Marines make the movie!

Rating: Null/10 (12 April 2003)

Even after countless viewings, I remain glued to my seat for the duration of this movie.
The first half-hour is a little slow, as the plot slowly unfolds and the links to the first movie are established. But all of that changes with the introduction of...
THE MARINES!
A tough, colourful, fascinating group that I only wish could have been explored further, the marines make this movie great. Each character has a different personality, each one a different background, and a combination of acting, writing, and directing talents flesh these characteristics out as much as possible.
Of course, some of them are more interesting than others, and fortunately director James Cameron is wise enough to give the more interesting people more screen time, so we can learn more about them:
-Michael Biehn, as Hicks, is the strong and silent type.
-Jenette Goldstein, as Vasquez, is the muscular tomboy.
-Al Matthews, as Apone, is the hard-bitten, hard-driving sergeant.
-And, of course, there's Bill Paxton as Hudson, defining forever the role of the cynical yet courageous joker of the group. Any similar role in any other movie is always and will always be compared to his performance in this film.
Besides the great characters, there is also Cameron's trademark never-stop-once-it-starts action. The soldiers fight the Aliens for two hours of screen time, and you'll never notice it go by. In fact, you probably won't want it to end.
In conclusion, 'Aliens' is a great action film and (because they were wise enough not to put the number 2 in the title) it does not have to be seen along with Ridley Scott's staggeringly slow original, nor David Fincher's morbidly depressing follow-up. It stands alone as a landmark in science-fiction filmmaking, as does so much of Cameron's work.
(And most of all, Sigourney Weaver looks *really* hot in the tank top carrying around the heavy artillery. That's the kind of heroine a man can root for)