Countdown to Prometheus Part 2: "Aliens"

“Game over, Man!”

It took seven years before a sequel to Alien would be released.  During that time, copycat horror films came in droves.  20th Century Fox hired James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) a young director hot from his first success, The Terminator, who decided not to replicate the haunted house formula of the first movie.  His ride was going to be a roller coaster.

Cameron’s films have nearly always highlighted his love for military testosterone-induced action.  This is never more obvious than is his Cameron’s third feature which stars protagonists who are not working-class civilians (as in Alien), but marines who fight the alien horde rather than hide and wait to picked off one-by-one.

The story begins with Ripley’s rescue from her escape shuttle only to find out she’s been in hibernation for 57 years.  Ripley returns to the planet–along with the military–where the alien first appeared, which is now inhabited by a human colony that recently severed contact with Earth.

Originally, Ripley declines to assist in the risk mission and risk her life a second time.  Later, when it becomes obvious that she’ll be haunted by the nightmares forever, she acquiesces. In the extended cut, we learn that Ripley had a daughter, who died while Ripley was in hyper-sleep.  This plot point adds a dimension to Ripley’s character when she returns to the planet and finds one survivor–a little girl, Newt (Carrie Hehn).

Cameron’s script and Weaver’s portrayal give Ripley a heroic edge, but Aliens takes moments to invoke Ripley’s motherly protective nature for Newt, which is highlighted in the extended edition.  However, both cuts cement a foundation for Ripley’s motivations: All that matters to her is that Newt is rescued.  When Newt is eventually captured by the alien horde, Ripley goes on a one-woman rescue mission to save her.  

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) was paid $1 million to return to the series and become one of the first female action heroes–taking charge and braving the alien threat as efficiently as Rambo.  Cameron’s female heroines are not damsels in distress, but tough chicks who can stand toe-to-toe with the men.  Late in the film, an alien ambushes Ripley and her military comrade, Hicks (Michael Biehn).  In any feature prior to Aliens, Ripley would be useless in this moment–cowering behind her male protector.  But when the attack is over, Hicks get’s injured and it is Ripley who has to save Hicks and take up arms.

As in the first Alien, the troupe of characters are established early; although we know that most will not live to see the ending credits.  Given the little screen time, Cameron maximizes the most out of supporting players without caving into military cliche’ (although Hudson has become a horror movie cliche’, but more on that later).

Some of Cameron’s most interesting side characters are Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), a tough-as-nails female soldier; Bishop (Lance Henriksen), a cryptic android technician who Ripley suspects will betray the group; Hicks (Biehn), the unassuming soldier who sparks a mutual respect and possible interest possibility with Ripley.  (Thankfully, Cameron never bogs the film with a romantic subplot, since both would be too preoccupied with survival to kiss and hold hands.)    

Finally, that leaves me with Hudson (Bill Paxton), the whose cowering dialog has become ingrained as catchphrases for anyone feeling scare or overwhelmed.  “It’s a bug hunt, man!”  Every time I re-watch the film, I’m always suspect that Paxton is over-the-top, but his delivery is not as outlandish as his imitators make him appear.   

Although the sequel to Alien is a very different animal, there are some commonalities in structure.  Like Ridley Scott, Cameron takes time establishing the suspense.  When the military arrive on the planet, we witness only the aftermath of the horrors that entailed; the colony is abandoned and falling apart.  The soldiers slowly patrol the dark corridors, waiting for an attack to come.

The horror is further implied by one excellent suspense devise–the solders’ motion trackers, which signals whenever a threat approaches by displaying patches of light and emitting a beeping noise which intensify (in so many ways) as the movement comes closer.  One of the most effective spine-tingling moments occurs when the detector alerts that a whole horde of aliens are approaching.  The tension builds as they get closer.  Soon, the meter reveals that the aliens should be right in front of the group, but they are nowhere in sight.    

When the alien army initially but wipes out a majority of the marines, the survivors establish a defense perimeter while they prepare to evacuate.  There is an scene in the extended cut which involves motion sensing turrets that repels the waves of alien attacks.  The film works just as well without it–allowing for the suspense to build until the aliens finally make their way inside.  Cameron is notorious for cutting his films down to the basic story requirements (despite Titanic and Avatar).  The sequence involving the turrets is technically interesting, but the idea of the aliens making their way inside is all the more ominous…the waiting.

As the title implies, there are over a hundred aliens roaming the colony.  Rather that repeat the first film, Cameron’s horror elements rely more on the unstoppable force that won’t quit.  Although our heroes might successfully repel one alien attacker, there is always another creeping behind them.

Of course, the main attraction is the alien queen–a great movie monster, crafted by the creature designer, Stan Winston.  Not enough credit is shared with the film’s sound design by Ron Sharpe (which also won him an Oscar).  The sounds of the queens snarling breathing and high pitched screams really add to the villains menace and wickedness.  When Ripley finally stands off against the queen and shouts her iconic taunt, it’s impossible not to cheer.

Aliens is one of the most thrilling films of all time.  The last third is one giant cat-and-mouse game between the heroes and the alien horde.  Like The Terminator, Cameron loves to deceive the audience into thinking the horror is over, only to pull the carpet from underneath them.  So many action films fail to build to a crescendo in the last scene, but Aliens does. It is arguably James Cameron’s best film and one of the great sequels of all time.

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