Aliens (James Cameron), 1986
Forget The Terminator: here lies James Cameron's best film, and a much more deserving candidate for the "best science fiction film of the eighties" tag so often given to the 1984 film. Much of the film is taken up by some spectacular action sequences that recall Rambo (which Cameron did some early script work on), and these have occasionally been accused of lacking subtlety. What is often not mentioned is how effortlessly Cameron recreates the stifling tension that made Alien so harrowing. This film also boasts some of the most impressive special effects ever seen in cinema: not as spectacular as the more sophisticated computer effects pioneered later in The Abyss, Terminator 2 or Spielberg's Jurassic Park, but rather an absolutely flawless use of the more traditional techniques like model, puppet and matte work. I have simply no idea how some of the shots of Weaver's loader were achieved.
Having soaked up the terrific special effects and action on the first viewing, have a look at Cameron's careful construction of the film. As he would with Terminator 2, Cameron constructs his sequel in a manner that carefully emulates the original in order to highlight the progression. In Terminator 2, Cameron more or less restaged the final scenes of the first film in order to outdo them. Here he engages in a similar game of one-upmanship throughout his dynamite final half hour. The scenes of Ripley running through the steamy corridors as a timer counts toward impending nuclear destruction are straight out of Scott's predecessor. This emulation continues as the alien seems to be destroyed in the explosion of the complex in which the action has so far taken place; and Ripley again seems to escape in a smaller craft. Ripley's "wearing" (for want of a better term) of the loader evokes the change into the space suit during the final confrontation in Alien. And, of course, Ripley once again blows the creature out of the airlock.
The "Special Edition" of the film is worth seeing
once: the "family forged in crisis" theme (which works here much better
than it does in Cameron's later Terminator 2) makes more sense
in the extended version. However, many of the added scenes are not
particularly good, and the pacing is not nearly as taut as Cameron's
original cut.
Related Items
For a discussion of my feelings on "Special Editions" click here.
For a discussion of this film's influence on corridor games such as Doom and Duke Nukem 3D click here.
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© 2005 by Stephen Rowley