Aliens (1986)

 Aliens(1986)

When Alien was released in 1979, it was a monumental success. The horror film garnered high praise as its often, rightfully so, regarded as one of the best horror films of all time. 20^th Century Fox took a long time to even think about producing a sequel because they felt the first film did not rake in the cash despite the accolades. We should all be saying a prayer of thanks they finally came to their senses because 1986’s Aliens is bigger, better, and more intense. While Alien was a slow-moving film that builds up horror, it is successor is a brutal action/horror hybrid with a soul-sucking last hour due to its intensity. The film focuses more on the terror rather than the horror and it absolutely works. Aliens is one of those rare sequels that is better than the original, and it also happens to be one of my favorite all-time films. One that received the extremely rare perfect score from me.

 

The film took a long time to get into production. The studio executives honestly could care less for any sequel. Under new management, interest was finally revived. Producer David Giler one day was sent the script of James Cameron’s The Terminator. Cameron’s debut feature hasn’t filmed yet, but the producers were on board with him directing the sequel as long as The Terminator was a success. Indeed, it was a success and Cameron and producing partner Gale Anne Hurd were given the greenlight to direct the film. Cameron absolutely did everything right. He wasn’t given much of a timeframe to direct the movie which caused problems in the editing room and for James Horner’s scoring, but he managed to make it work.

 

Cameron is considered to be at the forefront when the best action directors are discussed. If you were impressed with what he did in The Terminator, he takes it to an entire newer level in Aliens. Instead of one alien, there were hundreds of them and that big, bad Alien Queen, which Cameron designed himself. The final hour of the movie is bursting with such intensity, as we see aliens racing through the overhead ducts or one even operating an elevator. These aliens are the epitome of evil and they were certainly a handful for our humans with heavy firepower. Cameron compared the film to the Vietnam War- a vastly superior army sent to a foreign land where their tactics had little to no success. I found that to be an interesting analogy. It certainly worked well visually.

 

Signourey Weaver almost did not return to the sequel after a contract dispute with the studio, but Cameron refused to write her out of his script, so the studio had to pay her. Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, the only person who survived the attacks on the Nostromo. She awakens 57 years later to find out everyone she knows had died. She is not given a warm welcome because no one believed that the alien attack happened. She also learned the moon where they initially made contact with the alien species is now a colony formed by The Company. A squadron of Marines are sent over to discover why the colony stopped making contact. Ripley’s concerns are now valid. Aliens most certainly do exist, and they are hungry!

 

Signourey Weaver is the glue that holds the team together. She kicks plenty of butt and I love her motherly instinct for the girl, Newt (Carrie Henn) who survived such unspeakable terror. Weaver actually earned an Academy Award nomination which was surprising considering the Academy does not recognize genre filmmaking. Well-deserved nomination! I really loved this team and their different personalities; Jeannette Goldstein as the extremely brave Private Vasquez, Bill Paxton as the narcissistic, but cowardly Private Hudson, Michael Biehn as the mild-mannered and exemplary leader Corporal Hicks, Paul Reiser as the slimy Burke, and Lance Henriksen as the friendly droid Bishop. The chemistry from the team is utterly fantastic. Great one-liners, great teamwork, and ready to kick some alien butt!

 

When it comes to visuals and sound effects, Cameron makes sure he uses the best technology available and even invents stuff if need be. The production design and the lighting will blow your mind. I loved the designs of the aliens and especially the queen. In today’s world of films, it is incredible that I am being wowed by special effects from a film that is 34 years old. Crazy! Horner’s score is appropriately tense and suspenseful. Horner and Cameron butted heads throughout the scoring process due to time constraints, but Horner managed to put together a great score after only four days of work.

 

I love Aliens. I really do. Many action/sci-fi/horror hybrids are not able to reach the levels of James Cameron’s masterpiece. If people thought The Terminator was a fluke, he proved everyone wrong here. He is the master of action; whether it is those aliens killing everyone despite heavy firepower or having Newt in the center of everything causing intensity overloads, he really knows his way around a film. If Alien was the slow-paced horror film, Aliens is the nonstop action, guns-out, aliens-heavy superior sequel. The best film in the franchise!

 

My Grade: A+