Making a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic “Alien” should have been a disaster. This was a movie that defined a whole new sub-genre of outer-space horror, a perfectly structured scarefest that also introduced one of cinema’s greatest-ever monsters to the world.
Luckily, James Cameron — then one of Hollywood’s hottest properties off the back of “The Terminator” — has never been a shrinking violet, and was brave enough to face the Xenomorph challenge head-on. Reinventing the franchise as a muscular sci-fi action movie, he created a whole new sub-genre of his own with a film every bit as memorable as its predecessor.
So, as the peerless “Aliens” turns 40, here — in honour of LV-426, the moon where the movie takes place — are 26 reasons it’s still the greatest sci-fi action movie of all time.
1. James Cameron’$ original pitch
With only “The Terminator” (and the long-forgotten “Piranha II”) on his resumé, James Cameron was yet to ascend to “king of the world” status when he pitched for the “Alien” sequel. His subsequent meeting with studio execs has since become the stuff of Hollywood legend.
The story goes that he turned over a copy of the script, wrote “ALIEN”, added an S to the end, and then scrawled a couple of lines through the final letter. “ALIEN$” was a language the bigwigs understood, and you know what? Cameron was kinda right.
2. A new genre
Same continuity, same creature, same lead character… “Aliens” is undeniably a sequel to “Alien”.
But while Ridley Scott’s original film was already the definitive outer-space horror, Cameron boldly shifted genres to make the definitive outer-space action movie. Forty years on, fans are still debating which one is best.
3. Nothing is wasted
Anyone teaching action movie screenwriting should use “Aliens” as a core text. It’s lean, it’s efficient, and every line and moment is integral to the all-time classic whole.
It’s no accident that Ripley shows off her Power Loader skills in the opening act — it’s Cameron’s version of Chekhov’s gun.
4. The time jump
Some sequels pick up immediately after their predecessor left off. But by leaving Ellen Ripley in hypersleep for 57 years, the universe has a chance to evolve around her. Indeed, that’s enough time for Weyland-Yutani to colonize LV-426 and — just maybe — pay a visit to that mysterious spaceship with all those eggs in its cargo hold.
What could possibly go wrong?
5. Ellen Ripley
Ellen Ripley may have been the accidental hero of “Alien”, but she’s 100% proactive in “Aliens”. At the beginning of the movie, she’s still traumatized by her experience on the Nostromo, and her employers at Weyland-Yutani are doing little to help. But her cool head in a high-pressure situation puts highly trained Colonial Marines to shame, and by the final act, she’s grown into one of cinema’s greatest heroes.
Sigourney Weaver rightly earned herself an Academy Award nomination for her tour de force performance.
6. The Colonial Marines
Cameron waited until late on in production to shoot the scene where the Colonial Marines wake up from hypersleep. It’s a genius move, their real-life familiarity helping to establish a convincing camaraderie between these elite soldiers.
Even though most are lucky if they speak more than a line or two, Cameron’s writing is so tight that we already know plenty — and care — about them when they inevitably become Xenomorph fodder. (Top fact: with the exception of Lt Gorman and Corporal Hicks, the Marines all share a first initial with the actor who plays them.)
7. The Dropship
Physics purists can bemoan the science all they like, but there’s something undeniably cool about the craft that plunges the Marines to the surface of LV-426. A wonderfully utilitarian example of pre-CG model work.
8. The slow-build
In the original version of the movie, an entire hour has passed before you see an alien. Cameron doesn’t waste a second of that time, however, establishing characters (see above), introducing Newt, showing off the geography of the Hadley’s Hope terraforming base, and building a creeping sense of dread.
Those acid burns on the floor can’t be good news, right?
9. The shouldercams
In an era when cameras can be shrunk down into phones or even a pair of glasses, anybody can film anything. But when Cameron gave his soldiers shoulder-mounted video units, it felt genuinely groundbreaking. It provides a suitably chaotic Marine’s-eye-view as the carnage unfolds, but you always know whose perspective you’re following because, well, their names are written on screen.
10. The ambush
“Aliens” may take its time getting to the actual aliens, but when it does, it doesn’t hold back.
The walls start moving, flame-throwers start flaming, and suddenly the Marines are on the back foot against a vastly superior enemy. Throw in an exploding bag of ammunition, and it’s all so brilliantly disconcerting that you need several rewatches to work out what you’ve just witnessed.
Within a matter of minutes, Hicks, Hudson, Vasquez, and Gorman are the only Marines left standing — and Gorman’s technically comatose.
11. The Xenomorph drones
HR Giger’s original Xenomorph is a design classic, but Cameron was more concerned about practicality than looks.
The new alien suits (usually occupied by gymnasts and acrobats) prioritized movement, as the director went big on research and development to make sure their motion was as inhuman — and as fast — as possible.
Remarkably, only six suits were built for “Aliens”, but ingenious editing makes it look like Hadley’s Hope is swarming with them.
12. The Alien Queen
We’d seen the eggs, the Facehuggers, and the drones. But, as Ripley pointedly asks, “Who’s laying the eggs?”
The answer is a truly terrifying new stage in the Xenomorph life cycle, and arguably the last essential addition to the franchise’s mythology.
Designed by Stan Winston (who’d worked with Cameron on “The Terminator” and won an Oscar for his work on “Aliens”), the Alien Queen is a towering apex predator who’ll do anything to protect her kids.
13. Newt
Introducing a kid to a hard-boiled action franchise can be a risky move, but Rebecca Jordan (known to everyone as Newt, played by Carrie Henn) is totally integral to “Aliens”.
As the last known survivor of Hadley’s Hope, she’s resourceful as hell and has plenty to teach the heavily armed Marines about survival in a Xenomorph-infested world. She also brings out the maternal instinct in Ripley, a key theme of the movie that comes to a head in her famous face-off against the Queen: “Get away from her, you bitch!”
