Aliens

release year: 1986
genre: sci-fi/action/horror
viewing setting: home DVD, 8/9/04

synopsis: 57 years after her terrifying adventure on the Nostromo, warrant officer Ripley is discovered, revived, debriefed, and then screwed over. Nobody believes her wild story about a dangerous alien...until contact with the colony on that planet is suddenly lost. Ripley is persuaded to accompany a squad of Colonial Marines there to get to the bottom of things.

impressions: This movie has it all: action, horror, memorable characters, wisecracks, special effects, gunfire, explosions...everything. It was James Cameron's breakthrough, hot on the heels of The Terminator, and it's a sci-fi epic that is both a sequel and a stand-alone classic. You'll need to watch the movie multiple times to catch all of the good lines and little bits.

things to watch for: The initial fight with the alien horde, in the reactor core.

something this movie has that no other movie has: Colonial Marines!

acting: Sigourney Weaver did a good job as Ripley, but several others were more memorable: Bill Paxton's loud and obnoxious Hudson, Jeanette Goldstein's tough-woman Vasquez, Lance Henriksen's distant but helpful android-Marine Bishop, and Michael Biehn's calm, cool Hicks.

final word: Superb effort thanks to all involved; required viewing for action and/or sci-fi fans.

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