A Dozen Movie Marines visit LV-426: An Alien asks, "Who ordered Takeaway?".

Rating: 4/10 (31 January 2006)

Look out the Movie Marines are on their way! Dinner will soon be here, yum, yum.
Well, missing out on his first chance to, shall we say rewrite, the first and the great Alien movie, his choice? We now have Walter Hill having ago for himself, the second time around. Looks like someone who didn't like Science Fiction work, he certainly knows which side his bread is buttered now.
For some reason or other, the original role for Hicks had been given to James Remar, who played Ajax in Walter Hill's magnificent gang movie The Warriors (1979). His departure, as well as British born Director of Photography Dick Bush, whose work as Cinematographer on Tommy (1975), Yanks (1979) and Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) for examples, does leave some doubt and questions. To be replaced for creative differences because you didn't, it would seem, hit it off with the then Aliens Producer, Gale Ann Hurd. Oh, by the way, she, at the time was married, from 1985 to 1989, to the then Aliens Director James Cameron.
We are given the impression that Aliens consists of just a few tightly grouped movie-making buddies scratching each other's back, same old Actors working, again, for the same old Director, there goes the Character Development then.
While the Alien franchise is one of my favourites, I personally do think that Aliens is more overrated. While not the weakest of the whole collection, to me, this is just a bug hunt with to much off the "yahoo" and "yeeha" mentality. It's forever in in our face, and in the end is more important than the actual beasts that the movie should be concerning itself with.
The first Alien movie, (Directed by Ridley Scott and released in 1979), is a Historical Movie Milestone of tense character development and visual art. This, Aliens, is the unsensational opposite, having gone for the Lock and Load and Egos' are Us direction, he has turned an opportunity of imagination and creativity into thought-less sensation. Looking as though it was quickly thrown together, the Thunderbirds models were looking a little thin by the end of this movie.
It seemed, allegedly, that Ms Weaver threatened to do no more Alien movies after seeing the final cut.
The Bold as Brass and over the top Rent-a-Heroes are the epitome of the over zealous Movie Marines that is seen in just about every movie ever made. This movie has the miss fortune of having to use this type of Movie Marine stereo typecasting, nothing new to report here, luuuteennannt Ssiiirr.
Boring! Predictable! Obvious!
This Egg came severely cracked and grew not into an Alien epic, but more Pigs in Space, it's a Muppet Show sketch from the 1970's.
What more can I say?
Except,
"Come on Aliens, put me out of my misery, and finish your dinner, because it's getting cold".
Signing Off!