Review of Aliens (1986) by Seth Y — 04 May 2013

Very rarely do you come across a sequel that tops the original. Aliens can be considered one of those movies. This is a terrific blend of sci-fi and non-stop action, which makes it one of the best follow-up films I have ever seen.

Aliens focuses on Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor from the first film. After being in hypersleep for over 50 years, she is traumatized with what she experienced with her crew. She is informed by company representative Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) that the planet where they discovered the unknown lifeforms is now being occupied by colonists. When contact with the colony is suddenly lost, a group of colonial marines, along with Ripley, are sent to investigate. When they arrive, they quickly realize that the aliens have completely infested the colony, and the result is an all out war.

What can you say about James Cameron? He's the king of great sequels. The directing approach is perfect. The acting here is also phenomenal. Sigourney Weaver is once again a complete badass as Ellen Ripley. I really love that character and the way she has evolved after the terror she experienced with her previous crew. You also get a great supporting cast here, which includes Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn.

The original Alien film is fantastic and has a slow-paced horror vibe to it. This sequel strays away from that a bit and provides more of an in-your-face, action-packed experience. I love that, because we get an original approach instead of a rehash of the first movie. Aliens takes a working formula and makes it a notch better, resulting in this classic science-fiction masterpiece. 5 stars.