Movie Database: Review
Aliens
Quick Take: An alien that lives on human flesh and continually changes form must be battled by the crew of a futuristic cargo ship.
Director
135 minutes
running time
1986
year released
Thriller
genre
R
rating
Torifan’s Rating... 
Torifan’s review: If I could go higher than a ten on this film, I would. This film is off the charts! There are only a couple of films you see in your lifetime that actually change and influence your life, if you're lucky. I was twelve, almost thirteen, when I saw this film in the theater. This was one of those movies you had to see in the theater, if you could. This film broke the rules in terms of what sequels typically do; it was better than the original, it was a huge blockbuster, and it took the plot to a new level of storytelling for a sci-fi film. So what's this all about?
Ripley, our hero and central character, wakes up 57 years after a stint in hypersleep, only to find that no one believes her tale of the awful creature that gestates inside your stomach until it bursts forth, like some horrible birth from Hell, has acid for blood, and is just plain an ugly and frightening creature to behold. That is, until they find that colonists on the Aliens' planet are not responding to messages. Of course, we know Ripley is right. So back she goes, into the pit to face her most hated demon, the same demon she has nightmares about nightly. This creature killed her entire crew, after all, and would have gotten her if it were not so enamored of her in her underwear (haha, just kidding. The 'Ripley in her underwear' scene in Aliens is famous).
So Ripley goes back with a band of space marines to check out this situation on Acheron (aptly named, as Acheron from myth is one of the rivers of Hell). The real heart of this story, though, is the mother-daughter bond that forms between Ripley and the only survivor from the colony, a young child who calls herself 'Newt.' In a scene that was cut from the theatrical release but is on the DVD Special Edition, Ripley learns that the young daughter she left those many years ago has grown up and since passed away. So Ripley's bond with this child becomes a driving force in the film. Of course this all culminates in a showdown between Ripley and the Alien Queen, who is also trying to protect HER young, however ugly they may be.
The special effects are awesome, the writing for this film is awesome, and Sigourney Weaver was robbed of an Oscar for this film. This was my favorite film of all time for many years, and I still consider it to be pure genius. It sparked an inspiration in me that lasted for well over a decade. So Thank You, James Cameron, for the power of inspiration. King of the World, indeed. He should have been saying that after THIS film. Because this was/is pure perfection.
Cast:
Weaver, Sigourney
Henn, Carrie
Biehn, Michael
Reiser, Paul
Henriksen, Lance
Goldstein, Jenette
Paxton, Bill
Hope, William
Matthews, Al
Rolston, Mark
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