Get Away From Her You...

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2013)

In 1979, Ridley Scott's ALIEN invaded the theaters, scaring the pants off of everyone with a highly lethal extraterrestrial. In 1986, James Cameron made this sequel. And what a sequel it is! ALIENS may, in fact, be the best sequel ever! For 57 years, lone survivor Ripley (Weaver) has been floating out in space. Shortly after being rescued, she's asked to go back to the planet where the alien ship was discovered in the first movie. In the 57 years, colonists have settled on the planet and recently went missing. A team of space marines tag along to investigate the disappearance. What they find is truly terrifying! Building upon the original movie's premise, Cameron turns it into an action thriller, with a healthy dose of chills, tough guy theatrics and instantly-quotable one-liners. Ripley's character has been strengthened, now tough as nails and bad-ass. Late in the film, her fight with The Queen is a memorable cinematic battle. Overall, the movies is excellent. My only complaint is with the re-issued SPECIAL EDITION of the film, in which 15 additional minutes were added back in. The extra footage included several unnecessary exposition scenes (one of which introduces Newt way too early). To that version, I give only 9 stars. As for the original cut, it's a classic that deserves 10 stars!