Rambo in Space

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2003)

I saw Aliens first on the big screen when I was 14. I did like it, yet even as a kid I had a cynical heart. My first reaction after viewing the film was: Aliens is `Rambo in Space'. I also felt strongly that the climactic scene was no different to Alien.
I've matured and mellowed somewhat over the past decade and a half and have grown to appreciate Aliens more and more. It is such a finely turned creation that mixes perfect amounts of action, horror, science fiction, feminism and (dare I say it), anti-capitalism.
I viewed the extended 148 Aliens on DVD yesterday and I love the extra scenes. The shorter length cinema version by comparison is excellent, but in my opinion just a little too frenetically paced. I love the extra information about Ripley and the god-awful future society she's forced to exist in.
It's very rare for a sequel to equal or better it's predecessor, yet Aliens easily equals the brilliant Alien. The central reason Aliens is so successful as a film is that it uses lashings of originality which carries on neatly from where the previous film ended. If only more directors and writers felt the need to create an original story when they're hired to create a sequel.
There are so many strong and plausible barriers for the characters to work against during their adventure. And the characters themselves are all well drawn and quirky which creates great scene dynamics. There are so many times when I felt like slapping Bill Paxton across the face and shouting: Â‘Deal with the situation man!' Fortunately I didn't have to do this because Ripley put the bugger into line.
Even though I've seen Aliens 15 times, I could watch it again tomorrow. 9/10