I love that, in the finale, they show that despite being the badass protagonist Ripley is not a trained soldier at all. Despite being heavily armed, she wastes a load of ammo panicking and really doesn't kill many Xeno's. Ripley is a brilliant example of a badass character who isn't perfect at everything.
Exactly. She's a master class in looking at how you can let your supremely badass heroines have actual realistic flaws and not take away from their badassery. She's not a soldier, there's no reason to expect her to act like one. What she is though is a survivor.
This is very true, and I feel like this is one of the reasons why her character is so recognized and beloved. Though at the risk of seeming petty, I feel inclined to correct you on something. In the finale, Ripley didn't waste her ammo while shooting in a panic. That was anger. A moment of pure catharsis.
@@refurbishedtechpriest9076 Precisely, she had aliens in front of her and was going to exorcise her demons with ballistics and explosives. Also meaningful she does more damage to herself, since by doing that instead of getting while the getting was good she pissed off the Queen, helped her get loose from her supports, and then didn't have the firepower to finish her off when she followed her.
Fun Fact: The Power Loader in the film was a full-scale prop constructed around stuntman John Lees, who was concealed inside, immediately behind Sigourney Weaver. Constructed from aluminum, fiberglass and PVC plastic, the finished machine weighed around 600 lbs and included hidden counterweights disguised as machine components to help balance it. Even so, owing to the suit's weight and bulk, it had to be either suspended from wires (concealed within the radio antennae on the suit's shoulders) or mounted on a counterbalanced crane for filming. It featured electrically operated claws, although the various hydraulic systems on the arms and legs were cosmetic only. The tandem design allowed Sigourney Weaver to be in the operator's seat at all times, while Lees controlled the suit from within.
@@coolhive2941 That's what I loved about late 70's & 80's scifi. They used practical effects that were extremely realistic and blended into the story without noticing the effect.
Don't know if you realized it, but Michael Biehn who plays Hicks ( Ripleys kind of love interest) is the same actor that plays Kyle Reese in Terminator and Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, so yes, a great actor.
His best one was in the movie Predator 2 - the extreme strobing effect scene in the subway tunnel where he dives in to attack the predator (even though you know he's going to be wasted) "Come on motherfucker, let's dance!!!"
Interesting fact. The character of Hicks was originally casted with actor James Remar. He was fired on set after it was found he was working under the influence of narcotics. Cameron called Michael Biehn on a Friday, he was there on set, the following Monday to shoot. The actors were of similar size so wardrobe didn't need any adjustments. James Remar is left in the film as Hicks for one shot. It is when the Marines enter the hive. His back is turned to the camera. Cameron left it in because the shot was too expensive to re-take with Michael Biehn now in character as Hicks.
I believe Lance playing the biological human Bishop dies in the terrible Alien 3. Maybe that one doesn't count since real Aliens fans feel that movie never happend?
We can't give enough credit to Stan Winston for his work - his special effect work is the reason why Aliens, Terminator, Predator and Jurasic Park dinos look so cool.
@jahu5440 hello my friend The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter and Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott both of them the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever created as well:).
I love the part where Ripley and the queen first meet. They come to an understanding, Ripley won't kill the queens babies and the queen would let Ripley leave with her "baby". But then the face hugger egg hatches breaking that truce. It was so good. Two things you left out of the viewing was when the queen stabbed bishop Ripleys first reaction was to push newt out of harms way, and after closing the air lock newt calls Ripley "mommy".
@@lukemcniven4131 Destroying all the eggs leaves the aliens with nothing to protect. Ergo, mama is coming after Ripley. That said, who could blame Ripley?
@@AngeloBarovierSD Right for sure. Though she should have just booked it anyway, even with the facehugger egg opened up without taking that time to blast all the eggs with fire and shoot at everything. Cuz ultimately, the place was going to explode regardless so all the aliens would have died through that. Queen sitting there, plopping her eggs down, thinking everything is fine, then BOOM, vaporized in a nuclear blast.
@@RyoHazuki224 Perhaps but the blocking of the scene suggests there were worker aliens on the far sides of the egg farm. Lighting them up created a barrier between them. (That said, I'm reasonably sure her decision was largely emotional.)
Just in case someone hasn't already mentioned this legendary story, apparently, when James Cameron was pitching an Alien sequel to the studio executives, the very first thing he did in his pitch was to write the word "Alien" on the board, then add an S to the end, and finally drew a vertical line through the S to make a dollar sign. "Alien$" Brilliant!
James Cameron: Ok Avatar made a lot of money right? Execs: Yeah so? James: Well how about Avatars? Execs: No that is just stupid James: Avatar$ Execs: My god you're a genius!!!
I think the main reason you can't pick between what movie is better is because Alien is a space horror, while Aliens is a space action movie, both great in their own right. Also just watched your Alien reaction and when I heard it would have been Jen first watching, I just grabbed a back of chips and told myself this is gonna be good, can't wait for the chest burst scene.
Both absolutely fantastic films, both excellent examples of their respective genres. In terms of film-making, Alien is just a little better constructed, but Aliens is far more accessible and enjoyable (and importantly, quotable!)
@@toocrazyfilms world-building, characterisation, set design, the build-up of suspense, and the overall construction of a tight, tense narrative. Alien is a SLIGHTLY better example of the film-makers craft than the sequel, and makes more with the budget than the better funded sequel. Don't get me wrong, Aliens is AMAZING, and it's indisputably more fun to watch. And with the improved budget, you get what you pay for. But the original edges it out in what it achieves. Everything's a lot more 'lived-in' and believable.
Alien and Aliens just never get old! You can watch the movie 40 years later and they still are amazing. No need for silly CGI, great sets, great actors, both are really perfect science fiction movies. The only other sci-fi movie that comes close to these is the movie "The Thing" by John Carpenter. You need to watch it, you would like it also.
This was the movie where people (myself included) began noticing that James Cameron movies consistently had very strong, tough (both emotionally, and physically) female lead characters, who if they weren't strong in the beginning of the movie, would become strong by the movie's end (like Linda Hamilton in the first Terminator movie). In this movie, the only match for the Aliens was Ripley, the toughest alien was the Queen, the sole survivor at the outpost was Newt, arguably the toughest soldier was Vasquez (either first up, or pulling up the rear), and the military craft pilot and military unit medic were all females.
Best sequel EVER. Sigourney Weaver is LEGEND. I was twelve when it came out and I've watched it dozens of times over the years and I thoroughly enjoy it each and every time. As for "Alien" versus "Aliens," I love them both, but I have a slight preference for "Aliens." Michael Biehn IS a criminally underrated actor. He's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows since the late '70s, although, of his earlier work, he's probably best known for playing Kyle Reese in the first "Terminator" ('84) movie. He was also in "The Seventh Sign" ('88), "The Abyss" ('89) (alongside Ed Harris), "Navy Seals" ('90) (alongside Bill Paxton), "Tombstone" ('93) (again, alongside Bill Paxton), and "The Rock" ('96) (again, alongside Ed Harris). He tends to play military men and cowboys most of the time. As I understand it, he taught himself the fancy gun-spinning tricks he showed off in "Tombstone" to perfection.
James Cameron is really just on another level. He's probably a nightmare to work with, but that level of perfectionism is why movies like this, Avatar, and Titanic, look as good as it does all these years later. But Titanic's visuals are damn near unmatched. Even after all this time that ship looks REAL. Cause they BUILT it.
He doesn't know what to do with the Alien or the Terminator franchise now. The terminator franchise is supposed to be a time-traveling war between humans and A.I. story. Instead, the focus is always trying to one-up the abilities of the previous terminator and the story revolves trying to survive those abilities in the real life present day. The next natural progression of the alien franchise, after Aliens should have been the purpose of the aliens. The aliens don't seem to have any real purpose. I think Alien: Prometheus tried to go there as a main idea, but the story didn't support that main idea. It was the same for Alien: Covenant. The aliens never eat they only kill when threatened, but otherwise capture their prey in order to propagate. The "face-huggers" inside the eggs the queen lays seem to stay inside their shells until a host is present and then only the same number of eggs hatch/open as there are hosts. There may be 50 eggs laid and 10 hosts cocooned and only exactly 10 eggs will open.
There was a Hollywood meme before memes were even a thing and it was, “You can’t scare me, I’ve worked for James Cameron.” Ed Harris very nearly drowned in the filming for “The Abyss” but was one of the few who did not complain what Cameron was putting him through. To this day Kate Winset and Mary Mastriantonio refuse to discuss their time working with Cameron. James Horner almost quit doing the score for “Aliens” because he got fed up dealing with him. To his credit Cameron did start sitting down with with his lead actors before filming and tired to get across just how difficult and demanding he was going to be.
Corporal Hicks, the “head guy for the military group” as Jen describes him is of course Michael Biehn who plays the original (and best version) Kyle Reese in James Cameron’s first Terminator movie.
I remember a friend once mentioned that when Apone asks them all for the clips to their rifles, Drake and Vasguez only give up this small cylinder thing and said that they surely had MORE ammo than that given the huge-ass cannons they had. It occurred to me then that what they gave up was NOT the ammo, but some sort of battery pack that powers their whole rig. Since it is all one piece AND an armor that is all connected the ammo must also be all connected. Just something you may or may not have wondered.
