Aliens

James Cameron
1986

A worthwhile sequel to Ridley Scott's space chiller. James Cameron widens the franchise's scope, sadly moving away from Scott's sterile sense of isolation and existential dread. Still, it's hard to argue with the showmanship Cameron brings by pitting man vs. alien in direct combat. The film's design may be less artful but there's still some amazing touches in the marines' hip mounted guns (which fire bullets instead of corny lasers), the mecha-shipping-robot, and the Giger inspired alien queen herself brought to life by the late Stan Winston. Shallow marine characterizations and a sleazy one-note Paul Reiser, are offset by Sigourney Weaver's nuanced portrayal of Ripley and the emotionally punchy inclusion of an imperiled orphan. Motherhood is the theme of the day here with Ripley having lost her daughter to time, picking up the surrogate Newt, and facing off in mortal combat against another mommy who weighs two tons and pops out slimy facehugger eggs. Fleshing out the details of the alien race is a nice treat, and the parallels drawn to the insect world are particularly delightful.