Aliens (1986)
Aliens is a rare sequel that’s as good, if not better than the original. For fans of science fiction, it’s a must-see. Even if you don’t have an affinity for the genre, it’s terrific.
We left our heroine, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), and her cat Jones drifting in space. They barely survived the events that took place on the Nostromo. When Aliens begins, Ripley has spent 57 years in stasis. None of her superiors believe her story of an alien egg discovered on LV-426. When all contact between the exomoon and Earth suddenly stops, Ripley (Sans Jones) joins a small army of Colonial Marines to investigate.
Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley and she gives a powerful performance. Her tough exterior hides a vulnerable, troubled, and traumatized woman. No one believes her story. She's all alone - everyone she knew is now dead and the company blames the ship's loss on her. Even when things look awry on the exomoon, Weyland-Yutani doesn’t even take her warnings seriously. They just send a small group of marines to deal with the threat. Seeing these injustices, you want her to succeed that much more; just to show those jerks who’s right. In some ways, our protagonist feels like the alien. Ripley is all alone, a simple pilot surrounded by a tight-knit group of military officers and Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) a corporate suit more concerned about dollars and PR than her well-being. Despite her experience with the xenomorphs, she's an underdog all over again.
The new characters introduced are just as memorable, interesting to follow, and (aside from the villainous Weyland-Yutani people who discredit Ripley at every turn) likable. The marines are a unit. They’ve all been through thick and thin together. These guys (and girls) look like Vietnam veterans, with their armors, helmets, and weapons decorated with slogans and illustrations. They harass each other, joke about mundane things, and are frustrated at the “bogus” mission they've been sent on... at first. I’ve got two favorites. The first is Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) who’s got some terrific lines and a gun that'll make you fall in love. She’s a tough woman but unlike Ripley, she's not the main character. You don't know if she'll survive. My second has got to be Private Hudson (Bill Paxton). He’s got the funniest lines in the movie, without devolving into a total clown. Can I pick another favorite? It's got to be Lance Henriksen as the android Bishop. He's not the same kind of robot as the one we saw last time. It's nice to see things mixed up. I know he’s just a robot, devoid of any feelings but he feels strangely like a sad little boy, desperate to prove himself and eager to win the approval of everyone else. You get the sense that maybe he does have feelings and isn’t just a machine.
Everything great about Alien is back. We’ve got the feelings of isolation, the fear of being alone, the overwhelming odds, and that whole unknown terror thing. One alien gave you cold sweats. Now? The creatures are still just as deadly as before, but this time they’ve got hometeam advantage. Maybe the high-powered weapons will even out the odds. Maybe.
From Alien to Aliens, everything's been amped up. The special effects, characters, monsters, drama, and scares are back. You can’t go wrong with this movie as a way to pass 2 hours of your time. It’s solid entertainment, packed with thrills and it only gets better with subsequent views. (Theatrical version on the big screen, February 2, 2015)