Review: Aliens Is Still One Of The Coolest Sci-Fi Films Around.
- Jan 29, 2017
- 2 min read
Alien was the poster child for sci-fi horror. But James Cameron, fresh off his own Alien clone, the equally excellent Terminator, saw the potential to take a thousand aliens and pit them against a dozen of the toughest soldiers space has ever seen. And thus, one of the greatest action movies of all time was born.
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) awakes after 50 years in hypersleep. The world has changed. The planet from which the original alien came has been colonised but communications have been lost. Fearing that the alien may have returned, she agrees to travel with a group of colonial marines, the meanest, greenest military this side of the solar system. But when they arrive, things are far worse than they first though.
One alien dispatched six space truckers in 24 hours. A thousand aliens can do a hell of a lot worse. The marines, lead by Michael Biehn’s Corporal Hicks, have some of the coolest gear ever put to screen. From the target tracking smart guns and grenade launching pulse rifles to the gunships and auto turrets, they use it all in an effort to stem the endless tide. And what a tide it is.
Leaving behind the more character focused direction of the original, which is not to say that the characters here are bad though they are significantly less dimensional than the first, Aliens brings action and acid blood in more ways than one. Fully utilising the potential of the perfect killing machine fighting against soldiers who rarely see real action, James Cameron crafts a violent film that’s one part Vietnam commentary and one part childish wish fulfillment.
Aliens focuses more on singular themes, mainly that of motherhood, and it’s done well enough. When a lone child survivor is found, Ripley is quick to take her under her wing, protecting her from the horrors that surround them. Weaver is once again the top actor of the group though Bill Paxton’s Private Hudson is thoroughly entertaining.
Aliens is a different animal all together. While it certainly has some horror elements, and very good ones at that, it’s undeniably an action film. It’s fun, over the top and packs enough creative kills and one liners to stand the test of time. Don’t go in expecting Alien because you won’t get it. This is James Cameron at his best, and what he does best is action.
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