There have been many directors who encountered problems in production. Alfred Hitchcock and Victor Fleming are notable among them. James Cameron gets on the list. He overcame them on the set of Aliens. He was a young hotshot director, fresh off the success of The Terminator. He made it on a shoestring budget and it made the studio a huge profit.
Alien was a surprise hit. Studio executives love profit, so they green lighted a sequel, Aliens. They decided to cut costs and went to England to film. This decision caused major headaches for Cameron. The English crew believed in tea breaks, no matter how the shooting was going. They were laid back and deadlines weren’t foremost in their minds. They also hadn’t seen The Terminator. It wasn’t released in England. They didn’t think he was a worth director.Cameron had disputes with the cinematographer and the assistant director. The cinematographer disagreed with Cameron’s lighting ideas. The Assistant Director was condescending toward Cameron, and contradicted his instructions. These actions got both men fired. This caused a walkout, which was resolved, when Cameron explained how important his work was. He also agreed to be more understanding of the crew. All sides were happy and production went relatively smoothly after that.
Aliens takes place fifty seven years after Alien. Ripley is rescued and briefed on another alien situation. The company’s spokesman, Burke, (Paul Reiser), and others ask Ripley to go back to the moon with a group of colonial marines, led by Lieutenant Gorman, (William Hope) and Sergeant Apone, (Al Matthews). They also have an updated and fiercely loyal version of Bishop, (Lance Henriksen).Shortly after landing, the group encounters cocooned victims. The baby aliens burst out of their chests, and continue on their way. The marines and Ripley continue on their mission. They encounter an orphaned child named Newt, (Carrie Hen). She has been avoiding the aliens as best she can. The group seeks out and finds the aliens. The marines have special grenades and body mounted machine guns. They use this special weaponry with great efficiency. This firepower cuts down the aliens, but there are many of the creatures. They are very fast and deadly. Eventually the creatures cause a heavy casualty rate among the marines. This sets up a showdown with Ripley and the alien queen.
The movie, Alien is something that scares. Aliens does to a certain point. It is more of an action film, with a few scary moments. One is when a face hugger, wraps around Ripley’s throat. This one is not small but larger, and can move quicker than the previous version in Alien. Another is when marines are separated and encounter aliens. The remaining marines want to rescue them. Ripley tells them they can’t help them. There is also when the marines think they’re tracking an alien. It shows up on there scanner, but it isn’t behind them. Its above them.
The central theme of Aliens is valor. This is shown by the colonial marines and Ripley. The soldiers rely on their training to get out of bad situations. Ripley uses her past experience and her sheer will to fight. This is put against greed of the corporation, represented by Burke. He is a company man, who has only his interests and the company’s. He is more than happy to sacrifice everyone to achieve the goals of the company.
James Cameron has managed to do something nearly impossible. He made a sequel that is as good as the original. He had a lot to do with that. He wrote the screenplay, and came up concepts such as the power loader. He also came up with the character design for the alien queen. It was fully developed from his drawings by Stan Winston. His work on the film won Winston a shared Oscar for best effects. Cameron with his direction managed to give the confined feel that lends to the movie’s effectiveness. This film would also put him on the path to being one of Hollywood’s most successful director’s.
Aliens manages to have two strong female characters. Ripley is one. The other is Private Vasquez, (Jenette Goldstein). She is the tough talking marine, who can back up her talk. She loves going into action and engaging the enemy. Ripley is changed from circumstances dictating her situation in Alien to being a leader. She does this well. Her main character change is becoming a surrogate mother to Newt. She protects her at any costs. This strengthens her character. It also makes Aliens more than an action movie. This film shows Weaver’s acting talents. She has won several awards for her acting, but never an Oscar, although she has been nominated.
Aliens is a movie that should stand out in its genre. This would be more horror than science fiction. There are plenty of horror elements. There is an alien horde that kills invaders. Also there is violence and suspense. This movie may be fitting into three different genres. They have been combined successfully in Aliens.