He often is. He pretty much gives a lot of great films bad reviews. This one, Scream, Casino, Apocalypse Now. Although one of the few times I agree with him was The Cable Guy 😂
@@casesoutherland4175 they sold out, they knew they could make more money with an action movie than a horror movie.it's hollywood crap, aliens is fine for a one time view, but i wouldnt want to see it again like i did with the first alien movie, everytime i watch the first alien i see something i never saw before. it has so many little things in it you miss.it's truly an art film compared to it's hollywood crap sequel.
The little kid was essential to the movie. It completely opened up Ripley's character. Without the kid Ripley might give up in despair. The kid is what explains Ripley's ferocity and almost superhuman effort to defeat the Alien. Siskel blew it, big time.
The director's cut would have better explained the connection between Ripley and Newt, being Ripley lost her own child due to hyper sleep for over 50 years (or however long).
@@crescendo2441 they did the same crap with terminator 2 putting a little kid in it, and since arnold became a big movie star because of the 1st terminator, he wouldnt play bad guys anymore, so he had to be the hero in the 2nd one.
He didn't argue that the device didn't work so much as it was just cheap; Ripley suddenly has a deceased daughter that she never saw grow up and, suddenly, ALSO meets a surrogate that she can go all Rambo to rescue by becoming an action hero.
These must have been the good old days... the movie was SO good, SO engaging, that they’re complaining about how disturbed they were about how invested they were in the story!
Yeah... believe it or not I remember a lot of people saying similar things back then. But they looked at it as a positive... I think a lot of people realized that Aliens had re-set the bar for action movies.
@@johnd.obrien6838 , I was very stressed and felt a bit I'll after the movie back then. I loved it, but it was a harrowing experience back then. That is why it is such a classic 33 years later. People today don't understand how different it was in 1986, and how a film like this really had a strong effect on the audience!
Jamie Braswell something about the closing credits and the ost that plays over it just made you feel dreadful as you reflect on the movie. And it still makes me feel like that to this day. I could never put my finger on it but I think you used the right word, harrowing. Dreary or gloomy are other words I would use to describe the feeling the movie leaves you with. It was a dark, brutal, intense, engaging and immersive film and when it ends, you feel that way too.
They left out the funniest part of the scene: Ripley: "this little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training." Ripley: Looks down at Newt "Right?" Newt: ***salutes*** Hudson: "Why don't you just put her in charge!?"
Not just of the 80s. And no, The Thing is not an action-horror movie, and Aliens is a lot more horror than Predator, but many folks wouldn't label either of them horror. And as good as Predator is, I don't think it holds a candle to Aliens. Very few movies do.
Overkill? I watched Aliens, left the theatre, walked five blocks, turned around, went back and waited on line to see it again. For me, two hours of overkill wasn't enough. The only other time I ever did that was Terminator 2.
How could he say it's "wall to wall" monsters attack? "Aliens" is paced very well, you really only get three attacks from the aliens, and then the finale with the queen.
The scene with the remote machine guns was a massive misstep. In the original movie one of these creatures provided us with two hours of wrought tension, and then in this scene they’re being swatted like flies. That’s the ‘on the one hand’ negative. ‘On the other hand’ it was overall excellent and looked incredible, in some ways better than the original.
well i love the avengers but it does the blue lazer in the sky trope that every superhero movie does, it doesn’t change all the great stuff about the movie. he just thinks that in this case it takes away from the movie, and sometimes it can. guess what, this is a different movie with a different director who can be better/worse at different things in peoples eyes.
@@elimitchell9716 Correction: every superhero movie does AFTER the Avengers did. Siskel clearly said "one of the cheapest shots you can do in a movie". Hence, he was talking in a general sense. And the specific exception he named was "comedy/splatter films", which Jurassic Park isn't. Plus, he pretty much implied it as something that does make a difference for him as opposed to your issue w/ sky lasers.
Gene played the "child in danger" card often but inconsistently. Ebert had his own lame escape pod criticisms as well. Neither of them hold up well to scrutiny, especially in hindsight. They were often Gene and Roger saying: "This film really upset / disturbed / frightened me but I need a more cerebral reason to express my dislike for it."
@@BULL.173 But that was the genius of this show. You knew the personalities and tastes of Gene and Roger, and they gave you enough information to figure out if the movie would be to your taste. It's just amazing that no-one has ever equaled (or come close to) their ability to connect with the movie going audience. Of course, they could be spectacularly wrong (e.g. Blade Runner), which could hurt a movie initially, but not prevent it from finding its audience.
Yup. That deleted scene when Ripley mourns for her own daughter. My one sentence review of Aliens: Mothers argue about child raising techniques; men get hurt.
I was 6 years old when my babysitter took me to see this movie. I loved every minute of it, and is one of my favorite movies till this day. My mom almost fired my babysitter for taking me to see this.
Bill Paxton is a national treasure. He should have been bigger than he was, but I'm so happy he wasn't. What a great actor and I love everything he did. R.I.P.
I agree totally.......he stole every scene he was ever in.....he was amazing in films like Twister and A Simple Plan. I'll watch any film with him in it 100 times and never get tired of it. The only other actor I feel that way about is Patrick Swayze.......both gone way way too soon.
He was right about the intensity of the movie. I remember seeing it when I was 18, and as it progressed, I found myself slumping down further and further in my chair, just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of never-ending action! I had never seen a movie quite that intense before, but I absolutely loved it! Still do.
I saw it opening night or so 1986, I was about 18 myself, with my aunt who I'd seen ALIEN with the first time, and were just happy it was a very good sequel, wasn't a retread of the original, had Sigourney, and it delivered what it promised, a solid sequel to the first movie. It could have been so supremely wretched, but it wasn't. I didn't find it that intense. The battle scenes on first viewing are a tad confusing and frenetic, a blur, but if you watch the film in a quality way a few times it becomes less of a problem. Also, it's less "gore horror" in ALIENS and more just total suspense, and action, and a question of how to battle the xenomorphs and a total battle for survival. It's also a question of who is fit for survival considering it turns out not everyone's mettle is cut out for this exploratory mission that turns into, essentially, a suicide mission. Gorman is the first to collapse on that score.
