Review of Aliens (1986) by Cinemasins — 08 May 2015

Perhaps the best single word to describe James Cameron's Aliens is relentless. Tautly paced and expertly directed, this roller coaster ride of a motion picture offers a little bit of everything, all wrapped up in a tidy science fiction/action package. From the point when the opening half-hour of exposition ends and the real movie begins, Cameron barely gives viewers a chance to catch their breaths or ease their grips on their armrests as he plunges his characters from one dire situation to the next. This is one of those rare motion pictures that involves the audience so completely in the story that we're as worn out at the end as our on-screen counterparts.

From the moment it became apparent that Ridley Scott's 1979 science fiction/horror film, Alien, was going to be a success, Fox began discussing the possibility of a sequel. For many years, the proposed Alien 2 languished on the back burner, lacking both a viable script and a director. Then, in 1984, a little-known filmmaker named James Cameron thundered onto the scene with a no-frills, gripping movie called The Terminator. The film's box office success gave Cameron some clout in Hollywood, allowing him to get a hearing when he pitched his version of an Alien sequel. Fox liked what he proposed and the project was greenlighted. (Consider how things have changed in 15 years - now, sequels are routinely given the go-ahead before there's a script or even an underlying premise.) Seven years after Alien reached screens, its belated, much-anticipated follow-up exploded into movie theaters, leaving patrons breathless and coming back for seconds and re-affirming that it is possible for a sequel to top an original both creatively and financially.

If Aliens was no more than a series of suspenseful, effectively executed action sequences, it would still be a superior motion picture - Cameron's grasp of what gives an audience a jolt of adrenaline is that masterful. However, the element that elevates Aliens into the sparsely populated stratosphere of great science fiction movies is character identification. We care about what happens to the men and women populating this film. Even the supporting characters, such as Hudson and Vasquez, have personalities - they're not cookie-cutter fodder for the aliens to pick off one-by-one. I'm not talking about complex characterizations here, but the likability factor (or, in one case, the detestability factor) is way up. It doesn't take long for us to land on Ripley's side and to start cheering her on.

The most touching human relationship in Aliens is the one between Ripley and Newt, with the childless woman caring for the motherless girl. The emotional payoff comes at the very end, and has less to do with the aliens' defeat than with the bond that has developed between these two characters. Many action films lack a heart; the Ripley/Newt element makes Aliens more than just a tightly-paced shoot-'em-up. And, when Newt is kidnapped by the aliens as a potential host for one of the aliens' face-hugger offspring, it raises the stakes by a notch, adding an additional layer of urgency to an already intense climax. Furthermore, Cameron has some more fun by contrasting Ripley's maternal relationship with Newt to that of the Queen alien and her "children", all of which Ripley is trying to destroy. The final struggle becomes that of two mothers pitted against one other.

Two versions of Aliens exist. The first is the theatrical cut, a 137 minute edition that Fox released in movie houses across North America during the summer of 1986. With a running time of 154 minutes, the second is James Cameron's official director's cut, which includes a number of intriguing scenes, including a lengthy sequence on LV-426 detailing events that lead to the colonists' obliteration. Although the additional material is spread throughout the film, the most telling moments occur early (including a key scene indicating how devastated Ripley is about the loss of her daughter), thus not damaging Aliens' overall momentum. Given a choice, the restored director's cut is the preferred version. (In fact, it may now be the only version available on home video, unless you frequent a video store stocking older tapes.).

For James Cameron, who would go on to direct two of the 1990s most memorable motion pictures (the action-packed Terminator 2 and the all-time box office champion, Titanic), The Terminator may have been the movie to put him on the map, but Aliens announced him as a force to be reckoned with. For fans of the Alien series, Aliens represented an unqualified triumph, exceeding the expectations of the most optimistic faithful. Unfortunately, the lamentable Alien 3 stalled the series' momentum, effectively trashing the emotional core of its predecessor while sending the franchise into a creative free-fall.