My favourite of the Alien saga, what a banger of a sequel, James Cameron always pushes things beyond the lines. When I was younger I had a few of the space marines action figures and for the life of me I don't believe I watched the movie at the age I was still playing with action figures :D
Corporal Hicks is played by Michael Biehn, probably most known for playing Kyle Reese, the protagonist (and eventually John Connor's father) in The Terminator
That image of Ripley’s daughter was actually Sigourney’s mother. The first time I saw Aliens was on TV and they put in the scene with her Daughter. Everyone thought I was making stuff up. And I started to believe I had dreamt the whole thing, until the Special edition came out. Ripley never wanted to make a sequel or revisit the property. Cameron was hot and wanted to make a sequel so he got the rights. And boom. Probably the best sequel ever made… that and T2…
"She probably stinks." "Get her a shower, shampoo" Yes because that is the biggest concern. Not that fact that girl has seen horrors that give nightmares, nightmares.
Director James Cameron is a futurist who has a knack for making SciFi stuff realistic. The 'power loader' was actually a DARPA design project to help soldiers lift more or give paralyzed people their mobility back. Some of the technology is actually in use. A version of the 'power suit' can be seen in Cameron's DARK ANGEL tv series, which made a star of a then 19 y/o Jessica Alba. Cameron likes to use his favorite actors over and over. In the original TERMINATOR, Michael Biehn (Hicks) played Kyle Reese, Bill Paxton (Hudson) played the spikey haired street punk in the beginning, when a naked Arnold was looking for clothes, and Lance Henrikson (Bishop) played one of the police lieutenants. Paxton, Henrikson, and Jenette Goldstien (Vasquez) were in a vampire film directed by Cameron's then wife, Kathryn Bigelow. You have also seen Jenette in T2 as John Connor's bitchy step mom who gets 'imitated'. She was also in TITANIC as the mom with the two kids who were among the poor, trapped below deck, who drowned in their bed. And, she was in LETHAL WEAPON 2 as one of the cops who got killed by the bad guys. She was the one on the exploding diving board. Michael Biehn was a Navy Seal in Cameron's spectacular THE ABYSS, which in my opinion is one of the best movies ever made (the directors cut only). Cameron went to great lengths to film it and the behind the scenes featurette is fascinating. He also helped to develop the software to make water look realistic in cgi. It also has an awesome cast a a great story. Check it out. The Abyss began Cameron's fascination with undersea exploration. His research for the film TITANIC led him to lead many expeditions to the actual wreck and helped uncover the truth behind how it actually sank. He has also visited the wreck of the Bismark and led his own search for the lost city of Atlantis. The Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB.com) is the best resource for looking up film/tv/actors/etc.
They asked the actress who played Newt as a kid on Oprah if she was afraid when she was being grabbed at by the alien queen. She said that it was just people shoving a claw at her on the end of a broom stick. It wasn't scary. BTW, she's an elementary school teacher now, and I think a rare American who just played a British accent.
One of her parents was in the US Air Force stationed in England. When they were looking for a local actor to play Newt the majority of the candidates were kids that did commercials and after all their script readings they would smile. So the production team went with a non-actress.
Vasquez actress also played in Terminator 2 as John Connor's step-mom. Also, the drop-ship was also used in Terminator series as a Hunter-seeker used by the machines
I did go to a screening of Alien 1979 back in 2018 with veronica cartwright (Lambert) moderating it and she did say that the blood spatter in the original was a surprise to everyone
The action score in this movie is out of this world!!!! I remembered back then the use of steel percussions left me with the taste of fear in my mouth. Also the insurmountable odds they had to overtake. Hats off!!
FUN FACTOID: The actor who plays Drake (Vasquez's compadre) in this movie, also played inmate Boggs (The head of the "The Sisters") in The Shawshank Redemption.
This and another movie you'll get reacting to soon are in my top 5 films of all time. Aliens is the definition of escalation in movie terms. I love the growth and difference in characters especially Ripley. I love the warrior xenomorph design and the final battle between Ripley and the Queen is just so badass and probably something we won't see to that scale of practical effects ever again
Actually when Ripley Has to go down the elevator shaft to save Newt and is armed to the teeth, is my favorite scene. (among many others ... the aliens entering the room and the whole countdown with the motion detector) Vasquez as the rear guard covering their escape. That woman had guts!!!!!!
People always talk about Weaver's performance, or the Villain. But I have to commend the Marines, we never get anyone talking about how James Cameron actually got a former Marine Drill Sargent and put them all through training together to make them seem like a real team.
36:29 Michael Biehn - Movie Roles include: Cpl. Hicks - Aliens Lang - The Mandalorian (episode - the Jedi) Johnny Ringo -Tombstone Kyle Reese - Terminator Cmdr. Anderson The Rock Russel Quinn - The Seventh Sign and tons more. This guy has like fifty or more roles to his name.
I did that on 31st October 2014. It was amazing seeing those on the big screen with an audience, and the certificate for both films dropped to 15 from its previous 18 so more people were allowed in to see it.
in 92 me and a friend went to a triple bill of Alien, Aliens and the premier of Alien 3 on the same night. Think i got home about 4 in the morning and after the classics of Alien and Aliens, Alien 3 was a disappointment.
@@jonathanadnitt7704 I bet spoiler for alien 3 coming up. I would have been pissed to see Newt and Hicks die off screen at the start of Alien 3. Right off to a bad start.
On the few occasions that I feel impelled to watch _Alien 3_ I can only bring myself to watch the Assembly Cut, which to me makes more sense, plus I find the Theatrical Version incredibly boring.
11:03 I've seen this move about 400 million times, and I think this is the first time I caught the "Terminator" reference with Hudson mentioning the "phased plasma pulse rifles." In the first Terminator, the T-800 goes into the gun shop and asks for a "phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range." Cameron tipping his hat to Cameron.
OMG Jen's face after her heartburn joke.....Priceless!! Michael Biehn (I think that's spelled right) who played Dwayne Hicks, plays Kyle Reece in the Terminator with Arnold! Also, the actress who plays Vasquez in Aliens, plays the foster mom in Terminator 2. Personally I would love to see you two react to Mel Brooks movies Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. As well as the comedies Top Secret and Clue! If you haven't seen them of course.
Regarding effects, there's zero CG- It's all puppets, practical effects, miniatures and matte paintings. A bit of backlit cell animation at the end explosion. Adam Savage has a great video where he examines the miniature for the drop ship. The insane details on it are a wonder- stuff you'd never see on even the big screen, but added for pure love of making cool stuff.
Just think. James Cameron went from xeroxing and studying filmmaking text books at the USC library while he was working as a truck driver to cranking out incredible stuff like this. The American Dream!
If you watch Alien³, I recommend the extended cut. I loved the theatrical version already and only saw the extended cut a few years ago. Even better. I'll never go back.
Funny that she said "What is this? The Batmobile?" The place in this where they first encounter the Aliens with the stairs and catwalks was a set that was reused three years later for the 1989 Batman as the Axis Chemical Plant. All the Aliens set design and props were still in there when they started to prep for filming Batman. If you ever watch Batman 89 again it's super easy to tell it's the same place. It's all the stuff you see Jack Nicholson running around on trying to escape the cops right before he falls in the chemicals and becomes Joker. I believe you see a shot of the Batmobile driving in the exact same place as the APC Ripley was driving when your wife asked that. That actually blew my mind a little. Rewatch Batman again now and see how much it looks like Aliens in the chemical plant scenes and when the Batmobile destroys the plant..
In bit of a legendary/mythological pitch meeting with execs, "Cameron wrote the word "Aliens" and then drew two lines down the letter “s” to make a dollar symbol".
What I love is that the tie in video game alien isolation takes place 15 years after the first movie. And you play as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, as she joins a team sent to retrieve the flight recorder of her mother's ship, the Nostromo. Kinda sad they never saw each other again.
31:32 There's another thing from Aliens that The Clone Wars has made a callback/reference to as well, Holden and Jen! Not just the Queen herself, but also earlier on in the movie when Private Hudson exclaims "C'mon, grunts! We. Are. Leaving!!" -- Captain Rex says the same exact line after having been ordered to evacuate the troops by Obi-Wan and Anakin during one of their numerous battles on Felucia throughout The Clone Wars, specifically in the opening of the Holocron Heist arc! :)
The first move is straight horror in a sci-fi wrapper. It's the "Killer is in the house!" premise while eliminating the issue of "Just leave the house!" This movie is a sci-fi action movie, much more like Terminator. And all the little foot-notes, like Vasquez is John's foster-mom from "Terminator 2." At 36:48 Jen has seen Michael Biehn (Hicks) before. He was in the Ahsoka episode of "The Mandalorian" Season 2. I highly recommend watching "The Abyss" at some point, too.
I watched this film for the first time in 1995 when I was 4 years old. I fricking loved it and to this day its still one of my favourite movies/sequels ever. I didn't see Alien until after I'd seen this, Alien 3 and Resurrection. Goes without saying that the og is a classic. Alien and Aliens work so well together as movies. Whilst people do say Aliens is more action focused, I still find it to be a pretty tense horror experience. The entire Cocoon Sequence, Facehugger Med-Lab and Tunnel Chase are pretty intense and scary situations. This movie just builds up the tension alot with a horror approach and then BANG, into the chaos of the action. Such a good bloody film with a great cast of characters. The family theme in this is up there with what Cameron surpassed with Terminator 2 years later. The things I would give to have a proper sequel to this movie. Mmm. That said, again, Alien 3 isn't all terrible. Its dark, gloomy and depressing but maintains that horror feel of the original but tenfold with a goring approach. Not to mention the Assembly Cut is such a better paced and well told story but it doesn't quiet measure up to the likes of what 1 and 2 did. Its a good sequel but also a bad one at the same time because of certain creative decisions. But I like it. Its a unique gulity pleasure with some good performances from some unexpected actors that appear in it if you're a fan of Game of Thrones and Dr. Who.