Imagine Siskel & Ebert trying a roller coaster when they were first invented. It would be too intense for them, preferring the good ole merry go round.
Aliens is a perfect action movie. These two are considered among the best reviewers ever and time has shown how totally wrong they could be. This is a classic film and should have received 30 thumbs up.
@i SkyWalKing Aliens is good, but it is trash when compared to Alien. In the first movie they made the Alien a unstoppable killing machine that Ripley BARELY escaped from. In the sequel they are made to be canon fodder.
Alien pushed back the boundaries of sci fi action. It does everything right, works on all levels, and is a masterpiece in all aspects of filmmaking. Siskel, an old school critic, just couldn't accept that it broke the mold and redefined the genre.
Its a shame that they couldn't see the power or the magic of Aliens, which might be the most timeless sci-fi action film ever made. They should've been gushing over this experience for the next 15 years
Cameron made such a good decision... A completely difference film from it's predecessor, and therefore no comparison can be made. Both classics in their own right.
Actually there is a comparison. Alien is a perfect masterpiece of horror and suspense, while Aliens is a completely unnecessary follow-up to a movie that never needed follow-ups in the first place.
@@casesoutherland4175 Correction: the latter half of Alien was a tedious reproduction of conventional horror cliches... and a cliched horror film is one of the worst, most dullest things imaginable. But Aliens made up for this by blending additional genres into the horror base and this is how we ended up with the sublime and terrifying scene of them staring at the motion tracker at a wall of aliens headed their way, with everyone in the room filled with fear, confusion and rising panic. And then the aliens start dragging people through the floor. Easily scarier than anything in the first movie (and especially the second half.)
@@casesoutherland4175 I nearly forgot to add: Aliens had memorable characters. Alien did not. Even Ripley was muted and meh. Having characters you know little about and don't care about is the absolute epitome of what bad horror movies are all about.
Carrie Henn was so essential to how well this flick turned out. I'm sure they never told her this during production, but if her character hadn't worked, it would've dragged the whole film down with it. We've seen it before. But she CRUSHED it. Some of the VERY best moments in 'Aliens' were hers and Sigourney's. She really had a lot riding on her performance and as a completely inexperienced film actress, it's amazing how well she did. 'Aliens' would be on a short list of contenders for my favorite film of all time.
Watched the directors cut whole 160 min at least 40 times and every single time I descover a brilliant detail not noticed before! Such a masterpiece…stood the test of time!
Ha, here you are as well. Roger didn't get it really wrong though. The movie had just probably shocked him too much and didn't know how to assess that. I would have liked to know what his reaction would have been nowadays. Yes, as far as action movies are concerned Siskel really seemed to have some bias and dislike for them. And then he liked movies like Rambo 2&3 (which I like as well, but they don't compare to Aliens in my opinion).
I was a projectionist at a theater when this movie came out. Spliced it together and then watched it at like 2am on a Friday with about 9 other coworkers. Right when Ridley is walking through the eggs, the janitor crew showed up and opened the theater doors . Scared the living crap out of all of us!
Siskel just doesn't get it, he's so out of touch with the mainstream audience. Ebert is way more down to Earth and in touch with the mainstream audience. Aliens is a James Cameron master piece of sci-fi just like Terminater. It's a kick ass, action ride from start to finish.
@@Jolly-Green-Steve Its easy to see things from 2019 and say the person was out of touch. But back in 1986 Siskel represented a portion of the viewing public. Ebert represented another part of that public. AND Aliens was a radical movie for its time. I saw it when I was 16 and I remember feeling horrified by the intensisty of it. It was very gritty compared to Star Wars or Star Trek and like Ebert, my stomach was knotted up when I left the theatre. Since then I have come to appreciate its many well-done aspects. Siskel was looking out for his viewers' interests in 1986. And having been a "big" volunteer in Big Brothers/Sisters I decided to show it to my "little" who was 16 at the time(year 2012). afterwords, he said that Aliens was "ghetto." He thought it was cheap and he didn't like it. But He LOVED Fast and Furious franchise. Tastes are often based on the time we were born and raised.
@@Jolly-Green-Steve I am really sorry you misunderstood what I wrote. I am also saorry you feel the need to be hostile when that was not my intent. I hope you find some peace.
It's like they barely wanted to talk about it lol. One of the greatest sci-fi films ever (maybe best). "Hey, I just saw a little film called The Matrix,... my review is MEH; had too much fighting... Anywho, did you know Skittles are delicious and air filters are on sale at Home Depot?..."
I wonder if James Cameron showed them the longer version. On the back of the laserdisc, Cameron also says, the longer version is "too long" and "too intense." I just have a feeling S and E are reacting to the longer version.
Imagine if you could have taken a random movie audience from the 1950s and magically showed them Alien and then Aliens from the future. There would probably have been heart attacks and strokes from the intensity.
Fantastic film...and like great films, it has stood the test of time..it still scares the hell out of me and puts me at the edge of my seat even though I've seen it 20+ times...not to mention one of, if not the greatest sequels in film history
You know you done well when the only criticism of your movie is that its "too scary" "too upsetting" "too hard-going" basically all translations of "too intense" which actually means you made the movie "too well". These are the best criticisms of a movie you want.
I saw this at the movie theater for my birthday when I was 11 years old. It was a fun and exciting experience. My dad took us to go see this before but I wanted to go see it again as a birthday gift.
And Aliens went on to be nominated for Academy Awards for best picture, actress, etc. Still, I miss these guys and this type of show. TH-cam reviews aren’t the same.
I was 16 and sat between my older sister and her best friend. By the end I had fingernail impressions in both of my arms! Great movie, my all-time fave!
"Aliens" is about motherhood. Ripley finds her spot in the universe becoming Newt's mother, and she ultimately has to defeat the mother queen of the aliens to reach such goal.
