Aliens
Chad'z rating: ** (out of 4 = fair)
1986, R, 136 minutes [2 hours, 16 minutes]
[science fiction]
starring: Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Michael Biehn (Corporal Hicks), Bill Paxton (Private Hudson), Paul Reiser (Carter Burke); written by James Cameron, David Giler, Walter Hill; produced by Gale Anne Hurd; directed by James Cameron; based on characters created by Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett.
Seen Friday, November 7, 1997 on home video.
I'm not sure what the appeal to "Alien" was, and I'm even more perplexed that someone thought it was worthy of a sequel. The "us-versus-aliens" formula has been used many times before, but never as moronic as "Aliens" uses it. It's just a disguised horror flick and an excuse for special effects, not the exciting thriller it tries to be.
This film picks up where its predecessor left off as Ripley (Weaver), the sole survivor from the first movie, is awoken from her "hibernation" 57 years later (funny, but she didn't seem to age a day!). We know somehow Ripley will end up going back to the alien planet, but the film doesn't provide much of, if any, rationale as to why this will happen. The only attempts at justification are provided through elements so generic they're pathetic. First there's Ripley's constant nightmares, then the executives who think she's insane. But the same execs have a sudden change of heart when they realize a team of investigators sent to the alien planet have not returned and they want Ripley to "advise" a military rescue team.
Now, it's not that these reasons alone are silly, it's the way the film presents them: with complete logic when they're no different than cliches most horror movies use. The fact that within a five-minute period, Ripley goes from being adamantly opposed to going back, to being more than willing to go says it all.
And so, after 20 minutes of ridiculous sci-fi and military jargon, Ripley, along with a troupe of Marine Special Forces, head out to the alien planet to save some humans and kick alien butt. That's not the most intelligent plot in the world, but it can yield great camaraderie and pride when done right. Cameron knows this, but he goes about establishing these sensations in the wrong way by over-doing it. The Marines do have a sense of unity to them, but they're so one-dimensional it's corny. All they do is crack on each other and act like idiots - where's the unity in that? Their dialogue is also laughable because they seem more like characters from the cartoon "G.I. Joe."
Finally, after an hour or so we get our first encounter with the aliens but many of the marines are wiped out. It's not surprising the survivors all turn into cowards after this point, which is probably intended as satire, but turns out to be annoying (especially Bill Paxton's character, Private Hudson, whose constant whining drove me nuts after 10 minutes). The battle scenes are reason these films were made, but they're shot so poorly it's impossible to tell what's going on. Tension is worthless if it's confusing.
>From here on the film just starts repeating itself: the Marines try to get off the planet but are always prevented from doing so, in one way or another, by the aliens. There's many scenes of the aliens closing in on the humans, and then carnage ensues. Most of this is set up through cliches, such as the Marines not being able to use their weapons in certain places, the aliens suddenly jumping out of the walls, floors and ceilings, or the fact the Marines always seem to corner themselves. There's also a sub-plot involving the backstabbing exec Carter Burke, who should be an even slimier character than the aliens, but isn't, due to the miscasting of Paul Reiser (!?) for the part.
The ending not only clinches the predictable story, it symbolizes the entire film. It's just one exhausting battle after another for no real reason. This also demonstrates how the basic premise is the worst flaw: it's us invading an alien planet and trying to exterminate them when they're not really a threat to begin with. This would be like aliens coming to Earth millions of years ago and fighting the dinosaurs.
There isn't much going for "Aliens" other than its special effects and production design (which are excellent, I'll have to admit it), but that doesn't make up for the mediocre story. Maybe if it had been scripted with more wit, it would be worth getting excited over.
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e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com (C) 1997 Chad Polenz
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