Aliens

The sequel to the first film, and a change of genre. Ripley is found fifty-seven years later. She drifted in a sleep capsule, nobody believes what she says, and the company revokes her licence. A colony has been established on that planet. Contact is lost and the company sends a squad; Ripley goes as an adviser. When they land the colony is empty. Only one child is alive and has been hiding in the ducts for weeks. From there the film is a defence. Sealed corridors, automatic guns, a motion tracker and diminishing ammunition. The first film was horror. This one is military action and there is more than one creature. What the narrative is interested in is not the monster but motherhood: Ripley's relationship with the child and the queen protecting her own eggs are put in the same frame, and the finale is built exactly on that. The company is inside the narrative again. An executive comes with the squad and his purpose is not to save anyone. The sound of the motion tracker is the main thing carrying the tension. The final fight with the loader was shot with a real mechanical rig and an actor inside it. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Academy Award, unusual for a science fiction film at the time. The film won for visual effects and sound editing. There is a longer version containing additional sections showing life at the colony. Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton are in the cast. James Cameron directed. Who it is for: anyone who wants tension and action together. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the quiet of the first film; this one is loud, crowded and fast.