229. Aliens; movie review

 

ALIENS

Cert 15

154 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, horror, language

Do you remember when horror films scared audiences rather than made them laugh?

Thirty-five years after its release, Aliens had the power to have Mr W and me on edge in a way that few recent movies have.

Indeed, it is as suspenseful as any horror film ever made.

Sure, its special effects seem clunky by the standards of 2023 but, to put it into context, James Cameron's movie won two academy awards for production alone and was nominated for three more.

Sigourney Weaver was also shortlisted in the best actress category for her portrayal of plain-talking, all-action warrant officer Ellen (who knew her first name?) Ripley.

The film is set 57 years after Ripley was the sole survivor of the devastation of the spaceship Nostromo by the acid-blooded alien.

She escaped in a shuttle and put herself into hypersleep to be woken decades later by a salvage vessel.

Her acclimatisation is tricky enough before she is told that the alien's home planet has now been populated by a human colony.

Thus, when contact is lost, she is asked to go with a group of Marines to see what has happened.

That is all preamble to Ripley literally reliving her worst nightmares as the complacent task force takes on an enemy that it completely underestimates.

Weaver is all sweat and indignation as Ripley and is complemented by, among others, Paul Reiser as the scheming company man, Bill Paxton as a hyped-up Marine, Lance Hendriksen as an android and Carrie Henn as Newt, the child survivor of the colony.

In my view, the point of sequels is that they should take a story on rather than just be released for the sake of it as so often happens nowadays.

Aliens certainly does and even gives its original a run for its money. 

Reasons to watch: As tense as any horror ever made

Reasons to avoid: Gory scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Did you know? James Cameron wrote the script for Aliens in just three and a half weeks.

The final word. Sigourney Weaver: "The whole structure of that story, to me, was gold. I always felt that I could jump up and down on it. It was such a great, supportive arc for the character. In that sense, the second one for Ripley is probably the most satisfying." JoBlo

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