Aliens
With the success of the surprise hit Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, a sequel was inevitable. In fact, after watching the first film, a sequel was wanted, particularly by this reviewer. Handing over the director's chair to recent box office gem James Cameron, who had only made two films previous to this one (Piranha II, a surprisingly dull film, and Terminator, making Cameron a household name), the Alien series got a face-lift of immense proportions. Instead of being a suspense/science fiction film, Cameron alters the series and changing it into an action picture. What results is one of the most terrifying films ever created.
A film like Aliens comes along only once in a while, and when it does, audiences are usually unprepared for it. I never saw this movie in theaters, but I wish I could have. The terror and fright must have been unimaginable, most likely with audiences members literally shrieking in fear. Aliens is an action film unlike any I have ever seen. With a science fiction plot, Cameron gives Aliens added testosterone, pumping up the action and fire power from the original film. In fact, Aliens is one of those few sequels which tops the original. Perhaps what makes the Alien series so impressive is the hero--or heroine, as the case may be. Never have we had a more sympathetic hero in an action film, and never have I seen such an impressive acting job done by the main character. Sigourney Weaver is possibly the only actress who could play this character and make her realistic enough for us to care about. Placing a woman in these situations would sometimes seem unusual, but because of Weaver's presence, a woman is the only suitable hero.
Aliens begins 57 years after Alien ended. Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (Weaver) is discovered in hypersleep on the Nostromo and is awakened. She explains how she is the only survivor of her past encounter with the aliens, but "the company" is doubtful. They explain that a colony of families is flourishing on the same planet from which she just left. Despite stern warnings from Ripley, the company remains rigid and won't call the families back. However, when the company loses contact with the colony, Ripley's story seems much more feasible. One of the company's directors, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser), wants to gather a team to travel to the planet. This team includes a buff Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), a questionable Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), and a loyal android Bishop (Lance Henriksen). Burke tags along with Ripley as they fly to the planet in order to locate the members of the colony.
Arriving on the planet, the team finds most of the human life extinguished in a cocoon-type environment. The only survivor is 12 year old Rebecca "Newt" Jorden (Carrie Henn). Ripley finds this a chance to be the mother she never had the opportunity to become, and she becomes Newt's surrogate mother. Ripley and Newt are the only ones who knows what has happened, and soon, all hell breaks loose. Aliens not only multiplies the thrills and suspense from Scott's version, it also multiplies the number of aliens in general. Alien focused on one alien in particular which systematically killed each crew member, except Ripley, who managed to jettison the alien out of the Nostromo. Aliens focuses on an entire race of these aliens, and as a result, the chills are incredibly heightened. Then again, this is James Cameron, the guy who has given us True Lies and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He is the best action director out there (topping Renny Harlin, who directed Cliffhanger), and only he could create something as terrifying as this film.
It seems that every Alien film seems to have some memorable scene or scenes, and Aliens has the motherload. With perhaps one of the most astonishing endings ever created for an action film, Aliens climax never seems to hit until the viewer is nearly pushed to extreme exhaustion. I can't recall another film ever to sustain this level of intensity throughout, never dropping for a moment. Just when you think the movie is over, something else will occur, and it starts right back up again. With a seemingly endless conclusion, Aliens ends with one of the greatest moments in film history. This scene is usually the one remembered most from the film, as Lieutenant Ripley steps into one of the lifting machines to fight the alien queen. Using flawless special effects, the climax is exhausting, leaving any audience member drained from extreme anxiety.
Of course, for a film of this genre to work properly, the technical aspects must be realistic enough for us to believe what we see. Aliens is completely realistic, even a decade after its initial release. The special effects are wonderfully seamless, with a terrifying alien to go with them. One of the most overlooked aspects of this film is the music, composed by Cameron-regular James Horner. Horner has created a terrific score, receiving an Oscar nomination for his work. Not only that, Horner has also created one of the best scores for any action film, or science fiction film ever (and that includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was mainly a compilation of well-known composers). In fact, the climax music is also some of the most recognized of film music. The production design is incredible, which also happened to snag a nomination from the Academy. Dark corridors lit by red lights are very impressive, but more impressive is the amount of terror which arises from well-lit locations. Normally a film will be very dark in order to scare a viewer; Aliens uses lights to scare the viewer. Then, of course, is the cinematography, which uses point of view shots, along with video feeds in order to build suspense. Some of the scariest scenes involve the perspective of Ripley.
Surprisingly, the acting is not only above average for this genre, but some of the best. Sigourney Weaver received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Ripley, incorporating the right amount of sympathy into her hard-edged persona. Weaver soars above the rest in this film, but she is supposed to. Carrie Henn gives an above average performance for a child, developing a three-dimensional character from her quiet attitude. Lance Henriksen is terrific as Bishop, showing that androids don't always have to be flat characters. Jenette Goldstein shows a fair amount of enthusiasm with her role, and steals several scenes of her own (though her personality becomes slightly annoying when she isn't fighting). Michael Biehn gives a very nice performance in the most obligatory role of the film. However, Biehn does a good job, making it seem original again. Paul Reiser may seem like an odd choice to play the sleazy corporate director, but Reiser manages to pull it off quite well (however, I still see him as Paul on TV's "Mad About You"). A very good cast (which also includes Bill Paxton and William Hope) highlights this action film, making it stand out from others.
Aliens is rightfully rated R for violence, gore, language, and terror. Aliens is sort of the redefining moment of the science fiction genre, as Alien was more of a suspense/horror film. Aliens pumps up the stakes, and Cameron directs it with professional quality. Cameron certainly knows how to make a good action film, but here he proves how he can create some truly horrific moments on screen. Technically astonishing, Aliens' only flaw is small characters who are only there to get killed. Aside from this, you probably won't experience anything like Aliens for quite a while.