This, after discovering that her own daughter grew up and old and then died before she herself was luckily discovered and brought out of hypersleep. Her tragedy of having lost her chance to reconnect with her own daughter is her primary motivation to become the adoptive surrogate mother to newt. And, as horrible as the alien monsters are, the most monstrous being in the film is Carter Burke, who sought to make a tidy profit by betraying the human beings -- Ripley and Newt to be 'impregnated' by the face-huggers -- so that the Company could make bio-weapons from this deadly species. Siskel was soooo off the mark with his dismissive review. As great as ALIEN was, ALIENS was a phenomenal masterpiece, even better than the first film -- and that's saying a lot.
Yale grad & a Pulitzer Prize winner. The movie went right over their heads. Aliens is a very pro woman movie. Hero - Female Only survivor - Female Child Biggest baddest alien - Queen Toughest Marine - Female Pilot - Female *Incompetent Military Leaders - Male Corporate Weasel - Male Soldier having a breakdown - Male
Two voices each offering their own true opinions. No one is being paid off. No one is bringing politics or causes into it. They are just fans explaining their admiration (or lack thereof) of the craftsmanship they saw compellingly. It's such a simple service that they offer, but, because it is so common for that service to be corrupted or somehow tainted that we still value them now even after they have both died. Who do I watch now? Nerdrotic. If Siskel and Ebert saw the film industry today, they would have been screaming too, just like the folks at Nerdrotic do.
Amazing film! The tension was so well crafted they couldn't handle it. I feel like Newt is super important re the parallel with the Alien queen's eggs being destroyed, and that Ripley outlived her own daughter, it draws out all these key themes. They don't seem to have dug that far because they couldn't get past the admittedly immersive terror of it all!
I wonder If They were both still Alive, I wonder what they thought about the movies of 2014, Like, Paranormal Activity The Marked Ones. The Legend Of Hercules. The Nut Job. Ride Along. I, Frankenstein. Son Of God. 300: Rise of an Empire. Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Muppet's Most Wanted. Noah. Captain America Winter Soldier. Rio 2. Heaven is For Real. The Amazing Spider-Man 2. X-men Days Of Future Past. Maleficent. How To Train Your Dragon 2. Transformers Edge Of Extinction. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes. Hercules. Guardians Of The Galaxy. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Leprechaun Origins. Dolphin Tale 2. The Boxtrolls. Annabelle. Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The Book Of Life. Big Hero 6. Penguins Of Madagascar. Exodus Gods and Kings. Annie. Night At The Museum Secrets Of The Tomb. And 2015 Movies. Paddington. The Spongebob Movie Sponge Out Of Water. Chappie. Cinderella. Home. Monkey Kingdom. Disneynature Movie. Poltergeist. Tomorrowland. When Marnie Was There Anime Movie. Jurassic World. Inside Out Animated Movie. Max. Minions. Animated Movie. Pixels. The Visit. The Peanuts Movie. CGI Animated Movie. The Good Dinosaur Animated Movie. Star Wars The Force Awakens. And 2016 Movies. Norm Of The North. Kung Fu Panda 3. Deadpool. Zootopia. The Young Messiah. Miracles From Heaven. Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice. The Jungle Book. Captain America Civil War. X-Men Apocalypse. Alice Through The Looking Glass. T M N T 2 Out Of The Shadows. Finding Dory. Independence Day Resurgence. The Legend Of Tarzan. The B F G. The Secret Life Of Pets. Ghostbusters. Star Trek Beyond. Ice Age Collision Course. Pete's Dragon. Ben-Hur. Kubo and The Two Strings. Storks. Moana. Rogue One a Star Wars Story. Sing. La La Land. Arrival. Dr. Strange. And 2017 Movies. Monster Trucks. A Dog's Purpose. The Lego Batman Movie. Logan. Kong Skull Island. Beauty And The Beast. Power Rangers. Ghost In A Shell. The Boss Baby. Smurfs The Lost Village. Born In China a Disney Nature Movie. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2. Alien Covenant. Diary Of a Wimpy Kid The Long Haul. Baywatch. Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales. Wonder Woman. Captain Underpants The First Epic movie. Transformers The Last Night. Despicable Me 3. Spider-Man Homecomming. War For The Planet Of The Apes. The Emoji Movie. The Nut Job 2 Nutty By Nature. It. 9/11. The Lego Ninjago Movie. My Little Pony The Movie. The Florida Project. Thor Ragnarok. The Star. Coco. Star Wars The Last Jedi. Ferdinand. And 2018 Movies. Mary and The Witch's Flower Anime Movie. Peter Rabbit. Black Panther. Early Man. A Wrinkle In Time. Ready Player One. Showdogs. Solo A Star Wars Story. Won't You Be My Neighbor. Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. Alpha. Smallfoot. Venom. Halloween. The Nutcracker and The Four Realms. The Grinch. Ralph Breaks The Internet. Spider-Man Into The Spider-verse. Mary Poppins Returns. Auqaman. Bumblebee. Incredible's 2. Hotel Transylvania 3 Summer Vacation. And 2019 Movies. Escape Room. A Dog's Way Home. The Kid Who Would Be King. The Lego Movie 2 The Second Part. How To Train Your Dragon The Hidden World. Wonder Park. Dumbo. Shazam. Missing Link. Avengers Endgame. UglyDolls. Pokemon Detective Pikachu. A Dog's Journey. Aladdin. Godzilla King Of Monsters. Dark Phoenix. The Secret Life Of Pets 2. Toy Story 4. Child's Play. Spider-Man Far From Home. The Lion King. Dora and The Lost City. The Angry Birds Movie 2. It Chapter 2. Rambo Last Blood. Abominable. Judy. Joker. Little Monsters. The Addams Family CGI Animated Movie. Maleficent Mistress Of Evil. Frozen 2. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood. Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker. Cats. etc. etc.
