← Back to Reviews
in
Aliens
WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Final Verdict: [Friggen' Awesome]
Aliens
Action Horror / English / 1986
WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Reorganizing my Top Ten list. Reassessment time.
WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
"You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse.
You don't see them ****ing each other over for a ******* percentage."
You don't see them ****ing each other over for a ******* percentage."
If you know me by now you know I've a very low tolerance for horror. Considering that it's probably not difficult to figure out which of the first two Alien movies I prefer.
What you may not know is that I think Aliens is a pretty damn fine movie.
For one, and I know it's probably been said before, but Ellen Ripley is perhaps one of the most potent heroines in action movies (and **** EVERYONE who says Katniss Everdeen). Not only does she demonstrate that she can hang with the guys with her own set of skills and not only does she kick the colonial marines in the ass when they need it, but there's also a deep recurrent theme of motherhood throughout the whole movie, particularly in the superior Special Edition cut.
We learn that in Ripley's stasis since the first movie her daughter has aged and died without her, effectively robbing her of her time being a mom. Shortly after returning to the alien planet she discovers Newt who also manages to show up the marines (namely Bro #1, Hudson) in her survival ability and emotional stability. Ripley casts some motherly affection her way and soon she's not just an authority, but she's a mom too. She doesn't serve any traditional representation of beauty either nor is she ever sexualized, she's just an average woman doin' what needs to be done.
Naturally this all comes down to a skill-infused battle against the Alien Queen, but not before stuffing her boot up the ass of Burke, a particularly memorable weasel of an antagonist.
Ripley's great. She's strong in her actions, she's assertive in her relationships, she's intelligent and skilled, she's emotional where it counts, and she's even flawed in her prejudice against androids.
I've said it before, but my favorite moment in the movie is when she's in the elevator prepping for the finale and she just closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
You gotta imagine what she's feeling, barely skilled in the equipment she has and going into a soon-to-explode nest of the most violent creatures ever known to man just to rescue a girl she isn't even certain is still alive. And yet she sucks it up and gives a look of, "Alright, LET'S DO THIS."
The movie's just full of memorable dialog and as is typical of Cameron by this point it's paced excellently so even though it takes quite a while before we see our first alien, it's a solid slow burn in which we learn to orient ourselves with the characters and the atmosphere.
My complaints would obviously include the cat and hamster that appear, but beyond that I'd have to admit I'm simply not a fan of the aliens. They're not outright hideous, but they're certainly not attractive, especially when we're given money shots of the Facehugger's proboscis or the Queen ripping her eggsack. Ew. I did not want to see that.
There's also Newt's scream face. She just cannot convey a look of terror at all, she looks like a sister screaming in her brothers' face just to annoy him.
Beyond that it's kind of hard to complain about the movie. Bishop's Countdown is a memorable backing track, but it's literally the only one. It's also disappointing that we never see Burke in the nest (the scumbag), which was a scene that was cut from the movie. Would have preferred to see him suffer, but at least all my favorite characters survive so props for that.
ANYWAY, it's a slick movie and one I just find myself watching over and over again. Unlike Alien 3 which I pretend doesn't exist.
What you may not know is that I think Aliens is a pretty damn fine movie.
For one, and I know it's probably been said before, but Ellen Ripley is perhaps one of the most potent heroines in action movies (and **** EVERYONE who says Katniss Everdeen). Not only does she demonstrate that she can hang with the guys with her own set of skills and not only does she kick the colonial marines in the ass when they need it, but there's also a deep recurrent theme of motherhood throughout the whole movie, particularly in the superior Special Edition cut.
We learn that in Ripley's stasis since the first movie her daughter has aged and died without her, effectively robbing her of her time being a mom. Shortly after returning to the alien planet she discovers Newt who also manages to show up the marines (namely Bro #1, Hudson) in her survival ability and emotional stability. Ripley casts some motherly affection her way and soon she's not just an authority, but she's a mom too. She doesn't serve any traditional representation of beauty either nor is she ever sexualized, she's just an average woman doin' what needs to be done.
Naturally this all comes down to a skill-infused battle against the Alien Queen, but not before stuffing her boot up the ass of Burke, a particularly memorable weasel of an antagonist.
Ripley's great. She's strong in her actions, she's assertive in her relationships, she's intelligent and skilled, she's emotional where it counts, and she's even flawed in her prejudice against androids.
I've said it before, but my favorite moment in the movie is when she's in the elevator prepping for the finale and she just closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
You gotta imagine what she's feeling, barely skilled in the equipment she has and going into a soon-to-explode nest of the most violent creatures ever known to man just to rescue a girl she isn't even certain is still alive. And yet she sucks it up and gives a look of, "Alright, LET'S DO THIS."
The movie's just full of memorable dialog and as is typical of Cameron by this point it's paced excellently so even though it takes quite a while before we see our first alien, it's a solid slow burn in which we learn to orient ourselves with the characters and the atmosphere.
My complaints would obviously include the cat and hamster that appear, but beyond that I'd have to admit I'm simply not a fan of the aliens. They're not outright hideous, but they're certainly not attractive, especially when we're given money shots of the Facehugger's proboscis or the Queen ripping her eggsack. Ew. I did not want to see that.
There's also Newt's scream face. She just cannot convey a look of terror at all, she looks like a sister screaming in her brothers' face just to annoy him.
Beyond that it's kind of hard to complain about the movie. Bishop's Countdown is a memorable backing track, but it's literally the only one. It's also disappointing that we never see Burke in the nest (the scumbag), which was a scene that was cut from the movie. Would have preferred to see him suffer, but at least all my favorite characters survive so props for that.
ANYWAY, it's a slick movie and one I just find myself watching over and over again. Unlike Alien 3 which I pretend doesn't exist.