#99: Aliens
Part of the Top 150 Films series
Aliens is the rare example of a sequel improving on every aspect of its predecessor while forming its own distinct identity. Cameron’s transposition of the horror of Alien to an action movie results in everyone upping their game. Adrian Biddle’s cinematography is razor sleek, James Horner’s score is legendary, and Ray Lovejoy’s editing is extraordinary (the longer directors’ cut is substantially worse than the theatrical cut). As a study of gender, the film is second-to-none; Weaver, Goldstein and Henn embody the entire spectrum of femininity in a very masculine world. As a feat of production design, the film is a marvel: a fully-realised landscape. The icing on the cake is that all of this care and craft are in service to an enterprise that is so much fun to watch. More than nearly any other film on this list, Aliens is the most action-packed, rewatchable and joyous.
