James Cameron the way we like him

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 1999)

If they ever do vote James Cameron "King of the World," it'll probably be for Aliens, not Titanic. It seems the consensus about Cameron's writing ability is mixed at best (the influence of Titanic, no doubt), but Aliens, even after 13 years, seems fresh, well-paced, and utterly engaging the whole length of it.
It's all the more remarkable considering that Cameron was working from Alien. The plotlines flow smoothly into the new film, and several new themes are initiated and pursued, the most fruitful among them motherhood. We meet the alien "mother," and Ripley takes in Newt as if she were her child. (The special edition also includes information about Ripley's real daughter.) It's a line that will be explored more in the next two films; thankfully, Cameron avoided biting off more that he could chew.
Aliens is also special for so successfully transforming a franchise from one genre (horror) to another (action), in the process setting new standards for action films. Of course, the switch to action calls for certain concessions. In order to present a war against aliens, Cameron makes them more corporeal and vulnerable. In the original, the alien almost transcended physicality; as it dispatched some of its final victims, we see it moving slowly, arms outstretched, almost as if it were floating through water, confronting its victim face-to-face. It was like death itself, inevitable, irresistable. Cameron's aliens, though formidable, have just as much to fear from a bullet as any human. The might of the alien is also lessened considerably with the change of location. The nervous energy of Alien drew on the claustrophobia of a small crew on a single ship. Aliens, located on a planet, noticeably lacks this.
Still, Aliens represents a moment when all of James Cameron's strengths came together, a moment that hasn't been repeated since.