No. 24b - Aliens (1986)

THIS TIME IT'S WAR

Wikipedia Link

Rated: R (Restricted) for monster violence and strong language

Director and Screenplay: James Cameron; Writers: Cameron, David Giler, Walter Hill

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Lance Henricksen, Bill Baxton, Jenette Goldstein

Movie Introduction: After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. She warns her employers that dangerous aliens inhabit the moon now called LV-426, but she is ignored. To her dismay, she learns that colonists have been terra-forming there for 30 years. When communications with the colony on LV-426 are lost, Ripley is asked to accompany a squad of space marines to investigate. When the team arrives, the moon outpost is all but deserted. They find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt. But even these battle-hardened marines, with all the latest weaponry, are no match for the nest of deadly aliens that have overtaken the colony.

Defining Moment: "stay frosty"

In most great action films there is a moment when the "shit gets real". After landing on LV-426, the colonial marines begin working their way through the abandoned buildings, tracking signals from the transponders implanted within each colonist. Oddly, the signals are all clumped in one area, deep within the bowels of the atmosphere engine. When the soldiers finally reach the missing colonists, they find something else entirely.     

Something subtle you might have missed:  Bishop's law

In the kitchen scene, it is revealed that Bishop is a synthetic, aka robot. This upsets Ripley because a robot, Ash, caused her considerable pain in the first film. Bishop responds, "It is impossible for me to harm, or by omission of action, allow to be harmed, a human." This is actually the First Law of Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.

Memorable Quotes:

“We better get back ‘cause it will be night soon and they mostly come at night...mostly.” - Newt

"You maybe haven't been keeping up on current events but we just got our asses kicked, pal!" - Hudson

"Get away from her, you bitch!" - Ripley

Dad's Review:

Alien came out of nowhere in 1979. It was counter-culture to Star Wars, where the aliens were just other races, most of which were as civilized as humans. In Alien, the other life-form was merciless and nearly indestructible. One alien wiped out an entire crew.

The sequel took seven years to make. For some reason studio executives just didn't like the idea of a sequel. However, upstart director James Cameron was very interested. Thanks to his success with The Terminator (1984), he now had the clout needed and was hired as director. He wanted two things: a strong female lead and space infantry.

Cameron knew that Aliens had to move forward with Ellen Ripley, and Sigourney Weaver had to return as her. Weaver did not want the sequel to be a money-grab. After lengthy negotiations, Weaver and Cameron reached an agreement, and she was signed.

As Cameron compiled actors for the cast, he wisely chose Bill Paxton for Marine Private Hudson. Hudson acts tough, but eventually becomes the outspoken, almost cowardly, realist of the group. His whining serves as comic relief during many of the tense moments. Bill steals every scene he's in, and he delivers several re-quotable lines.  

The director also put a lot into making everything look authentic. That is no small feat when the film is science fiction. Cameron had the actors playing space marines read the novel Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, to give them a sense of the characters they were to play. Ironically, Aliens' soldiers are a much more realistic than those eventually portrayed in the Paul Verhoeven's film Starship Troopers (1997). I love that film, but will admit that its portrayal of the military is a bit too stylish and unrealistic.     

This film IS Ripley's story. She reluctantly agrees to return to space and serve as an "observer" on the mission to find the lost colonists. She is promised that if they encounter the alien, they will not study, not bring back. They will destroy it. 

To keep everyone safe, the mission is accompanied by a detail of bad-ass, freakin' space marines! These soldiers are experienced, well-armed and not afraid of anything.

Once this film gets moving, and by that I mean they encounter the aliens, it's survival of the fittest, and it WILL leave you exhausted. That is not to say there are not tender moments. I particularly love Ripley's relationship with the Newt, the colony's lone survivor. Ripley's "mother" instincts kick in and it's a strong side to her character.

In a way, the film is about mothers protecting their own. After you watch this film, you'll understand.

Rarely does a sequel out-do its predecessor. This is a glorious exception! 

 Onto No. 25... Oskar's Role Call