Aliens (1986) 20th Century Fox/Sci-Fi-Action RT: 154 minutes (Director’s Cut) Rated R (monster violence, language) Director: James Cameron Screenplay: James Cameron Music: James Horner Cinematography: Adrian Biddle Release date: July 18, 1986 (US) Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, Cynthia Scott, Tip Tipping, Trevor Steedman, Paul Maxwell. Box Office: $85.1M (US)/$131M (World)
Rating: ****
Its tagline (“This time it’s war”) may not be as catchy as its predecessor’s, but Aliens is most definitely the better movie. The sequel to the 1979 sci-fi-horror hit, it switches gears in a major way. Not wanting to simply recreate Ridley Scott’s eerie original, James Cameron (The Terminator) injected a strong dose of action into the proceedings. The result, the ultimate in sci-fi-action, is nothing short of brilliant. I’d even say Aliens is the best film in the series.
Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters) returns as Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo situation 57 years earlier. She’s been in hypersleep all this time, drifting in space in the escape shuttle. A salvage crew finding her vessel was pure luck. Learning how much time passed is a shock to her system to say the least.
Nobody believes Ripley’s story about what went down with the alien creature on board her old ship. Her employers say it’s not possible as they would have heard something from the terraforming colonizers now living on LV-426, the moon where her crew found the derelict alien spacecraft. An already traumatized Ripley is stripped of her rank and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment by the Company- i.e. the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
In what can only be described as the most perfect example of chutzpah, company rep Carter Burke (Reiser, Beverly Hills Cop) shows up at her apartment and asks her for a favor. They’ve lost contact with LV-426 and need her help. They want Ripley to accompany a group of gung-ho Marines to the planet to find out what’s going on. She initially refuses, but changes her mind after being assured by Burke they’re going up there to destroy the aliens not bring them back for further study. Yeah, that’s all kinds of BS!
When Ripley and the heavily armed soldiers arrive on LV-426, they find the colony abandoned and in ruins with only one human survivor, a little girl named Newt (Henn). They soon learn the place is crawling with aliens. Ripley’s previous experience with the vicious extra-terrestrial beings taught her there’s only one way to deal with them, KILL THEM! The only logical plan is to get the hell out of Dodge and nuke the place. But first they have to get out alive and that’s not going to be easy. The humans are outnumbered by the aliens. They’re not going to go down without a fight. And what a fight it is!
One thing that hasn’t changed in the future is corporate mentality. They still prioritize profit over people. They still make monumentally bad decisions. They still lie through their teeth. The Company does all of that and more here. They, of course, have their own agenda and it does NOT involve wiping out the entire species.
20th Century Fox didn’t even want to make Aliens at first. They believed the success of Alien was a fluke and a sequel would be a disaster. They didn’t think there was enough audience interest to even consider it. They were concerned about the cost as well. That all changed when producer Lawrence Gordon (48 Hrs.) became the new studio head in 1984. He got the ball rolling with James Cameron in the director’s chair. It was something of a gamble given that the filmmaker was still relatively new to the scene with only two directorial credits, Piranha II: The Spawning and The Terminator. It paid off. Not only did Cameron deliver a classic-to-be, he made it for under $20M ($18.5M to be exact).
I saw Aliens the day it came out, first show (1pm, City Line Theater). I didn’t know it until afterwards, but a school friend of mine (call him GV) was there too. He loved the movie too. He thought the Marines were especially cool. I’ll drink to that. Those guys and gals take bad assery to the next level with their powerful weapons and tough dialogue. What really makes this aspect of Aliens is the casting. Cameron chose some awesome actors to fill the roles; Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Bill Paxton (Weird Science), Al Matthews (The Final Conflict) and Jenette Goldstein (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) top the list. The late Paxton is particularly memorable as Hudson, a gleefully boastful sort who loses it when the alien s*** hits the fan (“That’s it, man. Game over, man. Game over!”).
The always reliable Lance Henriksen (The Terminator) is also on board as Bishop, the ship’s android who immediately raises Ripley’s ire. Considering her past experience with androids, it’s only natural she’s distrustful of the seemingly benevolent synthetic being. Young Henn, in her one major acting credit, nearly steals the show as plucky Newt who becomes a surrogate daughter to Ripley. Reiser is suitably smarmy as Burke, a slimy corporate jerk and coward who goes to extreme measures in his attempts to smuggle an alien specimen onto planet Earth. William Hope (Hellbound: Hellraiser II) is good as the inexperienced and clueless commanding officer Lt. Gorman, more dumb ass than bad ass.
Weaver’s role as Ripley in Aliens earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, an amazing feat considering how the Academy felt about sci-fi at the time. Her performance is brilliant. She releases her inner action heroine with a vengeance as she takes up arms in fighting for her survival and that of the child in her care. This is where we see Ripley’s maternal instincts kick in. We never get to see this side of Rambo-like action heroes. Weaver adding this additional dimension to her character is what makes Ripley an enduring character.
The special effects are first-rate. Would you expect anything less from Cameron? He purposely avoided rehiring most of the FX people who worked on Alien because he wanted to create his own vision. H.R. Giger couldn’t come back because he was committed to working on Poltergeist II: The Other Side, so Cameron brought in Stan Winston (Predator) to take over FX duties on Aliens. He does a tremendous job with all of it. It’s 100% old school with the practical effects, miniatures and actors in alien costumes. The set design is also quite impressively. Aliens is pure art, plain and simple.
Aliens is, simply put, one of the best movies of the 80s. It’s definitely one of the best sci-fi-actioners of all time. It works on both levels. It’s intelligent sci-fi and full tilt boogie action. It has incredible talent on both sides of the camera. It’s just great! In fact, I’d even say it’s perfect.
