Over the next few days my friend and expert on the horror genre Lizzy will be recapping the Alien quadrilogy, reminding us what happened in the previous films and giving us some analysis, trivia and background about this classic series, then she'll be taking on prometheus, including thoughts on the alternative start and endings. Hope you enjoy reading these as much as I have! Beware though, ahead are quite a few spoilers.
Aliens (1986)
Director: James Cameron
Rotten Tomatoes rating 100%
This Time It’s War
There are several taglines for Aliens but the one above neatly sums up the premise of the film.
The story goes James Cameron had written a script for an Alien sequel before he started Terminator. The studio was unsure about the project. Alien has been such a bit hit and had been so well received that they were convinced that a follow up would be a commercial and financial disaster. James Cameron undeterred did two things. Firstly he wrote a better script and got Sigourney Weaver on and board. He then held a meeting where he wrote the word Alien added an S and then a line turning it into Alien$. The combination of showmanship and hard work paid off. Not only did they green light the project they allowed him to shelf it until after he had finished Terminator.
Alien begins with a salvage crew discovering the sleeping Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and complaining that they won’t get paid. Despite the hopeful message at the end of the first film our heroine was not picked up in a matter of weeks. Instead she has been drifting in space for 57 years.
Back on earth another aspect of Ripley’s character is revealed. In the first film the delay in return home visibly distressed her. In Aliens it is explained that she made a promise to return for her daughter’s birthday. By the time that she finally does get back the little girl has grown old and died not knowing that Ripley was waiting for her.
Before she has the chance to grieve Ripley is summoned to tribunal in front of company representatives. She is charged with blowing up a commercial vehicle and it’s payload and despite her defence is stripped of her rank. When she challenges the company men to investigate the planetoid, now named as LV-426, she is informed that colonists have lived there for the past twenty years.
Meanwhile on LV-426 a family of salvagers come across a familiar wreck. Leaving the two children in the rover the adults go to investigate. Our introduction to Newt (Carrie Henn) comes as she anxiously points out that their parents have been a long time. On cue the mother knocks on the door and Newts opens it we first her piercing scream. The camera pans back showing Newt’s father lying prone on the ground with a facehugger tightly coiled around his head.
With contact to LV-426 lost Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) appears at Ripley’s door. She slams it in his face remembering how he threw her to the wolves at the tribunal. He persists informs her of the situation and through combination of blackmail and bribery tries to persuade her to accompany a rescues party of marines. She refuses but after another nightmare changes her mind. She does however have one condition, they will be going destroy the aliens not bring them back. Burke agrees but as we know from Alien the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is not to be trusted.
The last line that Ripley gets to speak on Earth is when she tells Jones that he will be staying behind this time. The cat looks unimpressed.
As the colonial marines wake up they are revealed as stereotypical servicemen shown is just about every Vietnam War film and apparently this was Cameron’s intention.
Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) is the wise ass; Sergeant Apone (Al Matthews) shouts a lot, the lieutenant, Gorman, (William Hope) is a source of derision and Privates Drake (Mark Rolston) and Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) are clearly meatheads. Vasquez is herself a stereotype, as people tend to pigeonhole female soldiers as being extremely butch. The other woman in the troop is Corporal Dietrich (Cynthia Scott) is the pilot who seems to be there to make up the numbers. Interestingly it is these two who are the first to be dismissive about Ripley.
The marines are generally scathing about the mission, describing it as just another bug hunt. There are also references to other alien species adding more questions about the universe in which these films take place.
The only one who does not join in with the clowning around, apart from Gorman, is Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn). Hicks is set up as being more serious, thoughtful and prepared to listen to Ripley. This lines him up as a potential romantic lead.
Over breakfast the marines cajole Bishop (Lance Henriksen) into performing his party piece. This involves stabbing the table in between his and Hudson’s fingers so fast that the moving hand almost becomes a blur. Uncharacteristically Bishop hits his finger and a thin line of white fluid oozes out. Ripley is horrified to discover that they are travelling with an android. She complains to Burke who addressing Bishop and not Ripley proceeds to tell an edited version of what happened with Ash. This makes it seem as though Ash went rogue and Bishop counters by stating that Ash must have been an outdated model and that he has been programmed never to do anything like that. He then recites Asminov’s first law of robotics but Ripley remains angry.
The marines fall in to receive orders. Unfortunately Lieutenant Gorman is unable to get their names right and defers to Ripley. As she tries to tell her story the soldiers cockily interrupt her. That is apart from Hicks who sits at the back smoking and staring dreamily in Ripley’s direction.
As they prepare to go down to the surface Ripley gets her chance to show off her loading skills. She drives the suit-like machine more efficiently than the marine in the background using the opportunity to flirt with Hicks who watches her with a wide smile on his face. This is another subversion of the classic male/female relationship. In most films the man gets to parade around looking cool while the woman gazes longingly but as always Ripley does things a little differently.
After landing in the pouring rain the advanced party enters the control area. Predictable it is deserted. The walls show evidence of a firefight but there is no movement on either the scanners or the head cameras. The only thing that they find is a hole melted in the ground and evidence of nest building. The inexperienced Gorman declares the area secure demonstrating his ineptitude. Ripley tries to point out his mistake but like all weak leaders he shoots her down and ignores her advice.
In the medi-lab are two live facehuggers in jars. While investigating the scanners pick up a moving object. A shadow runs across the screen. With guns pointed the hostile life form is found to be Newt hiding in the gratings. When she runs Ripley follows her and soothers her when she tries to get away. Ripley’s maternal side comes out as she draws the little girl out of her protective shell. Ripley tries to reassure Newt that she will be safe with the soldiers but Newt tells her that this won’t make any difference.
