Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)

Aliens (1986)

I may as well, be one of James Cameron's furiest detractors, I must admit that I had some fun way back watching True Lies and the first two Terminators. I should also say that I've never imposed to myself the torture of Titanic and Avatar, yet. I know, as a cinephile I should have seen those mainstream  extravaganzas. For both, I don't really have the interest of watching  them and having heard so much from them that this is sure I will get  bored and predict every moment of them. But, one day, after I'll have  seen all the Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, Jean-Luc  Godard, and all the other filmmaker's films I have deep interest in I  will have to see Cameron's movies.

I think I took one good step by watching one of his films I had most interest in and that was from his pre-extravaganza period: Aliens.  The Alien franchise is a particular one, starting with Ridley Scott's  masterpiece and passing by the hands of James Cameron, David Fincher and  Jean-Pierre Jeunet, not bad. Another interesting point here the  protagonist of the franchise, Ripley is woman portrayed by Sigourney  Weaver, for a Sci-Fi/horror series of films this is uncommon but it is  so right! Weaver has so much guts that I would not want to see anyone  else as Ripley. It was probably one of the first times that horror met  Science-fiction and action films. Ridley Scott's film, Alien, has  a particular atmosphere that only this mix of genre could have create.  He invented a new genre and he brought to the screen one of the best  cult franchise. Everything about it feels right. On the other side, its  follow up, Aliens directed by James Cameron is really not directed by Ridley Scott.

First of all, the story has so many stereotypes that even the worst of  Steven Segal's flick seems liberal. The characters are tools for the  plot, even if we know that they're all gonna die we like to watch actual  human beings on the screen, I guess. The dialogues are stupid and the  only interesting relationship is the one between Ripley and Newt (the  little girl). Even if it's cheesy as cheese, it was interesting to see  Ripley have maternal feelings and care for another human being in the  movie. I think what was really strong in the 1979 Alien was that  horror was the main centerpiece of the story. In the 1986 edition, it's  action that is "au rendez-vous" and besides big explosions and many gun  fights with the aliens the atmosphere of Scott's film never shows up.

On the other hand, James Cameron shot the action sequences with the  time's best visual effects and the aliens are more disgusting than ever.  One thing I guess Cameron knows how to do well is to shot action  sequences that we feel we are taken inside the battle... One of the good  things I liked about Aliens (1986) was that it made me like even more Alien (1979). Well, this may not be a good thing after all for Cameron's Aliens.../</gispan style="font-weight: bold;"/>/gi
</span>

Recommendations: Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie, Duel

Aliens Review

Aliens, the 1986 sequel to 1979’s Alien does what The Dark Knight did to its successor. The core experience remains relevant, but the rest moves into slightly new and exciting territory. The horror is still there, but it is more of an addition than the point. Most of the movie’s thrills are from the action sequences, which consist of Aliens coming out of ventilation shafts, breaking doors, smashing the floor open, and even approaching an elevator wanting to say “Hold that door!” Much of the movie is held together by action and a seemingly perpetual intensity (once you reach the stowaway, which is about halfway in). It is accompanied by a slightly intricate plot, which keeps the movie going forward all 137 minutes.

Aliens starts with Ellen Ripley’s ship drifting in space. It is then recovered by another ship, and she (as well as her cat Jones) is found alive. She awakens in an orbiting hospital above Earth, where she is told that she was in hibernation for 57 years. Ripley then learns that there is a colony on LV-426, where she and her crew first discovered the Aliens.  Earth has lost contact with the colony, which results in a unit of hotshot Colonial Marines (which includes Private “Game over!” Hudson and the ever tough Vasquez) being sent to investigate. Carter Burke, who works for Weyland-Yutani (Ripley’s employer) is also going. He and Lt. Gorman convince Ripley to come as a consultant. When they reach LV-426, the colony is found empty, except for one resourceful little girl known as Newt.

For the amount of time setting up the plot, the movie does surprisingly well. At almost two hours and twenty minutes, the pre-LV-426 section is less than half an hour, while the rest is guns, aliens, explosions, and more aliens. It is surprising how well this holds, since the action sequences could have easily been like a playlist on repeat. What keeps these from getting old is the acting and special effects. The animatronics would still be impressive today, while the computer generated ones…To some degree. There is a scene where I do find it hard to tell where a loader is real or not, a goal that is rarely achieved today.  On the acting hand, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is a caring, conflicted, and ultimately awesome heroine. Whenever she is in a scene (which is pretty much every scene) she takes command in such a way that the other actors almost have to tap her on the shoulder saying “When is it my turn?”  The screenplay does compensate, allowing the other roles to shine, no matter how simplistic they are. The writers created some great lines, such as Ripley’s memorable “Get away from her, you bitch!” and the already mentioned “Game over man! Game over!”
The few flaws that appear in Aliens do not make much of a ripple, but are easy to find if you look. The first is minor acting and voice work. The time when it is bad is in slower parts, which aren’t as crucial to the movie as the action is. Sometimes the marines’ hotshotness seems like too much, or the military commanding is getting soft. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often. A more passive screw-up is a slightly predictable air. Thinking time is usually needed for such a trait, but there is not much of that. These flaws are easily covered, since the rest of the movie is so cool.
 
Aliens achieves a lot of great things, among them are classic lines, great special effects, and a steadily growing intensity that disappears but comes back hard. It’s not as iconic as Alien, but does justice while entertaining. The scares are not as plentiful as the first, yet the overall “charm” is. Aliens does a great job continuing the story arc. It does what a sequel should do and more, resulting in a great thrill ride.
4.5/5

(Read Less...)

Last updated: 2010-04-10 19:53:05 by user01

Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)

THE SCOOP
Director: James Cameron
Plot: The only survivor of the Nostromo, Ripley is discovered in deep sleep half a century later by a salvage ship. When she is taken back to Earth, she learns that a human colony was founded on the same planet where the aliens were first found.

Genre: Action/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Awards: Won 2 Oscars - visual effects, sound editing. Nom. for 5 Oscars - lead actress, art direction, score, sound, film editing.
Runtime: 154min
Rating: M18 for monster violence, and for language.

IN RETROSPECT
One of the best sequels of all time, Aliens is still one of James Cameron's most relentless pictures to date. Picking up from Ridley Scott's groundbreaking 'haunted house in space' Alien, Cameron exceeded all expectations, crafting a sci-fi action horror movie that has no peers. Only his second major film after the cult favorite The Terminator, Aliens confirmed Cameron's status as one of the most gifted storytellers of our time. He would go on to direct The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, and his most commercially successful of all, Titanic.

The screenplay is completely conceived by Cameron. Fast-forwarding to more than half a century after Alien, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor wakes up from hypersleep only to find out that the planet from which the 'Alien' creature originated from is now colonized by humans. When news filters in that everyone has gone missing, Ripley's worst fears are realized. She unwillingly embarks on a search-and-rescue mission with a team of trained combat specialists, knowing with experience that the enemy is virtually undefeatable.

The characters are well-developed, especially the supporting cast led by Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn. All of them take on a different personality but none of them fails to connect with viewers, making us root for them even though the odds of survival are stacked highly against them. Ripley is arguably the most iconic female action hero in history. Weaver earns an Oscar nomination here for her astounding portrayal of Ripley; she toils and sweats buckets in Aliens, often scurrying away from the creatures in the nick of time. Along the way, she meets Newt (Carrie Henn), a young girl survivor, whom Ripley treats as her daughter. The Ripley-Newt factor is the reason Aliens work at a far greater emotional level than Alien, and why the final sequence is so apt - a potent mix of action spectacle and human drama.

The extraordinary 'Alien' effects created by Stan Winston can be more clearly observed in Aliens. They look every bit as menacing and chilling as the lone ranger in Alien. While Ridley Scott's film redefined sci-fi horror, James Cameron's Aliens is fundamentally a sci-fi action thriller. The horror elements are still intact, but they are overwhelmed by the sheer thrill of the action sequences which bore the hallmarks of a quality filmmaker. The pacing is breakneck, leaving viewers with no time to catch a full breath. Running at more than 150 minutes, it's an ordeal to sit through. But it's the kind of ordeal that we want to put ourselves through. Till today, Aliens still holds up well and is easily one of the top twenty films of the 80s. Highly recommended!

SCORE: 9.5/10
[www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!

Recommendations: Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962), The Visitor

Singapore's Most Prolific Film Blogger @ www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-03-18 19:21:24 by eternality_tan