Man, Siskel and Ebert weren't nearly as observant as they thought they were! If they'd been paying attention to the very scene they'd just ran, they'd have realized that A. Newt had survived perhaps weeks or months in the colony after everyone had been killed or taken by the xenomorphs on her own by hiding out and knowing the place inside out and B. she'd have long been dead already had a facehugger gotten to her. I agree seeing the movie opening night it was a bit disturbing seeing a child menaced by them, but you kind of know she'll somehow be rescued, in a sense, because Ripley promised her earlier she wouldn't let her go, etc. Normally it would be a cheap shot as they stated, but in ALIENS it's an integral part of the plot, that Newt is a survivor as Ripley is/was.
Gene Siskel shows here how truly subjective movie reviews are. He completely wets the bed with his opinion. Aliens today is often mentioned in the top 50 greatest movies of all time. An absolute classic.
Funny to hear original reactions...good and bad...to a film that has become a true classic. Ebert was right that back in 1986, this movie was very stressful and I too would feel bad after watching it...physically stressed out, lol! I know that sounds funny to people today, but back then it was a completely different world we lived in and ALIENS really pushed the gamut with high tension and thrills. It doesn't make me feel bad today because we are so desensitized, but I will never forget the experience in 1986. I understand where Siskel is coming from about the girl in peril, but I honestly think it works here. Yes, we know she will live, but it is about the journey to save her that matters. They built up the relationship between Newt and Ripley so that we really cared, even if we knew they would survive! Great film that still holds up today, despite the endless rippoffs it inspired! Wow, the film is 33 years old now!
What Cameron did with this movie never could be done in the same way. As a sequel, the movement from the original Alien film to this one is totally unpredictable. Considering only the movie, it's amazing. In relation with the previous one, it's unthinkable.
NOT with Siskel on this one. This is a sequel that DELIVERS. Alien was one thing (and a masterpiece), this took it to new levels and the action / terror route was a great way to go to up the stakes.
This review doesn't really age well. Aliens on IMDB is listed #77 of the best movies of all time. Watch it in 1986, watch it in 2019 its just as powerful, just as good. Even the effects have aged well.
From a 2019 perspective I really liked Ebert's comments about Sigourney Weaver. She was a strong character, and she did a great job supporting the movie, even in Siskel's comments he gives her credit. Nothing about her being a woman, it didn't matter, she was just a great character, and to this day this character is recognized as a great character. Then again they didn't realize they were watching a to be classic so who knows... lol
As much as I love Aliens, I have to prefer Alien. It was the original. It gave us a view to Sci-Fi and horror that we had never seen before. The imagination & the sets were astounding.
The reason for the girl being inconstant peril and her overall vulnerability is Ripley having the motherly instincts to protect her. Hence why the scene with Ripley protecting Newt..and the Queen protecting her eggs makes the scene and last third of the film more powerful!
Funny to hear these Boomers talk about how the movie was so good, it was overwhelming. I saw Aliens for the first time in 1990, when I was 8. Easily the best part of my childhood.
Siskel missed on the mother-daughter dynamic that Ripley and Nute formed that resulted in the climatic battle between mothers defending their daughters/offspring. It was brilliant!
@@defiverr4697 I saw both in theaters. (Before cell phones and people making noise and nonsense.) And the were both awesome! Wouldn't have had it any other way.
How anyone could see this as anything other than a masterpiece is baffling? Siskel keeps bleating on about 'kids in peril'. It's a film grow some balls man
Ebert is my go to critic. As refined as his taste in movies may seem, he actually does let himself enjoy films that aren't necessarily on par with the more autuer variety, and I loved what he had to say about this movie. Siskel on the other hand is an absolute prude.
Great film. The extended version on DVD is even better in my opinion, because the aliens don't appear for a long, long time, probably an hour or more into it. That very slow build up and then the explosion of action is brilliant.
I miss the days when movie reviewers gave honest opinions of movies. Today we get paid shills, who give almost everything a positive review, or online ragebaiters who hate everything. It's very rare to find truly honest movie reviewers, like Siskel and Ebert.
If the film didn’t have the child Newt, Siskel would not have hated the film. Children in danger in films was one of his biggest pet peeves as he thought it was the cheapest ploy for thrills.
On the official commentary for "Aliens: Special Edition" James Cameron talks about how Siskel's complaint about using kids in danger as a "cheap tactic" to elicit emotion; how that critique really annoyed him and he could never get over it. Then Cameron had kids himself and was like "ya know, I hated Siskel for saying it, but now I totally get it."
i have watched this film at least once a year for the past 30 years. It never gets tired. I notice something small everytime i watch it. It is the perfect sequel which surpassed th original in almost every way (the original is a classic in its own right). I never noticed now that you only see the first Alien almost halfway in the film but it never feels slow paced. There is just a tension and suspense throughout the film. The marines are well fleshed out as characters and provide alot of the humour throughout the film which allows Sigourney to shine as the stoic voice of reason. No second is wasted. No superflous story lines. It's a masterpiece in cinema.
Siskel missed the mark on this movie, Aliens has stood the test of time and became a timeless classic.
He missed the mark on many classics.
But back then it was a new film and noones eyes were fogged with „it’s a classic“
These two missed the marked all the time. Worthless egos😅
It was ahead of the curve.
Haha! That's a good one! 🤣🤣🤣 I am quite literally the only person on Earth that agrees with Siskel on this one.
You've gotta hand it to Siskel, when he's wrong he goes all in.
I think he's 100% right. I seriously cannot wrap my mind around why Alien needed to be turned into a franchise.
@@casesoutherland4175one perfect sequel is just enough
He often is. He pretty much gives a lot of great films bad reviews. This one, Scream, Casino, Apocalypse Now. Although one of the few times I agree with him was The Cable Guy 😂
i should have scrolled down first.
@@casesoutherland4175 they sold out, they knew they could make more money with an action movie than a horror movie.it's hollywood crap, aliens is fine for a one time view, but i wouldnt want to see it again like i did with the first alien movie, everytime i watch the first alien i see something i never saw before. it has so many little things in it you miss.it's truly an art film compared to it's hollywood crap sequel.
