James Cameron month: Aliens

A retrospective by Chris Lee

If you’re going to follow up Ridley Scott, don’t just follow up Ridley Scott. Take his original concept, put it on a pedestal, shine it, and then give it a big fucking machine gun so the other ideas know what the fuck the deal is.

There really wasn’t anything like Aliens before James Cameron took Ridley’s original horror masterwork and turned it into a bonafide action flick. The Space Marine crew of the Sulaco that accompanied Ellen Ripley back to the planet of the original film was an awesome change of direction from the blue-collar cargo crew of the first. Cameron knew that escalation was key to pulling off action, and what better way to make the alien fierce again than to pit it against a completely loaded military outfit that it could chew through.

Again, Cameron was able to pull performances from his actors that other action films wish they could pull. There is a gravitas and sincerity to the characters in Aliens. You believe they are in this absolute nightmare situation because their characters react from a baseline. Whether it’s Hudson, who uses jokes and bravado to hide the fact that he’s actually a bit of a coward, or Vasquez (an unfortunate casting decision that only works due to Janette Goldstein’s confident and kick-ass portrayal), showing the boys how it’s done, dialing back her own playground antics to become a consummate professional when in dire straits.

The film ramps in intensity until the final act, leaving you and the characters breathless while featuring one of the best pieces of practical creature-work ever put to film, rivaled only by the Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic Park.

James Cameron is the reigning action film champion, and few others have stepped up since.

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