How do you make a sequel to a classic? For director James Cameron, you make a completely different film and amp up the action — and acid-spewing baddies. In the intense sci-fi flick Aliens, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is still alive — and still plagued by aliens who want to kill her and every human they encounter. When she accompanies a crew of hardened space marines to investigate the disappearance of a human colony on a distant planet, she knows they’re in for trouble, but no one listens to her. She’s proven right when the aliens start attacking, but that doesn’t do her or orphaned girl Newt (Carrie Henn) any good when the bodies start piling up. They need to leave as soon as possible, but will they last long enough to escape?
Aliens is one of the most intense movies ever made, but that’s what makes it so fun to watch. Like a rollercoaster, you’re both terrified at what’s going to happen next and can’t wait for it, too. Cameron and composer James Horner make this sequel almost unbearable to watch — just when you think you can relax, a facehugger leaps out from the shadows and attacks yet another poor character. The heart of the film is Weaver, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. This time around, her Ripley is hardened by her first brush with those pesky Xenomorphs, but she still has enough humanity left in her to care for the motherless Newt. Ripley’s climactic duel with the Alien Queen is an ‘80s film highlight, as is her iconic line that begins it: “Get away from her, you bitch!”
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