The little kid was essential to the movie. It completely opened up Ripley's character. Without the kid Ripley might give up in despair. The kid is what explains Ripley's ferocity and almost superhuman effort to defeat the Alien. Siskel blew it, big time.
THIS. The kid wasn't just a cheap prop to tug at your emotions. She was there to boost Ripley's character to the max.
Had the longer version been released Siskel might have liked it as it goes into more detail about the connection between Newt and Ripley.
The director's cut would have better explained the connection between Ripley and Newt, being Ripley lost her own child due to hyper sleep for over 50 years (or however long).
@@crescendo2441 they did the same crap with terminator 2 putting a little kid in it, and since arnold became a big movie star because of the 1st terminator, he wouldnt play bad guys anymore, so he had to be the hero in the 2nd one.
He didn't argue that the device didn't work so much as it was just cheap; Ripley suddenly has a deceased daughter that she never saw grow up and, suddenly, ALSO meets a surrogate that she can go all Rambo to rescue by becoming an action hero.
Literally nobody walked out of Aliens in 1986 disappointed, I'll always remember how crazy opening night was in the packed theater.
These must have been the good old days... the movie was SO good, SO engaging, that they’re complaining about how disturbed they were about how invested they were in the story!
Yeah... believe it or not I remember a lot of people saying similar things back then. But they looked at it as a positive... I think a lot of people realized that Aliens had re-set the bar for action movies.
@@johnd.obrien6838 , I was very stressed and felt a bit I'll after the movie back then. I loved it, but it was a harrowing experience back then. That is why it is such a classic 33 years later. People today don't understand how different it was in 1986, and how a film like this really had a strong effect on the audience!
And now the summer blockbusters are mostly shit... mostly.
@@dan_hitchman007 Ha! Good one Dan!
Jamie Braswell something about the closing credits and the ost that plays over it just made you feel dreadful as you reflect on the movie. And it still makes me feel like that to this day. I could never put my finger on it but I think you used the right word, harrowing. Dreary or gloomy are other words I would use to describe the feeling the movie leaves you with. It was a dark, brutal, intense, engaging and immersive film and when it ends, you feel that way too.
They left out the funniest part of the scene:
Ripley: "this little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training."
Ripley: Looks down at Newt "Right?"
Newt: ***salutes***
Hudson: "Why don't you just put her in charge!?"
🤣👽👽👽
Bill Paxton did get enough credit in keeping this movie entertaining.
RIP to my man Bill "Chet" Paxton.
That is a classic scene and it would have spoiled it for the rest of us. I'm glad they didn't give it away it.
Bill paxton gave that movie the comic relief it needed being so action packed..
Probably the best action horror movie of the 80's
With ' the thing ' .
Predator would challenge that
@@rainierwolfcastle5946 up and at them .
...of all time.
Not just of the 80s. And no, The Thing is not an action-horror movie, and Aliens is a lot more horror than Predator, but many folks wouldn't label either of them horror. And as good as Predator is, I don't think it holds a candle to Aliens. Very few movies do.
Overkill? I watched Aliens, left the theatre, walked five blocks, turned around, went back and waited on line to see it again. For me, two hours of overkill wasn't enough. The only other time I ever did that was Terminator 2.
I did that with the Abyss. Another James Cameron movie. It was a total ride that I just wanted to buy another ticket.
Ditto.
I paid to see it in the theater nine times. Seven for T2, if I recall.
How could he say it's "wall to wall" monsters attack? "Aliens" is paced very well, you really only get three attacks from the aliens, and then the finale with the queen.
The tension was maintained not the action. Which is uh the whole point of this kind of film.
We don't even see any aliens until the second half!
That's how it felt for them. Remember, these were the days before Michael Bay's wall-to-wall noise.
You’re right, it wasn’t wall to wall. There was a good chunk between attacks that built up the suspense and back story.
The scene with the remote machine guns was a massive misstep. In the original movie one of these creatures provided us with two hours of wrought tension, and then in this scene they’re being swatted like flies. That’s the ‘on the one hand’ negative. ‘On the other hand’ it was overall excellent and looked incredible, in some ways better than the original.
Aliens is a masterpiece. James Cameron’s best film.
It is my favorite James Cameron film as well, which is saying something because he has so many greats!
Terminator
Especially considering he got picked to direct a sequel to a movie that was already well on its way to being a classic.
@i SkyWalKing man. You have no idea .
@i SkyWalKing loves The Last Jedi
Aliens is my favorite movie of all time. The fact that you felt that exhausted tension at the end of the movie is exactly why it’s so great.
Siskel had no problem giving Jurassic Park a mild thumbs up even though the kids were constantly in peril.
well i love the avengers but it does the blue lazer in the sky trope that every superhero movie does, it doesn’t change all the great stuff about the movie. he just thinks that in this case it takes away from the movie, and sometimes it can. guess what, this is a different movie with a different director who can be better/worse at different things in peoples eyes.
@@elimitchell9716 Correction: every superhero movie does AFTER the Avengers did. Siskel clearly said "one of the cheapest shots you can do in a movie". Hence, he was talking in a general sense. And the specific exception he named was "comedy/splatter films", which Jurassic Park isn't. Plus, he pretty much implied it as something that does make a difference for him as opposed to your issue w/ sky lasers.
Gene played the "child in danger" card often but inconsistently. Ebert had his own lame escape pod criticisms as well. Neither of them hold up well to scrutiny, especially in hindsight. They were often Gene and Roger saying: "This film really upset / disturbed / frightened me but I need a more cerebral reason to express my dislike for it."
@@BULL.173 In this case, Ebert did admit to being disturbed by the film, yet he still recommended it.
@@BULL.173 But that was the genius of this show. You knew the personalities and tastes of Gene and Roger, and they gave you enough information to figure out if the movie would be to your taste. It's just amazing that no-one has ever equaled (or come close to) their ability to connect with the movie going audience. Of course, they could be spectacularly wrong (e.g. Blade Runner), which could hurt a movie initially, but not prevent it from finding its audience.
