Face-Off: Aliens vs. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
Michael Biehn as Corporal Dwayne Hicks
Paul Reiser as Carter Burke
Bill Paxton as Private Hudson
Lance Henriksen as Bishop
Carrie Henn as Newt
William Hope as Lieutenant Gorman
Jenette Goldstein as Private Vasquez
Al Matthews as Sergeant Apone

Cameron probably deserves this point for having to deal with such an infamous production shoot, one that found him dealing with problems over tea breaks, quitting crew members, and a crew at the famous Pinewood Studios that simply didn’t take him seriously. But as the director would go on to prove over the decades, he is one that proves through the thickest of trials that he knows what he’s doing and that it’s all for the benefit of the film. But where he gets a point is not only for his perseverance through a production more terrifying than the movie itself, he also does for operating at his boldest level in his entire career. Sure he did amazing things with big-budget movies like T2, TITANIC and AVATAR, but with ALIENS he entered a series not started by himself and not a ton of clout, but still said: “No, we’re changing style completely or you can walk out the f**king door.” Taking the horror film approach of the original and turning it into an action flick with Vietnam themes was an undeniably bold move that paid off unbelievably well, thanks for his uncanny ability to marry shocking sci-fi terror with intense, no-holds-barred action. While that combo elevates the movie on a visceral level, Cameron is not one to leave his movies mindless and soulless, and while crafting the action and effects-heavy sequences manages to keep alive the heart of the story – Ripley and her motherly protection of Newt – throughout the whole thing. ALIENS has so much going for it as it plays with genres and themes, and Cameron is smart enough and creative enough to nail each level.

As I said before ALIENS is just a thematically enriching sequel as it is a viscerally engaging one, and lies in Cameron’s script that balances a large, likable ensemble cast among the chaos. Centering the story around a group of Marines and Ripley, we get a story that fits right into the action-terror angle by keeping things contained on a key group of people, all of whom you can fall in love with once they hit the screen. As they venture through the story the Vietnam themes become clear, with a group of soldiers armed to the teeth with high-tech weaponry but no caution to back it up, they’re easily overtaken by the foreign enemy who use their cunning to get in close, and in the case of the Xenomorphs, rip them to shreds. That’s just one element of Cameron’s story that makes this a movie worth discussing and re-analyzing, but the most prolific impact is the feminist angle, in which Ripley, having to deal with the endless barrage of mindless or gung-ho men who never listen to her at any turn. Still, she takes charge, extends compassion to Newt, and at the end survives thanks to her tact and intellect. But those are just the more complex elements. If we’re talking pure enjoyability, Cameron proves a king of the movie quotable here, giving Ripley one of the most iconic lines ever, and Bill Paxton’s Hudson just a few more. All the rich layers worth examining are combined in a neat package fueled by a fast-paced story and populated by interesting and entertaining characters.

Action movies have been a bit of a boys club throughout the years, but women have still carved out some incredible places among the pack, like Michelle Yeoh in several Hong Kong action flicks, Uma Thurman in KILL BILL, Charlize Theron in MAD MAX and Gal Gadot in WONDER WOMAN. But perhaps the best of the bunch is Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley in the ALIEN series, most notably in this entry. Waking up 57 years after the events of the original, she’s haunted by the horrors she experienced in the first film, on top of having to deal with folks (almost all men) not taking her seriously. The movie makes this a key theme of the film and gives her character purpose by having her focused on helping the young Newt, becoming a warrior mom by the end. Among all the great characters in the movie, she rises above the rest thanks to a strong arc, more than a few awesome moments and one of the most triumphant finales in movie history. Weaver is excellent through and through, and you don’t even need to watch the other movies to see why she’s one of the best movie heroes ever. 

Lines:

Ripley: "Get away from her, you bitch!"

—–

Hudson: "That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over!"

—–

Hudson: "Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?"
Vasquez: "No. Have you?"

—–

Hudson: "Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen!"

—–

Ripley: "You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage."

—–

Hudson: "He's comin' in. I feel safer already."

—–

Bishop: "Not bad for a human."

—–

Hudson: "Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!"

—–

Newt: "We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night… mostly."

—–

Hicks: "Eat this!"

Bits:

Discovering Ripley

Nightmare with Chest Burster

The Unit

Meet Newt

First Chest Burster!

