Pure Craftsmanship

Rating: 9/10 (30 November 2005)

Why write a review about this movie 9 years after it's release?
Because it's that damn good.
This movie is the second in a series of 4 and, together with part one, stands so far above the other two parts that some even regard this movie as the final in the series.
The plot pretty much stands on it's own, although having seen Alien before watching this movie adds a lot of extra depth to it. The barren planet LV-426 from the original has been colonized. No one knows what danger the planet harbours, until Ripley, the only surviver of the first movie, is found in an escape pod, floating in deep space. No one believes her stories about the alien, until all contact with LV-426 is lost. The Company sends her, along with a hardened group of Colonial Marines, back to LV-426. All hell breaks loose.
One of the best things about this movie is how James Cameron managed to give an action-twist to it and thus make it very different from Ridley Scott's original. The first Alien is a real thriller with only one alien throughout the movie, the second a sci-fi action classic with tons of the slimy critters.
The craftsmanship mentioned in the title of this review refers to there being no CGI whatsoever in this movie. Everything is 'real', handcrafted by the best artists of the day.
It's going to be difficult to find this movie in a theatre somewhere, but for optimal viewing pleasure buy the Special Edition DVD. Watch the documentaries and you'll gain even more respect for the artists that created this movie.
9 out of 10.