A little trivia, the actor who plays Hicks (Michael Biehn) was also in The Mandalorian episode "The Jedi" (season2) as the mercenary who does a quick draw against Mando.
I think some of the added scenes work agaist the movie. Showing the colony being asked to investigate, and seeing them attacked really lessens the tension when the marines show up and find nobody there.
Great review, thanks. I was too young to see Alien at the cinema but saw Aliens in 1986 at the Odeon , Leicester Square, London, it was awesome! Everyone cheered when Burke met the alien ...
I can't decide between the two movies just as you both have described. They are so different in tone and how they were shot . Each one gets a grade A in their respective categories. Fun Fact, the actress who played Vasquez, Jenette Goldstein, also played John Conners foster mom in Terminator 2. Michael Biehn who played Cpl. Hicks was also in The Terminator as Reese.
Idk if you've watched it, i don't see a vid for it, but Vasquez is the Foster mom in T2. Lance Henriksen (Bishop) and Michael Biehn (Reese) are from the first Terminator movie as well.
Michael Biehn, the actor who played Corporal Hicks in this film and Commander Anderson in The Rock, also played Kyle Reese in the original Terminator. He also played Navy SEALs in two other films, James Cameron's The Abyss and the movie Navy SEALs, which also starred Charlie Sheen, Bill Paxton, Dennis Haysbert from 24 and Rick Rossovich, who was also in The Terminator. Carrie Henn, who played Newt, only acted in this movie as she became a schoolteacher when she grew up. She also celebrated her birthday while making this movie and they had a little birthday party on the set, complete with a cake. Also, Newt's brother in the film was played by Carrie Henn's real brother.
So basically Scott told THR in an interview in 2019 why he didn't direct the sequel. “Interestingly enough, I was never asked to do the sequel. Maybe because I was such a tough guy when I was doing it, they didn’t want me back. But I was also in the habit of not wanting to do a sequel then either. So I would never have done it.” The exit of 20th Century Fox studio head Alan Ladd Jr., and a lengthy legal battle over profits from Alien stalled plans for the sequel. Following the success of James Cameron's "The Terminator" , Brandywine greenlit "Aliens" and tapped Cameron to write the screenplay and direct the sequel to Scott's hit. In 2015, Scott told THR he planned to reconnect with the Alien series with Prometheus as the first of three or more movies that would eventually revisit the creature
TRIVIA - Vasquez also played the foster mom in TERMINATOR 2 The yellow loader that Ripley uses was SO CONVINCING that after the movie several major corporations contacted the studio about actually buying them for heavy industry applications. The weapons mounts for Vasquez and Frost's HMGs were actually steadi-cam mounts.
I think you are mistaken about watching the theatrical cut for your previous Alien reaction. I'm pretty sure you watched the Directors cut, since there was a scene where Ripley encountered a cocooned Dallas, which was only available in the later Director's cut. That's why Ripley seems confused in this sequel, when she sees the Alien's hive. She had never found Dallas in the original cut that was released. I am happy you watched the extended for Aliens, because it adds a lot more depth. It can't be over stated how much Ripley set the precedent for female action stars.
You've seen Michael Biehn (Dwayne Hicks) before - though he was a bit older. He's the Magistrate's right hand man in Mandalorian S2E5 (the Ahsoka Tano episode). He's also in Terminator.
Michael biehn who played hicks was in the terminator as kyle Reese and he also was in the deleted scene in terminator 2 judgment day as Sarah Connor hallucination in the pescadero state hospital
Jen, all the special effects in this film made in 1986 before the real explosion of CGI in film are either models or articulated puppets, ie. the Alien Queen and the Loader exoskeleton.
Micheal Biehn who plays Hicks was Kyle Reese in the first Terminator and Lt Coffey in James Camerons Abyss he was also in the Ahsoka episode of Mandalorian Season 2 the Jedi as the Magistrates right hand man Lang . You should also check out John Carpenters The Thing from 1982 with Kurt Russell an amazing body horror , tense and suspenseful movie in fact my favourite John Carpenter film .
I haven't even started the video yet, but I have been waiting for this! My expectations are high, and I know you won't disappoint. Also, if you are going to continue the series...well...Holden probably knows what I'm thinking.
Also, Jenette Goldstein and Mark Rolston, who played Vasquez and Drake, also appeared on episodes of 24. And Mark Rolston played astronaut Gus Grissom in the HBO series From The Earth To The Moon.
Hey, Holden and Jen! This is one of the best sequels ever made! Thankfully, you saw the superior SPECIAL EDITION version which has the Amanda Ripley scene, the functioning colony scene, Newt's family's discovery of the derelict ship scene, the automated gun scene, the Hudson speculation about queen ants scene and the name exchange scene. This is the version both James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver prefer. The future Ripley inhabits is implied to be a dystopic corporatocracy. The most pervasive and powerful corporate entity is the Weyland-Yutani Company, a 22nd-century version of the British East India Company of the 17th- to 19th-centuries. It is a multinational conglomerate involved in robotics, interstellar transport and terraforming with a stake in every colony world. The Company is the TRUE VILLAIN of the Alien universe. Ash and Burke were following a secret corporate mandate to obtain a xenomorph specimen in order to profit from research and weaponization. The colonists who venture beyond the compound like Newt's parents are prospectors who can lay a claim to any discovery they make. The Company would get a large percentage of the find but the colonist would own a piece. A valuable ore would mean a fortune! After Burke heard Ripley's story, he contacted the colony boss to dispatch someone to the coordinates Ripley had indicated in her report with no warning of danger. He must have done a little digging and found out about the Company Directive to investigate any possible sign of intelligent life and to bring back a specimen. He sent Newt's family straight to the derelict ship. Some trivia: The picture of Ripley's elderly daughter in the Special Edition is actually Sigourney Weaver's real-life mother! The late Al Matthews, who played Sgt. Apone, was a true-blue Marine who was the first black man to be promoted to Sergeant in the Corps during his service in Vietnam! The knife-trick scene was originally supposed to be performed by Lance Henriksen alone but he convinced director James Cameron to surprise Bill Paxton by involving him as they shot the scene! Paxton's wide-eyed terror is completely real! Fan favorite Vasquez is played by non-Hispanic Jenette Goldstein! She goes out like a warrior and enables Gorman to reclaim his honor. Ms. Goldstein now is the proprietress of a Los Angeles-based boutique that specializes in bespoke large-size bras! The motto of her company is, "At Jenette's, the alphabet begins with 'D'."! Bishop's programming to not harm humans or allow them to come to harm through inaction is ripped straight from Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics! Carrie Henn, who played Newt, never acted again but became a schoolteacher. She still maintains a correspondence relationship with Sigourney Weaver thirty-four years later. The late Bill Paxton, who has the distinction of being attacked on screen by an Alien, a Terminator and a Predator, will NEVER be forgotten for his reading of the line, "Why don't you put HER in charge?", referring to little Newt in her oversized helmet. Lol. "ALIEN 3: ASSEMBLY CUT" is a DIVISIVE film but it's an EXCELLENT entry in the series. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU SEE IT!!! Many will try to dissuade you but it is ESSENTIAL VIEWING! It's directed by David Fincher and features Charles Dance and Charles Dutton. It's brutal, fast-paced, has a solid cast, has some extraordinary scares, provides new insight into the creature, presents a fascinating dilemma and concludes the trilogy elegantly. I strongly encourage you NOT TO SKIP IT! Make sure you see the ASSEMBLY CUT (Special Edition with longer runtime). "Alien Resurrection" is the optional one because it's a hot mess except for one cool aquatic sequence. The ambitious prequels, "Prometheus" and "Covenant", mark director Ridley Scott's return to the series but they are mostly good JUST for Michael Fassbender's performances. Scott demystifies the creature and unsatisfyingly attempts to address who the elephant-headed pilot of the derelict spacecraft was. VIEWING ORDER: Alien Aliens (Special Edition) Alien 3 (Assembly Cut) Alien Resurrection (Director's Cut) [OPTIONAL] Predator (1987) Predator 2 Predators Prey Alien vs. Predator Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (Unrated) Prometheus [OPTIONAL] Covenant [OPTIONAL] INTERNAL CHRONOLOGY: 1719 Prey 1987 Predator 1997 Predator 2 2004 Alien vs. Predator 2004 Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (Unrated) 2010 Predators 2018 The Predator [SKIP THIS AWFUL FRANCHISE-KILLING REBOOT] 2093 Prometheus [OPTIONAL] 2104 Covenant [OPTIONAL] 2122 Alien 2179 Aliens (Special Edition) 2179 Alien 3 (Assembly Cut) 2379 Alien Resurrection (Director's Cut) [OPTIONAL]
Excellent compilation of facts and trivia. I would, however, argue against their being a "Company Directive" that refers specifically to this species. As Burke himself stated, if he went through proper channels, the whole company gets involved, and "there's no exclusive rights for anyone." Weyland-Yutani legitimately had no idea the derelict existed and still didn't really believe it after Ripley educated them. Weyland-Yutani and the I.C.C. washed their hands of it. Burke was acting on his own with knowledge he gained from Ripley, not a company database. It can be inferred something similar happened to the Nostromo. Some company suit heard a rumor about a signal and decided to swap his Android into a freighter's S.O. position and see what he finds. When the Nostromo is mysteriously lost, it's CYA time. That suit buries everything he's done, and nobody is the wiser for 57 years.
