The discussion rages on, even to this day, has there ever been a sequel that has superseded the first? Some people point to The Godfather Part II, some point to Terminator 2 and others point to Empire Strikes Back. Wherever you land on this, wherever your allegiance lies, there is also the belief that Aliens outstripped the first and is in fact the best Alien film in the Saga.
I'm going to say it now before we get into this review. I am not one of those people, not by a long shot and I am pretty sure I will upset a few people, in fact, I know I will upset people as they read my reviews of this saga. That's the beauty of this art form, you can't have a real view on a film until you have seen it and it's such a subjective medium that no opinion can really be accused of being wrong.
7 years after the Xenomorph scared millions on the big screen, fresh off the back of The Terminator, James Cameron took over the reins for the sequel. With the tagline 'This time it's war' you instantly know the plan is to go bigger, bolder and louder.
'I've slept enough' - Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)
It opens at much the same pace as the first, very slow and cinematic, picking up the story pretty much where we left Ripley. On the lifeboat of the Nostromo and in stasis, she is discovered by a deep space salvage crew who realise reluctantly there is no money to be made and Weyland Corp will be taking control of the situation. Upon the return to Earth's orbital space station, Ripley is advised she has been in stasis for 57 years. Everything she left behind is gone, with her daughter passing 2 years before at the age of 66.
Throughout, we bear witness to the mistakes most 80's sci-fi films have made, with attempts at futuristic clothes, futuristic architecture and futuristic technology but with so many era defining factors they instantly become dated. For all the attempts to show technological advances you have corporate executives in sharp 80's suits but with the jacket collars designed to be up, haircuts that could only have come out of the hairspray era and the need to make everything look futuristic, right down to the coffee cups and business cards.
'We're on an express elevator to hell, going down!' - Hudson (Bill Paxton)
The theme of 'The Corporation' putting money above all else continues throughout with Ripley being accused of tall tales and the negligent destruction of company property, namely the Nastromo. Here is where we find out that in the last 20 years Weyland Corp has not only returned to LV-426 they have in fact colonised it with a large number of families to begin the terraforming process, this being the final confirmation that Ripley cannot be telling the truth with regards to the Xenomorph and death of the crew.
Jumping forward 6 months, after a recon trip to an obscure sector of LV-426 and the discovery of a strange space vessel, the colony has gone dark, no signals being received. Following refusals, discussions and negotiations, it is agreed that Ripley will return with a group of marines as an expert advisor, but will be kept far away from any potential harm.
'Get away from her, you bitch' - Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)
We meet the ensemble cast with the introduction of the Marines, the badass US Marine Corp, who are so over the top it's painful. This is where my fellow film fans will start disagreeing with me, I know they will be preparing their rebuttals, their facts to counter what I am about to say. Every single Marine is painfully cliched to the point that I just switch off to what they bring to the party. A couple of them have glimpses of a bearable personality that is redeemable, but whether the director requested they ham it up or each of them walked in and decided they were going to act like a characature badass, who knows.
Cast wise Sigourney Weaver, in her return to Ripley, is sublime. Developing her with more depth, more compassion, more emotions whilst keeping the control and leadership she demonstrated in the first. The mixture of fear, bravery and anger she manages to encapsulate from scene to scene to scene is incredible. This is also the first collaboration between James Cameron and Michael Biehn and in this case it is the best of the bunch. If you read my review on The Abyss you will know that I don't hold his performances for Cameron in high regard. However, as Cpl Hicks he maintains a level of calmness and reserve that is in stark contrast to other performances and all other Marines in this film.
Carrie Henn plays, Newt, a 10 year old survivor of the disaster that has consumed the besieged colony, an instant daughter role for Ripley (Weaver). Whilst it is not an Oscar worthy performance, she manages to bring a certain innocence and, at times, comic timing many actors would envy. I was struck by her accent which is a mixture of American and English, which on research comes from the fact she had resided in England for a number of years prior to being cast in the role.
'They're dead, alright, can we go now?' - Newt (Carrie Henn)
The only other cast members worth mentioning are Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. Reiser plays the corporate stooge in a standard way, but manages to bring the correct level of arrogance and business narrow-mindedness to a character that you are supposed to hate. Lance Henriksen plays, Bishop, the new charming synthetic, programmed from lessons learnt from the 'Ash', series of synthetics.
Then there is Hudson, Bill Paxton. A good friend of mine is going to vehemently argue against my views, I have discussed the performance of Paxton and his character on various occasions. I don't know if it is my personal dislike for over hammed acting, over the top characters or that I think Paxton is just not a very good actor. I don't know if he played the character as requested or if it was a development of his own. Either way, I just have no real positive views on either the character or the performance, it's not the worst acting I have ever seen but hey, I won't say any more about it for fear of really offending fans.
'Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen!' - Hudson (Bill Paxton)
As we have come to expect from a James Cameron film the special effects are at the top of their game. The sets create the interior link to the original film, whilst bringing more depth and development to the Xenomorph's physical appearance and the habitat around them. With a larger playing field in Aliens the effects crew are able to bring more elements to the table, more explosions, lightening strikes, bigger model concepts for vehicles, spacecraft and weaponry.
Visually it is head and shoulders above the first but this is the only aspect that is better. The score is weak at times, the script is juvenile, the characters (except Ripley and Newt) are one dimensional, uninspiring and badly acted. For whatever reason they toned down the use of blood and gore, the film is more suspense than horror and with the increase of action it loses the aspects that made Alien such a classic intelligent film.
'Not bad for a human' - Bishop (Lance Henriksen)
Now, I did enjoy the film. It is a solid 80's action movie that keeps you entertained from start to finish, but it does have its flaws and is a far stretch from being the best of the Alien films. If this wasn't a sequel to Alien I would probably be reviewing this extremely differently.
As I said, there will be a number of people that disagree with me. Maybe I am the only person to perceive Aliens this way. But there you have it.....
Farquaad's Score: 3.5 stars or 7/10
IMDB: 8.4/10 (613,845)
Metascore: 84 ( 22 Critic Reviews)
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