Aliens (film)
"Aliens" is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, serving as a sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 film "Alien." Unlike its predecessor, which subverted typical sci-fi tropes, "Aliens" embraces a more conventional action narrative, featuring the return of the protagonist Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. In this installment, Ripley joins a squad of Marines to confront the alien threat on a colonized planet, showcasing her evolution into a more empowered and resourceful character. The film retains key thematic elements such as female empowerment and maternal instincts, with Ripley fiercely protecting a young girl named Newt against a menacing alien "queen."
"Aliens" significantly impacted the film industry by highlighting the potential for successful female leads in action films, paving the way for future portrayals of strong women in similar roles. The film also marked a shift in Hollywood's approach to sequels, transforming the perception of sequels from low-budget productions to viable blockbusters. With its combination of thrilling action and deeper emotional themes, "Aliens" has become a classic in the science fiction genre, and it remains influential in both cinematic storytelling and the representation of women in film.
Aliens (film)
Identification Science-fiction film sequel
Date Released July 18, 1986
Director James Cameron (1954- )
Aliens capitalized on the success of the 1979 film Alien, cementing James Cameron’s reputation as a reliable director of science-fiction films and beginning his interest in using women as action heroes in his movies.
Identification Science-fiction film sequel
Date Released July 18, 1986
Director James Cameron
Aliens capitalized on the success of the 1979 film Alien, cementing James Cameron’s reputation as a reliable director of science-fiction films and beginning his interest in using women as action heroes in his movies.
Key Figures
James Cameron (1954- ), film director
The original Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, was a surprise hit in 1979. With no well-known stars and a clichéd premise—space travelers menaced by an alien monstrosity—the movie impressed audiences with its realistic depiction of the life cycle of an extraterrestrial species and surprising plot twists. Characters who usually functioned as the heroes of such stories—the stalwart captain, the no-nonsense science officer—died early in the film, and a character tangential to the early scenes, the protocol-conscious second-in-command Ellen Ripley, emerged as the film’s heroine. This skillful inverting of science-fiction tropes by screenwriter Dan O’Bannon delighted viewers, and Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of Lieutenant Ripley immediately established her as a star.
When the decision was made to make a sequel, director James Cameron and his scenarists, David Giler and Walter Hill, were faced with a difficult task: to fashion a worthy successor to a science-fiction film that had succeeded by confounding its viewers’ expectations. They audaciously decided not to replicate the genre-bending tendencies of the original but to do the reverse: make a conventional science-fiction action picture in which Ripley would return to the lair of the alien with a squad of Marines to fight the monsters with a staggering array of futuristic weapons. However, Cameron wisely maintained two striking elements of the original film: the dual themes of female empowerment and parenting.
Weaver’s Ripley in Aliens is even bolder and more resourceful than she was in the original. She is wiser and more realistic in her outlook, having internalized the lessons of her first alien encounter. She is joined by other strong women among the Marines, especially Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein). In the original Alien, Ripley was portrayed as a positive maternal figure, while the ship’s computer, called “Mother” by the crew, failed its “children,” particularly Ripley herself, at key moments. In contrast, Ripley risked her life to save the ship’s cat and in the final scene was depicted in a Madonna-and-child pose with the feline. Similarly, in Aliens, Ripley fights for the safety of the child Newt against a “queen-mother” alien intent on spawning an ever-increasing number of predatory offspring.
A perennial problem for scriptwriters of science-fiction and horror sequels is motivating the protagonists to return to a situation in which they previously suffered incredible dangers. Why would an astronaut return to a planet where she knows hideous monstrosities lurk? Cameron and his colleagues astutely tied this tricky plot element to the delineation of Ripley’s character in Alien. Ripley agrees to return to the aliens’ world only after she learns that the planet has been colonized by settlers who are in danger. Her decision to save them is wholly consistent with the courage and sense of self-sacrifice Ripley displayed in the original.
Impact
Aliens illustrated two important cinematic trends of the 1980’s. It demonstrated Hollywood’s growing tendency to turn any successful picture into a franchise, whereas sequels in the past were typically associated primarily with inexpensive “B-movies.” Also, it helped establish that the viewing public would accept women as leads in action films by proving clearly that Sigourney Weaver’s success in the original was no fluke.
Bibliography
Cameron, James. Aliens: Foreword and Screenplay. London: Orion, 2001.
Clute, John, and Peter Nicholls. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
Hardy, Phil. The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press, 1994.
Thomson, David. David Thomson on the “Alien” Quartet. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.