Aliens

An often astonishingly engaging and entertaining sequel, Aliens follows Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley as she reluctantly agrees to accompany a group of tough-as-nails marines to the planet from which she narrowly escaped in 1979’s Alien. It’s clear right from the outset that filmmaker James Cameron is going for an entirely different vibe from Ridley Scott’s original picture, as Aliens, which runs a long but not overlong 137 minutes, predominantly comes off as a visceral, balls-to-the-wall actioner that’s bursting with captivating and downright spellbinding sequences – with, for example, the aforementioned marines’ initial encounter with the title creatures packing an unexpectedly, almost overwhelmingly potent punch. (This is likewise true of several subsequent set-pieces, including Ripley and Carrie Henn’s Newt’s battle with two facehuggers and, of course, the now-iconic final confrontation between Ripley and the alien queen.) Cameron’s stylish visuals, coupled with Peter Lamont’s eye-popping production design, certainly plays a key role in cementing Aliens‘ often hypnotic atmosphere, and it goes without saying, undoubtedly, that the uniformly engrossing cast does a superb job of stepping into the shoes of their decidedly iconic characters – with Weaver’s mesmerizing turn as the increasingly heroic protagonist matched by stellar periphery players like Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, and Bill Paxton. (The latter is especially compelling and memorable as the panicky Hudson.) The end result is a top-notch followup that hasn’t lost a bit of its power and effectiveness in the years since its 1986 release, and it’s no wonder, ultimately, that Aliens is generally (and accurately) ranked as one of the best sequels in Hollywood history.

**** out of ****