I think Gene missed one of the themes of this movie: motherhood.
Yep, my thoughts exactly. The film school kids should notice something like that, right? Cheap shot, indeed.
Yes, human *and* alien mothers. :-)
Yup. That deleted scene when Ripley mourns for her own daughter.
My one sentence review of Aliens: Mothers argue about child raising techniques; men get hurt.
I was 6 years old when my babysitter took me to see this movie. I loved every minute of it, and is one of my favorite movies till this day. My mom almost fired my babysitter for taking me to see this.
6!! I would have been terrified and completely traumatized if I saw this at 6.
Bill Paxton is a national treasure. He should have been bigger than he was, but I'm so happy he wasn't. What a great actor and I love everything he did. R.I.P.
I agree totally.......he stole every scene he was ever in.....he was amazing in
films like Twister and A Simple Plan. I'll watch any film with him in it 100 times
and never get tired of it. The only other actor I feel that way about is Patrick Swayze.......both gone way way too soon.
RIP Bill Paxton, Stan Winston and James Horner
One False Move was amazing.
@@winstonmccollum8992 Can't forget the low-life women swindler in True Lies. lol
Fuckin love & miss Bill Paxton.
Hudson went down LIKE A BOSS in this film!!!
Aliens was FAR ahead of its time and Siskel & Ebert, solid reviewers, were simply unprepared for it.
Ebert gave it 3 1/2 stars despite not liking how it made him feel.
Well those criticisms didn't age well - Aliens went on to be regarded as one of the best sci-fi action movies of all time!
He was right about the intensity of the movie. I remember seeing it when I was 18, and as it progressed, I found myself slumping down further and further in my chair, just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of never-ending action! I had never seen a movie quite that intense before, but I absolutely loved it! Still do.
Top two or three action movies ever made. T2 is the other.
I saw it opening night or so 1986, I was about 18 myself, with my aunt who I'd seen ALIEN with the first time, and were just happy it was a very good sequel, wasn't a retread of the original, had Sigourney, and it delivered what it promised, a solid sequel to the first movie. It could have been so supremely wretched, but it wasn't. I didn't find it that intense. The battle scenes on first viewing are a tad confusing
and frenetic, a blur, but if you watch the film in a quality way a few times it becomes less of a problem. Also, it's less
"gore horror" in ALIENS and more just total suspense, and action, and a question of how to battle the xenomorphs and a total battle
for survival. It's also a question of who is fit for survival considering it turns out not everyone's mettle is cut out for this
exploratory mission that turns into, essentially, a suicide mission. Gorman is the first to collapse on that score.
@@thiscorrosion900 just watched again for 50th time it tonight. Goddammit Cameron is the best.
Imagine Siskel & Ebert trying a roller coaster when they were first invented. It would be too intense for them, preferring the good ole merry go round.
I don't think I ever saw Aliens in the theater. What I did see in the theater was the Matrix and that took me 2 days to come down from.
Aliens is a perfect action movie. These two are considered among the best reviewers ever and time has shown how totally wrong they could be. This is a classic film and should have received 30 thumbs up.
Siskel: "...and I know that the kid is not gonna get nailed."
Alien 3 screenwriters: "hold my beer"
Good gosh Siskel missed this so freaking bad....Aliens is one of the best movies of all time.
No it's not lol. It's a pretty good action movie but he's totally right about the little girl
He wasn't thrilled about Alien either...so yeah, Siskel probably hated scifi...
@TheBrabon1 That scene was in the original theatrical release. I remember being disappointed it was cut when I saw it on VHS.
@i SkyWalKing
Aliens is good, but it is trash when compared to Alien.
In the first movie they made the Alien a unstoppable killing machine that Ripley BARELY escaped from.
In the sequel they are made to be canon fodder.
@@Cherokeechuck9 Easily one of the best movies of all time. Now scram.
Alien pushed back the boundaries of sci fi action. It does everything right, works on all levels, and is a masterpiece in all aspects of filmmaking. Siskel, an old school critic, just couldn't accept that it broke the mold and redefined the genre.
Its a shame that they couldn't see the power or the magic of Aliens, which might be the most timeless sci-fi action film ever made. They should've been gushing over this experience for the next 15 years
Cameron made such a good decision... A completely difference film from it's predecessor, and therefore no comparison can be made. Both classics in their own right.
Actually there is a comparison. Alien is a perfect masterpiece of horror and suspense, while Aliens is a completely unnecessary follow-up to a movie that never needed follow-ups in the first place.
@@casesoutherland4175 Correction: the latter half of Alien was a tedious reproduction of conventional horror cliches... and a cliched horror film is one of the worst, most dullest things imaginable. But Aliens made up for this by blending additional genres into the horror base and this is how we ended up with the sublime and terrifying scene of them staring at the motion tracker at a wall of aliens headed their way, with everyone in the room filled with fear, confusion and rising panic. And then the aliens start dragging people through the floor. Easily scarier than anything in the first movie (and especially the second half.)
@@casesoutherland4175 I nearly forgot to add: Aliens had memorable characters. Alien did not. Even Ripley was muted and meh. Having characters you know little about and don't care about is the absolute epitome of what bad horror movies are all about.
Carrie Henn was so essential to how well this flick turned out. I'm sure they never told her this during production, but if her character hadn't worked, it would've dragged the whole film down with it. We've seen it before. But she CRUSHED it. Some of the VERY best moments in 'Aliens' were hers and Sigourney's. She really had a lot riding on her performance and as a completely inexperienced film actress, it's amazing how well she did. 'Aliens' would be on a short list of contenders for my favorite film of all time.
Watched the directors cut whole 160 min at least 40 times and every single time I descover a brilliant detail not noticed before! Such a masterpiece…stood the test of time!
Siskel really whiffed on this one.
He also completely whiffed on Taxi Driver, Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, and the Terminator.