Xenomorphs Attack

Ripley Gets Her Gun

Paul Resier’s Shady Shit

Ripley vs Facehugger

The Swarm

Xenomorph in the Water

Ripley Goes Hunting

The Queen

Ripley Unleashes Hell

The Queen Implales/Severs Bishop

Ripley Suits Up

Through the AirLock

Cameron may have his hands in the money bags now, getting insane budgets for movies like AVATAR and ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (that movie cost almost $200 million!), but he was still in the low-budget territory with ALIENS. Still, a student of the Roger Corman way of moviemaking he made every penny count, and ALIENS is rich with stunning, terrifying production details that range from effective, moody lighting to effects and costumes the have proven timeless over three decades later. You can throw a facehugger and hit and a jaw-dropping piece of scenery, with numerous alone in the opening moments. You got the ship and the laser-equipped door opener, all in a scene made better thanks to intricate lighting blending light against the dark surfaces. But no conversation about this movie is complete without addressing the amazing work by Stan Winston and the visual effects team working on the designs of the Xenomorphs, the loader suit and the incredible, intricate alien queen. Everything is so detailed and life-like, which is both terrifying and wondrous. Rewatching the movie makes me yearn for the days of blockbusters filled with practical effects and designs, and ALIENS proves just how far you can take things with a relatively small budget. 

I mentioned how Cameron had a helluva time working on ALIENS, and composer James Horner’s time on the movie was no less easy. Coming into score the movie before it was even done, he often clashed with Cameron and didn’t have the time he needed to get the movie score to where it needed to be. But sometimes difficult circumstances lead to amazing results, and Horner’s score for ALIENS masterfully captures the sudden terror, ominous setting and overall intensity of the movie. He may have had only a short time to compose the score, but there’s a richness to the layers of individual pieces as they move between different styles to match the movie’s quick turns from horror to action. This is a score where you can find ethereal, mysterious tracks fit to play with an image of a ship floating through space, all before getting into screeching, unsettling tracks to play with alien carnage. The music is befitting of a movie that blends terror, sci-fi and action, and always puts the most perfect of touches to any moment.

Upon its release ALIENS was met with universal praise, many ranking it alongside GODFATHER PART II and EMPIRE STRIKES BACK as one of the best sequels of all time – of not the best. In the decades since that distinction holds, and ALIENS is fondly looked back on as one of the greatest sequels ever, thanks in large part to the shifting approach to an action movie and a perfect performance from Weaver. There are classic lines to be quoted (“Get away from her, you bitch”; “Game over, man!”) and scenes to reference (Ripley vs. Queen), to the point where you can’t blame anyone for knowing a lot about this entry and nothing about the first or the ones after. So much holds up so well, and it is often ranked as one of the best movies ever, with IMDb readers ranking it as the 68th best movie ever, and Empire magazine currently having it as #15 (updated yearly). A cherry on top is Weaver’s nomination for Best Actress, a nomination that’s considered a milestone given the Academy often ignores movies like this outside of the tech realm. 

Awards:

Oscars:

Winner:

• Best Sound Effects Editing
• Best Visual Effects

Nominee:

• Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sigourney Weaver
• Best Score: James Horner
• Best Editing
• Best Sound
• Best Art Direction

Golden Globes:

Nominee:

• Best Actress in Motion Picture – Drama: Sigourney Weaver

**18 Wins & 23 Nominations per IMDb**

Praise:

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% (94% Audience Score)

Metacritic: 84 (9.0 Audience)

IMDb: 8.4 (Top Rated Movie #68)

Money:

$85 million ($131 million globally)

ALIENS lives up to the promise all 80s action movies should, which is big guns, big egos and completely over-the-top action at every chance it gets. Evolved from real weapons the guns the Marines handle are absurd in every sense of the word but make incredible sounds when they take another Xenomorph’s life. Elevating the action above sheer carnage is the added layer of shock and terror that often kickstarts the shooting, with aliens making sudden appearances to the tune of Horner’s score. The action is well choreographed, well-shot, and as entertaining as you could ever want. My only gripe with it, and really my only minor gripe with the movie as a whole? The fact these big guns take down the Xenomorphs so easily is a bit disappointing in the sense these creatures are indeed so dangerous. When the aliens are able to overcome the Marines it’s through sheer force of numbers, which makes for more terror and terrific production values, but ever so slightly dims the intimidation of the creatures. Still, it’s a very, very minor dent for me in a movie that is flawless in virtually every way.