Aliens

Movie Name: Aliens
Year of Release: 1986

Director: James Cameron

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Lance Henriksen, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 10

Synopsis:

"Aliens" premiered in the Summer of 1986, the follow up to James Cameron's "The Terminator", which had premiered in 1984, to acclaim and commercial success. Coming from a somewhat difficult shoot (that saw the replacement of both the director of photography and the main male lead actor), the film was a huge hit and gathered 7 Academy Award nominations (winning two).
The film picks up after the events of "Alien". Ripley is found on the space ship she escaped on 57 years later. Much to her dismay, the planet with the alien creatures has now been colonized by her corporate employer. When communication with that colony ceases, Ripley alongside a team of marines, is charged with going back and investigating what has occurred in that planet. None of them is however quite prepared for what they encounter, which will test everyone's resilience.
James Cameron cemented his name as one of the most ingenious action film directors with "Aliens". Whereas Ridley Scott's "Alien" was about the atmosphere and the suggestion of menace, "Aliens" was deeply rooted in the more belligerent atmosphere of the 80s films. "Aliens" was truly a war movie in space. The film benefited from a fantastic script, that allowed for action set pieces, and for the story of Ripley to co-exist and complement each other. At the core of the film, it was a mother trying to protect her child from a menace that was unstoppable. The film benefited from a fantastic cast, particularly Sigourney Weaver, who carried the film with sheer charisma, displaying both a resourcefulness and emotion, something that hadn't been seen in lead characters in action films yet. To this day it remains as one the best and most vital displays of a fully rounded leading female character in Hollywood films. The visual effects from Stan Winston and his team were also phenomenal, as was the cinematography from Adrian Biddle. A classic always worth revisiting.