Today’s quick review: Aliens. Waking from cryogenic sleep after her encounter with the Xenomorph, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) learns that nearly six decades have passed, leaving her with no career, no family, and no future. When a Xenomorph outbreak decimates a remote colony, Ripley joins a team of space marines sent to deal with the crisis and uses her experience fighting the creature to prepare them for the battle ahead.
Aliens is a science fiction action movie from director James Cameron. The sequel to Alien takes the series in a new direction, shifting from survival horror with an emphasis on atmosphere to gung ho action about an unprepared team of marines facing off against a deadly foe. The new direction suits the movie well, making Aliens a rare sequel that manages to expand upon the original without sacrificing quality to do so.
Aliens’ premise is simple and cleanly executed: a team of soldiers takes on a colony full of alien creatures whose exotic biology and sheer numbers make them deadly foes. Improved special effects, plenty of firepower, and several iconic lines allow Aliens to succeed as an action movie. At the same time, it invests enough into its characters and world that they feel rich and justified. Aliens is a rare action film with substance to back its flash.
Aliens also benefits from the strengths of the previous movie. Once again, Ripley makes for a compelling protagonist, a heroine whose steely resolve and pragmatism make her easy to root for. The new challenges she faces add emotional depth to the character without sacrificing the strength and nuance of the first film. Aliens also takes advantage of a ready-made world with its own fascinating aliens and unanswered questions to work with.
The cost of these changes is the horror aspects of the original. The Xenomorphs are still gruesome and can be menacing, but the heavier firepower the marines bring to bear means that a single alien is now the same threat it was in the first film. There’s still plenty of danger and a high body count, but Ripley and the others take on a much more active, aggressive role than the crew of the Nostromo. The change will not be to everyone’s tastes.
Fans of the sci-fi action genre will want to give Aliens a try. It does sacrifice some of the brooding, suspenseful nature of the first film for the sake of action, but its additions to the franchise are smartly judged and don’t overstep their bounds. Whether you like Alien or Aliens better will come down to taste, but both movies are well worth watching for their respective merits. For more alien-hunting sci-fi action, try Pitch Black.
8.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 to 8.0 for rock-solid action wrapped up in an interesting story.