Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Lance Henriksen

Ellen Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years. The moon that the Nostromo visited has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, colonial marines have impressive firepower, but will that be enough?

‘Aliens’ is a rare occasion where the sequel surpasses it’s predecessor – especially since the original itself was so darn good! How is it possible for a film made over three decades ago to be this good? ‘Aliens’ is head and shoulders above other films of the same time.

The film pretty much spends the first half setting up the characters, their mission and their predicament. It is exciting and atmospheric. I loved the character introductions, which contained some funny humor, as well. (As a bonus, there was eye candy galore…I mean, all those muscles…!). Sigourney Weaver is excellent (again) as the film’s protagonist, Ripley. Paul Reiser on the other hand, is very good as the antagonist. And I also enjoyed Lance Henriksen as the android Bishop.

The second half of the film is full-blown action, horror and mayhem. It’s insane! The visuals are astonishing, and the production design is magnificent. How did they do all this in a time before CGI? (In fact, ‘Aliens’ was made almost two decades before CGI became indispensable in movies.) This time around the film is even more suspenseful, since we’re now all too familiar with the evil that lurks in the dark. The last act is a non-stop thrill ride with incredible action scenes. ‘Aliens’ is undoubtedly one of the best 80’s films, if not the best.

‘Aliens’ won Oscars for Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects. It won several awards, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Performance by a Younger Actor, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Dramatic Presentation, Best Motion Picture…

‘Aliens’ was also a huge box office success, earning $131 million on an $18.5 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Absolutely!