There is an unwritten law in the movie world that sequels are NEVER as good as the original and in the vast majority of cases that is the case, but there are exceptions. In the case of Aliens, the situation is even more exceptional, because in the dave27 world, the sequel is better than the original, and yet the original, Alien, is right up there among the very greatest films of all time.
Aliens is something very special indeed. It is one of the most thrill packed films that I have ever seen and, whether you're talking about the raw original version of Aliens or the Special Edition which was released with additional footage, is an absolute dream (or nightmare, whichever you prefer). Sigourney Weaver, director James Cameron and the alien created by H R Giger are really the only common links between the two epics, for the suspense of the first chiller is traded in for a spectacular action adventure film which somehow manages to be every bit as gripping as its predecessor.
Okay, for those of you who don't like to find out about the plot before you
see a movie, it's time to don the blindfold while dave27 gives you the broad brush, skeleton outline of the plot......
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Aliens is set some 57 years after Ripley (played by Weaver) was the sole survivor of the extraordinary events on the deep space ship, Nostromo. The ship had happened upon a planet packed with odd alien eggs and had been terrorised by a horrific new arrival. After polishing off the foul brute, Ripley had put herself into suspended animation with her cat, Jones, and set off in the direction of home.
A salvage ship located her and brought her in and the company questioned her about what happened. They didn't believe her story and dismissed her as a dangerous crank, especially when she became almost hysterical at the news that a number of families had been despatched to the planet in question.
Eventually, however, contact with the colony in the planet is lost and Burke, the sleazeball representative of the company sought out Ripley's help on a rescue mission. She is still haunted by nightmares of the previous horror, but in the end agrees to accompany a group of marines on the mission.
When they get there, the entire settlement is apparently deserted, but eventually they locate a whole load of life readings, all clustered in one part of the settlement and set off to investigate. They find a weird chamber with all the settlers pasted up and cocooned in all sorts of gunk and then something appears from the chest of one of the women there and all hell is let loose again.....
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Okay, plot revelations over, not too bad, now was it?
One theme which is explored quite cleverly in the film is the nature of leadership, because the lieutenant commanding the mission is on only his second combat drop and his hardened bunch of missions are not overly impressed, falling back instead on the direction of Apone and Hicks in battle, especially when the lieutenant is knocked out. The experience and strength of personality of Ripley also quickly gain her the crew's respect and she assumes the role of leader.
The relationship between Hicks and Ripley is a little less expertly played out, leading to gauche silences and winsome glances, and how can you take a guy called Duane seriously? Ripley's haircut is also difficult to place any faith in...
That drawback aside, however, Aliens is a flawless piece of work, in which the skilfully driven action never lets up. The desolate blackness of the planet and the settlement, the sleazy threat of the omnipresent alien colony, the underlying tension of the whole affair ... it all makes for extraordinarily good cinema, even if you don't have to get your brain into gear very often.
There is a fine performance by Weaver which won her an Academy Award nomination and her contempt for both Burke and the token ship's android is splendidly real. She manages to combine the tough, rough exterior of a woman in a man's world with the warm tenderness required by her relationship with Newt, a little girl, who was the only member of the settlement to escape capture by the aliens. It's a cleverly observed, multidimensional performance which remains one of the finest she has ever given.
The film is packed with memorable set pieces, especially the one where Ripley in a huge hydraulically powered loading suit takes on the Alien Queen in a ferocious fight to the finish. This is marvellous, marvellous stuff.
I saw this film again the other night, several years after I last saw it, and I was truly amazed by how bloody strong it was. The original was an epic, a deep space mystery with some fine performances, but Aliens knocks the stuffing out of it in terms of pure thrills and action. Once the marines land you don't get a moment's peace and remember, the film ain't over until the credits have rolled.
The follow up to this film, Alien 3, was a sad let down after this marvel and saw the theme a bit too stretched, which is a shame, but that normally happens when you hit the sequel, so revel in the meisterwork of this film and thank your lucky stars.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1979 - Science Fiction - Director: Ridley Scott - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Cheers. I have recently bought Alien and seen it proplerly for the first time and loved it, and from your review I am definitely going to get hold of a copy of Aliens.
Bigbaz 26.08.2001 23:38
Great films, great op, pity about the mafia, welcome to my Cot...Baz
jennystevenson 26.08.2001 16:16
Excellent opinion, enjoyable to read. This has to be my favourite out of all the Alien films, it's just pure entertainment. Cheers, Jenny =)
James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
In this action-packed sequel to Alien Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley the only ... more
survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with skepticism until the mysterious d...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
James Cameron'sAliensdigests all the virtues ofAlienand regurgitates them bigger, louder ... more
and brasher than before. By the simple expedient of turning the singular beast of the original into a plural, Cameron transforms the franchise's focus from horror ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Excellent presentation of the film itself in terms of both image and sound; comprehensive photo gallery; interesting interview with James Cameron. Disadvantages: No Director’s Commentary; only one trailer included; no music audio options — essentially, this is not an extras-lite DVD, but it simply has nowhere near as much content as the Alien DVD it follows.
Advantages: great, fun movie, excellent C.G effects and loads of extras!!!!! Disadvantages: a little tame on the gore and violence factor compared to the previous films!
![Aliens [1986] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78518282.jpg "Aliens [1986] [DVD]")
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![Aliens (Two Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1986]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78541008.jpg)
