A Landmark Sci-fi Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2014)

Aliens, a film directed by James Cameron, is one of those cases where the sequel is better than its previous film. Everything about Ridley Scott's Alien is improved in this film. Even the title of this one sounds better... "Aliens". I like this movie.
First, let's start with the genre. Unlike Alien, this film does not belong in the horror section. While it does have more suspenseful and thrilling scenes, they are presented with an action-packed tone. One of the things I didn't like about the first film was the mostly slow and sometimes dull build-up. In this film, Cameron shows off his skills as an action director. With a faster pace, I felt more engaged to the story.
Another problem I had with the last film was that Ripley (again played by Sigourney Weaver) was the only character I cared about. Nearly the rest of the cast were simply forgettable. Here, I felt closer to the rest of the cast. There was far more development and much more fun dialogue. I can honestly say my favorites were Vasquez, Hudson, Burke, Bishop, and especially the little girl, Newt. And, of course, as we learn more about Ripley, she was simply becoming a better character. I think it's fair to say the whole cast was pretty bad-a**.
And we can't have a classic sci-fi/action flick without some awesome special effects. What can I say that hasn't already been said? They were incredible then, and they are still incredible now.
Despite this being the better film, I feel I should bring up a few complaints. The pacing, in my opinion, does seem to slow a bit. I think it could be because sometimes, it seemed to follow the same formula as the previous film. Some scenes just seemed to drag on a little too long. It's probably just me.
In any case, I still like it. The film improves the previous one with visuals, narrative and characters. Ignoring a couple of complaints, this classic still makes a fun space thriller.