Great SF action, but not in the same league as Alien

Rating: 8/10 (24 February 2016)

Ridley Scott's Alien quickly worked its way into my all-time Top 10 and has claimed a permanent place there ever since. Aliens, however, didn't impress me that much when I first saw it in a movie theatre in 1986. Apart from a couple of genuinely gruesome moments (like when the marines discover the cocooned colonists or when Ripley and Newt stumble upon the alien queen's egg chamber), I felt Aliens took a wrong turn when it replaced the slow grinding horror and terrifying uncertainty of Alien with 'bigger and more' all-out action. Even the effects seemed cheaper although seven years had passed since the production of the first film. I was entertained, but not overly impressed.
I still vacillate between loving and dismissing Aliens on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel it is nearly as good as the first one, although in a very different genre. Sometimes I find it too much of an '80s action movie' (I never liked those) with all the dumb clichés of the era being too evident. The extended cut, however, is definitely better. It adds more depth to the characters and provides a more epic experience overall.
Maybe you just have to lower your expectations after Alien, and watch Aliens for what it is: one of the best SF/horror action flicks from the 1980s.