Second part of the series to loose sleep over

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2005)

SPOILERS In the worlds of science fiction and horror, there are few films which can terrify as much as the Alien films can. Starring Sigourney Weaver, the series has declined in recent films, but it's first two outings were magnificent films which scare audiences throughout.
In "Aliens", Ellen Ripley (Weaver) has been recovered from the deep sleep that she entered in "Alien". Informed she has been in stasis for over half a century, Ripley is even less pleased to hear that the original planet from the first film has now been colonised. When the colony's communications abruptly end however, she once again finds herself forced to combat against the nightmarish species.
After the genius of the first film, few probably could have expected James Cameron to have pulled off such a masterful sequel. Continuing on from Ridley Scott's dark and sinister "Alien", Cameron adopted the series as his own and breathed new life into it. Replacing the slow, dark pace with more violence and gore (a technique he would then follow with the dark and moody "Terminator" and it's action packed sequel), Cameron offers us an amazing cinematic experience, and we love him for it.
Once more playing a character she is known to love (and is considering starring as yet again), Sigourney Weaver is superb as Ellen Ripley, a strong willed woman who is ultimately the victim of unfortunate circumstance. Weaver plays the character so well that often it is hard to tell whether she is actually as strong as she tries to imply, or if she is more of an anti-hero who doesn't belong in her surroundings. Weaver shows us a contradictory Ripley, an enigma who we can never fully understand, because it's unlikely she even understands herself.
"Aliens" also benefits from having such a good supporting cast. Whilst in the original, the support is best remembered for John Hurt's legendary final dinner, this second group is a much more varied bunch of characters. Led by the superb Michael Biehn (used by Cameron previously in the original "Terminator"), the cast contains an emotional wreck of a soldier, a greedy opportunist, a strong female marine and another robot. A vastly varied bunch, so many of the characters are well written and acted that you genuinely care when the predictable casualties start to occur.
As with the original film, the special effects are also top notch in the sequel. Rather than being dependent upon having to find a budget for one single alien, in this outing we are given aliens numbering in their hundreds. Lethal killing machines, the aliens have a specific movement pattern and are brilliantly shown and the special effects people in charge of this film deserve more praise than can ever be truly handed out.
"Aliens" is perhaps one of the finest horror and science fiction films ever made. Whilst it is impossible to truly compare "Alien" and "Aliens" because they are such radically different films, everyone has their personal preference. As a well written story, the first film just edges this one. If you want large amounts of action and bloodshed however, "Aliens" might very well be the greatest film of it's genre.