Rating: 7/10
Review date: April 20, 2003
The second installment of the Alien series took place 57 years after the original Alien happened. Sigourney Weaver returns as Lt. Ellen Ripley who awakens after her escape pod was discovered by fellow humans. Of course no one believes her story about the existence of aliens considering that there was no evidence in the now-colonized planet, so she was deprived of her flight status.
When communication with the colony was lost, Ripley was persuaded to accompany a squad of marines to investigate. Lots of action ala James Cameron and alien ass-kicking ensues�
The downside of this movie is that we expect to see a lot of actions but they are not delivered in the right sense. For example, we see a lot of aliens being gunned down and ripped apart by bullets but that is all. The violence level is pretty limited and I find that they are not graphic enough for a movie like this. I expect to see more blood and gore being shown as the marines are slaughtered by aliens.
The other issue that I dislike from this movie is the fact that most of the marines were killed in a short time and the feeling of suspense that the original Alien featured was not present in here.
Acting wise, the movie doesn�t flop too badly in this department although most of the character (if not all) are not developed to an acceptable level to make you care for them (which is kind of expected from this type of movie).
However, I would have to say that I like Sigourney Weaver as Ripley due to her strong character and impression that she managed to convey to the audience. Her strong facial expression and dialogue emphasis all the more make me connect to her character as a whole compared to the rest of the marines who are just there to be killed and produce the mindless entertainment that this movie aim to provide.
I believe that many people would disagree with my review on Aliens since most of the people I talked to would have gladly given one or two points extra but I digress.
James Cameron�s venture into the alien franchise is a solid and entertaining attempt in making a great action movie that falls short in a few areas. There are just not enough �genuinely tense� moments that you would expect after watching the original Alien; aside from that, I feel that the movie should have been more bloody than the way it is (hey it�s a freaking movie about aliens ripping humans to shreds, what do you expect?).
Regardless of all the shortcomings, there some positive things in movie as well. I love the thumping music during the action scenes and I really love Sigourney Weaver�s acting and role in the movie which really fits perfectly.
Considering it was made in 1986, Aliens is still a good movie almost two decades later which is worth renting or even buying for the diehard Alien fans.
Memorable quote: �Get away from her, you bitch!�
-Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley-
(c) 2003 Martin Taidy