@@HugoSoup57 Yeah he was a fucking Joke...
Yeah haha, his whole concept of the CINEMA seemed kinda weird.
Their review hasn’t aged well. Aliens is highly regarded now.
Shocking, so-called professional film critics getting it so wrong.
Ha, here you are as well. Roger didn't get it really wrong though. The movie had just probably shocked him too much and didn't know how to assess that. I would have liked to know what his reaction would have been nowadays. Yes, as far as action movies are concerned Siskel really seemed to have some bias and dislike for them. And then he liked movies like Rambo 2&3 (which I like as well, but they don't compare to Aliens in my opinion).
@@malafakka8530 His written review of the film gave it a 3.5 / 4 rating, so he really appreciated it.
@@ianwestc I know.
Roger praised it highly
If this movie left a lasting impression on you after you saw it, then that is a win, not a weakness. This movie did it's job.
“Game over man, game over!”
"Oh, you want some of this? Aarrghh!!!"
Modern horror and action movies do not hold a candle to this masterpiece. So much suspense and tension. Leaves you absolutely breathless.
I was a projectionist at a theater when this movie came out. Spliced it together and then watched it at like 2am on a Friday with about 9 other coworkers. Right when Ridley is walking through the eggs, the janitor crew showed up and opened the theater doors . Scared the living crap out of all of us!
Siskel just doesn't get it, he's so out of touch with the mainstream audience. Ebert is way more down to Earth and in touch with the mainstream audience. Aliens is a James Cameron master piece of sci-fi just like Terminater. It's a kick ass, action ride from start to finish.
@@Jolly-Green-Steve Its easy to see things from 2019 and say the person was out of touch. But back in 1986 Siskel represented a portion of the viewing public. Ebert represented another part of that public.
AND Aliens was a radical movie for its time. I saw it when I was 16 and I remember feeling horrified by the intensisty of it. It was very gritty compared to Star Wars or Star Trek and like Ebert, my stomach was knotted up when I left the theatre. Since then I have come to appreciate its many well-done aspects. Siskel was looking out for his viewers' interests in 1986.
And having been a "big" volunteer in Big Brothers/Sisters I decided to show it to my "little" who was 16 at the time(year 2012). afterwords, he said that Aliens was "ghetto." He thought it was cheap and he didn't like it. But He LOVED Fast and Furious franchise.
Tastes are often based on the time we were born and raised.
@@Jolly-Green-Steve I am really sorry you misunderstood what I wrote. I am also saorry you feel the need to be hostile when that was not my intent. I hope you find some peace.
The movie was too intense and scary for these grown adults.
It's like they barely wanted to talk about it lol. One of the greatest sci-fi films ever (maybe best). "Hey, I just saw a little film called The Matrix,... my review is MEH; had too much fighting... Anywho, did you know Skittles are delicious and air filters are on sale at Home Depot?..."
I wonder if James Cameron showed them the longer version. On the back of the laserdisc, Cameron also says, the longer version is "too long" and "too intense." I just have a feeling S and E are reacting to the longer version.
@CC C As children me my friends and cousins watched it repeatedly on VHS.
Alien, Aliens and Bladerunner.
Decades old yet better than all the recent crapola, by far.
By far!!!!
Wrong again Gene. This series should have been called Ebert and He's Wrong Again!
Imagine if you could have taken a random movie audience from the 1950s and magically showed them Alien and then Aliens from the future. There would probably have been heart attacks and strokes from the intensity.
Damn it Gene. Like every movie that's a classic now you didn't like
Actually "Preach it, Gene!" Finally a film critic that calls out Aliens for the deplorable cashgrab it is!
"I was horrified by this horror movie! It was so effective that I vote thumbs down."
That's like a comedy that's too funny to recommend. Say what?
Whenever a critic says, "I don't think you should see this movie." You want to see the movie.
So their complaint for a thriller is that it was too thriling? 😆
Siskel: "You better not be having too much fun over there, movie!"
Are you freaking kidding me??um kids did die, And it gradually showed the Aliens, and they looked great, these guys always did suck
It's pretty amazing to see two respected critics be so friggin wrong about a movie.
Keep in mind people that back in 1986 there were no sci-fi movies that violent. This was a fresh experience for many people.
Cameron had made The Terminator a few years earlier... It was pretty violent.
Fantastic film...and like great films, it has stood the test of time..it still scares the hell out of me and puts me at the edge of my seat even though I've seen it 20+ times...not to mention one of, if not the greatest sequels in film history
You know you done well when the only criticism of your movie is that its "too scary" "too upsetting" "too hard-going" basically all translations of "too intense" which actually means you made the movie "too well". These are the best criticisms of a movie you want.
I saw this at the movie theater for my birthday when I was 11 years old. It was a fun and exciting experience. My dad took us to go see this before but I wanted to go see it again as a birthday gift.
Did u crap ur pants
This is my favorite sci-fi movie of all time. It's alien mom vs human stepmom and is simply the best ever!!!!
And Aliens went on to be nominated for Academy Awards for best picture, actress, etc. Still, I miss these guys and this type of show. TH-cam reviews aren’t the same.
Not Best Picture.
smileusob75 Yes, thanks. Not Academy Award. Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
@@Orca1975 man, I thought it actually got nominated for Best picture. My memory betrays me lol
I was 16 and sat between my older sister and her best friend. By the end I had fingernail impressions in both of my arms!
Great movie, my all-time fave!
Dam, they both missed the boat on this one, usually it’s one or the other.
Wow were they wrong. And they
gave only a lukewarm review of the original terminator movie. Wrong again.
"Aliens" is about motherhood.
Ripley finds her spot in the universe becoming Newt's mother, and she ultimately has to defeat the mother queen of the aliens to reach such goal.
