Cameron directs fine sequel with high intensity and intellect

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2009)

After losing her flying licence Ripley (Weaver) joins a group of soldiers to investigate the mysterious incidents on the alien inhabited planet.
James Cameron (The Terminator) takes over directional duties for this sequel to the widely popular Ridley Scott picture Alien. In the past it is fair to say many Sci-Fi sequels do nothing for the originals. The two Matrix sequels destroyed the question of reality from the first, Terminator 3 ruined the intensity and imagination of the future where the 3 prequels of Star Wars made viewers think it was a different set of adventures all together.
Cameron therefore must be praised for taking the risk to direct a film that had so much pressure and not only did he excite and entertain he took the concept and put a higher intensity and intrigue onto the narrative to make one of the finest Sci-Fi sequels ever.
After many contract negotiations Sigourney Weaver (Working Girl) reprised the role of Ellen Ripley and did a fine job of capturing that hard opinionated soul and putting her back right in the middle of a high octane adventure. Weaver earned an Oscar nomination for her trouble and there is no question that some recognition was deserved.
Being the only person from the original in the sequel she is allocated more screen time and her presence of the film what makes for riveting viewing, especially that look in her eye when confronting her enemy.
The narrative, whilst political and outdrawn to begin with opens up into an adrenaline soaked intellectual thriller once the team arrive on the planet. Scary and always for every second tense, Aliens conforms to its Sci-Fi and thriller genres with its depiction of mysterious creatures and investigations.
The settings are once again magnificent as Cameron builds on Scott's representation by making everything darker and more electrifying. Not only is the Alien base horrifying we see an equally horrifying moment when Ripley crawls into a space to see where Newt has been hiding alone, what must be one of the saddest moment in Sci-Fi.
But this moment isn't repeated as the film is all about the action and Cameron with his fast interchanging style reflects the passion of a perplexing narrative that continues to surprise and the tension, once on the planet, never lets up and in a personal opinion, I found this more entertaining and intriguing than its predecessor.