100 Finest Films - Aliens

Aliens – 1986, James Cameron

‘Aliens’ is the kind of sequel that should be made more often. While I don’t believe it’s better than the 1979 original, ‘Aliens’ holds the title of most original, therefore most watchable film in the Alien series. Cameron does not simply go over old ground, he ups the ante, escalates both sides in what is, in this film, a war between man and monster. Weaver’s Ripley has to stand up, take charge and hold a big gun, but her enemy isn’t just one little Alien, it’s a nest, and worst of all, a queen… The special effects in the film are astonishing, the Alien Queen is completely real, it IS there, and it’s a vicious evil monster. The climactic fight is iconic, and has to be seen to be believed. But the film does more than impress with state of the art practical effects, it takes the Ripley character and expands it, and Sigourney Weaver is completely up for the more demanding role written for this film. A slow building, very genuine relationship grows between her and lone survivor ‘Newt’, a traumatised little girl. Her bond with her is deep yet subtle, and drives the final third of the film. The last major addition is the expanded cast of marines, gung-ho and totally unprepared for what awaits them. Despite little time exploring any of them, they all gain enough of our attention to root for certain members, and become accustomed to who they are. A lot has to be credited for all the actors in these roles, who do a fantastic job. The lighting keeps the mood, a disturbing, cold and isolated blue for the most part, with vibrant red when in peril. But it’s not all good news. While there is nothing wrong with the score, it is not memorable and used extremely sparingly. This adds to the unease for the most part, but in some key scenes a bit of music could have enhanced the drama. The film also fails to put over the single aliens as a major threat alone, which would have added tension and drama to the scenes with loads of the things. Regardless, today ‘Aliens’ is still one of the most influential and iconic action films ever made, and next to the original they make a complementary pair of horrific sci-fi, different in many ways, but both made with the same level of quality.

Best Moment: Running out of time, Ripley goes in alone to save Newt, only to run into a creature beyond her worst nightmares. The single greatest practical effect ever used in a film, and one of the scariest monsters ever put on film…