While Alien perfected slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs more of a punch, and features what I think is Sigourney Weaver's best performance.

Rating: 10/10 (28 August 2015)

Everyone says that sequels have a tendency to suck. Then there are the sequels that do not improve upon the original, but are still good movies on their own. Then there is Aliens. A sequel that is not like other sequels. Aliens is one of those sequels that is either as good as or better than the original. The film continues Ripley's story arc at exactly where the first one left off. Ripley has been floating around in stasis for 57 years. When she returns home, her employer, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, asks her what happened. Ripley tells them the entire story which none of them believe. She is also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Ripley is told that there are now colonists on the planet LV-426 which is the crew she served with found the ship from the first film. Burke, a high level representative from the company, tells Ripley that communication with the colony has stopped and convinces her to return there with marines and be an adviser. Unfortunately when they get there, the colony is destroyed and the colonists are nowhere to be found except for one survivor, a little girl named Newt. They find out that the colonists did discover the ship and everything that happened on the Nostromo is now repeating itself in the colony. This sequel was directed by Terminator director James Cameron, not Ridley Scott. But it still does not matter as Aliens has a lot of what made the first film great. H.R. Giger's designs from the first film are improved upon. That goes more than double with one of the aliens late in the film. The marines in this movie are armed with state of the weapons that can easily kill, but the film keeps all of the tension by having them completely outnumbered and at a disadvantage with them not knowing what they are up against, despite Ripley telling them earlier in the film. While there are the dumb marines, Hicks, Vasquez, and Hudson either leave a lasting impression or remain quotable. Newt is not your typical kid character. Most kid characters in films get annoying, however Newt is a lot fun to watch. She is also smart and realizes that the best way to survive against the aliens is to run. The acting in the film is also impressive. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley and owns the role so much that it is likely the best performance she has ever given. Hicks, Hudson, and an android named Bishop are all played by Cameron film regulars Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, and Lance Henriksen. All three of them suit their roles very well. Aliens is another one of those movies that ages so well over time. It probably gets better and better with each viewing. While Alien perfected slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs more of a punch, and features what I think is Sigourney Weaver's best performance.