Additional but of trivia; It's now largely accepted that "Blade Runner" and "Alien" are the same universe. Replicants and Androids are competing technologies/products. AND a Conostoga class starship (The Sulaco) can be seen briefly in Blade Runner 2049. 😁
The rare case where the sequel is as good or better than its equal - Weaver's iconic Ripley got her first Oscar nomination. I believe Ridley Scott passed on the chance because he was not in the manner of doing sequels and felt that he was done with it (ultimately he'd be involved later on in the franchise). Stan Winston's epic Queen Alien truly is a marvel of practical f/x. Nice job guys.
this movie actually fixed the most annoying thing that I have from the first movie. in first movie, when Ripley enter lab to search facehugger, why thy didn't open the light?. another thing is when they try to catch alien in group with net, they let 1 person to search that cat? I know it's horror cliche but it's very annoying.
Fun fact! Ripley's daughter Amanda is the main character of an EXTREMELY good game called Alien: Isolation. Isolation takes place 15 years after the events of the first film, while Ripley is unlocated. Amanda has to contend with the Alien threat herself after venturing to a salvage ship that found the Nostromo!
Plus it also includes a DLC where you play as Ellen in a remake of the original film's events. Damn good game, scary as all hell and makes you realize just how absolutely terrifying the Xenomorphs are.
Rumours are they are making a sequel but I always thought it would be a good anthology series with different horror movies. Jurassic Park Isolation? Predator Isolation? Halloween Isolation? Possibilities are endless!
Finally !!! To put into perspective, back then sequels were rarely on par with the original. The Godfather 2 was the exception and Star Wars was a trilogy. Many many people didn't think it could be done. Alien was already a classic. The bar was high and the rest was... history. Up until the Matrix (over a decade later) Aliens is the best action movie. The other close ones are all Cameron movies. Terminator 2 and True Lies Vasquez has the best scene. The actress is the same who plays Connor's foster mother in T2
i find that there are quite a few of my friends who, when they watch movies or shows, they take anything said by the characters as definitive. as if that character KNOWS everything about any given situation. As an example when the power goes out and Ripley says "they cut the power." Hudson's immediate response is "What do you mean THEY cut the power? How could they cut the power they're animals." I find that many actually have that mentality about the Aliens even though they've been shown evidence to contradict THAT logic. Or they just assume that the Xenomorphs are very intelligent animals. They are in fact NOT lower case animals. They are a very intelligent Hive-like species. Their appearance makes humans assume that they are just beasts. I even read a review by Roger Ebert who shows utter disbelief that the Queen would have the intelligence and comprehension to use the elevator after Ripley and Newt escape. Like everyone else He made the assumption that they were just beasts acting on an instinctual Hive mind.
There is no Alien 3. Ripley woke up and lived happily ever after with Newt and Hicks and they found Jonesy who went on to have kittens with a stray they took in and everyone lived happily ever after.
Alien 3 should have been so much more. It was David Fincher’s (Seven and Fight Club) big screen directorial debut. The problem that film faced was there was too much studio interference during the making of the film, and it consequently deviated too much from its original story, and there was a lot of frustration on set because of the constant changes pushed by the studio. If you can get past that, it’s not a bad film, it’s just not the best in the series.
I think it's all because of script. first they want to retcon by killing characters on this movie, then they want to return back to survival horror like the first one, later studios interference and at the end is director and production crew were fed up with this movie. they should let Cameron wrote the script and David Fincher direct it
One of the few sequels that lives up to the original movie! I really wish they would have stopped at this one, none of the other sequels captured the essence of Alien/Aliens.
Here's an interesting piece of trivia, the Metroid games took a lot of inspiration from this film particularly the last couple minutes. A lone, badass woman having to deal with the galaxy's deadliest alien species that eventually has to escape a self-destruct sequence that blows up everything in the end.
Honestly nearly all military scifi takes influence from this and from the Starship Troopers novel, most entries in that genre (Starcraft, Halo, etc) owe something to both these entries in terms of tone or aesthetics or structure. Hell, when the first Avatar was coming out and people were comparing the human aircraft in the film to those of the ones from Halo and if Cameron and his team was inspired by that game's look, he responded with "well we made it first" referencing back to this movie and the tech style here that would influence those other games.
The question what is the better movie is hard to answer. I like both. Both are phenomenal! And as a fan of H.R. Gigers works all films where he was responsible for the design are a must watch. And mentioning other films here some recommendations: Species, Dune (from David Lynch), Event Horizon, Stargate (the movie), eXistenZ and The Black Hole
This is one of my favorite movies. I love all the characters, even Burke. Michael Beihn played Corporal Hicks and also Kyle Reese in The terminator. He was also in The abyss, The Rock, Tombstone, and Navy seals.
Yes, totally Contact, Predator, and Starship Troopers! Ender's Game is great if you haven't read the book, it's not bad but it missed a LOT from the book. Fun fact: I just got The Last Shadow by Orson Scott Card for Christmas!
The actor playing Hicks is Michael Beihn. He was also in James Cameron's first franchise (along with Bill Paxton, though briefly) The Terminator. This is one of the rare sequels that I feel was better than the first. Terminator 2 also was better than the first film. Empire Strikes Back Aliens Terminator 2 Godfather 2 Best top 4 sequels. And James Cameron's involved in half of them Haven't seen Avatar 2 as yet but haven't really heard any ravings about it from people, so holding my opinion till I've seen it myself.
"Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?"
"No, have you?"
Makes me chuckle every time. 😁
Lol. One of the best come backs in movie history
@@CrazeeAdam It certainly is. James Cameron can write a book on how to make female characters badass.
An actual strong female character.
The fact that the actress that played Vasquez plays John Connor’s foster mom in T2 still blows my mind!
@@MikeB12800 shes not my mom Todd
I love that, in the finale, they show that despite being the badass protagonist Ripley is not a trained soldier at all. Despite being heavily armed, she wastes a load of ammo panicking and really doesn't kill many Xeno's. Ripley is a brilliant example of a badass character who isn't perfect at everything.
Exactly. She's a master class in looking at how you can let your supremely badass heroines have actual realistic flaws and not take away from their badassery. She's not a soldier, there's no reason to expect her to act like one. What she is though is a survivor.
And Ripley being a human female breaks the accord.
@@VegetaLF7 And being a survivor made the difference.
This is very true, and I feel like this is one of the reasons why her character is so recognized and beloved.
Though at the risk of seeming petty, I feel inclined to correct you on something. In the finale, Ripley didn't waste her ammo while shooting in a panic. That was anger. A moment of pure catharsis.
@@refurbishedtechpriest9076 Precisely, she had aliens in front of her and was going to exorcise her demons with ballistics and explosives. Also meaningful she does more damage to herself, since by doing that instead of getting while the getting was good she pissed off the Queen, helped her get loose from her supports, and then didn't have the firepower to finish her off when she followed her.
Paul Riser was proud of his acting as a villian in this one. He has said that when his mother first saw it in the theater, she cheered at his death.
Fun Fact: The Power Loader in the film was a full-scale prop constructed around stuntman John Lees, who was concealed inside, immediately behind Sigourney Weaver. Constructed from aluminum, fiberglass and PVC plastic, the finished machine weighed around 600 lbs and included hidden counterweights disguised as machine components to help balance it. Even so, owing to the suit's weight and bulk, it had to be either suspended from wires (concealed within the radio antennae on the suit's shoulders) or mounted on a counterbalanced crane for filming. It featured electrically operated claws, although the various hydraulic systems on the arms and legs were cosmetic only. The tandem design allowed Sigourney Weaver to be in the operator's seat at all times, while Lees controlled the suit from within.
Excellent description. Just wanted to add they used miniatures in a few shots as well. (Near the end)
@@coolhive2941 That's what I loved about late 70's & 80's scifi. They used practical effects that were extremely realistic and blended into the story without noticing the effect.
Another fun fact, the armourd personnel carrier (APC) used to belong to British Airways. It started life as a commercial jet towing vehicle.
@@mcborge1 and then it got promoted to Alien ass kicking mech!
@@spaceguy8000 Yep, I visited the studios/workshops when this was being made and lovely set of miniatures they were too. :)
Don't know if you realized it, but Michael Biehn who plays Hicks ( Ripleys kind of love interest) is the same actor that plays Kyle Reese in Terminator and Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, so yes, a great actor.
Not sure Jenn has seen those two movies yet.
The queen reveal always sends chills throughout my body. James Cameron nailed this sequel
And the power loader reveal!
He nailed every sequel so far, from Aliens to T2 to Avatar: The Way of Water
Paxton's one liners are some of the best of that era. I still quote them sometimes.
I'm always quoting "game over man!"
Daily quotes back in my AF days.
"Stop your grinning and drop your linen."
“Then let HER take charge”
His best one was in the movie Predator 2 - the extreme strobing effect scene in the subway tunnel where he dives in to attack the predator (even though you know he's going to be wasted) "Come on motherfucker, let's dance!!!"
I like how the first 20 minutes of this movie are literally "Ripley's Believe it or Not"
LOL!!! Nice one!!! 😂👍
Cringe
@@The_Page_5_Chronicles Clearly don't know what cringe means
@@user-ky1zg2rw6k Don't feed the troll.
