The Exciting Continuation

Rating: 10/10 (8 February 2006)

Review 2 of 4
As the middle part of the Alien trilogy this film accomplishes exactly what any good second chapter must do, it builds on the world established in the first film and takes the story in new and interesting places. The emotional canvas of this story is broader than the original Alien, and the film as a whole is less subtle. I really like the theme's of family and the parallel character arcs of Ripley and Newt. They are both characters who have lost everything they ever cared about and through finding each other they attempt to fill the holes in their hearts that their respective losses have left behind. Cameron takes great time in setting up his characters from the start, something that was lacking in the original. The beginning of the film may be a little slow but like Cameron's next film, The Abyss, the payoff in the end would not be nearly as satisfying without all this time to get to know the characters and become emotionally invested. The setup is massively important to the rest of the film. Aside from the abundance of action this film benefits greatly from a larger emphasis on character. Hudson, Hicks, Vasquez, Burke, and Bishop are all very memorable characters, perhaps more memorable than those in the original film. It is the relationships between these characters that make it more than just an action film. Cameron has such a way with dialog and Aliens is a prime example. I have built entire friendships on mutual love of this movie. So many lines are so easily quotable. From a technical level this film is flawless, and like the original it has not aged much at all since its release twenty years ago.
If in the first film Ripley was discovering her inner strength, Aliens is where she learns to master her fear. In this film we also learn the depths of her humanity that was scarcely present in the original film (the scene where she goes back to save her cat comes to mind.) Ripley is a character that continues to change and grow, and this film does a fine job of fleshing out her interesting (in under developed) character from the first film. Aliens is definitely a film to watch more than a few times, but for different reasons than the first. The mystery and ambiance of the original film makes it fascinating to watch multiple times, but Aliens is more like spending time with old friends, you want to spend two and a half hours with these characters. Aliens is quite possibly the perfect sequel because it gives you everything you got in the first film and much, much more.