At the same time Bishop is in the lab dissecting a facehugger, which he describes as magnificent.
Hudson picks up life under the heat exchangers. The marines enter what they discover to be a hive. Unfortunately for them Ripley realises that if they fire their weapons the whole building will explode. The cameras reveal the remains of the colonists set in the walls. In the directors cut one of these is found alive begging for death, which unfortunately comes a moment later when a baby alien breaks out of her chest.
The scanners show life but visually there is nothing. As the marines curse their equipment aliens fold from the walls and attack. During the firefight that follows Ripley tries to persuade Gorman to fall the men back but he refuses. So she takes matters into her own hands, steals his vehicle and goes to the rescue.
After getting the depleted force to safety. Ripley suggests that they take off and nuke the installation from orbit. Burke vetoes this citing the cost to the company. Ripley points out that Hicks is in temporary command as Gorman is unconscious. Corporal Hicks reluctantly agrees with Ripley and after being insulted by Burke orders the nuke but as so often happens the plan goes wrong when an alien attacks Dietrich as she tries to take off bringing the transport crashing to the ground.
Ripley takes charge and with Hicks plans a defensive strategy. At last with the two most sensible characters in charge things can only get better right?
In the directors cut Corporal Hicks gives Ripley a tracker with a caveat that it does not mean that it means they are engaged. She then gives it to Newt to prevent bad dreams.
Meanwhile Bishop has been busy. He has analysed the structure of the facehugger. The aliens are like insects meaning that they have a queen laying the eggs. Ripley orders Bishop to destroy the specimens when he is finished but he states that he is unable to comply as Burke ordered that they be taken back. Burke then tried to bribe Ripley who tells him that she will ensure that nothing gets through quarantine.
After the aliens attack the survivors realise that they will not be able to last out until help arrives. The only way to get off LV-426 is to remote pilot the Sulaco in orbit from the colonial control. Bishop volunteers to go out and do this.
The defences hold but only just. Ripley tells Hicks that she does not want to end up in the hive. She asks him to shoot her if the time comes. He promises that he will kill them both and then shows Ripley how to use his gun.
Ripley then curls up asleep with Newt who she finds lying under the bed. When Ripley awakes she sees the specimen jar lying on its side. They call for help but Burke turns off the cameras. Ever resourceful Ripley sets off the fire alarm. The facehuggers attack. As Ripley fends off hers Newt proves she can do more than just scream by trapping the second one against the wall.
It is revealed to the party that the plan was to impregnate Ripley and Newt in order to smuggle them past quarantine but before the marines’ fury can be vented the aliens come back. Burke runs away trapping the other behind him but in films, or this one at least, evil men never triumph. As Burke tries to escape there is an alien waiting for him to give him his just desserts.
During the carnage that follows everyone apart from our substitute family dies. Newt leads the way through the vents but falls through a shaft before Hicks can grab her. The adults try to rescue her but aliens carry her away.
Bishop lands with the ship and in getting there Hicks is injured. Bishop tries to point out how close the detonation is but Ripley is determined to go back for Newt. She tools up and tells Hicks not to let Bishop take off. As Ripley leaves the ship she and Hicks exchange first names. This is significant as it is the first time that she is known as anything other than Ripley.
Ripley enters the hive and finds the tracker on the ground. Just as she is about to give up hope Newt screams. Ripley frees the little girl, picks her up and runs. Then she stops. In what is probably the most chilling scene of the whole film, the camera pans back and reveals the arachnid form of the queen towering above.
Soldier aliens advance from either side, protecting their queen. Ripley fires a warning flame at the eggs in from of her. The queen silently responds and the smaller aliens retreat allowing Ripley and Newt to escape. It can be argued that Ripley makes a mistake here, all be it an understandable one. The queen sees a human protecting a child by threatening her offspring. She allows the human to escape but the human then sets fire to her eggs anyway. It could be argued that Ripley brings on the subsequent attack by not fulfilling her side of the bargain.
Ripley and Newt get out of the hive but there is no ship waiting for them. Cursing Bishop they wait for the attack.
Before it can come Bishop arrives. They climb into the ship and the nuclear bomb goes off but just like the first film this is not the end. As Ripley makes peace with Bishop a giant tail spears him through the middle. The queen has hitched a ride to the larger ship proving the aliens can survive in the vacuum of space.
In order to redresses the size difference. Ripley climbs into a loader and fights the queen. She succeeds in sending her out of an airlock and Bishop redeems androids by preventing Newt from following.
Finally they can go to sleep and dream.
Everything about Aliens is bigger and better than its predecessor, even in its length. The director’s cut of Aliens comes in at around two and three quarter hours. The film ratchets up the violence and the number of deaths. It gives us a more explosions, more spaceships and a bigger and more dangerous alien.
Characters and ideas are developed further in Aliens. In Alien the company is referred to as a shadowy presence. In Aliens it is given a name and faces. The corporate hierarchy is shown for the first time.
Ripley is given a backstory and a first name. Having developed a strong female lead in the first film this one takes it to the logical progression by giving her both a maternal side and the chance to show her leadership skills. She also gets a love interest. In Alien Ripley is only seen in the context of the Nostromo and what happens to it. In the follow up she becomes a well-rounded character, not just a whole person but also the one you would choose to have on your side if going against aliens.
I once heard it argued by a film lecture that Ripley in Alien was a man played by a woman. This made me angry as it detracted from the importance of Ripley been a strong female role in the horror genre. Aliens proves that this hypothesis doesn't stand up.
- Lizzy
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