Aliens (1986) review

8. Aliens (1986)

Directed by: James Cameron

Produced by: Gale Anne Hurd

Screenplay by: James Cameron

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser

I so love the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite horror movies; Ridley Scott’s “Alien” is a masterpiece of science fiction horror, full of tension, horrifying special effects, and great characters. A few years after its release, executives at 20th Century Fox came across a new sci-fi script written by a relatively young filmmaker; the script was for “The Terminator,” and the filmmaker was James Cameron. After that movie became a surprise hit, Cameron was tapped to direct the sequel “Aliens,” despite being apparently told that it was a no-win situation. If it was good, he’d just be piggybacking on what Scott already accomplished; if it was bad, then he ruined what was already perfect. But thanks to raised stakes, explosive action, and fleshed-out storylines, this movie takes what was great about the original and supercharges it, creating one of the great thrillers ever made.

After “Alien” ended with Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the cat Jones escaping as sole survivors of the Xenomorph attack on the Nostromo, this film begins with them still in stasis in an escape pod, finally being picked up 57 years later by a salvage team. She’s then debriefed by her employers at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, who don’t believe her claims about the alien or the eggs her team found on the exomoon, which is now the site of a terraforming colony. But after losing contact with the colony, Weyland representative Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) asks her to join a Marines operation to investigate; Ripley agrees on the condition that they exterminate any Xenomorphs they find. They board the Sulaco ship and arrive to a battle-torn scene of carnage, full of opened alien eggs, dead facehuggers, and cocooned colonists who are being used to incubate offspring; the only survivor is a young traumatized girl named Rebecca, a.k.a. “Newt” (Carrie Henn). Despite their training, the Marines are overmatched by the Xenomorphs that ambush them and cut off means of escape; Ripley takes control, using her past experience to protect Newt and the others, all the while preventing the sniveling Burke from carrying out his own agenda.

So unlike the first movie, where the action was centered on the interstellar equivalent of truck drivers transporting cargo, this is full-fledged war, and nowhere is that more apparent than with Ripley. At the start of the story, she’s traumatized, frustrated and mistrusting, just along for the ride to consult in the hopes that the people with guns know what they’re doing. It’s when they meet Newt that her instincts change; sadly, the character arc isn’t as complete in the theatrical version, but there’s such a delicate balance in their interactions. I usually don’t like when movies force small children into the action because they just end up being another obstacle, but the way it ties into themes of protection and motherhood really makes it charming. It might be a little pandering at times, but you still believe their bond. And of course, when things get bad, Ripley kicks so much ass it’s incredible; Sigourney Weaver has never been better, in my opinion. She evolves the character from a well-executed “final girl” into a bona fide action hero alongside Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, becoming the first actress to receive an Oscar nomination for an action movie.

One common detriment of many imitators of this setup is that the supporting characters are indistinguishable from each other, so that if one of them dies, it barely registers an impact. But this is one of the more memorably diverse casts you’ll ever see; there’s Michael Biehn as the soft-spoken Corporal Hicks, Bill Paxton as the drawling, whining Private Hudson, Lance Henriksen as the android Bishop, William Hope as the inexperienced Lt. Gorman, Jenette Goldstein as the tough-as-nails Private Vasquez, and Al Matthews as the hard-ass, cigar-chomping Sergeant Apone, the latter of whom served in Vietnam as the first black sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Paul Reiser, meanwhile, makes for a terrific foil; though claiming he’s an okay guy, he manages to be condescending, callous and cowardly, making for one of those movie bad guys you love to hate. I only wish he was given a more brutal send-off treatment; this was another case of the story being cut down in post-production.

While the script probably could’ve done a little more as far as keeping these soldiers emotionally grounded, they still get plenty to work with besides shoot aliens. They all have exchanges that give them genuine gravitas, and elevate would-be generic roles into something much more nuanced. Hicks trains Ripley how to use the guns, and Bishop has to earn her trust after her prior mission with Ash. Most notable is Hudson; if it were anyone other than Paxton, this character would probably get annoying fast, but all these neat little touches help form relationships that really make you care as they go through these situations. The scene where they’re first introduced was actually filmed last, so that the camaraderie they built throughout production would shine through on screen, and it really works.

Before switching tactics into world-building or historical epics, Cameron was one of the great action directors. On a relatively modest budget, the movie is aesthetically stunning, with a masterful use of James Horner’s music, color, smoke, scale miniatures, and especially animatronics. Though H.R. Giger was tied up with other projects, Cameron collaborated with Stan Winston on the designs and set pieces; the sight of these practical effects coming to life is show-stopping and scary, with the climactic queen alien the biggest spectacle of all. The prop was a 14-foot foam puppet that had different parts of its body being controlled by multiple technicians. It’s just an incredible sequence; I love watching the queen and Ripley face off, the former surrounded by her eggs, the latter with a flamethrower, and there’s no dialogue, yet you can tell exactly what they’re thinking. But even aside from how big and epic some of these scenes are, the film doesn’t forget the little things. The suspense is still excellent, particularly in the use of the soldiers’ body cams that put us right in front of the action, and when they view movement on their radar getting closer and closer, but still can’t see the enemy.

If I really had to nitpick, I would say that some of the logic is a little bit iffy as far as how Xenomorphs can get in and out of certain areas undetected, or Carrie Henn has some awkward line reads as Newt, or the PTSD aspect could’ve been stronger. But “Aliens” is still an action/horror tour de force; it won Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Visual Effects, was one of the biggest box office hits of the year, reportedly helping save Fox, and catapulted Cameron from one-time success to a big-league name. The whole production was a trial of respect, as few on the British film crew favored him, remaining loyal to Scott; but now he can go to his grave claiming he’s made two of the greatest film sequels of all-time, the other being “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” With that said, does anyone really want to see a sequel to “Avatar,” let alone four? But that’s another story; this review’s running long, so let me wrap up. Whether you say the first or second movie is better is immaterial; they’re both stellar horror films for different reasons, but I say it doesn’t get much more explosively, terrifyingly awesome than this.

My rating: 9.5/10