Aliens is an amazing sequel

Alien's is one of James Cameron's best movies and is one of the greatest sci-fi action movies of all time. The single word to describe Aliens is relentless which is tautly paced and well directed with precision. The editing is polished and that gives the edge over other generic blockbusters. To its credit Aliens uses a lot of the ideas and plot from the original Alien movie but without rehashing it and making it fresh and exciting due to great direction by James Cameron and his creative team. The production by Michael Seymour is stellar with the Alien production design and the LV-426 outpost.

The cast is phenomenal here and their introduction is a highlight of the movie and the movie takes a complete turn here. The cast has a great dynamic with Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henricksen, Jenette Goldstein, and AI Williams. They are well written with catchy 80s dialogue and they have a fun dynamic that elevates this movie to another level.

Ripley's arc in this movie is my favorite parts of the movie. In the first movie she is a survivor of the genocide aboard the Nostromo and she suffers survivor's guilt and she is tasked with a mission with soldiers and she feels out of place due to her being a mere worker but she quickly adapts to the situation. Her dynamic with Newt gives her a nuanced arc where her motherly instinct kicks in and it gives her a much needed humanity which is the driving force behind this film.

The practical models of the Alien are well made and expand on the original Alien model and its iconic design by H.R. Giger and its highlight being the mother queen who looks amazing and quite fearful. The design of LV-426 looks mysterious and unsettling which adds to the movie's foreboding buildup about is destruction and heightens the tension and mystery of this movie

Overall Aliens is a worthy sequel to the franchise as it adds something new while staying true to the original Alien but does not bastardize which is the trademark of a great sequel.