Saturday, February 6, 2010

A Casual Review of Aliens

Aliens wasn't half as grisly as I was expecting,which, however, just makes it a better movie. Watch it and you would know where the most stereotyped characters in the slashers and alien horrors come from. Yeah I'm talking about the 'dead at start' leader, the brutally butchered coward, the 'better as dead' bad ass human rat, the gloriously suicidal brave ones (which generally includes a woman), the lucky but only rescued child, the woman substitute leader and of course the exceedingly chopped up number of survivors. Though I am not a great fan and follower of slasher films and the alien horrors, this one got me due to Cameron's genius. I have yet to watch the original Ridley Scott's product of genius, the first part - Alien. I am sure it would be as good, why else would have Cameron made a sequel?

The rescue team that consists of a woman who is a survivor of prior exposure to such violent series of events involving extremely scary looking aliens, goes to the rescue of a deep space colony residents, as their signal is totally blocked and they have no way to be communicated with. Obviously all the horrific descriptions by the survivor woman are mocked at first, but evidently the possibility of truth behind her claims is considered when mysteriously the communication with the colony is blocked. And very predictably the woman is asked to accompany the team as an advisor. Though resistant at first, somehow (the reason is still a mystery to me) she agrees to go. As one might guess this woman is the Substitute woman leader I mentioned earlier. The rest of the story is needless to be told.
The genius of the film lies not in the story but in the brilliantly done thrilling sequences on action, horror and violence. I can claim without doubt that only Cameron can have such mastery over the horrific environment that is a mix of a scientific human wreck and a very ugly biological alien cocoon.

Over all, even if one is not that into violence on screen this movie can be seen merely for its expressionistic value. If you have seen Jaws and its comparatively elaborate employment of realism amidst all the expressionism hasn't done much harm to your emotional sensitivity, Aliens would be much easier on your ability to take blood on screen. In short I recommend this movie.

No comments:

Post a Comment