Aliens (1986) Review
Written by: gabs1515
Assholes and Elbows! Arguably the best line in the film, but I also heard it quite often throughout my childhood. Aliens is the HUGE sequel to Alien. James Cameron I think was cut out to make sequels. There isn't a sequel he's made that was shit. Aliens, T2, Rambo 2 (screenplay). I think in a lot of ways they're almost better than the original. T2 for sure.
Aliens takes place directly after the events of the first film...with some 57 years inbetween, but nothing changes. Aliens is more an action flick than an alien movie, but I can hardly complain. The only thing this film lacks is the terror and scare of the original. Most of this film has to do with the big weapons, the marines, and of course a deeper explanation of the alien cycle. I wanted to give it a 9 because of that reason, but looking at it as its own movie, its easily a 10.
The design of the aliens in this film far surpasses the first in my opinion. I like how the tops are more bone-like. Of course the grand finale showcases the new "Queen" alien. Its so awesome its almost indescribable. Its just massive, vicious, and at the same time....a mother. It reacts like any mom would if a mysterious woman came into their house and burned all their children. I'd be tempted to take off and kill that bitch myself.
The special effects are awe-inspiring. Everything about it is done so well and with such great detail you tend to forget that they are models or a backdrop. I really didn't like Ripley's hair in this one. Not to sound like a girl, but come on...that hair cuts for women in their 80s. Is there something weird about how she just loses all her hair from the first one to the third one? Oh well what can you do?
There are plenty of things going on, but the first time I saw this film I thought it took too long to get to the aliens. I may have been impatient that night, but there's an hour of setup to the story and finally we see the aliens. There's nothing wrong with that, but its the truth. Once we do see them though, its one constant shit storm after another. People die, shit breaks down, the rescue fails, the power fails, the place is gonna blow up. I love it!
Any fans of the original Alien or any of the others definately needs to have this in their collection. I recommend you check it out and enjoy the ride.
Aliens
Written and Directed by James Cameron (Terminator)
David Giler & Walter Hill helped cowrite the story.
Key Actors: Sigourney Weaver (Alien)
Michael Biehn (The Terminator)
Lance Henrikson (Pumpkinhead)
Carrie Henn (Newt in the film, her only movie)
My Personal Feelings on the Film
Characters - 8/10. I liked the majority of the characters and they all played their parts very well. I didn't much care for the cockiness of some of the marines and the whiny character played by Bill Paxton. It wasn't so overwhelming that it detoured you from the movie any.
Setting - First inside a company space dock, then aboard a ship, and the majority of the film takes place on the original planet where they found the first alien in the first movie. Apparently some moron thought it'd be a grand idea to put people there. I liked how they made the building seem very similar to the first film. and the weird corridors when they entered the alien nest. awesome....awesome to the max.
Gore - You know it, good stuff here. Acid melting people's faces, the aliens being blown away, all kinds of blood and torn appendages.
Nudity - Nope sorry. I dont know why it'd even be there if it were.
Shock Level - 6/10. Nothing really ever made me jump in my seat. I sat tense a few times, but the kind of tense that comes with any timely escape situation. When you first get sight of the Queen alien, everyone seems to have that "holy shit" moment.
Humor - 1/10. A few of them tried to play it cool, but I didn't care for it. It was mostly serious.
Realism - 9/10. Everything seemed very realistic...for what it was. The aliens, the settings, the actors all played at the top of their game.
Ending - 8/10. A lot better ending than the first one. Aliens don't fuck around this time.
Interest Level - 7/10. The first half of the movie I wondered a bit, but when the action picked up I was hooked.
Classification - Futuristic Alien.
Sequel - This is a sequel to Alien and 2 more sequels follow this one - Alien3, Alien: Resurrection. There is also 2 spin-off films with AVP: Alien vs Predator, and the sequel to that coming soon AVP:R - Aliens vs Predator: Requiem. I would love to see another stand alone Alien sequel though.
If you've read this entire review, I want to point out if you haven't read my post that this entire week I will be watching the Alien and Predator series and writing a review for each. So please check back, let me know what you think. I like criticism. Thank you and Enjoy!