Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Micheal Biehn
I think this film could have gone wrong very easily. I mean, sequels are always a risk anyway, but considering how great Alien was as a film, Aliens could have sucked. But it didn't. At all. I think that Aliens works so well because even though it isn't as much of a horror film as Alien was, it keeps the what made the first film great (for the most part). The beginning of the film shows us Ripley awakening from cryosleep. The moon from the first film now houses as colony of humans. When contact is lost with this colony, Ripley is called in to accompany the marines to investigate. Despite the fact that this film isn't really a horror film, instead focusing more on the action, Aliens works well in building its tension. Considering how formidable the xenomorph was in the first film, we know that multiple xenomorphs are bad news. And even if you haven't seen the first film going in, judging by Ripley's reaction, you know that these things are dangerous. And that's one of the better aspects of this film, it may have more action, but it keeps the tension. It's not as tense as the first film, but it's thrilling nonetheless.
There are so many good things in this movie. For one, the action is quite well done. It's hard to make gratuitous action not feel mindless, but this movie does it. It works because it blends it's fast paced action with it's blood pumping tension. The action scenes are usually preceded by intense buildup, followed by the insane xenomorph blasting. The action sequences work so well because there's buildup, and then payoff. And that's why it doesn't feel mindless. For me, action feels mindless if it comes out of nowhere. If it's just our hero blasting through his enemies who don't put up a fight, that's boring. Aliens lets us know what's at stake.We know if our heroes don't put up a fight, that's it. It builds up to each action scene while progressing the plot and showing us more and more of it's world. And that's hard to do. But I'd be lying if I said it was done perfectly.
See, I do think that the tension here is masterful. And the action is great. But even though we see how much of a threat the aliens are, I feel that after a while, they stop being threatening. Yeah, despite everything I said, which I do stand by, I can't help but feel that the xenomorphs aren't actually that intimidating here. See, in the first film, we fear the alien because we see it in action, and it feels unstoppable. Because it's completely unknown, everything it does is a surprise to both the audience and the characters. Here on the other hand, because people who have seen the first film know how threatening the xenomorphs are, and those who haven't seen the first film have heard how threatening they are, watching them be blown to smithereens by the marines is less satisfying. It's one of the few gripes I have with this movie, and I though I do feel that the writers try their best to work around that by having huge armies of xenomorphs swarm our heroes in compromising situations, I still can't help but think that this undermines the powerful and intimidating creature we saw in the first film. And I think that that comparison is justified because this film is a direct sequel to Alien. Again, the writers do work around this problem, but it's something I just can't help feeling whenever I watch this movie.
But that's just one small flaw in a movie with so many great things. The characters are all memorable and likable, especially Ripley. Sigourney Weaver is just so fantastic as this character. Just like in the first film, her strengths lie in her weaknesses. She gains her courage from being afraid, her power from being vulnerable. And her tenacity in defending Newt is just fantastic. This film succeeds in adding depth and development to an already fantastic character. Just like in the first film, the situation may feel impossible to overcome, but Ripley's sheer willpower and determination really enforce her status as the ultimate everyman hero. Like in the first film, the combination of her fantastic feats and human portrayal makes her feel like the hero we all could be. Like every great sequel, it advances the character's personalities in a way that feels real and satisfying, a natural development. I just love the character of Ellen Ripley, especially in this film.
H.R. Geiger did a fantastic job with the xenomorph in the first film, and his design is retained for the aliens in this film, with the exception of the queen, who looks fantastic. Her design is so complex and intricate, it's just wonderful. She's also just so threatening. She's a stark contrast from most of the aliens in the film, who, as I said, really don't put up much of a fight. The queen feels near invincible, and that's what makes the climax so endlessly thrilling. Just like the first film's climax, it really feels like Ripley is up against impossible odds, so it feels satisfying to watch her overcome them. The climax for me is probably the film's best scene. It's a culmination of everything in this movie, as every good climax should be, and it feels more intimidating than anything seen prior. It's such a fantastic scene.
I think a good sequel should up the ante from the first film, and Aliens does that. The xenomorphs may not feel as intimidating as the first movie, but that's honestly okay. the addition of the queen and swarms of xenomorphs make the stakes feel higher, even if the first film is more tense. The action is spectacular, and the character of Ripley is somehow improved form the first film, if that's even possible. While I personally don't think it's as good as Alien, Aliens does what most sequels don't do: feel necessary. It feels like an extension of the first film, and that's honestly pretty impressive.
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