Sigourney Weaver in “Aliens.” Image from 20th Century Fox
Can you imagine in the far distant future in a colony planet an elite commando unit doing battle with the Xenomorphs? And the one advising them is none other than the iconic movie character of Sigourney Weaver named Ellen Ripley is the sole survivor of the first movie.
The once timid go-by-the-books and standoffish officer from the first “Aliens” movie has now evolved into a literal kick-a**-heroine – in fact, she is considered the very first female action star in sci-fi in Hollywood during the 80s.
Sigourney Weaver’s magnificent reprisal of her most memorable onscreen movie character in Ellen Ripley in “Aliens” would become ahead of her time because this movie broke down stereotypes in Hollywood without the need of being in your face, lecturing, and being too obvious as to why it was important. Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley simply HAD to do what she HAD to do to survive, when put in the most dangerous of situations faced with a seemingly endless number of Xenomorphs. Take note: In the first movie Ellen Ripley and her crew only went against one of them and for those of us who got to watch it, we all know how that went down.
“Aliens” has some of the most intense action scenes ever in the history of cinema. There are sequences in those action scenes that are unparalleled in their impact when it comes to the senses of the moviegoer. It feels like they were bringing the action to you, the moviegoer, and whether you got to watch “Aliens” first at cinemas or at home, the feeling is no different. I do not want to spoil these scenes for those who have not yet seen “Aliens.”
For those who have seen “Aliens, you know exactly what I am talking about. For me, obviously, this was way better than the first one, and this is far more entertaining than any other sci-fi movie I have seen since then. “Aliens” was a blood-pumping, fist-raising, and jaw- dropping sequel that defied all expectations and proved that when you have the right actress combined with the proper director in a then young James Cameron, the correct script without any woke nonsense, but only the best practical realistic effects then available at the time, then the results are nothing but cinema magic which has made “Aliens” a must-see movie for everyone, and I mean everyone over the age of 10, at least.
To this day, I still watch “Aliens” from time to time, and the way the movie was made is well-paced and put together; it is flawless. I say that with certitude. In that regard alone, one can call it as the greatest sci-fi-action-horror-movie ever made. The movie never drags.
It is so perfectly made that it does not matter if you have not gotten to watch the first Aliens movie which is entitled: “Alien,” singular and not plural. Because “Aliens” picks up right where the last movie left off, it keeps you up to date, and there are several scenes giving an overview explanation as to what happened to Ellen Ripley and her crew when they encountered a single Xenomorph–the species of alien that wiped out everyone in her crew but her by a single Xenomorph.
Image from 20th Century Fox
Additionally, “Aliens” is the movie that inspired imitators, knock-offs and similar sci-fi movies soon after it was released in cinemas. “Aliens” not only broke the mold, but it became the mold right after. Practically every sci-fi movie after “Aliens” was either inspired or influenced by it. I mean, you can see qualities of it in all those other sci-fi movies.
In fact, I know so many people who would never want to watch these types of movies for one reason or another but as soon as they got to watch “Aliens” they became a fan of it. Then, their watching “Aliens” is what precisely led them to decide to watch the first one and the sequels after. A few of them never realized how a movie such as this went below their radar but for me, I am happy that I was able to convince them to give this movie “Aliens” a chance because it opened their horizons when it came to other movie genres.
In “Aliens” practically every other cast member and the respective onscreen character they portrayed had a personality. They were not mere “cardboard cut-outs” and were not there to simply fill up the screen. They all added something tangible to “Aliens” namely, to enumerate a few of the excellent co-stars: Col. Hicks portrayed by Michael Biehn, Hudson portrayed by Bill Paxton, and the android Bishop portrayed by Lance Henricksen. There are others as well.
This was a coming together of actors who had a “spark” in them and gave it their all not knowing that what they will be a part of will go down in the annals of movie history as one of the greatest movie ever made. Up to this day, I can still remember their names and the actors who portrayed all of them! It is rare to have casting choices as cohesive as this. There has never been a perfect selection of casting choices in any sci-fi movie since then.
But why should I keep explaining, reliving and hyping this movie? I know it so well that is one of my all-time favorites. So, why don’t you go and watch “Aliens” and see for yourself why this movie has stood the test of time and is considered the best of its multi-genre classification.
Hands down, the best sci-fi-action-horror-movie of all time is still “Aliens” starring Sigourney Weaver. “Aliens” is so heart-pounding, exciting, mesmerizing, entertaining and awesome!