09.08.10 | guest-blogs | FanFare GuestsPrint this Post
Guest blogger Will Brownridge writes:
Just goes to show that you can’t trust the guy in a tie. – Will
After floating in space for over 50 years, Ripley is found and rescued. She also learns that the planet they found the alien on has been colonized and when communication is lost she joins a rescue team traveling to the planet.
Directed by – James Cameron
Written by – James Cameron, David Giler, Walter Hill, Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Starring – Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, Cynthia Dale Scott, Tip Tipping, Trevor Steedman, Paul Maxwell
I hadn’t seen this movie in years so when my friend stopped by to hang out he suggested we put it on. How can I resist the call of Aliens, one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. What I didn’t realize is that the Special Edition that I had was over 2 and a half hours long! HAHA! My poor daughter just couldn’t make it through the movie and my girlfriend was having just about as hard a time. Even I was thinking that maybe it was going too long at one point but I was invested in the movie and I wasn’t turning it off halfway through! I have to admit that there’s a lot of set-up for the film, it’s all very interesting but it takes quite a while before an alien ever graces the screen. When they do though it’s a moment that stands out.
When that rescue crew finally gets down onto the planet and are looking for survivors and the aliens just start sliding off the walls, wow, what a creepy moment. The way the aliens literally look like the walls until you see them slowly move away is incredible. Aside from some of the bad hairstyles I wouldn’t believe this was made over 20 years ago. I also didn’t remember seeing so much of the aliens themselves. The classic creature effects always blow away the CG competition no matter how far along they advance with CG and very few films can pull off the believable kind of effects that they used to. Now I won’t even bother going into the story that much. If you haven’t seen this film then shame on you! Get out there right now and pick it up, it’s worth every penny.
While I always remember Aliens being the best of the films, I kind of wish I had started at the beginning of the series. Now that I’ve seen one I know that I’ll have to go and watch all the rest of them including the second disk of features. I guess I’ll have to have an Alien week around here sometime to pull it off. Aliens has such a great cast of memorable characters. Well, at least the ones that survive the initial conflict with the aliens. Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Sigourney Weaver, Jenette Goldstein, Paul Reiser and of course Carrie Henn as Newt are the standouts. Some of them may be cliché but they’re so very different that you remember them and that’s another thing that is lacking from films today. Now they just throw a group of characters together who are all cut from the same cloth that you just don’t remember them except for being fodder for whatever alien/slasher/monster they’re up against.
The story is pretty generic actually. It’s not hard to figure out what Paul Reiser’s character is going to do when you see that he’s the guy that works for the corporations. Someone wants to kill the alien and someone always wants to make money off of them. It never fails. What gets you through the typical story is the great acting that everyone brings to the film. Paul Reiser is the slimy bastard that you can’t wait to see get killed while you’re hoping that the rest of the crew makes it out alive. It sucks every time you see another character bite the dust and that makes for a great film.
Mama ain't happy and Ripley is gonna have to pay for it!
While the story may not break any new ground, the aliens are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Well, at least for that time. It shows the impact the film had when you constantly notice the similarities when any other alien flick shows up. It may be hard to see the film for the first time now and think of it as groundbreaking but I remember seeing this as a kid and just being blown away. Even still the aliens are some of the most impressive on film and the queen is one massive, pissed off creature. The ending of the film is certainly a little over the top and pretty unbelievable in the grand scheme of things but who even cares. The showdown between Ripley and the queen alien is like watching Rocky fight his first match. Ripley finally becomes that badass in this movie. Originally at a loss for what to do and even having trouble handling her weapon, Ripley soon turns out to be the strongest of the bunch going so far as to face the queen in claw-to-robot combat.
It’s a great looking movie with a very strong female lead, something that I still think doesn’t happen enough. You just can’t go wrong with Aliens. I’d recommend sticking to the theatrical version if it’s your first time checking the film out but for anyone who has already enjoyed this but hasn’t seen the special edition it’s time to revisit the world of Aliens. I’ll have to start checking out the films again so look for random reviews of the Alien series over the next coming weeks. It may be a good series to check out for Halloween this year.
