#4: Aliens (1986)
This was unleashed on the world the year after I was born. Quite appropriate, no? :-)
Yeah, Alien came before it. This certainly isn't the only film of Cameron's where "Yes. The original's not too bad. The sequel tears it a new one!". It's normally the completely opposite way. The tension of the first, though formidable, is nowhere near the downright TERROR and thrills of the second. The design of the alien itself, coming from one of my favourite artists, the Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger, was beyond inspirational and well-done. And, naturally, a little bit scary. His "biomechanical"-style just worked incredibly well for this.
Much like Ripley (amazingly well-played by Sigourney Weaver) returning to the planetoid LV-426 where she discovered the first alien, Cameron flaunts it in our faces when he decides he can improve on Ridley Scott's work first time around. Ripley discovers that LV-426 had been colonized for many decades, filling her with a sense of doom.
After suspending her for believing what they see to be a CRAZY story and having a complete lack of evidence, the evil Burke (played by Paul Reiser) tempts her by revealing that she'd be reinstated if she accompanies the mission to go back there. They had lost contact with the colonists, rendering it necessary.
Ripley travels with a group of crack marines. Would they let anything happen to her? Of course not. Predictably, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. One of the marines, Hudson (a cocky sonofabitch), tracks the colonists using devices left under their skin. They all seem to be crowded together in a underground area. No no, wait. They're not crowded together there by choice. That's where they've been deliciously stored as aji (Japanese: A tasty morsel deliberately left for later) by the damn xenomorphs!
I won't spoil the ending, but damn, is it worth watching. The satisfaction you get from Ripley's actions... I'm not really a Sigourney Weaver fanboy, but she blew our socks away here. Vasquez and her flamethrower, Hicks (Michael Biehn), Bishop (the android), Newt running around...these are truly memorable characters. The BEST horror movie ever. 19/21.
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Seriously though, there's a reason why director James Cameron is considered one of the very best in the business. Check out all the props, sets, costumes, all the prep work for this piece of film-goodness. Considering the budget for this was only $18 million, they sure showed people how it's meant to be done. The dropship, the APC, the space base with its haunting interiors...EVERYTHING.
Yeah, Alien came before it. This certainly isn't the only film of Cameron's where "Yes. The original's not too bad. The sequel tears it a new one!". It's normally the completely opposite way. The tension of the first, though formidable, is nowhere near the downright TERROR and thrills of the second. The design of the alien itself, coming from one of my favourite artists, the Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger, was beyond inspirational and well-done. And, naturally, a little bit scary. His "biomechanical"-style just worked incredibly well for this.
Much like Ripley (amazingly well-played by Sigourney Weaver) returning to the planetoid LV-426 where she discovered the first alien, Cameron flaunts it in our faces when he decides he can improve on Ridley Scott's work first time around. Ripley discovers that LV-426 had been colonized for many decades, filling her with a sense of doom.
After suspending her for believing what they see to be a CRAZY story and having a complete lack of evidence, the evil Burke (played by Paul Reiser) tempts her by revealing that she'd be reinstated if she accompanies the mission to go back there. They had lost contact with the colonists, rendering it necessary.
Ripley travels with a group of crack marines. Would they let anything happen to her? Of course not. Predictably, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. One of the marines, Hudson (a cocky sonofabitch), tracks the colonists using devices left under their skin. They all seem to be crowded together in a underground area. No no, wait. They're not crowded together there by choice. That's where they've been deliciously stored as aji (Japanese: A tasty morsel deliberately left for later) by the damn xenomorphs!
I won't spoil the ending, but damn, is it worth watching. The satisfaction you get from Ripley's actions... I'm not really a Sigourney Weaver fanboy, but she blew our socks away here. Vasquez and her flamethrower, Hicks (Michael Biehn), Bishop (the android), Newt running around...these are truly memorable characters. The BEST horror movie ever. 19/21.
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