@@philipocallaghan I'm well fed. :) I feel better now
Interesting fact. The character of Hicks was originally casted with actor James Remar. He was fired on set after it was found he was working under the influence of narcotics.
Cameron called Michael Biehn on a Friday, he was there on set, the following Monday to shoot. The actors were of similar size so wardrobe didn't need any adjustments.
James Remar is left in the film as Hicks for one shot. It is when the Marines enter the hive. His back is turned to the camera. Cameron left it in because the shot was too expensive to re-take with Michael Biehn now in character as Hicks.
And Remar was clean from then on! So yay?
what about the only actor that has been killed by a terminator, predator and alien. but another nearly did the same.
@@Supraboyes Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton
@@thefilmlodge bill got killed by all 3, lance being a android in aliens survived.
I believe Lance playing the biological human Bishop dies in the terrible Alien 3. Maybe that one doesn't count since real Aliens fans feel that movie never happend?
We can't give enough credit to Stan Winston for his work - his special effect work is the reason why Aliens, Terminator, Predator and Jurasic Park dinos look so cool.
@jahu5440 hello my friend The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter and Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott both of them the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever created as well:).
I love the part where Ripley and the queen first meet. They come to an understanding, Ripley won't kill the queens babies and the queen would let Ripley leave with her "baby". But then the face hugger egg hatches breaking that truce. It was so good.
Two things you left out of the viewing was when the queen stabbed bishop Ripleys first reaction was to push newt out of harms way, and after closing the air lock newt calls Ripley "mommy".
After watching way too many times I realized that Riply's (entirely understandable) mistake is she should have only destroyed half the eggs.
@@j.f.fisher5318 I don't understand why? I'd rather not have a dozen facehuggers chasing me out of there
@@lukemcniven4131 Destroying all the eggs leaves the aliens with nothing to protect. Ergo, mama is coming after Ripley.
That said, who could blame Ripley?
@@AngeloBarovierSD Right for sure. Though she should have just booked it anyway, even with the facehugger egg opened up without taking that time to blast all the eggs with fire and shoot at everything. Cuz ultimately, the place was going to explode regardless so all the aliens would have died through that. Queen sitting there, plopping her eggs down, thinking everything is fine, then BOOM, vaporized in a nuclear blast.
@@RyoHazuki224 Perhaps but the blocking of the scene suggests there were worker aliens on the far sides of the egg farm. Lighting them up created a barrier between them.
(That said, I'm reasonably sure her decision was largely emotional.)
Just in case someone hasn't already mentioned this legendary story, apparently, when James Cameron was pitching an Alien sequel to the studio executives, the very first thing he did in his pitch was to write the word "Alien" on the board, then add an S to the end, and finally drew a vertical line through the S to make a dollar sign.
"Alien$"
Brilliant!
If that's true, then his understanding of how to talk to executives is truly phenomenal lol.
@@j.f.fisher5318 I mean, he's got them convinced enough to throw him money for any idea he has. _Lots and lots_ of money!
James Cameron: Ok Avatar made a lot of money right?
Execs: Yeah so?
James: Well how about Avatars?
Execs: No that is just stupid
James: Avatar$
Execs: My god you're a genius!!!
Movie pitcher: "Adding more aliens will make us a lot of money."
Executive: "Oh, money! That's the thing I like!"
Movie pitcher: "It sure is, sir!"
@@vianneyb.8776 It sure is.
I think the main reason you can't pick between what movie is better is because Alien is a space horror, while Aliens is a space action movie, both great in their own right.
Also just watched your Alien reaction and when I heard it would have been Jen first watching, I just grabbed a back of chips and told myself this is gonna be good, can't wait for the chest burst scene.
Both absolutely fantastic films, both excellent examples of their respective genres.
In terms of film-making, Alien is just a little better constructed, but Aliens is far more accessible and enjoyable (and importantly, quotable!)
What means "better constructed"?
@@toocrazyfilms world-building, characterisation, set design, the build-up of suspense, and the overall construction of a tight, tense narrative. Alien is a SLIGHTLY better example of the film-makers craft than the sequel, and makes more with the budget than the better funded sequel.
Don't get me wrong, Aliens is AMAZING, and it's indisputably more fun to watch. And with the improved budget, you get what you pay for. But the original edges it out in what it achieves. Everything's a lot more 'lived-in' and believable.
@@petercolson2990 "Game over, man. Game over!"
Alien and Aliens just never get old! You can watch the movie 40 years later and they still are amazing. No need for silly CGI, great sets, great actors, both are really perfect science fiction movies. The only other sci-fi movie that comes close to these is the movie "The Thing" by John Carpenter. You need to watch it, you would like it also.
This was the movie where people (myself included) began noticing that James Cameron movies consistently had very strong, tough (both emotionally, and physically) female lead characters, who if they weren't strong in the beginning of the movie, would become strong by the movie's end (like Linda Hamilton in the first Terminator movie). In this movie, the only match for the Aliens was Ripley, the toughest alien was the Queen, the sole survivor at the outpost was Newt, arguably the toughest soldier was Vasquez (either first up, or pulling up the rear), and the military craft pilot and military unit medic were all females.
James Cameron said he grew up with his tough mother in military base. no wonder he is military nerd
Best sequel EVER. Sigourney Weaver is LEGEND. I was twelve when it came out and I've watched it dozens of times over the years and I thoroughly enjoy it each and every time.
As for "Alien" versus "Aliens," I love them both, but I have a slight preference for "Aliens."
Michael Biehn IS a criminally underrated actor. He's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows since the late '70s, although, of his earlier work, he's probably best known for playing Kyle Reese in the first "Terminator" ('84) movie. He was also in "The Seventh Sign" ('88), "The Abyss" ('89) (alongside Ed Harris), "Navy Seals" ('90) (alongside Bill Paxton), "Tombstone" ('93) (again, alongside Bill Paxton), and "The Rock" ('96) (again, alongside Ed Harris). He tends to play military men and cowboys most of the time. As I understand it, he taught himself the fancy gun-spinning tricks he showed off in "Tombstone" to perfection.
I'm glad you said this. Michael Biehn is an absolute legend who deserved to be in many more classics.
I do put the second Terminator right up with this movie for best sequel.
He's also the enforcer dude that Mando duels in Ahsoka's first episode of The Mandalorian, Ch 13.
James Cameron is really just on another level. He's probably a nightmare to work with, but that level of perfectionism is why movies like this, Avatar, and Titanic, look as good as it does all these years later. But Titanic's visuals are damn near unmatched. Even after all this time that ship looks REAL. Cause they BUILT it.
CAMERON did have problems with the Bits at the film studio.
He doesn't know what to do with the Alien or the Terminator franchise now. The terminator franchise is supposed to be a time-traveling war between humans and A.I. story. Instead, the focus is always trying to one-up the abilities of the previous terminator and the story revolves trying to survive those abilities in the real life present day. The next natural progression of the alien franchise, after Aliens should have been the purpose of the aliens. The aliens don't seem to have any real purpose. I think Alien: Prometheus tried to go there as a main idea, but the story didn't support that main idea. It was the same for Alien: Covenant. The aliens never eat they only kill when threatened, but otherwise capture their prey in order to propagate. The "face-huggers" inside the eggs the queen lays seem to stay inside their shells until a host is present and then only the same number of eggs hatch/open as there are hosts. There may be 50 eggs laid and 10 hosts cocooned and only exactly 10 eggs will open.
There was a Hollywood meme before memes were even a thing and it was, “You can’t scare me, I’ve worked for James Cameron.” Ed Harris very nearly drowned in the filming for “The Abyss” but was one of the few who did not complain what Cameron was putting him through. To this day Kate Winset and Mary Mastriantonio refuse to discuss their time working with Cameron. James Horner almost quit doing the score for “Aliens” because he got fed up dealing with him. To his credit Cameron did start sitting down with with his lead actors before filming and tired to get across just how difficult and demanding he was going to be.
-Who need their nipples twisted? -Not gonna say it Jen? Ok, then I will, Holden Thomas Hartman!
Excuse me. You forgot to mention *The Abyss.*
“Drake… We are leaving!!!”
Micheal Biehn is an absolute legend.
No one else could have played Hicks.
Corporal Hicks, the “head guy for the military group” as Jen describes him is of course Michael Biehn who plays the original (and best version) Kyle Reese in James Cameron’s first Terminator movie.
I remember a friend once mentioned that when Apone asks them all for the clips to their rifles, Drake and Vasguez only give up this small cylinder thing and said that they surely had MORE ammo than that given the huge-ass cannons they had. It occurred to me then that what they gave up was NOT the ammo, but some sort of battery pack that powers their whole rig. Since it is all one piece AND an armor that is all connected the ammo must also be all connected. Just something you may or may not have wondered.
I figured that it was a "fire control module," since the Smartguns had an "MG42" 250 round drum.
My favourite of the Alien saga, what a banger of a sequel, James Cameron always pushes things beyond the lines.
When I was younger I had a few of the space marines action figures and for the life of me I don't believe I watched the movie at the age I was still playing with action figures :D
The music in this movie gives me a rush of chills every time!
Corporal Hicks is played by Michael Biehn, probably most known for playing Kyle Reese, the protagonist (and eventually John Connor's father) in The Terminator
And Johnny Ringo in Tombstone.
That image of Ripley’s daughter was actually Sigourney’s mother. The first time I saw Aliens was on TV and they put in the scene with her Daughter. Everyone thought I was making stuff up. And I started to believe I had dreamt the whole thing, until the Special edition came out.
