Where Ridley Scott’s Alien was a dark, disturbing and relentlessly bleak exploration into fear and paranoia, James Cameron’s Aliens is an adrenaline-fuelled, big-budget display of showmanship and state-of-the-arts special effects. Similarly, where Ellen Ripley of the former was a fragile but strong-willed lady trying to survive in deep space, here she is a full-blown action heroine who sure knows how to kick some alien ass; Sigourney Weaver reprised the iconic role and managed to carry the film on her broadening shoulders. After being in hyper-sleep for 57 years, she is discovered by The Corporation and is coaxed into joining a mission to revisit the planet where her crew had come in contact with the vicious alien life form, now a teeming human colony, as the aliens have purportedly gone berserk there. But then, as we all knew would happen, her current crew, comprising of gum-chewing gun-toting hard-as-nails marines start getting picked one after the other, and so the onus for doing the needful once again rests on Ripley, and she certainly doesn’t disappoint on that count. The movie, though an exceedingly enjoyable watch and a thrilling ride, doesn’t manage to hold a candle to the visceral terror and brilliance of the first movie, and the ‘good humans v/s bad corporation’ angle can get tiresome at times.
Director: James Cameron
Genre: Science-Fiction/Action/Creature Film
Language: English
Country: US
3 comments:
Actually Shubhajit, I've always liked these two about the same, but there's no denying what you say here about the building tension and paranoia (and sense of menace) in the first film, while Cameron's is a no-holds-barred exhibition of the furthest advancement of cinematic technology. These do need to be seen back-to-back, I suppose to properly negotiate the more than subtle differences. As usual, so much is said here in this short assessment.
Thanks a lot Sam for sharing your enthusiasm about the movie. Yeah, as you noted from my review, I felt Alien had far more to offer me vis-a-vis Aliens from a purely artistic aspect. Of course, as your opinion makes it overtly clear, I might be in the minority there.
Shubhajit, if ever a film deserved the "essential veiwing" rating its "Aliens" ! ! !, why are pretentious highbrow elitist critics like yourself always reluctant to give credit where credit is due, especially with regards to ultra-mainstream blockbusters ?.
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