Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Aliens (1986) Review: The Perfect Sci-Fi Sequel?
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Aliens (1986) Review: The Perfect Sci-Fi Sequel?
In this Halloween special of Sci-Fi Graveyard, Joseph, Jeremy, and Josh celebrate the 13th episode by reviewing James Cameron's 1986 masterpiece, Aliens. The crew discusses why this film is widely considered one of the few sequels to equal or surpass the original, blending sci-fi with intense action-horror.
The discussion centers on the film's incredible practical effects, particularly the Alien Queen (designed by Cameron himself) and the gruesome death of Bishop. The hosts praise the ensemble cast, highlighting Bill Paxton's memorable performance as Hudson ("Game over, man!") and Jenette Goldstein's iconic role as Vasquez. They also touch on the film's influence on pop culture, including video games like Dead Space and Alien: Isolation. The group debates the controversial opening of Alien 3, which kills off Newt and Hicks, and expresses a wish that the franchise had continued with these characters instead. Ultimately, they agree that Aliens is a timeless classic that holds up perfectly today.
Key Highlights
[02:00] Vasquez Trivia: Joseph reveals that Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez) was almost cast as Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation and that her role in Aliens inspired the character.
[08:05] Practical Effects: The crew marvels at how the practical effects, especially the Bishop torn-in-half scene and the Alien Queen puppet, hold up better than modern CGI.
[17:45] Musical Score: Joseph points out that composer James Horner was given so little time to write the score that he cannibalized music from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III.
[20:39] Scream 2 Reference: A fun discussion on how Scream 2 references the famous line "Get away from her, you bitch!" but attributes it incorrectly in the dialogue due to a script mix-up.
[48:00] Burke's Plan: A breakdown of Carter Burke's villainy, noting how he intentionally picked an inexperienced lieutenant and planned to smuggle alien embryos back inside the crew members.
[53:42] New Podcast Announcement: The hosts announce the launch of their new horror podcast, Scream Creeps, which will debut with a chronological review of The Conjuring Universe.
View all episodes
By Joseph Gettinger
4.3
33 ratings
In this Halloween special of Sci-Fi Graveyard, Joseph, Jeremy, and Josh celebrate the 13th episode by reviewing James Cameron's 1986 masterpiece, Aliens. The crew discusses why this film is widely considered one of the few sequels to equal or surpass the original, blending sci-fi with intense action-horror.
The discussion centers on the film's incredible practical effects, particularly the Alien Queen (designed by Cameron himself) and the gruesome death of Bishop. The hosts praise the ensemble cast, highlighting Bill Paxton's memorable performance as Hudson ("Game over, man!") and Jenette Goldstein's iconic role as Vasquez. They also touch on the film's influence on pop culture, including video games like Dead Space and Alien: Isolation. The group debates the controversial opening of Alien 3, which kills off Newt and Hicks, and expresses a wish that the franchise had continued with these characters instead. Ultimately, they agree that Aliens is a timeless classic that holds up perfectly today.
Key Highlights
[02:00] Vasquez Trivia: Joseph reveals that Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez) was almost cast as Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation and that her role in Aliens inspired the character.
[08:05] Practical Effects: The crew marvels at how the practical effects, especially the Bishop torn-in-half scene and the Alien Queen puppet, hold up better than modern CGI.
[17:45] Musical Score: Joseph points out that composer James Horner was given so little time to write the score that he cannibalized music from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III.
[20:39] Scream 2 Reference: A fun discussion on how Scream 2 references the famous line "Get away from her, you bitch!" but attributes it incorrectly in the dialogue due to a script mix-up.
[48:00] Burke's Plan: A breakdown of Carter Burke's villainy, noting how he intentionally picked an inexperienced lieutenant and planned to smuggle alien embryos back inside the crew members.
[53:42] New Podcast Announcement: The hosts announce the launch of their new horror podcast, Scream Creeps, which will debut with a chronological review of The Conjuring Universe.