Ripley never wanted to make a sequel or revisit the property. Cameron was hot and wanted to make a sequel so he got the rights. And boom. Probably the best sequel ever made… that and T2…
"She probably stinks." "Get her a shower, shampoo"
Yes because that is the biggest concern. Not that fact that girl has seen horrors that give nightmares, nightmares.
Director James Cameron is a futurist who has a knack for making SciFi stuff realistic. The 'power loader' was actually a DARPA design project to help soldiers lift more or give paralyzed people their mobility back. Some of the technology is actually in use. A version of the 'power suit' can be seen in Cameron's DARK ANGEL tv series, which made a star of a then 19 y/o Jessica Alba.
Cameron likes to use his favorite actors over and over. In the original TERMINATOR, Michael Biehn (Hicks) played Kyle Reese, Bill Paxton (Hudson) played the spikey haired street punk in the beginning, when a naked Arnold was looking for clothes, and Lance Henrikson (Bishop) played one of the police lieutenants. Paxton, Henrikson, and Jenette Goldstien (Vasquez) were in a vampire film directed by Cameron's then wife, Kathryn Bigelow. You have also seen Jenette in T2 as John Connor's bitchy step mom who gets 'imitated'. She was also in TITANIC as the mom with the two kids who were among the poor, trapped below deck, who drowned in their bed. And, she was in LETHAL WEAPON 2 as one of the cops who got killed by the bad guys. She was the one on the exploding diving board. Michael Biehn was a Navy Seal in Cameron's spectacular THE ABYSS, which in my opinion is one of the best movies ever made (the directors cut only). Cameron went to great lengths to film it and the behind the scenes featurette is fascinating. He also helped to develop the software to make water look realistic in cgi. It also has an awesome cast a a great story. Check it out. The Abyss began Cameron's fascination with undersea exploration. His research for the film TITANIC led him to lead many expeditions to the actual wreck and helped uncover the truth behind how it actually sank. He has also visited the wreck of the Bismark and led his own search for the lost city of Atlantis.
The Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB.com) is the best resource for looking up film/tv/actors/etc.
They asked the actress who played Newt as a kid on Oprah if she was afraid when she was being grabbed at by the alien queen. She said that it was just people shoving a claw at her on the end of a broom stick. It wasn't scary. BTW, she's an elementary school teacher now, and I think a rare American who just played a British accent.
One of her parents was in the US Air Force stationed in England. When they were looking for a local actor to play Newt the majority of the candidates were kids that did commercials and after all their script readings they would smile. So the production team went with a non-actress.
Vasquez actress also played in Terminator 2 as John Connor's step-mom. Also, the drop-ship was also used in Terminator series as a Hunter-seeker used by the machines
I did go to a screening of Alien 1979 back in 2018 with veronica cartwright (Lambert) moderating it and she did say that the blood spatter in the original was a surprise to everyone
The action score in this movie is out of this world!!!! I remembered back then the use of steel percussions left me with the taste of fear in my mouth. Also the insurmountable odds
they had to overtake. Hats off!!
i dont know if someone mentioned this but the actress that played Vasquez Jenette Goldstein was also in Titanic
FUN FACTOID: The actor who plays Drake (Vasquez's compadre) in this movie, also played inmate Boggs (The head of the "The Sisters") in The Shawshank Redemption.
I got to goto a Halloween atttraction that had the only still functional animatronic Alien Queen. It is amazing to see in person and up close.
So glad you’re doing the sequel so quickly after the first, both are great films in their own way.
The third one is... ehhh I mean its not as good as the first two but its all right, but the fourth one? yeah no that one is crap.
This and another movie you'll get reacting to soon are in my top 5 films of all time. Aliens is the definition of escalation in movie terms. I love the growth and difference in characters especially Ripley. I love the warrior xenomorph design and the final battle between Ripley and the Queen is just so badass and probably something we won't see to that scale of practical effects ever again
which is the other movie? Aliens^3?
No it's Predator
Love both movies, and I can't disagree with anyone liking Aliens more, but the atmosphere, set design, and mystery in Alien is unmatched for me.
Actually when Ripley Has to go down the elevator shaft to save Newt and is armed to the teeth, is my favorite scene. (among many others ... the aliens entering the room and the whole countdown with the motion detector) Vasquez as the rear guard covering their escape. That woman had guts!!!!!!
Also, Vasquez killing an alien by putting her boot to it's head and unloading a handgun into its temple
Vasquez is the Baddest always first in the door with her mate ready to Rock, those two dying in the Air vents was a glorious and Honorable way to Die
1) I'm wondering if Jen recognized John Connor's papa
2) You two should definitely cover Live. Die. Repeat. (aka Edge of Tomorrow) during Alien-fest
It is called edge of tomorrow, the movie title.
People always talk about Weaver's performance, or the Villain. But I have to commend the Marines, we never get anyone talking about how James Cameron actually got a former Marine Drill Sargent and put them all through training together to make them seem like a real team.
36:29 Michael Biehn - Movie Roles include:
Cpl. Hicks - Aliens
Lang - The Mandalorian (episode - the Jedi)
Johnny Ringo -Tombstone
Kyle Reese - Terminator
Cmdr. Anderson The Rock
Russel Quinn - The Seventh Sign
and tons more. This guy has like fifty or more roles to his name.
A few years back me and a friend went to see Alien and Aliens Directors Cuts at the cinema as a double bill. Had a great time.
Same!!! People were dressed up in aliens gear and I felt underdressed because I did not have anything lol
I did that on 31st October 2014. It was amazing seeing those on the big screen with an audience, and the certificate for both films dropped to 15 from its previous 18 so more people were allowed in to see it.
in 92 me and a friend went to a triple bill of Alien, Aliens and the premier of Alien 3 on the same night. Think i got home about 4 in the morning and after the classics of Alien and Aliens, Alien 3 was a disappointment.
@@jonathanadnitt7704 I bet spoiler for alien 3 coming up.
I would have been pissed to see Newt and Hicks die off screen at the start of Alien 3. Right off to a bad start.
On the few occasions that I feel impelled to watch _Alien 3_ I can only bring myself to watch the Assembly Cut, which to me makes more sense, plus I find the Theatrical Version incredibly boring.
11:03 I've seen this move about 400 million times, and I think this is the first time I caught the "Terminator" reference with Hudson mentioning the "phased plasma pulse rifles."
In the first Terminator, the T-800 goes into the gun shop and asks for a "phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range."
Cameron tipping his hat to Cameron.
OMG Jen's face after her heartburn joke.....Priceless!!
Michael Biehn (I think that's spelled right) who played Dwayne Hicks, plays Kyle Reece in the Terminator with Arnold! Also, the actress who plays Vasquez in Aliens, plays the foster mom in Terminator 2. Personally I would love to see you two react to Mel Brooks movies Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. As well as the comedies Top Secret and Clue! If you haven't seen them of course.
Regarding effects, there's zero CG- It's all puppets, practical effects, miniatures and matte paintings. A bit of backlit cell animation at the end explosion.
Adam Savage has a great video where he examines the miniature for the drop ship.
The insane details on it are a wonder- stuff you'd never see on even the big screen, but added for pure love of making cool stuff.
27:05 lol “Ellen-a Ripley”. 😂
Don’t forget their other hit, “Hicks-ing a hole where the rain gets in; Stops my mind from wandering 🎶”
Just think. James Cameron went from xeroxing and studying filmmaking text books at the USC library while he was working as a truck driver to cranking out incredible stuff like this. The American Dream!
If you watch Alien³, I recommend the extended cut. I loved the theatrical version already and only saw the extended cut a few years ago. Even better. I'll never go back.
Please continue this series!!!! Alien is my favorite thing ever!!!
Funny that she said "What is this? The Batmobile?" The place in this where they first encounter the Aliens with the stairs and catwalks was a set that was reused three years later for the 1989 Batman as the Axis Chemical Plant. All the Aliens set design and props were still in there when they started to prep for filming Batman. If you ever watch Batman 89 again it's super easy to tell it's the same place. It's all the stuff you see Jack Nicholson running around on trying to escape the cops right before he falls in the chemicals and becomes Joker. I believe you see a shot of the Batmobile driving in the exact same place as the APC Ripley was driving when your wife asked that. That actually blew my mind a little. Rewatch Batman again now and see how much it looks like Aliens in the chemical plant scenes and when the Batmobile destroys the plant..
In bit of a legendary/mythological pitch meeting with execs, "Cameron wrote the word "Aliens" and then drew two lines down the letter “s” to make a dollar symbol".
What I love is that the tie in video game alien isolation takes place 15 years after the first movie. And you play as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, as she joins a team sent to retrieve the flight recorder of her mother's ship, the Nostromo. Kinda sad they never saw each other again.
31:32 There's another thing from Aliens that The Clone Wars has made a callback/reference to as well, Holden and Jen! Not just the Queen herself, but also earlier on in the movie when Private Hudson exclaims "C'mon, grunts! We. Are. Leaving!!" -- Captain Rex says the same exact line after having been ordered to evacuate the troops by Obi-Wan and Anakin during one of their numerous battles on Felucia throughout The Clone Wars, specifically in the opening of the Holocron Heist arc! :)
The first move is straight horror in a sci-fi wrapper. It's the "Killer is in the house!" premise while eliminating the issue of "Just leave the house!"
