Great story, great director, great experience

Rating: 10/10 (20 October 2018)

This week I watched Aliens (1986) directed by James Cameron. The movie contained many of Cameron's directorial fingerprints and I saw some choices that carried over into his later film Titanic (1997). I thought the film was very well done. The script was really well written with a definitive story arc, good pacing, and every part of the script further drove the movie forward. I admire Cameron's sense of humanity that he injects into the film. Ripley was a strong female lead who was graceful, but knew how to take care of herself. In this regard, Cameron is one of the more in touch directors who includes positive and likeable female roles in his stories. The story was duly action driven and character motivated, which is really what kept the movie so interesting. I think that many action directors forget that half of the value of the film is the character. Action and special effects are only part of the equation and I think that Cameron proves this in Aliens. There were intense moments, but half of the fear was driven by whether or not the characters were actually going to live through the next moment, because we cared about the characters. This setup made for a great journey and a healthy payoff in the end. This was probably one of the most intense action-adventure-sci-fi films I have ever experienced and I love that it was an older movie. We should learn from those that have gone before us and not dismiss older films. There is value in what the greats knew and how they created these masterpieces and modern filmmakers should take note.