Ridley Scott’s original 1979 Alien film managed to be amazingly subtle for a space-monster horror film. It was built on excellent pacing, characterisation and suspense. For some reason, James Cameron’s 1986 sequel is like a Vietnam war parody with the emphasis on more monsters, more action and a lot more shooting. The section showing the marines getting ready – accompanied by clichéd “military drumming” – is almost like an episode of The A-Team. This film is in love with weaponry – there are long, lingering shots of machine guns, etc. The supporting characters are poor and the dialogue is weak, with important moments given clunky lines such as “Die, you bitch!” The cry-baby character (who loses it completely) is particularly unconvincing: could they really not find a better actor? The young girl, “Newt”, adds cutesy sentimental value. Sigourney Weaver has huge presence, as always, but the material just isn’t up to her talents. It’s surprising that this very disappointing film is rated so highly when it lacks all the qualities that made the original so compelling.
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