This movie is a sci-fi action movie, much more like Terminator.
And all the little foot-notes, like Vasquez is John's foster-mom from "Terminator 2."
At 36:48 Jen has seen Michael Biehn (Hicks) before. He was in the Ahsoka episode of "The Mandalorian" Season 2. I highly recommend watching "The Abyss" at some point, too.
Masterpiece ever. The best sequel ever. Greatness
best sci-fi sequel ever but not the masterpiece movie though.
movie sequel that beat this movie is LOTR the two tower and godfather 2
I watched this film for the first time in 1995 when I was 4 years old. I fricking loved it and to this day its still one of my favourite movies/sequels ever. I didn't see Alien until after I'd seen this, Alien 3 and Resurrection. Goes without saying that the og is a classic. Alien and Aliens work so well together as movies. Whilst people do say Aliens is more action focused, I still find it to be a pretty tense horror experience. The entire Cocoon Sequence, Facehugger Med-Lab and Tunnel Chase are pretty intense and scary situations. This movie just builds up the tension alot with a horror approach and then BANG, into the chaos of the action. Such a good bloody film with a great cast of characters. The family theme in this is up there with what Cameron surpassed with Terminator 2 years later. The things I would give to have a proper sequel to this movie. Mmm. That said, again, Alien 3 isn't all terrible. Its dark, gloomy and depressing but maintains that horror feel of the original but tenfold with a goring approach. Not to mention the Assembly Cut is such a better paced and well told story but it doesn't quiet measure up to the likes of what 1 and 2 did. Its a good sequel but also a bad one at the same time because of certain creative decisions. But I like it. Its a unique gulity pleasure with some good performances from some unexpected actors that appear in it if you're a fan of Game of Thrones and Dr. Who.
A little trivia, the actor who plays Hicks (Michael Biehn) was also in The Mandalorian episode "The Jedi" (season2) as the mercenary who does a quick draw against Mando.
I think some of the added scenes work agaist the movie. Showing the colony being asked to investigate, and seeing them attacked really lessens the tension when the marines show up and find nobody there.
Great review, thanks. I was too young to see Alien at the cinema but saw Aliens in 1986 at the Odeon , Leicester Square, London, it was awesome! Everyone cheered when Burke met the alien ...
Shooting sound effects in this movie is just amazing. Love those, and the movie.
I can't decide between the two movies just as you both have described. They are so different in tone and how they were shot . Each one gets a grade A in their respective categories. Fun Fact, the actress who played Vasquez, Jenette Goldstein, also played John Conners foster mom in Terminator 2. Michael Biehn who played Cpl. Hicks was also in The Terminator as Reese.
"Bishop" and "Hudson" was in terminator as well. Cameron is great at reusing good actors...
Wow, I've never spotted the Jenette Goldstein before 👍
Idk if you've watched it, i don't see a vid for it, but Vasquez is the Foster mom in T2. Lance Henriksen (Bishop) and Michael Biehn (Reese) are from the first Terminator movie as well.
The actress playing Vasquez has appeared in other James Cameron films; John Connor's foster mother in T2 and an Irish immigrant passenger in Titanic
Michael Biehn, the actor who played Corporal Hicks in this film and Commander Anderson in The Rock, also played Kyle Reese in the original Terminator. He also played Navy SEALs in two other films, James Cameron's The Abyss and the movie Navy SEALs, which also starred Charlie Sheen, Bill Paxton, Dennis Haysbert from 24 and Rick Rossovich, who was also in The Terminator. Carrie Henn, who played Newt, only acted in this movie as she became a schoolteacher when she grew up. She also celebrated her birthday while making this movie and they had a little birthday party on the set, complete with a cake. Also, Newt's brother in the film was played by Carrie Henn's real brother.
So basically Scott told THR in an interview in 2019 why he didn't direct the sequel. “Interestingly enough, I was never asked to do the sequel. Maybe because I was such a tough guy when I was doing it, they didn’t want me back. But I was also in the habit of not wanting to do a sequel then either. So I would never have done it.”
The exit of 20th Century Fox studio head Alan Ladd Jr., and a lengthy legal battle over profits from Alien stalled plans for the sequel. Following the success of James Cameron's "The Terminator" , Brandywine greenlit "Aliens" and tapped Cameron to write the screenplay and direct the sequel to Scott's hit.
In 2015, Scott told THR he planned to reconnect with the Alien series with Prometheus as the first of three or more movies that would eventually revisit the creature
Fun fact: Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Michael Beihn were all in the original Terminator which was also directed by James Cameron
Bill Paxton is also the only actor to be killed by a Terminator, Xenomorph, and Predator (Aliens, Terminator 1, Predator 2)
TRIVIA - Vasquez also played the foster mom in TERMINATOR 2
The yellow loader that Ripley uses was SO CONVINCING that after the movie several major corporations contacted the studio about actually buying them for heavy industry applications.
The weapons mounts for Vasquez and Frost's HMGs were actually steadi-cam mounts.
I think you are mistaken about watching the theatrical cut for your previous Alien reaction. I'm pretty sure you watched the Directors cut, since there was a scene where Ripley encountered a cocooned Dallas, which was only available in the later Director's cut. That's why Ripley seems confused in this sequel, when she sees the Alien's hive. She had never found Dallas in the original cut that was released. I am happy you watched the extended for Aliens, because it adds a lot more depth.
It can't be over stated how much Ripley set the precedent for female action stars.
"Can soldiers kill the monster under the bed?"
Premise of this movie: Hahaha, lol, no.
Premise of Predator: _Yes_ but it's _really_ hard.
You've seen Michael Biehn (Dwayne Hicks) before - though he was a bit older. He's the Magistrate's right hand man in Mandalorian S2E5 (the Ahsoka Tano episode). He's also in Terminator.
This is my all time favourite movie! Thanks for the great reaction!!!
Michael biehn who played hicks was in the terminator as kyle Reese and he also was in the deleted scene in terminator 2 judgment day as Sarah Connor hallucination in the pescadero state hospital
Kudos for watching the special/ directors cut.
Jen, all the special effects in this film made in 1986 before the real explosion of CGI in film are either models or articulated puppets, ie. the Alien Queen and the Loader exoskeleton.
Micheal Biehn who plays Hicks was Kyle Reese in the first Terminator and Lt Coffey in James Camerons Abyss he was also in the Ahsoka episode of Mandalorian Season 2 the Jedi as the Magistrates right hand man Lang . You should also check out John Carpenters The Thing from 1982 with Kurt Russell an amazing body horror , tense and suspenseful movie in fact my favourite John Carpenter film .
Bishop managed to be helpful even after being split in half, unlike a certain gold droid in Empire Strikes Back
"Are you referring to me!"🤖
I haven't even started the video yet, but I have been waiting for this! My expectations are high, and I know you won't disappoint. Also, if you are going to continue the series...well...Holden probably knows what I'm thinking.
Another classic alien movie is Starship Troopers. Have y'all seen that already? I feel like everyone has lol
When you watched "Alien" it was also the special edition. That scene where Lambert smacked Ripley across the face was not in the theatrical cut.
Also, Jenette Goldstein and Mark Rolston, who played Vasquez and Drake, also appeared on episodes of 24. And Mark Rolston played astronaut Gus Grissom in the HBO series From The Earth To The Moon.
Hey, Holden and Jen! This is one of the best sequels ever made!
Thankfully, you saw the superior SPECIAL EDITION version which has the Amanda Ripley scene, the functioning colony scene, Newt's family's discovery of the derelict ship scene, the automated gun scene, the Hudson speculation about queen ants scene and the name exchange scene. This is the version both James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver prefer.
The future Ripley inhabits is implied to be a dystopic corporatocracy. The most pervasive and powerful corporate entity is the Weyland-Yutani Company, a 22nd-century version of the British East India Company of the 17th- to 19th-centuries. It is a multinational conglomerate involved in robotics, interstellar transport and terraforming with a stake in every colony world. The Company is the TRUE VILLAIN of the Alien universe. Ash and Burke were following a secret corporate mandate to obtain a xenomorph specimen in order to profit from research and weaponization.
The colonists who venture beyond the compound like Newt's parents are prospectors who can lay a claim to any discovery they make. The Company would get a large percentage of the find but the colonist would own a piece. A valuable ore would mean a fortune! After Burke heard Ripley's story, he contacted the colony boss to dispatch someone to the coordinates Ripley had indicated in her report with no warning of danger. He must have done a little digging and found out about the Company Directive to investigate any possible sign of intelligent life and to bring back a specimen. He sent Newt's family straight to the derelict ship.
Some trivia:
The picture of Ripley's elderly daughter in the Special Edition is actually Sigourney Weaver's real-life mother!
The late Al Matthews, who played Sgt. Apone, was a true-blue Marine who was the first black man to be promoted to Sergeant in the Corps during his service in Vietnam!
The knife-trick scene was originally supposed to be performed by Lance Henriksen alone but he convinced director James Cameron to surprise Bill Paxton by involving him as they shot the scene! Paxton's wide-eyed terror is completely real!
Fan favorite Vasquez is played by non-Hispanic Jenette Goldstein! She goes out like a warrior and enables Gorman to reclaim his honor.
Ms. Goldstein now is the proprietress of a Los Angeles-based boutique that specializes in bespoke large-size bras! The motto of her company is, "At Jenette's, the alphabet begins with 'D'."!
Bishop's programming to not harm humans or allow them to come to harm through inaction is ripped straight from Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics!
