Review of Aliens (1986) by Joshua B — 29 May 2013

The best decision going forward from Ridley Scott's brilliant Alien was the decision not to try to make the sequel a repeat of the style and events of the first film. James Cameron wisely takes Scott's world and goes off completely in his own direction, eschewing the psychological horror vibe of the first film in favour of a full-blown action movie. Admittedly, this was one of the aspects I disliked when I first saw Aliens, regarding it as stripping the creature of its menace by having several easily-expendable aliens rather than a single creature that is impossible to kill. Subsequent viewings have revealed this to be one of Cameron's best films, playing to his love of spectacle and big set pieces. There are scenes and lines in this film that have become iconic mainstays within the genre: the template of the colonial marines are ubiquitous among titles like Halo and even Cameron's own Avatar, and the line, "Get away from her you bitch" is classic. As he would do later in Terminator 2, Cameron explores the themes of gender and motherhood here: Ripley returns, but this time is relagated to riding along with a group of soldiers eager to kill the remaining creatures. Ripley, of course, ends up having to lead the group -- and care for a young orphaned girl -- when the soldiers find themselves outmatched and overconfident. The pacing is great; Cameron keeps cutting off the group from victory and then escape until a final showdown with the creatures' leader is unavoidable.

Aliens is not Alien. But it's also not to be missed.