The best action/fantasy thriller EVER !!! ( some small spoilers )

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2001)

This movie was made in 1986 but noone has managed to top it ever since. Not only it is probably the best of its kind but it DEFINATELY surpassed the horrible , boring "Alien" ( I know I may get shot for that ) Ridley Scot 's film has a couple of CLASSIC moments (e.g. the facehugger on Kane 's face , the chestbursting , the death of Ash and the explosive finale ) but otherwise it is a BORING BORING BORING picture , slow and manytimes inbearable . Just think of it . If the story of Aliens was used for the first part and vice versa everyone would regard Alien as a mediocre sequel ( just like Alien 3 ) . Think of it . Alien was definately a classic because it simply happened to be the first in the row . But classic does not necessarily mean good . This does not mean that the James Cameron version has not its flaws. Basically the script takes the idea and reproduces it ( more aliens , more weapons etc ) There are many similarities as well in the basic plot ( a double -faced traitor , an explosive finale , the alien comes on board , the alien is neutralised in precisely the same way )I would dare to say at all cost that it is simply a rehash (or a remake why not ? ) . So what makes Aliens so special ?
First of all the direction . I believe this is definately Cameron 's best job to date . The SFX are something beyond excellent they are convincing . You really BELIEVE that these creatures exist . Especially in the final breathtaking scene ( I won 't reveal it here ) . All I can say is that you will find yourself HOOKED in the screen . I don 't think that there is a most convincing "fake" scene , not in an action film but a movie generally . Sigourney Weaver is an ever - reliable actress and she does her best here . Her Ripley is one of the most "everyday" courageful and brave people in cinematic history . I think 50 % of the film 's success is due to her perfomance . She was BORN to play Ripley !!!
Some story elements: Ripley wakes up after 57 years of hypersleep when she is rescued by "blind luck" . The company people want to know what happened and why Nostromo was destroyed . This is one of the most "entertaining" (in a very peculiar way) sequences in film history (you don't know whether to laugh or cry) because she tells the same story again and again but nobody believes her !!! Ripley is still haunted by bad dreams with the Alien . She decides to escort the Aliens ' destruction mission as an advisor since she has advanced knowledge on the subject . With a group of Marines they land on a space colony only to find out that the habitants are killed by those dreadful monsters . The Aliens have reproduced themselves by infesting the planet with eggs , facehuggers and babies . The advanced weaponry unfotunately cannot save them . After a few typical combat scenes the force is dwelled by half and there is only one way to save themselves .
There are solid and ( I would say quite good ) perfomances from all the other actors . Paul Reiser (Burk) , Michael Biehn (Hicks) , Bill Paxton (Hudson) , Carrie Hehn (Newt) and Lance Henricsen(Bishop) . There are some unforgettable lines which make the rollercoaster even better " Stay away from me Bishop " , " So why don't you put HER in charge ? " , " I don 't know which species is worse . At least you don 't see them fucking over a percentage " , " Stay away from my ship you BITCH "etc.
Now the cons : 1)some of you may find the dark cinematography irritating and hard to follow 2) Despite the suspence , some action scenes are quite predictable ( the first combat with the aliens , the facehugger attacks Ripley scene , the trapped in the lab waiting for the alien assault scene etc ) . 3) The script does not avoid some plot holes which seem to torture almost every sci-fi adventure : why don 't they blow up the planet after the first deaths ( especially since the leader dies ), how Bishop escaped the Aliens through the conductors ( maybe because he doesn 't have body temperature ? ) , why don 't they think of the escape vessel immediately since most are dead etc ,etc . 4) It is quite predictable who lives in the end .
Despite the defects the story is so beautifully told and the finale is so breathtaking and convincing that you will find yourself sucked by the illusion of cinema . See it after midnight and preferably alone. You will enjoy it more . ALIENS ROCKS !!!
9/10