanded: Collectors' - hardbox and amaray, more photos

View media item 28392View media item 28391View media item 28390

@Lenny Nero, yes, the new / second disc really does have has almost 1,000 minutes of content in total! the James Cameron full interview alone is 1'52". these are not unedited raw footage interviews: these are full interviews with the questions on screen followed by the subject's response, which were then subsequently edited for the main feature. then there's the short hour and forty 'theatrical' version of the main doc, and more docs about the making of the main doc! can't say you're not getting your money's worth:
View media item 28389
apart from that, it's a standard blue plastic amaray with the numbering card. the number should be on the box itself, but there we are:

Spoiler: Aliens Expanded: Collectors' - additional

View media item 28388View media item 28387

plus you do get a second booklet with the new release, which features lots of content about how the doc was put together and made:

Spoiler: Aliens Expanded: Collectors' - booklet

View media item 28386View media item 28385View media item 28384View media item 28383View media item 28382View media item 28381View media item 28380View media item 28379

all in all, this really is now the definitive doc statement on Aliens. bring on The Thing.

 

[paulboland]

For those interested the Aliens Expanded Documentary is available to watch on Shudder Streaming service