Aliens (1986)
This time it's war
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, Cynthia Dale Scott, Tip Tipping
Director: James Cameron
Running Time: 137 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: 18
Action, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
On DVD Last time we met Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), she was a survivor. This time, she's a fighter. Hardly surprising given that, for this sequel to 1979's 'Alien', Ridley Scott has been replaced in the director's chair by James Cameron - and we all know Jamesy likes his leading ladies to kick some serious booty. Draw parallels, if you will, to the transformation of Sarah Connor from mop-topped wimp to muscle-bound chick-man in Cameron's 'Terminator' movies, and you're on the right lines.
This one's set a whopping 57 years on from the original, and Ripley, fairly understandably, has got issues. The alien she blasted into space at the end of episode 1 still pops up in her nightmares and, having heard her explanation of what went on aboard the Nostromo, everyone back on Earth thinks she's bonkers. The only thing is, they're about to start believing her big-time when a human colony goes missing from that same planet where last we saw John Hurt having his face sucked off.
Before long, the Ripster's been talked into joining a crack team of hard-butt marines in exploring the planet to find out what's gone wrong. Gulp.
Where last time we had a horror movie, Cameron's masterpiece is an all-out action-packed rocket-launcher of a film, with Ripley and pals battling tooth and nail against a seemingly endless stream of snarling space beasties. There's a considerably larger cast on board (that goes for both the humans and the aliens, come to think of it), which means pivotal roles for the likes of Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser and Lance Henriksen.
Carrie Henn is also thrown into the mix as Newt, the gutsy-but-noisy little girl who easily rivals any B-movie damsel in the screaming stakes. The tagline last time famously told us that, 'in space, nobody can hear you scream' - and you'd certainly need to be a couple of planets away not to pick up Newt's high-pitched shrieking.
DVD Extras: Original theatrical trailers, James Cameron interview, behind-the-scenes footage, photo stills, and the inclusion of around 17 minutes of deleted 'director's cut' footage.
It's Got: 17 minutes-worth of additional scenes, which probably aren't entirely necessary to the story, but make interesting viewing if you're an Alien anorak.
It Needs: The volume control handy for Newt's scenes.
Alternatives: Alien, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection, The Terminator, Terminator 2
Summary: An intense, explosion-filled edge-of-the-seat space romp that easily lives up to its predecessor.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 21th August 2003
External Links
Aliens at the IMDB
Comments5 Comments |
| you messed up on the date of the movie, it was made in 1996 or something not 1986. ---- (Editor: We draw our date information from the IMDB, and they confirm that Aliens was indeed made in 1986. I must admit, I shared your confusion - when we added our review of Alien (1979), I was amazed at how long ago it was made. It still seems fresh, and terrifying, even after 25 years. ) |
| Comment by:- cas | | 05 July 2004 | ip: logged |
| what about the peanuts? i am a really big alien movie fan and i must thank you for writing these reviews. PS why the hell would u wanna put bold italic strong or html in this ****y little box? huh? well bye. Derek. J. barnissons. |
| Comment by:- Derek. J. Barnissons. | whythe****wouldyouputawebsiteh... | 11 August 2004 | ip: logged |
| a cool action packed thrill-fest wiv characters u can really care about,a excellent atmosphere and a great twisting sci-fi plot |
| Comment by:- dave | http | 19 August 2004 | ip: logged |
| Amazing film - why is there not more comment ... ? Oh yes one thing to look out for - like so many of the alien films, the Director's cut and the cinematic release at times tell VERY different (normally better - see Alien 3) stories. My advice? When you buy the DVD, watch the D.C first! |
| Comment by:- Ross | | 24 September 2004 | ip: logged |
| Surely the person who said that Aliens "was made in 1996 or something not 1986", obviously is pretty young or is not well informed. I went to see 'Aliens' with my father in Ottawa (Canada), and it was in 1986. Sadly I didn't see the first one, but Cameron did a superb job. I was intense and a good ride. |
| Comment by:- Piff | | 01 November 2004 | ip: logged |
