Looking back at this 80s gem now, I realise how unlike anything else it was. To take a science fiction story and ramp up the production with such conviction took guts. James Cameron was, according to his crew, like a machine on set. His use of colours as motifs was as permanent and evocative as the cyborg he presented, and both the literal and figurative dark tones throughout helped strengthen that immortal brilliance.
That genius lent itself wholly to the portrayal of the unstoppable monster. Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't left to do all of the heavy lifting - with both Cameron and Stan Winston bringing the antagonist to life through intelligent shot placement and unique make-up effects, respectively. Several clever scenes seamlessly blend the real-life Schwarzenegger to his prosthetic and mechanical counter-parts and we're all the better off when the tension of fast-paced sequences keeps our attention elsewhere. The actors' face took six months to create as a mould for the subsequent shots and no expense was spared.
As well as ground-breaking effects, Cameron's shared screenplay and action-sequences delivered in spades. Schwarzenegger's most famous line, "I'll be back," was actually scripted as "I'll come back", but was kept in the final cut after some disagreement. Thank goodness for that! And the tight action scenes were a successful result of the weeks Scharzennegger spent reassembling, dismantling, reloading and firing every weapon used in the film. He went as far as achieving those elements without ever having to look at the weapon and it achieved a more robotic feel.
Fundamentally, Cameron brought the nightmarish tension and action of Aliens to a neon-infused 80s hype-fest and it's on the bucket list for the role it plays in raising the bar for sci-fi action films everywhere. Most have watched and adored the sequel, and it's not hard to see why - but this is the film that captured the rawness of that original time-travelling vision and it's just as important (if not more so) than it's predecessors.
That genius lent itself wholly to the portrayal of the unstoppable monster. Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't left to do all of the heavy lifting - with both Cameron and Stan Winston bringing the antagonist to life through intelligent shot placement and unique make-up effects, respectively. Several clever scenes seamlessly blend the real-life Schwarzenegger to his prosthetic and mechanical counter-parts and we're all the better off when the tension of fast-paced sequences keeps our attention elsewhere. The actors' face took six months to create as a mould for the subsequent shots and no expense was spared.
As well as ground-breaking effects, Cameron's shared screenplay and action-sequences delivered in spades. Schwarzenegger's most famous line, "I'll be back," was actually scripted as "I'll come back", but was kept in the final cut after some disagreement. Thank goodness for that! And the tight action scenes were a successful result of the weeks Scharzennegger spent reassembling, dismantling, reloading and firing every weapon used in the film. He went as far as achieving those elements without ever having to look at the weapon and it achieved a more robotic feel.
Fundamentally, Cameron brought the nightmarish tension and action of Aliens to a neon-infused 80s hype-fest and it's on the bucket list for the role it plays in raising the bar for sci-fi action films everywhere. Most have watched and adored the sequel, and it's not hard to see why - but this is the film that captured the rawness of that original time-travelling vision and it's just as important (if not more so) than it's predecessors.
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