Speaking of which…
14. The quotable dialogue
“We’re on an express elevator to hell.” “They mostly come at night… mostly.” “Game over, man. Game over.” “I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”
Few action movies — with the possible exception of “Predator” and “Die Hard” — are quite as chock-full of zingers as “Aliens”.
15. The APC
The Armored Personnel Carrier is every bit as iconic as the dropship it calls home.
Part mobile base-of-operations, part all-terrain action vehicle, it’s the reason the few remaining Marines escape their close encounter in one piece — even if its transaxles have issues dealing with concentrated acid blood.
It’s telling that the Resources Development Administration hardware in the “Avatar” series is so heavily influenced by this timeless “Aliens” tech.
16. Facehuggers on the move
The Facehugger that jumped — and subsequently impregnated — Kane in the original “Alien was already the stuff of nightmares. But the parasites in the sequel are much more than some acid-blooded jack-in-a-box.
In “Aliens”, those spider-like legs allow them to scurry around to hunt down their prey, ensuring they’re a clear and present danger — even if you’re not foolhardy enough to put your face over an open egg.
17. Carter Burke
If there’s one thing the “Alien” saga has taught us, it’s that you should never, ever trust Weyland-Yutani, chillingly referred to simply as “the Company”.
If “Alien”‘s Ash was the ultimate company android, Burke (Paul Reiser) is the epitome of the company man, a total scumbag whose friendly, “I’m-your-best-friend demeanor” can’t disguise the fact that he’d screw you over for a percentage, kiddo. The only character in the movie whose death by Xenomorph elicits a cheer.
18. The motion trackers
You don’t need to see the Xenomorphs to know they’re there.
The ominous beep of the Marines’ motion trackers is a highly effective way of teasing the approaching menace — even when they’re hiding in the ceiling.
19. A countdown to detonation
It’s bad enough that you’re trapped on a barren moon surrounded by a vicious hive of extraterrestrials who want to use you as hosts for their offspring. And that your primary choice of rescue has crashed on the surface, leaving you even more stranded.
Then, fate (or, to be more accurate, James Cameron) throws you a curveball in the form of an atmospheric processor about to go nuclear. The clock is well and truly ticking…
20. Bill Paxton
The late Bill Paxton was Cameron’s lucky charm, also turning up in “The Terminator”, “True Lies”, and “Titanic”. But “Aliens” is his signature role, as the famously pessimistic Private Hudson makes the most of his limited dialogue.
As an interesting sidenote, Paxton had the honor of being killed on screen by a Terminator, a Predator, and a Xenomorph.
21. The Power Loader
Part Japanese mecha, part Transformer, Ripley’s Power Loader is an instantly iconic piece of kit, so painstakingly designed that it looks like it could actually work IRL.
If you’re going to go woman-to-woman with an angry Alien Queen, never leave the house without one.
22. Bishop
Ash, the Nostromo’s resident synthetic in “Alien”, was a bona fide bad ‘un, prepared to sacrifice the crew in the name of getting a valuable Xenomorph back to “the Company”’s weapons division.
It’s hardly a surprise, then, that Ripley is suspicious of Bishop (Lance Henriksen) from the off. Luckily for everyone, he gradually proves his worth via his skills with the knife game, elite dropship-piloting abilities, and generally being an all-round good egg.
Not bad for an android… (Bishop is manufactured by Hyperdyne Systems, a nod to Cyberdyne in Cameron’s “Terminator” movies.)
23. The music
“Aliens” was James Horner’s first collaboration with Cameron (he went on to write the scores for “Titanic” and “Avatar”), and the then-32-year-old provided the perfect musical backdrop for the action unfolding on screen.
Sure, some of the themes are derivative of the composer’s own “The Wrath of Khan” soundtrack, but it’s impossible to imagine “Aliens” without Horner’s contribution.
24. The sound effects
The best sci-fi franchises are as recognisable for their sound as their visuals. So, just as, say, “Star Wars”’ lightsabers and “Star Trek”s transporters are aurally unmistakable, “Aliens” has its own distinctive soundscape.
Hear a pulse rifle firing or the squeal of a Xenomorph, and you know exactly where you are. Best Sound Effects Editing was one of the film’s two Academy Award wins, and it’s easy to see why.
25. The Special Edition
If you’ve never seen “Aliens”, the tighter theatrical cut is definitely the place to start. But once you know what’s waiting for the Colonial Marines on LV-426, the Special Edition is the definitive version of the movie.
From Newt’s family making first contact with a Facehugger to a wonderfully tense sentry gun sequence, Cameron’s extra footage enhances a classic. It also adds to the film’s mother/child subtext when we learn that Ripley had a daughter, Amanda, who died just before Ellen was discovered by the Weyland-Yutani recovery crew.
Amanda would later be retconned to become the lead character in the survival horror video game “Alien: Isolation“.
26. Cameron himself
Cameron’s intense working methods famously didn’t go down well with his unionized British crew, who famously made t-shirts bearing the slogan “You can’t scare me, I work for James Cameron”.
But whatever the on-set experience, it’s impossible to deny that he marshalled proceedings to perfection. Even the director’s lesser works — the “Avatar” sequels, for example — feature action beats of unassailable genius. “Aliens”, however, demonstrates a filmmaker at the pinnacle of his powers.
Every sci-fi action movie ever made will be judged against “Aliens”. Even the brilliant “Predator” lives in the shadow of a movie that remains untouchable — and endlessly rewatchable — four decades after its original release.
“Aliens” is available to stream on Disney+ in the UK, and to rent and buy on various platforms in the US.