It won't make a difference.

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2016)

Aliens is in many a carbon copy of the action thriller that was Alien - in which the lone feminist Ripley goes beyond her means to beat down the enemies and go through a personal growth. There is the same time limit which blares through the action to remind us of the impending doom. The same company interfering moral boundaries for their own financial gain. And there is the second chance for the Alien to strike back - they are never truly safe on these spaceships. Interestingly enough although Cameron builds much on the world that Scott created with a larger wealth of secondary characters and regulations and jurisdictions, but is wise enough to remain in the gritty, mysterious final frontier. No doubt Earth by now is either a desolate wasteland or glittering utopia - but the story does not need the contrast. There is a peculiar shot that sums it all up - the despondent Ripley waiting for any news about the current timeline, sitting on a bench within some trees, and then the camera swings around and reveals the background as a phony, two dimensional projection.
But apart from a similar plot structure Cameron has improved on the predecessor in many ways. Technically, the difference is obvious. The practical puppetry involved with the gigantic alien queen and the exosuit cargo loaders is brilliant; they move seamlessly and with a life of their own. The corrupted industrial setting is perfect for the battle for territory - Biddle's job is made easy with the pitch darkness only split by the glaring flood lights of the marines. A really great decision to use that singular natural light source to ramp up the anxiety of each shadowy corner and archway; elsewhere there are little touches like a giant fan to chop up the flickering lights. The smoke and dust is atmospheric whilst also masking the budgetary and limitations; we never know what's around the corner (or up above). And who can forget that dripping, slimy translucent tunnel feeding the queen? A secondary effect of the technical improvement is to clearly show how outclassed the humans still are after 57 years. The marines are predictable enough, and verging on cliché. The Vietnam parallels are clear; go in with a lot of firepower and not much sense, and be overwhelmed and out of their element. Paxton is the only one who really oversells it - overconfident initially and then a hammy, hokey coward. But can you blame him? The crew in Aliens had at least spacesuits (which were nevertheless violated). These soldiers have thin vests and some not even gloves.
Here we have a clear, well defined arc for Ripley. There is noticeably more maternal subtext than previously; the appearance of Newt drives her development from traumatised to level-headed and intelligent, and the protective motherly instinct mirrored by the nest queen itself seeing its eggs set on fire. A scene from the director's cut actually gives it even more meaning, where we find out the fate of Ripley's young daughter, having passed away in her middle age only 2 years before. So through her redemption she gains a second chance with Newt. The story comes full circle.