One of Camerons' finest moments.

Rating: 8/10 (2 July 2013)

Writer / director James Cameron follows up Ridley Scotts' groundbreaking and well loved sci- fi / horror masterpiece with this energetic, elaborate, and emotionally charged sequel that becomes part action movie, to great effect. Sigourney Weaver does such a fine job of reprising her iconic Ellen Ripley role that she got an Oscar nomination for best actress, not something that happens too often for genre films. It may not be as innovative as Scotts' film, but it's still got plenty of atmosphere and tension and keeps your interest even though it's very long for this sort of thing (with the theatrical version running 137 minutes and the special edition coming in even longer at 155 minutes). 30 years later, it maintains its status as one of the most popular and enjoyed films of its type.
The story picks up long after the events of the first "Alien" - 57 years, to be exact, as that's how long Ripley has been drifting through space in her escape pod. She finds out that the planet that she and her crew visited so long ago has now been colonized. Ripley is wary of the set-up, and it comes as no surprise to her when all contact is lost with the colony. A squad of Marines is sent there to take care of the problem, with Ripley trying to face her worst fears by tagging along in an advisory capacity. What happened is soon made clear: the colony was overwhelmed by a multitude of monsters of the same variety that she once encountered. These Marines are supposedly total badasses who pack superior firepower, but it remains to be seen if they will prove to be a match for the aliens at all.
First-rate, Oscar winning special effects are just one highlight of an intense movie that does have a lot of set-up to get through, but once it reaches its fever pitch, it's just a hell of a lot of fun. There's one effective set piece after another, although it could be argued that there's at least one climax too many. What does give the story resonance is the motivation behind the character of Ripley, as she morphs from traumatized, haunted individual to an ass kicking female Rambo, determined to save the life of the colony's sole survivor, a little girl (Carrie Henn, memorable in her only film performance). Weaver is wonderful and well supported by a cast full of people who are now very familiar faces, including Cameron regulars Michael Biehn (as the calm and reliable Corporal Hicks), Lance Henriksen (as the helpful android Bishop), and Bill Paxton (as initially cocky and ultimately cowardly Private Hudson). Paul Reiser shows off his dramatic abilities by playing one of the slimiest cinematic corporate villains of all time. Other scene stealers include Al Matthews, Jenette Goldstein, and Mark Rolston.
While it does take a while to get to these scenes, the best ones tend to involve the towering Alien Queen, which is a real sight to behold, particularly as she's created using old school marionette effects when nowadays we all know she'd largely be rendered using CGI.
One solid bit of business is the slight element of mystery when Ripley and the Marines first arrive on the planet. We see the devastation resulting from a horrible battle, and can only imagine what it must have been like.
As good a sequel that could have been made, some fans do appreciate how it goes off on its own path and scores. It's equal parts exciting and suspenseful.
Eight out of 10.