ince the menacing Alien
species was reawakened by the crew of the Nostromo Spacecraft, the sole
survivor, Ellen Ripley, has battled to keep humanity safe from alien
destruction. Ripley discovers that a lone fertile queen is responsible for the
continuation of the species, producing a colony of sterile warriors. Cameron's
genius here lies in manipulating the tension, beautifully structuring the
switches from build-up, to carnage, to unbearable waiting, to action. The
Colonial Marines who accompany an understandably reluctant Ellen Ripley are
each fleshed out as individuals, and the plot brilliantly conceived to
showcase every character and then kill most of them off horribly.
Considered by many to be the best of the series, Aliens is a fast-paced, high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action films and cemented director James Cameron's status as one of Hollywood's leading directors following the success of The Terminator. Weaver received an Academy Award nomination and became a feminist hero for her strong, sensitive performance as the survivor Ripley, while costars Reiser, Henriksen, and Bill Paxton all give career-making performances in this landmark sci-fi extravaganza that made the 1986 Time Magazine cover.
