My thoughts about the movie are affected by watching it back-to-back with Alien. This is a very different kind of movie. Whereas the first movie was about psychological suspense, Aliens is almost purely about physical suspense and action. There are not a lot of big themes, other than the corporate hubris that Weyland-Yutani seems to embody.

Ripley returns to the planet LV-426 to investigate a human colony which has failed to maintain communication with other worlds. Of course, the aliens are the cause of the problems. What will Ripley find there? Will the marines that she travels with be able to protect her?

While the first movie focuses more on themes like humanity’s place in the universe, xenophobia, and “the other”, this movie has a wider variety of themes such as corporate greed, motherhood, and themes associated with the miltary such as leadership and comraderie. My favorite part of the movie was the scene where Bishop comes to the rescue. My least favorite is the scene where Lt. Gorman panics, causing a catrastrophe. It’s not a bad scene, but it’s the type of scene that makes me want to look away.

The movie was entertaining in itself, but I liked the tone of the first movie better. I found the first movie more interesting with its blend of sci-fi and horror, perhaps because I’ve been reading more horror lately.