When you put your heart into doing something memorable, people will remember your name

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2008)

You know back in 1987 when i first watched this movie on VHS - later i watched the uncut version - i was at first reluctant at giving it a shot but then i said what the hell might as well go for it and let me tell you i was more than impressed i was awed this movie was THAT good. I thought of it as the best sci-fi flick ever at the time and still do 20 years later. I mean you gotta look at this movie not only from the crew's perspective but also from the audience's. And that perspective scores very high all across the board mainly because from the very beginning the crew was set on making a sci-fi futuristic movie that continued the story from "ALIEN" but added new unique elements to the story. Everything is great about "ALIENS" the plot the storyline fine continuity and not only it follows where Riddley Scott left off but adds something unique to the gender. And the way the story unfolds gradually building up the tension while at the same time treading on that fine line between dark and light, good and evil, is just amazing how that was done in terms of sentimentality Ripley ,missed her daughter's birthday because fate was cruel to her given the circumstances of her floating out into space for 57 years, after she escaped from the Nostramo, and now she sees in Newt the one and only child who could possibly make up for the hole left in her soul once she found out her daughter was gone only 2 years prior to her rescue and here is her chance to make up for it. The way this chemistry between Newt and Ripley develops can clearly be seen throughout the movie little at first but as the movie advances, their relationship grows ever stronger and culminates at the end when Newt calls Ripley "mommy". It's clear that James Cameron and all his crew had their hearts set on making a movie not just for the money but also for providing high quality action to the viewer blended with that feeling that despite all the evil around us, despite all the risks we take all the compromises we might make, love conquers all in the end from start to finish while at the same time making us relate in some way to anyone of the characters..I mean you gotta understand that love, sentimentality and aliens, the story of the movie don't quite mix generally speaking, but by bringing Newt into the picture as the orphan child, the way the chemistry between the main character and the little kid develops, is just amazing..is something unique and you don't get to see this a lot in movies of this gender at least not a lot. I just watched not long ago "ALIENS, THE MAKING OF - BONUS DVD ONLY and i was just amazed with all the hard work and soul James Cameron and his entire crew put in, in order to give the audience a final product that i'm sure will be remembered for generations to come. And to sum it up that's what this movie is all about...something that revolutionized the sci-fi gender. Of course Riddley Scott did a fine job to with "ALIEN" only James did better. Way to go James! A masterpiece! And one other thing...you gotta keep in mind they used 80's technology as far as the equipment used is concerned - the spaceship just to name one, the atmosphere processor, etc- but looking at this movie 20 years later you still cant tell the technology is outdated..is just amazing how they've accomplished something like this and only with an 18-million dollar budget at the time. This just goes to show that if you as a director and crew as well have your heart set on making something memorable, everyone will remember your name. And last but not least, the soundtrack rocked, man, especially given that James Horner had little time to implement it into the movie. Good work James! My vote 10/10