Aliens
(1986, James Cameron)
Arguably
one of the most notable, quotable lines lines from James Cameron's
high-octance sequel to Ridley Scott's quiet, brooding and
claustrophobic horror film is not even a line spoken by a character
in the film itself. Rather, it is Aliens' tag line which has
since been remembered fondly by fans of the film and the franchise.
'This time it's war.' Not one phrase could possibly describe the
nature of this incredibly popular sequel more accurately nor more
succinctly. Whereas Cameron's predecessor preferred to construct and
augment tension slowly and carefully, rarely, if ever, resorting to
flamboyant outbursts, the Canadian-born director opted for something
a little different. Who are we kidding, he blew the roof off of the
Nostromo and the Sulaco is what he did.
Aliens
commences in the exact same location Alien closed: the small
transport space module Ripley used to escape the doomed Nostromo and
send herself into hibernation. The locale is covered in dust and ice
however, hinting that Ripley has probably been drifting through space
for some time already when the film opens. By happenstance, a private
corporate shuttle, the Sulaco, picks up the signal emitted from
Ripley's craft, and thus she is awoken by the Weyland Yutani company
to discover that 57 years have passed. Everyone she knows is dead,
save her cat Jonesy who was in hibernation with her. When it comes to
her knowledge that Weyland Yutani has not only put up settlements on
the alien planet (now known as LV-426) from whence the creature from
her nightmarish past came , but also a colony of a few hundred
people, the alarms go off in her head. Murphy's law kicks into to
high gear shortly after, as the company loses mysteriously loses
contact with the migrated citizens. The marines are called in to
investigate, among them colourful characters such as Corporal Hicks
(Michael Biehn), privates Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) and the
rambunctious Hudson (Bill Paxton). Weyland representative Carter
Burke (Paul Reiser) tags along, as does Ripley herself. What they
find is a desolate, broken down place, with not a living soul around
except for one little, terrified girl, Newt( Carrie Henn). That won't
be the only thing the marines discover, for the creatures responsible
for wiping out the colony eventual make their presence known...and in
greater numbers than ever before!
To
sum things up in a nutshell, Aliens is a completely different
ball game from the original film. Tension abounds, as do gory scenes,
as do antagonistic creatures hell bent on destroying every human in
sight, all things that appeared in one way or another in Ridley
Scott's picture, but handled very differently here and, some would
argue, handled batter, although that is another debate altogether.
Aliens is louder, meaner, more action packed and, in the best
possible way, a more breathtaking affair. In all honesty, if one has
a propensity for this sort of ride, one may literally be left without
air for a moment by the film end. James Cameron, who by at this point
in his career had already made a name for himself with the first
Terminator film, took the reigns running and never let go. His
attitude on set is semi-legendary at this point: demanding, often
impatient, perfectionist to the point of being irritant, yet who can
argue when the results are up on the screen, especially in the case
of Aliens?
What
is curious to note about this sequel is how, so far as the 1991
director's cut is concerned, the titular beasts are absent for the
better part of the first hour. Yes, approximately 60 minutes go by
without a peep from the slimy extra-terrestrial hunters. Remarkably
enough, this in no way hurts the story's pacing because, and here is
where many big budget action films unfortunately commit their errors,
there is a story, a real story. The movie's title may refer to the
special effects laden monsters, but the film is really about the last
survivor of the Nostromo. What's more, the protagonist is a woman.
Such a comment is not meant to refer to any notions of woman
typically being incapable of filling the shoes of the hero (heroine,
in this case), only that, first, such a thing is a rarity, and
second, Ripley's emotional arc is particularly well handled. Cameron,
who wrote the script, keeps what little we knew of Ripley from the
first film and expands the character in such a way that she is
naturally compelling and very much a woman all at the same time,
something precious few movies attempt or succeed at. Waking from her
fifty-seven year slumber in space, she must come to terms with the
fact that her only daughter has already passed away even though
physically Ripley has not aged a minute. As the saying goes, no
parent should ever have to bury their children and this case she did
not even get the chance to perform that gesture for her deceased
progeny. Smartly, the film inserts a new character about a quarter of
the way into the plot, that being the orphaned Newt. Suddenly,
Ripley, all the while giving the aliens hell for how they warped her
life, she earns the privilege, in a small way, of motherhood for the
second time in her life . The character of Ripley, as depicted in
Aliens, is probably one of the most compelling action heroes ever put
to screen for her genuine three dimensionality. She has the guts to
go head to head with her foes, she shows emotion (when played by an
actress as accomplished as Sigourney Weaver, that will give any
character a lift) and is given a compelling emotional arc. Aliens
is a prime example of an action film which can boast a strong leading
character for more reasons than just gadgets and muscles, even though
those are fun as well.
While
the remainder of the characters are not nearly as developed as
Ripley, the cast at the very least brings some gravitas to their
respective roles, thus avoiding Aliens from becoming a one
woman show. While no romance ever blossoms between the protagonist
and the male lead, Corporal Hicks played by Michael Biehn, the latter
is comfortable in the role as the gutsy marine soldier who possesses
a slightly softer edge than his more 'shoot first, ask questions
later' driven colleagues. It is a similar role that of The
Terminator, wherein his character is both strong in the
traditional action-man sense of the term all the while willing to
give into emotion when the moment is appropriate. He may not be the
best actor, but Biehn is often quite dependable and obviously rather
good at playing variations of this character. The two loudest
individuals of the bunch are Jenette Goldstein, who plays a very
macho woman, and Bill Paxton, who is overconfident when preparing for
battle, but psychologically weak when the tide turns against them
('Game over, man!'). Both are constricted by limited
characterizations, yet both are endlessly amusing to watch behave
among each other and in the face of danger. Paul Reiser does not do
very much and is quickly dispatched when the script deems his
importance in the story has evaporated. Known mostly as a comedic
actor, he brings a certain sliminess masked by innocent looking
smiles to the corporate representative Carter should exude anyhow.
The
aliens, ah yes, the aliens. The movie builds the anticipation has
long as it can before revealing even just one. Cameron, a bit like
Scott, is in no rush. Launching headstrong into the thick of things
is not a requirement after all. That being said, when the first alien
pops out of a wall to snatch an unsuspecting marine, Cameron tosses
the viewer into a blender of suspense and action. A horror film
Aliens is not, but replete with tension it most definitely is.
Our review for the previous film praised that movie for not revealing
much of the creature design. At this stage, Cameron opts for a
different strategy, one that involves showing much more of the
animals, by leaps and bounds in fact. Yet does not, however, fall
into the trap of giving away everything about them. Their is a very
interesting cinematography and editing style at work in Aliens,
by which plenty of aliens are scene time and time again, but the
lighting and the cutting is just right to give the audience a good
enough idea of what they are without them even once looking like an
incredibly cheap man in a costume. Quite a brilliant little coup,
when one thinks about it.
Alien
and Aliens form a formidable duo. They represent one of
the most unique 'original-sequel' combinations ever. They are clearly
from the same franchise yet simultaneously represent the very clear
visions, the results of vastly different directorial styles. There is
no shame in loving both, which I do. Picking one over the other, now
that's a touchy subject...
Come
back soon for an 'appreciation of Aliens' article.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment