Aliens

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2005)

Director James Cameron (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, True Lies, Titanic) brought the superlative sequel to Sir Ridley Scott's science-fiction action horror thriller seven years later, and in terms of spectacle, this is much more elaborate. Basically, Ellen Ripley (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Sigourney Weaver) is finally picked up by her company, 57 years later, which shocks her, she also has many nightmares of her past experience. Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) asks Ripley to be an adviser ("that's all") for a team of heavily armed soldiers that are going to the unknown planet (LV-426), where Ripley and the Nostromo team landed, which has over the years has been colonised, installed with a fusion powered facility to make the air breathable. Their mission seems to be to destroy the aliens (or Xenomorph) after contact with the planet is lost, but Ripley is eventually dragged into the action as more and more of the soldiers are being killed. Along the way, they find a survivor, Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden (Carrie Henn), and not long after they are stranded on the planet, with no communication to the company, and no shuttle to escape. They do make sure that the doors are secure so the aliens, and parasites (facehuggers) cannot get in, while android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) tries to get a shuttle to pick them up. They do eventually get close to escaping, but Ripley, looking for captured Newt does get to meet the mother alien, destroy her egg nest and sack, before escaping and the place that is destroyed. There is one final encounter with the alien queen not long after landing to safety, she in the Exosuit "power-loader" utters the great line "Get away from her, you bitch!" Eventually Ripley gets rid of the alien mother, throwing her into the blast doors and forcing her into outer space (just like the first one). In the end, injured Cpl. Dwayne Hicks (The Terminator's Michael Biehn), ripped-up Bishop, Newt and Ripley are the last survivors, all put into pods for hibernation. Also starring Bill Paxton as Private Hudson, William Hope as Lieutenant Gorman, Jenette Goldstein as Private Vasquez, Al Matthews as Sergeant Apone, Mark Rolston as Private Drake and Wishmaster's Ricco Ross as Private Frost. The special effects are much more impressive, and the action more intense and gripping, a brilliant sequel. I have also seen the extended version, that director Cameron prefers, the extra material does provide some good background to some characters, including where Newt came from, it is just as interesting and essential as the original. It won the Oscars for Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects, and it was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Film Editing, Best Music for James Horner and Best Sound, and it won the BAFTA for Best Special Visual Effects, and it was nominated for Best Make Up Artist, Best Production Design and Best Sound. Sigourney Weaver was number 20 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and Ellen Ripley was number 8 on 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains. Outstanding!