Carrie Henn, who played Newt, never acted again but became a schoolteacher. She still maintains a correspondence relationship with Sigourney Weaver thirty-four years later.
The late Bill Paxton, who has the distinction of being attacked on screen by an Alien, a Terminator and a Predator, will NEVER be forgotten for his reading of the line, "Why don't you put HER in charge?", referring to little Newt in her oversized helmet. Lol.
"ALIEN 3: ASSEMBLY CUT" is a DIVISIVE film but it's an EXCELLENT entry in the series. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU SEE IT!!! Many will try to dissuade you but it is ESSENTIAL VIEWING! It's directed by David Fincher and features Charles Dance and Charles Dutton. It's brutal, fast-paced, has a solid cast, has some extraordinary scares, provides new insight into the creature, presents a fascinating dilemma and concludes the trilogy elegantly. I strongly encourage you NOT TO SKIP IT! Make sure you see the ASSEMBLY CUT (Special Edition with longer runtime). "Alien Resurrection" is the optional one because it's a hot mess except for one cool aquatic sequence. The ambitious prequels, "Prometheus" and "Covenant", mark director Ridley Scott's return to the series but they are mostly good JUST for Michael Fassbender's performances. Scott demystifies the creature and unsatisfyingly attempts to address who the elephant-headed pilot of the derelict spacecraft was.
VIEWING ORDER:
Alien
Aliens (Special Edition)
Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)
Alien Resurrection (Director's Cut) [OPTIONAL]
Predator (1987)
Predator 2
Predators
Prey
Alien vs. Predator
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (Unrated)
Prometheus [OPTIONAL]
Covenant [OPTIONAL]
INTERNAL CHRONOLOGY:
1719 Prey
1987 Predator
1997 Predator 2
2004 Alien vs. Predator
2004 Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (Unrated)
2010 Predators
2018 The Predator [SKIP THIS AWFUL FRANCHISE-KILLING REBOOT]
2093 Prometheus [OPTIONAL]
2104 Covenant [OPTIONAL]
2122 Alien
2179 Aliens (Special Edition)
2179 Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)
2379 Alien Resurrection (Director's Cut) [OPTIONAL]
Excellent compilation of facts and trivia.
I would, however, argue against their being a "Company Directive" that refers specifically to this species.
As Burke himself stated, if he went through proper channels, the whole company gets involved, and "there's no exclusive rights for anyone."
Weyland-Yutani legitimately had no idea the derelict existed and still didn't really believe it after Ripley educated them.
Weyland-Yutani and the I.C.C. washed their hands of it.
Burke was acting on his own with knowledge he gained from Ripley, not a company database.
It can be inferred something similar happened to the Nostromo.
Some company suit heard a rumor about a signal and decided to swap his Android into a freighter's S.O. position and see what he finds.
When the Nostromo is mysteriously lost, it's CYA time. That suit buries everything he's done, and nobody is the wiser for 57 years.
Additional but of trivia;
It's now largely accepted that "Blade Runner" and "Alien" are the same universe.
Replicants and Androids are competing technologies/products.
AND a Conostoga class starship (The Sulaco) can be seen briefly in Blade Runner 2049. 😁
Michael Biehn who played Corporal Hicks, also played John Connor's father, Kyle Reese in Terminator.
The rare case where the sequel is as good or better than its equal - Weaver's iconic Ripley got her first Oscar nomination. I believe Ridley Scott passed on the chance because he was not in the manner of doing sequels and felt that he was done with it (ultimately he'd be involved later on in the franchise). Stan Winston's epic Queen Alien truly is a marvel of practical f/x. Nice job guys.
this movie actually fixed the most annoying thing that I have from the first movie. in first movie, when Ripley enter lab to search facehugger, why thy didn't open the light?. another thing is when they try to catch alien in group with net, they let 1 person to search that cat?
I know it's horror cliche but it's very annoying.
As far as they knew, on the first film, the alien was only a few inches big when they sent the guy to look for the cat
Fun fact! Ripley's daughter Amanda is the main character of an EXTREMELY good game called Alien: Isolation. Isolation takes place 15 years after the events of the first film, while Ripley is unlocated. Amanda has to contend with the Alien threat herself after venturing to a salvage ship that found the Nostromo!
Plus it also includes a DLC where you play as Ellen in a remake of the original film's events. Damn good game, scary as all hell and makes you realize just how absolutely terrifying the Xenomorphs are.
Rumours are they are making a sequel but I always thought it would be a good anthology series with different horror movies. Jurassic Park Isolation? Predator Isolation? Halloween Isolation? Possibilities are endless!
Like I always say this movie is the most exciting I’ve ever seen at the theater, the action, music etc , thanks again!
Finally !!! To put into perspective, back then sequels were rarely on par with the original. The Godfather 2 was the exception and Star Wars was a trilogy. Many
many people didn't think it could be done. Alien was already a classic. The bar was high and the rest was... history.
Up until the Matrix (over a decade later) Aliens is the best action movie. The other close ones are all Cameron movies. Terminator 2 and True Lies
Vasquez has the best scene. The actress is the same who plays Connor's foster mother in T2
Crazy how Cameron made the #1 and #2 top grossing movies of all time. He also made the top 2 sequels of all time, in Aliens and T2.
First two films are the best but I love all Alien films. Each one adds something fresh, new and interesting
i find that there are quite a few of my friends who, when they watch movies or shows, they take anything said by the characters as definitive. as if that character KNOWS everything about any given situation.
As an example when the power goes out and Ripley says "they cut the power." Hudson's immediate response is "What do you mean THEY cut the power? How could they cut the power they're animals." I find that many actually have that mentality about the Aliens even though they've been shown evidence to contradict THAT logic. Or they just assume that the Xenomorphs are very intelligent animals. They are in fact NOT lower case animals. They are a very intelligent Hive-like species. Their appearance makes humans assume that they are just beasts.
I even read a review by Roger Ebert who shows utter disbelief that the Queen would have the intelligence and comprehension to use the elevator after Ripley and Newt escape. Like everyone else He made the assumption that they were just beasts acting on an instinctual Hive mind.
How in the hayyyeeeelllll could you leave out Hudson saying, “Why don’t you put her in charge!!!!” LOLOLOL
There is no Alien 3. Ripley woke up and lived happily ever after with Newt and Hicks and they found Jonesy who went on to have kittens with a stray they took in and everyone lived happily ever after.
Alien 3 should have been so much more. It was David Fincher’s (Seven and Fight Club) big screen directorial debut. The problem that film faced was there was too much studio interference during the making of the film, and it consequently deviated too much from its original story, and there was a lot of frustration on set because of the constant changes pushed by the studio. If you can get past that, it’s not a bad film, it’s just not the best in the series.
Wasn't it supposed to be set on Earth where the Xenomorphs found their way to the planet. They even shot a teaser I think.
I think it's all because of script. first they want to retcon by killing characters on this movie, then they want to return back to survival horror like the first one, later studios interference and at the end is director and production crew were fed up with this movie.
they should let Cameron wrote the script and David Fincher direct it
James Cameron fought for Sigourney’s 1million dollar paycheck for Aliens. Insisting to the studio that she’s worth it
One of the few sequels that lives up to the original movie! I really wish they would have stopped at this one, none of the other sequels captured the essence of Alien/Aliens.
I rematched all of the Aliens movies earlier this year, this one doesn't hold up as well as I remember. The first one is still a masterpiece
Aliens was filmed in the UK. Mostly at Pinewood studios and the hive scenes were shot at the decommissioned Acton Power station West london.
Here's an interesting piece of trivia, the Metroid games took a lot of inspiration from this film particularly the last couple minutes. A lone, badass woman having to deal with the galaxy's deadliest alien species that eventually has to escape a self-destruct sequence that blows up everything in the end.
Honestly nearly all military scifi takes influence from this and from the Starship Troopers novel, most entries in that genre (Starcraft, Halo, etc) owe something to both these entries in terms of tone or aesthetics or structure. Hell, when the first Avatar was coming out and people were comparing the human aircraft in the film to those of the ones from Halo and if Cameron and his team was inspired by that game's look, he responded with "well we made it first" referencing back to this movie and the tech style here that would influence those other games.
The question what is the better movie is hard to answer.
I like both.
Both are phenomenal!
And as a fan of H.R. Gigers works all films where he was responsible for the design are a must watch.
And mentioning other films here some recommendations: Species, Dune (from David Lynch), Event Horizon, Stargate (the movie), eXistenZ and The Black Hole
This is one of my favorite movies. I love all the characters, even Burke. Michael Beihn played Corporal Hicks and also Kyle Reese in The terminator. He was also in The abyss, The Rock, Tombstone, and Navy seals.
Hello! Great watch! some other great alien movies are Contact, Ender's Game, Predator and Starship Troopers.
Yes, totally Contact, Predator, and Starship Troopers!
Ender's Game is great if you haven't read the book, it's not bad but it missed a LOT from the book. Fun fact: I just got The Last Shadow by Orson Scott Card for Christmas!
The actor playing Hicks is Michael Beihn. He was also in James Cameron's first franchise (along with Bill Paxton, though briefly) The Terminator.
This is one of the rare sequels that I feel was better than the first. Terminator 2 also was better than the first film.
Empire Strikes Back
Aliens
Terminator 2
Godfather 2
Best top 4 sequels. And James Cameron's involved in half of them
Haven't seen Avatar 2 as yet but haven't really heard any ravings about it from people, so holding my opinion till I've seen it myself.