Now for my fourth review I will be reviewing the 2nd installment in the famed Alien saga! The aptly named Aliens is most likely one of the most famed and influential science fiction films ever made. Directed, produced and written by the multi-talented James Cameron, creator of Titanic, Terminator and Avatar (not in that order), Aliens remains a land mark in the sci-fi and creature film genres and has influenced countless imitations and monster movies since its release in 1986. The story begins with Lieutenant Ellen Ripley floating through endless space for as she later discovers fifty three years! Until she is picked up by a company search craft and taken to a secure settlement. Later we see that there has been a colony of people living on Acheron (the place where the original nest was discovered) for the past few years but when a small family is sent to "investigate" the nest, things start to get pretty hairy. Later on we see that Ripley isn't doing so well either. She's been having nightmares about "chestbursters" quite frequently now and to make things worse no one believes her account of the alien. Yet then, she is called to assist a team of colonial marines in a rescue mission to Acheron. The company has lost contact with the colonists and what with Ripley's account, they thought it might be good to play it safe and hire her to provide guidance.When they arrive things immediately start to go bad. As it happens the human colony has been overrun by aliens. In the first rescue attempt, half the team is wiped out in a matter of seconds.Thus begins the macabre game of cats and mice, as the team races to escape the aliens. Top that off with the fact that the planet is extremely unstable and is in fact about to explode,and that the present company employee sets a pair of face hugger aliens after Ripley and the little girl Newt in an attempt smuggle alien embryos back to earth,and you've got a pretty bad situation. To complicate matters the aliens cut the power and launch a second attack savagely murdering all of the remaining marines, save for Ripley, Newt, and Hicks. Then Newt is captured by the aliens and Ripley goes down into the alien nest in a last ditch rescue attempt. After killing the face hugger and saving Newt, Ripley finally discovers what lays the alien eggs: a 19 foot tall uber-alien, a queen if you will. And thus begins the exiting conclusion! Aliens was a massive success, grossing 86 million dollars in the US alone, making 131 million worldwide! The special effects of this film are perhaps it's most incredible aspect, including both the miniature models of the colony and of the space ships, and of course the wonderful alien effects by Stan Winston studios.The fantastic alien suits were created for mobility, doing away with the fragile see-through head cowl and constructing them by gluing foam rubber pieces to a black unitard. The effect is disturbingly realistic and truly merits it the best visual effects award it received. The film is also if I'm not mistaken, a prime example of neo-film noir, what with it's dark, surprisingly moody, cavernous locale, and extremely well lit scenes. In short Aliens is the complete package,combining great story telling, awe inspiring special effects, awesome creatures, and intense action all in one film. And now on to the score! Overall:5 out of 5 Special effects:5 out of 5 Story:4 out of 5 Visuals:5 out of 5 Dialogue:4 out of 5.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Aliens
Now for my fourth review I will be reviewing the 2nd installment in the famed Alien saga! The aptly named Aliens is most likely one of the most famed and influential science fiction films ever made. Directed, produced and written by the multi-talented James Cameron, creator of Titanic, Terminator and Avatar (not in that order), Aliens remains a land mark in the sci-fi and creature film genres and has influenced countless imitations and monster movies since its release in 1986. The story begins with Lieutenant Ellen Ripley floating through endless space for as she later discovers fifty three years! Until she is picked up by a company search craft and taken to a secure settlement. Later we see that there has been a colony of people living on Acheron (the place where the original nest was discovered) for the past few years but when a small family is sent to "investigate" the nest, things start to get pretty hairy. Later on we see that Ripley isn't doing so well either. She's been having nightmares about "chestbursters" quite frequently now and to make things worse no one believes her account of the alien. Yet then, she is called to assist a team of colonial marines in a rescue mission to Acheron. The company has lost contact with the colonists and what with Ripley's account, they thought it might be good to play it safe and hire her to provide guidance.When they arrive things immediately start to go bad. As it happens the human colony has been overrun by aliens. In the first rescue attempt, half the team is wiped out in a matter of seconds.Thus begins the macabre game of cats and mice, as the team races to escape the aliens. Top that off with the fact that the planet is extremely unstable and is in fact about to explode,and that the present company employee sets a pair of face hugger aliens after Ripley and the little girl Newt in an attempt smuggle alien embryos back to earth,and you've got a pretty bad situation. To complicate matters the aliens cut the power and launch a second attack savagely murdering all of the remaining marines, save for Ripley, Newt, and Hicks. Then Newt is captured by the aliens and Ripley goes down into the alien nest in a last ditch rescue attempt. After killing the face hugger and saving Newt, Ripley finally discovers what lays the alien eggs: a 19 foot tall uber-alien, a queen if you will. And thus begins the exiting conclusion! Aliens was a massive success, grossing 86 million dollars in the US alone, making 131 million worldwide! The special effects of this film are perhaps it's most incredible aspect, including both the miniature models of the colony and of the space ships, and of course the wonderful alien effects by Stan Winston studios.The fantastic alien suits were created for mobility, doing away with the fragile see-through head cowl and constructing them by gluing foam rubber pieces to a black unitard. The effect is disturbingly realistic and truly merits it the best visual effects award it received. The film is also if I'm not mistaken, a prime example of neo-film noir, what with it's dark, surprisingly moody, cavernous locale, and extremely well lit scenes. In short Aliens is the complete package,combining great story telling, awe inspiring special effects, awesome creatures, and intense action all in one film. And now on to the score! Overall:5 out of 5 Special effects:5 out of 5 Story:4 out of 5 Visuals:5 out of 5 Dialogue:4 out of 5.
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