Really good Sci-Fi action movie

Rating: 7/10 (16 September 2014)

I watched this shortly after watching Alien. I was surprised by how different it was. Whereas Alien is a dramatic, suspenseful horror, Aliens is an all-out gung-ho action thriller.
Overall I preferred Alien, but Aliens does have a lot going for it. Sigourney Weaver is just as good as she was in the first movie - a believable gutsy action heroine with a soul. There is the sense of a relentless war of attrition, as the squad of marines steadily gets whittled down. And the non-stop action is thrilling - in fact it gets better and better as the movie goes on, culminating in an incredible battle between Weaver and the alien queen that is extremely well directed.
Saying all that, there are enough all-out action movies in the world and while this is one of the better ones, it is not as unique and original as Alien was. I also didn't think the aliens themselves were as frightening in this. They seem to get blasted away in large numbers with relative ease (bar the queen), like it's an exercise in pest control rather a battle with superhuman monsters.
But anyhow, this is an enjoyable and thrilling action movie that overall I would recommend.