A Superior Sequel

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2018)

One of those rare sequels that is better than the first movie in every way.
James Cameron manages to take everything that was great about Ridley Scott's original 1979 film and builds on top of it to make a superior sequel.
It not only maintains the claustrophobic atmosphere of the first, but I found the characters more endearing and memorable (Ex. Hicks, Hudson, Vasquez) this time around.
The action is great, the creature designs are better, and the visuals are simply awesome. The Queen Alien is one of the greatest monsters ever put on screen and it's amazing that the effects were all done in camera.
Aliens also feels more textured from a character and writing perspective. I love the Vietnam War/Starship Trooper aesthetic (I personally like this movie better than the actual Starship Trooper movie) and the underlying themes of motherhood that is further accented in the extended cut.
I also liked how Ripley is upgraded to be an action heroine and Cameron showcases this transition perfectly. It all felt perfectly natural and in keeping with the logic of the story (I'M LOOKING AT YOU FORCE AWAKENS!!).
James Cameron back in his heyday really understood that in order for all this action and spectacle to matter, you need to have compelling relatable characters to anchor it.
It kinda bothers me that there is this growing trend of stereotyping the film as a "dumber action shoot-em up" version of Alien, which baffles me to no end.
Seriously, it's nearly a full hour before any gun is fired and there is literally zero moments in this story where the marines have the upper hand.