ALIENS (1986) - 3rd time

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards:

Best Actress: Sigourney Weaver

Best Editing

Best Art Direction

Best Music, Original Score

Best Visual Effects (WON)

Best Sound

Best Sound Effects (WON)

Predictably, I couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing Aliens today, after dedicating yesterday to the original. Sigourney is again the star and we’re dealing with the same aliens, but the two films have different directors, with different approaches to the story. While the first film was more… calm and mysterious, the sequel is pure James Cameron, therefor: action, action and some more action. 😊  Which makes it just as good, but with slightly different qualities.

I didn’t remember the film to be as tight as it is, and the screenplay is quite an achievement for this genre. Of course, it’s entertaining and tense and even a bit scary. It puts more focus on Ellen Ripley and it creates a mother-daughter-almost storyline that becomes the emotional core of the film. The visual effects aren’t always flawless, but the aliens are still impressive, and the film is a huge technical achievement overall. I loved the supporting actors.

Some say, though I didn’t get to check, that Sigourney’s nomination marks the first time an actress gets such an honour in the Best Actress category, for an action film, a genre that’s almost entirely ignored by the Actors branch of the Academy. It’s definitely worth it, and I might’ve given Sigourney the win, though I haven’t seen all the other nominees.

I give it: 10/10

IMDB LINK