Rocks!

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 2000)

This is another rare case in which a sequel isn't worse or better than the original. Comparing the two, "Alien" had certain qualities that "Aliens" was lacking, but "Aliens", of course, had much more action and plenty of satisfying eye-candy (especially the ending!). "Alien" was almost unbearably suspenseful, and left me as frightened as Ripley in the end, but "Aliens" left me disappointed that it was over and begging for more. Whether or not that's a good thing, I still have yet to decide. It seems that every time I watch it, it gets better. Seeing it on the big screen would have really made a difference.
I'd have to say that the alien effects in this film really stole the show. Believe me, you will not be disappointed with them. Most of them look as real as the most top-notch computer animation of today, maybe even more real. How this was accomplished still amazes me. Everything else seemed outdated, but passable just the same.
Following Ridley Scott's example, director James Cameron, whom will always remain one of my favourite directors, didn't spend too much time revealing the form of the aliens. This makes the attacks against the marines ten times more frightening. When you did see an alien, you were never sure of which part you saw, because they either moved too fast or the camera angle changed too quickly. Cameron only showed what he wanted you to see, and the more he showed of the aliens, the more your heart begins to pound. This all adds up to the gripping ending: Ripley's confrontation with the alien queen.
Another element Cameron took up from Scott was excellent character development, especially on Sigourney Weaver's behalf. Her display of both fear, anger and heroism were especially touching, and the use of Newt, a little girl and the last survivor of the infested colony, to create a mother-daughter relationship greatly increased the emotional aspect of the film, which normally doesn't work in action/sci-fi.
Bill Paxton, in a role somewhat out of place, works particularly well as Hudson. His display of confidence before landing on LV-426 quickly takes a pitfall after the first battle against the aliens, and refuses to go anywhere with a remote chance of being attacked again. His feelings are so clear, we become just as traumatized as he is when he is forced to face them again.
Other characters, such as Burke and the marines, are noticeably well done as well. Burke, who's got a hidden agenda of his own, can easily be felt as that typical person who you feel you can trust but in the end cares only for themselves. The other marines, on the other hand, are detailed enough so you actually care for them when they die, even if they don't seem like nice people.
There are pros and cons to the special edition; I never found digitally remastered sound to make much of a difference, and I can see why some of the scenes were chosen to be cut from the original release. Mostly, the scenes of the colony before the disaster were not particularly well done, and I suppose the film's sense of abandonment carried from the original would have worked better without them. Of course, one scene I can't understand why it had been cut was with Burke telling Ripley that her daughter had died at age sixty-six, two years before she had been found. Ripley explains that she had promised her that she'd be back for her eleventh birthday. This was an especially emotional part of the film that explains why Ripley decides to accept responsibility of Newt so easily.
Overall, this movie cannot be watched only once. If you do, you'll soon find yourself desperate to watch it again. If you haven't seen it yet, buy it, don't rent it.