Another year – another anniversary beckons.
July 18th, 2016 marks the 30th Anniversary of the original US release of one of the best-loved and successful sequels. Alongside SUPERMAN II (1980), it is one of the few that, in some people’s minds, was better than the original.
James Cameron’s ALIENS has been one of the most influential sequels. It made many critics’ ‘Ten Best’ list in 1986 and although Cameron’s AVATAR became the biggest grossing film at one point (STAR WARS – THE FORCE AWAKENS has recently beaten it in unadjusted domestic box-office dollars at least in the States), one can detect more than enough of a passing resemblance between the Pandora-based army and the grunts who populated the Sulaco en route to LV-426.
After the success of Ridley Scott’s ALIEN (1979), Twentieth Century Fox were eager to capitalise, but initially couldn’t get anything going. The production company, Brandywine, which was co-managed by producer Gordon (BLUE THUNDER) Carroll and director Walter (THE WARRIORS, 48 HRS) Hill, didn’t have much of a concept, except ‘Ripley and Soldiers’.
It took the success of THE TERMINATOR (1984) and an avid ALIEN fan in James Cameron to make the project feasible. Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd were also keen to ensure that Sigourney Weaver returned as Ripley.
Produced at a cost of $18.5 million and shot at Pinewood Studios, with some interiors at a disused power station in Acton, West London, it was an ambitious and innovative production, which also brought a number of the technicians who worked on Ridley Scott’s film, among them effects supervisor Brian Johnson (who won an Oscar for both ALIEN and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) and the late cinematographer Adrian Biddle, who was a Focus Puller on the original.
The original theatrical release of ALIENS was 137 minutes. At the time, unlike today, studios and distributors were wary of the idea that a film could be too long in light of potentially losing revenue due to one less screening per day. After the film did the business, a longer ‘DIRECTOR’S CUT’ was released on home video (which Cameron admits in the introduction on the DVD release is his preferred version, described as ’40 miles of bad road) at 154 minutes.
The longer version makes some surprising revelations about Ripley’s immediate family, as well as her first name being confirmed as Ellen and also contains some great physical and visual effects, plus some backstory about the colony on LV-426.
The film made history in that it was the first sci-fi film to secure an Oscar nomination for an Actress in a science-fiction based role.
For the stars and supporting cast, it elevated some of the names to more success. Bill Paxton, who played Hudson, particularly benefitted from the success of the film, as he followed it up with roles in TRUE LIES (1994) and TITANIC (1997), two other Cameron blockbusters. Jeanette Goldstein, who played soldier Vasquez, subsequently appeared in LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989) and TERMINATOR 2 – JUDGMENT DAY (1991).
Behind the camera, the late James Horner provided the score and one of the music cues, Bishop’s Countdown, has been used frequently on trailers ahead of their release since. Part of Horner’s score was also used during the climax of John McTiernan’s DIE HARD (1988).
For Cameron and Hurd, ALIENS continued the great foundation laid by THE TERMINATOR and gave Cameron an exclusive multi-picture deal with Fox, which included THE ABYSS (1989), TRUE LIES (1994), TITANIC (1997) and of course, AVATAR, which is spawning a rumoured three sequels. The first of these was scheduled for a 2016 release, but as is often the case, films get pushed back. It is now projected to be ready around 2018, although nothing is confirmed at this time.
