1986 Aliens
It was a hit with audiences and has become something of a cult classic, there was no doubt a sequel would be in the works. But how do you top a classic horror movie? Well, in the 80's there was only one way of thought - go bigger!
James Cameron was hot after the critical reception of his previous movie The Terminator. He was hired to make Alien bolder and larger, his movie, Aliens, is exactly that.
As the title would suggest we go from one alien to many. Sigourney Weaver returns to the role that made her, and this movie solidified her status as a Hollywood A-lister, as well as that of James Cameron. Here she is the expert on the species that she fought, as a group of marines are sent in to, we are told, eliminate the colony that has grown. There is intrique, double-crossing, corporate corruption, and plenty of action.
It's a noisy film, setting the standard for the rest of the franchise that could never quite top this sequel. It is a rare sequel that works, expanding on story and character. The action and set pieces are excellent, and there are plenty of scares too.
Aliens was a hit with audiences, making an impressive $131m. '86 was a year where adult films took centre stage, for the first time this decade the biggest hits were not a Spielberg or Lucas production.
Of course sequels were inevitable, but you will not find a better entry into this bloated franchise. Stick to the first two, you will not go wrong. There was even a game on Playstation, which is actually pretty good.
Aliens was also released as a computer game, which was odd for an 18 rated movie, targeting at teenage boys. Yet this was the norm, as we also had games for Rambo and Cobra. Aliens seemed to capture some of the terror and panic of the movie. While now only available secondhand, you can pick up some copies via Ebay. There is also the Alien Trilogy which was popular on the Playstation.
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