Films

Ellen Ripley awakens from a long induced sleep only to find herself once again plunged into the terror that nearly took her life. This time, however, she faces not just one alien, but the brood of an alien mother. With little Newt under her protection, Ripley engages in a showdown between two mothers willing to fight to the last breath. Here, maternal instinct is armed with grenades and wrist-mounted pulse rifles rigged together with duct tape. Viewed through a feminist lens, Aliens confirms this reading—perhaps for reasons we are still uncovering today. Cameron states that the presence of strong female characters in the film wasn’t influenced by Gale Anne Hurd, but by his own admiration for strong women—something that, according to him, sparked the partnership between director and producer. It is within this collaboration—which trades the suspense of its predecessor for sweat and flamethrowers—that the key to an unrivaled entry in the franchise’s history lies.