133) Aliens
Director: James Cameron
Year: 1986
Plot Summary: After Ellen Ripley survived her disastrous ordeal nobody believed her story about the aliens on the planet LV-426. However, approximately 50 years later, the colony was completely destroyed. The government has decided to send Ripley out of cryostasis and to aid a team of tough, rugged space marines into the desolate planet to find out if there are aliens, or survivors.
Ridley Scott executed a brilliant horror movie with Alien. Using eerie sounds, intrictate production design and maintaining a tight control over the hauting atmosphere, the film played on our fear of isolation and the unknown. However, James Cameron took over the directing position to bring us the sequel and, as you'd expect from the famous creator of Avatar and Terminator 2, he substitutes suspense and fear for a whole lot of action.
However, while Aliens does have a lot more fire power than its slow-burning predecessor, it is nowhere near as engrossing. Scott's movie, despite moving at a steady pace, throws you right into the story and into the world of these characters, while this one lacks almost any substance for the entire first hour.
This would be okay for some films, after all exposition, setting the scene, building up tension and character development are crucial to any good flick. However, Cameron's talents don't lie in this area. Sure, he should rightly be praised for his set pieces, his effects and his visual style, but many of his plot devices, characters and dialogue are extremely cliched.
Ridley Scott executed a brilliant horror movie with Alien. Using eerie sounds, intrictate production design and maintaining a tight control over the hauting atmosphere, the film played on our fear of isolation and the unknown. However, James Cameron took over the directing position to bring us the sequel and, as you'd expect from the famous creator of Avatar and Terminator 2, he substitutes suspense and fear for a whole lot of action.However, while Aliens does have a lot more fire power than its slow-burning predecessor, it is nowhere near as engrossing. Scott's movie, despite moving at a steady pace, throws you right into the story and into the world of these characters, while this one lacks almost any substance for the entire first hour.
This would be okay for some films, after all exposition, setting the scene, building up tension and character development are crucial to any good flick. However, Cameron's talents don't lie in this area. Sure, he should rightly be praised for his set pieces, his effects and his visual style, but many of his plot devices, characters and dialogue are extremely cliched.
Therefore, although it does eventually reach the impressive, action-packed finale that Cameron promised, there's very little that will hold your interest up until this point.
Nevertheless, there are some redeeming factors to the classic sci-fi actioner with Sigourney Weaver delivering another great performance in the lead role. Furthermore, the relationship with a young girl that she rescues, Newt, is an involving sub-plot and Burke provides an interesting insight into how, in many ways, some humans are just as bad as the creatures they are fighting.
3/5
2 comments:
Completely agreed with everything here. It's on par with Alien 3 (director's cut) really.
First time I'd watched it and I was surprised by all the good reviews. I thought it was somewhere between average and poor. :S
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