Under the marquee – Will
Will Brownridge is the creator and writer of The Film Reel, watching and reviewing the movies everyone wants to see and the ones that nobody wants to see! For more information visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110034970972&ref=ts
You talked about going back and watching the whole series again since you had seen Aliens again{and hadn't seen it in years}.There were of course,four movies in the series.You might want to stick to the first two movies in the series -- they were the best movies by far.The last two,the 3rd and 4th movies,were no where near as good as the first two movies.You'll notice this right away if you see these movies.And while the 3rd movie isn't as bad as the 4th movie{which I can't understand why they even made this one},both these movies are no where near as good as the first two movies in the series.Stick to the first two movies in the series -- those were the best movies by far.That way too,you won't be disappointed.
What bothers me about this film is the farcical nature of the space marines. They seem made from a burlesque on old war movies and don't suit the tone of the rest.
anyone remember the Astronaut action figure Major Matt Mason from the late 60s/early 70s? There was an accessory you could buy for him that was the EXACT yellow Cargo Mover that Ripley used in her fight against the Mother Alien. I still have mine, if anyone wants to see pics!!
Hey Dirk,
Can you post the pics on this site?
Dennis Harrington, I think that the ludicrously gung-ho attitudes of the Marines is part of the charm of the movie. The fact that they still behave like this and use basically the same methods, albeit with more advanced weapons, centuries in the future, is laughable. They seem to believe that because they are Marines, they'll just go in, blast the crap out of everything and be home in time for chow-call. What we see are soldiers who are inadequate against this previously unknown adversary and its 'never say die' tactics, which all sounds kinda familiar in our contemporary context.
If you have ever seen the early 60's film, "Dinosaurus",you might think that how the tyranosaurus was destroyed at the end of the movie inspired the final show down method with Ripley and mother alien.
I actually started my "Alien" adventures with the 2nd movie, "Aliens" in a theater setting. I get so invested in a movie that at one point I actually had my hands on the arms of the chair and was standing and screaming and getting ready to flee the theater...some fun date, huh?! I think that this is one of the best of the genre and watch it whenever it's on tv!
Jim, I will try to send the pics of the ALIENS/Major Matt Mason Cargo Mover here or find out how. Thanks for the interest.
Have any of you been ever been around a Marine? When I first saw the movie I thought, yeah..right. Then my son became a Marine. Yup...they are VERY gung-ho and cocky. Oorah!
Alien was the better of the 1st two - and one of the best horror sci-fi ever made. We needed to go have drink after watching the first one. Seeing the beastie on the big screen was brilliant. The marines in Aliens were comic relief - even though its implied they've encountered alien life forms before (..another bug hunt..) as was Reisers outfit.
I love the bit where Bill Paxton gets hysterical, it's almost as good as when he goes from pseudo super-spy lothario to sniveling wuss in True Lies. I have no complaints about this movie.
I started with the original Alien movie in the theater and I have to say it really creeped me out. A friend had read the book and told me much of the plot line beforehand...nevertheless...the anxiuos anticipation of the "dinner before hibernation" scene was gut wrenching. Anyone who didn't think that Ripley was a badass before Aliens needs to think again. It was a long time after this movie that my spine quivered at any unknown movement in the dark. And if I was alone in some kind of an automated machinery room...well...the imagination kicked in and I got a free "after-scare". How many movies can you really say that about? I appreciated the sequel picking up exactly where the original left off and Aliens was certainly another huge thriller in it's own right. Both films were classic pee-your-pants fear at it's best. Thanks to those who created these best-in-class features. As for sequels 3 and 4, a BIG disappointment. The third installment could have gone so many different directions, and could have carried the torch and kept the series running strong, but it missed the mark big time. Too bad, Sigourney, I was hoping for so much more...