Aliens follows the 1979 sci-fi smash, but not directly. Fifty plus years later a still unconscious Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is found floating aimlessly throughout space. Ripley quickly learns that the planet that the Alien she destroyed during the first film has been colonized by miners and warns of the imminent danger. Of course, the suits in the Company blow her off until radio contact is lost with the planet and it’s left up to a group of Marines hired by the company to investigate what’s going on.
Directed by James Cameron, Aliens is a departure from the structure of Ridley Scott’s original film. Instead of the cat and mouse games of the original film, Cameron chooses to come at his audience full force with an overwhelming onslaught of action. This is a complete turnaround from Scott’s film and it works just as brilliantly.
This is basically a war film. A group of invaders has chosen to attack and it’s up to the heavily armed military to stop the onslaught, of course this is at the behest of the bottom line of the Company. The problem is that the military feels invincible, the suits are only interested in fiscal matters, and poor Ripley is stuck in the middle.
Just as in the first film Sigourney Weaver is the main catalyst in this film, going from a reluctant observer to hardened warrior. Along with Cameron mainstay Michael Biehn as Hicks and Carrie Henn as Newt the trio are the weight of the last third of the film. Of course I have to mention the legendary Lance Henriksen as Bishop, the android that Ripley is obviously paranoid about during their mission.
The great thing about Aliens is its action. It’s a kick ass sequel that is just as good as the original without repeating the same formula as the first film. Cameron does what no one has been able to do in following Cameron in the Terminator films- follow up a classic with something all his own.
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