Skip to main content

5 reasons Aliens is still awesome



Aliens - In my opinion, THE sci-fi movie. Brought to us by the brilliant James Cameron - the guy responsible for many of my favorite movies of all time. (A douchey-douche if there ever was one, but man, that guy can direct the hell out of movie) After Ridley Scott's spectacularly terrifying Alien, it would be quite the challenge for anyone to take on a sequel. I mean, how many sequels can you name that are better or even live up to the original? Seven years later, 20th Century Fox handed the reins to Cameron and what he gave us didn't disappoint - an unadulterated, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that made Alien look a little sleepy if I'm being honest. I shouldn't compare. They are two VERY different movies and each easily holds its own. Nonetheless, it's 30 years later and when I need a xenomorph fix, it's part 2 that always finds its way into my BluRay player.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Sigourney Weaver as our heroine, Ellen Ripley. In the original script for Alien, Ripley was a man, (Of course he was. Sigh.) but when Weaver auditioned they decided to go another route. (Wikipedia) Thank God! The gamble payed off. Not only would this set this movie apart from previous ones but casting a woman added a depth to the role that would've been lacking otherwise.

2. Michael Biehn. Michael Biehn. Michael Biehn. One of my big-time 80's crushes. As Corporal Hicks (recently promoted when Apone ate it) he doesn't disappoint as the good-guy grunt who's on Ripley's side. True, this role isn't exactly Oscar material but he brings his special Biehn-ness to any role. I mean...look at him...
Swoon.

3. The rest of the amazing supporting cast. There's Bill Paxton as Pvt. Hudson ("GAME OVER, MAN!") to give us a little comic relief during some very intense scenes. When we need just a little bit more testosterone, we have Pvt. Vasquez, amazingly played by Jenette Goldstein. (She's never been mistook for a man, by the way.) The second most memorable line of the movie is delivered by a child survivor of the alien rampage, Carrie Henn's "Newt." ("They mostly come at night. Mostly.") Paul Riser is slimier than the Aliens as Carter Burke, a corporate weasel determined to make a profit. And then there's Lance Henricksen's Bishop, an artificial person that Ripley is more than a little dubious of thanks to her experience on the Nostromo 57 years prior. Spoiler alert: He wins her over...and us.

4. The special effects. Go watch this right now and sit in awe as you marvel at how amazingly well the effects hold up. This movie is almost 30 years-old after all. Thankfully, this picture was made before a time when CGI became the way. Using a combination of miniatures, master puppeteers and computers, Cameron ingeniously brought the Alien and its world to life. It's seamless. It's beautiful and it works. No wonder it went on to win the 1987 Oscars for both Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects.

5. The Climax. "GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BITCH!" Do I really need to say more? The end is a fight to the death on a maternal level. After escaping LV-426 (barely) the sneaky and impressively large Queen Xenomorph has hitched a ride on their escape vessel...and she is p-i-s-s-e-d. I mean, Ripley has just destroyed her entire species. What follows is nothing less than epic. Giant Queen vs. Ripley in a powerloader. Newt better be worth it because someone is heading out the airlock.

Mama Bear ain't happy.

Bottom line? It's still so awesome. I've seen it dozens of times and look forward to many more viewings. If you haven't, I insist you go now. You can thank me later. This movie snob gives it 9/10.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Things I've learned so far...

1. Our baby has fingerprints already. I'm not sure why but this freaks me out. 2. Pregnancy heartburn is NO JOKE. Before this, I think I'd had heartburn twice in my life. I'm Mexican for Christ's sake! We love our spicy food. I guess I have to go easy for the next few months. Boo. 3. I can't watch "A Baby Story" without being reduced to a sobbing mess. But I find myself turning the channel for the delivery part. 4. The placenta & baby (aka alien) are about the size of an avocado right now. 5. Our baby will have duel citizenship. Cool, huh?
Post a Comment
Read more

I'm back!

A while ago, my laptop died. There was no warning, no clue that something was wrong. As suddenly as it had come into my life, it drifted away and with it, my blog, my therapy...and a little bit of my sanity. There it sat in a drawer mocking me. With every intention to get it fixed a funny thing happened - life. You know, that thing that occurs while you're busy making plans? And just like that it was forgotten ... until a few weeks ago. A friend said, "Let me take a look." And here we are. The best Christmas presents are those that are already paid for, aren't they?! So now I find myself a few years later, a little older, hopefully a little wiser, most definitely a little more tired thinking of trying this blogging thing again. It seems so appropriate that it should start at the beginning of the year. I know, I know... all aboard the bandwagon . I'm not into resolutions, really. But if I'm looking at this as a new beginning, I guess I can set some goals, rig...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Hectic Spring

If I sit and really think about all the things that are happening over the next few months, I will surely lose my mind. My leisurely Atlanta life is being uprooted and I'm heading to the frosty north. As scary as that sounds, I'm not terribly nervous.... yet . Anxious is a better word. "Things" have been in the works for months now, and though we're still ironing out the details, one thing is certain - change....otherwise known as the story of my life. I'm no stranger to "starting over." This will be the 4th time that I will change cities without having been there. Of course, the first one was when I was 6, but still.... I went to Las Vegas at 18, Austin at 23 and am now in Atlanta about to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of my 30th birthday. The last move was the toughest. Austin was and will always be my home. So much so, that ultimately Matt and I agree that's where we want to end up....again. Yeah, it was hard to put that aside long enough to g...
Post a Comment
Read more