There have been many great science fiction sequels since 1977, when Star Wars redefined the idea of cinematic sci-fi for generations. In fact, fans could argue that The Empire Strikes Back is a superior sequel to Aliens – except perhaps for the ending, as Empire has none.
Other than director James Cameron’s Aliens there have been other great sci-fi continuations: Terminator 2, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, and Blade Runner 2049 to name a few. But the sequel to Alien is currently tagged at 8.3 on IMDb – not bad for a movie that’s over 30 years old.
No Chestburster
In what has become one of the most iconic scenes in sci-fi horror, one of the spaceship crew in the original movie had a small alien burst from his chest in spectacular fashion. This moment helped define the thrills and terror of the original, and it’s hard not to think of Alien without citing this scene.
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Cameron’s Aliens only refers to this moment in passing – which is brave when you consider it’s importance in the original. It was a bold decision by the filmmakers to not dwell on this touchstone moment, and the audience is better off for it.
Action-Packed – Eventually
After a slow-moving first act, Aliens accelerates to the very end, blending action, horror, and sci-fi in an engaging fashion.
Once the Aliens attack, moviegoers are treated to several exciting battles, including the climatic exosuit v. alien boss fight. One exhilarating scene suggests the skill of Cameron’s pacing – an announced warning to exit the facility greets our hero Ridley before she ascends to confront the alien hive.
They’re Everywhere
The original Alien featured a solitary monster hunting a space tugboat crew, in the style of “what’s behind that door” horror films. In contrast, Aliens is (after the first half) a siege by giant bugs, with trained soldiers pitted against a superior force.
It’s a testament to Cameron’s script that the singular slimy threat is replaced with the constant assault of dozens of xenomorphs, to thrilling effect. Rather than worrying that the frightful monster is hiding in the corridor, Aliens shows the terror of what happens when the monster attacks from every corridor.
Good Robot
By 1986, when Aliens was released, the cliche of the evil robot intent on “killing all humans” was common in theatres (e.g. the original Westworld, Saturn 3, Cameron’s own The Terminator). In Alien the twist was not that there was an evil android onboard, but that the crew didn’t know who it was at first.
So it’s a pleasant surprise to find that Bishop, the now-standard on-board android, is a benign force to the Sulaco crew, and outright saves Newt when she faced certain death. It was a good chance of pace that advanced technology doesn’t always need to be feared in sci-fi movies.
Useful Military
Another cliche in the 80s movies was the Evil Military Forces – no doubt born out of the paranoid and disaffected thrillers of the 70s. In the early 80s movies like E.T. and Starman, the government is full of spooks and the army are their faceless pawns.
Not so in Aliens, as not only are the marines equipped to take on monstrous attacks, but their stealth and firepower offer a credible deterrent to the alien horde. In many ways, Aliens is like a war movie, and here only the squad’s lack of leadership and bouts of cowardice provide their undoing.
Corporate Greed is Bad
In unconfident hands, the main antagonist in a movie like Aliens would have been a Boss Alien, or an evil human out to conquer the galaxy by deploying the xenomorphs as his foot-soldiers.
But for Cameron the real threat is Corporate Greed, which drives the betrayal of our heroes by company liaison Burke (Paul Reiser). This sentiment is something Cameron seemed to battle on and off-stage, as the Evil Corporation was an antagonistic enabler in Avataras well.
Private Hudson
When your story has the characters navigating a foreign planet, avoiding impregnation from innocent-looking pods, and battling alien forces, it helps to have a bit of humor thrown in.
Thankfully, Private Hudson (the late Bill Paxton) provides the occasional sarcastic remark and adds a dose of reality to the story. Hudson often says what the audience is thinking – “let’s just bug out and call it even!” – and acts as an audience surrogate until his inevitable demise.
James Cameron
Director/explorer/environmentalist James Cameron wasn’t the force to be reckoned with back in 1986 like he is now. That master filmmaker Ridley Scott would allow his horror masterpiece to be taken over by a young Canadian filmmaker was a questionable move at the time.
Cameron made Aliens less atmospheric, more militaristic, and after the first act, an edge-of-your-seat ride till the credits rolled. Both productions were made with surly, union-based English crews (as was Empire) – and both were effective on different levels. Other sequels – sci-fi or otherwise – would be lucky to be so well scripted and visionary.
Expands Upon Original
Aliens takes the founding principles and technology of Alien and turns them up to 11. Fans of the original will recognize the camouflaged xenomorphs with acid for blood, and their need to implant alien embryos in host bodies (a horrible exercise).
That Aliens employs these alien trappings so flawlessly, and expands upon them in both story (“they don’t kill you, she’s alive”) and characters (the Alien Queen) – in a manner acceptable to fans of the original – is an amazing feat in an action flick. Aliens carries just the right amount of respect for the original while filling in some of the gaps in thrilling fashion.
Female Action Star
The term “Female Action Star” barely existed by 1986 (maybe Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja qualified), and it wasn’t an obvious label here either. But so desperate was Hollywood for strong female roles, that Sigourney Weaver’s reluctant turn as Ripley led to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading role (she didn’t win).
But Cameron, like director Scott before him, recognized that a strong woman lead gave the characters different motivations and behaviors – heroic or otherwise – and made for a far richer story. It was a brave choice to (again) spotlight a mid-level actress in an alien action movie, but now we can’t see Aliens any other way.