This, after discovering that her own daughter grew up and old and then died before she herself was luckily discovered and brought out of hypersleep. Her tragedy of having lost her chance to reconnect with her own daughter is her primary motivation to become the adoptive surrogate mother to newt. And, as horrible as the alien monsters are, the most monstrous being in the film is Carter Burke, who sought to make a tidy profit by betraying the human beings -- Ripley and Newt to be 'impregnated' by the face-huggers -- so that the Company could make bio-weapons from this deadly species.
Siskel was soooo off the mark with his dismissive review. As great as ALIEN was, ALIENS was a phenomenal masterpiece, even better than the first film -- and that's saying a lot.
Yale grad & a Pulitzer Prize winner. The movie went right over their heads. Aliens is a very pro woman movie.
Hero - Female
Only survivor - Female Child
Biggest baddest alien - Queen
Toughest Marine - Female
Pilot - Female
*Incompetent Military Leaders - Male
Corporate Weasel - Male
Soldier having a breakdown - Male
Two voices each offering their own true opinions. No one is being paid off. No one is bringing politics or causes into it. They are just fans explaining their admiration (or lack thereof) of the craftsmanship they saw compellingly. It's such a simple service that they offer, but, because it is so common for that service to be corrupted or somehow tainted that we still value them now even after they have both died.
Who do I watch now? Nerdrotic. If Siskel and Ebert saw the film industry today, they would have been screaming too, just like the folks at Nerdrotic do.
Amazing film! The tension was so well crafted they couldn't handle it.
I feel like Newt is super important re the parallel with the Alien queen's eggs being destroyed, and that Ripley outlived her own daughter, it draws out all these key themes.
They don't seem to have dug that far because they couldn't get past the admittedly immersive terror of it all!
I think the business of Ripley's daughter having died of old age was cut from the original release. That was something we learned about later.
This movie is awesome in 2019!..."Mostly....."
may he rest in peace, but as a movie critic I do not miss Siskel one bit.
I wonder If They were both still Alive, I wonder what they thought about the movies of 2014, Like,
Paranormal Activity The Marked Ones.
The Legend Of Hercules.
The Nut Job.
Ride Along.
I, Frankenstein.
Son Of God.
300: Rise of an Empire.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
Muppet's Most Wanted.
Noah.
Captain America Winter Soldier.
Rio 2.
Heaven is For Real.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
X-men Days Of Future Past.
Maleficent.
How To Train Your Dragon 2.
Transformers Edge Of Extinction.
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.
Hercules.
Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Leprechaun Origins.
Dolphin Tale 2.
The Boxtrolls.
Annabelle.
Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
The Book Of Life.
Big Hero 6.
Penguins Of Madagascar.
Exodus Gods and Kings.
Annie.
Night At The Museum Secrets Of The Tomb.
And 2015 Movies.
Paddington.
The Spongebob Movie Sponge Out Of Water.
Chappie.
Cinderella.
Home.
Monkey Kingdom. Disneynature Movie.
Poltergeist.
Tomorrowland.
When Marnie Was There Anime Movie.
Jurassic World.
Inside Out Animated Movie.
Max.
Minions. Animated Movie.
Pixels.
The Visit.
The Peanuts Movie. CGI Animated Movie.
The Good Dinosaur Animated Movie.
Star Wars The Force Awakens.
And 2016 Movies.
Norm Of The North.
Kung Fu Panda 3.
Deadpool.
Zootopia.
The Young Messiah.
Miracles From Heaven.
Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice.
The Jungle Book.
Captain America Civil War.
X-Men Apocalypse.
Alice Through The Looking Glass.
T M N T 2 Out Of The Shadows.
Finding Dory.
Independence Day Resurgence.
The Legend Of Tarzan.
The B F G.
The Secret Life Of Pets.
Ghostbusters.
Star Trek Beyond.
Ice Age Collision Course.
Pete's Dragon.
Ben-Hur.
Kubo and The Two Strings.
Storks.
Moana.
Rogue One a Star Wars Story.
Sing.
La La Land.
Arrival.
Dr. Strange.
And 2017 Movies.
Monster Trucks.
A Dog's Purpose.
The Lego Batman Movie.
Logan.
Kong Skull Island.
Beauty And The Beast.
Power Rangers.
Ghost In A Shell.
The Boss Baby.
Smurfs The Lost Village.
Born In China a Disney Nature Movie.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.
Alien Covenant.
Diary Of a Wimpy Kid The Long Haul.
Baywatch.
Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Wonder Woman.
Captain Underpants The First Epic movie.
Transformers The Last Night.
Despicable Me 3.
Spider-Man Homecomming.
War For The Planet Of The Apes.
The Emoji Movie.
The Nut Job 2 Nutty By Nature.
It.
9/11.
The Lego Ninjago Movie.
My Little Pony The Movie.
The Florida Project.
Thor Ragnarok.
The Star.
Coco.
Star Wars The Last Jedi.
Ferdinand.
And 2018 Movies.
Mary and The Witch's Flower Anime Movie.
Peter Rabbit.
Black Panther.
Early Man.
A Wrinkle In Time.
Ready Player One.
Showdogs.
Solo A Star Wars Story.
Won't You Be My Neighbor.
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom.
Alpha.
Smallfoot.
Venom.
Halloween.
The Nutcracker and The Four Realms.
The Grinch.
Ralph Breaks The Internet.
Spider-Man Into The Spider-verse.
Mary Poppins Returns.
Auqaman.
Bumblebee.
Incredible's 2.
Hotel Transylvania 3 Summer Vacation.
And 2019 Movies.
Escape Room.
A Dog's Way Home.
The Kid Who Would Be King.
The Lego Movie 2 The Second Part.
How To Train Your Dragon The Hidden World.
Wonder Park.
Dumbo.
Shazam.
Missing Link.
Avengers Endgame.
UglyDolls.
Pokemon Detective Pikachu.
A Dog's Journey.
Aladdin.
Godzilla King Of Monsters.
Dark Phoenix.
The Secret Life Of Pets 2.
Toy Story 4.
Child's Play.
Spider-Man Far From Home.
The Lion King.
Dora and The Lost City.
The Angry Birds Movie 2.
It Chapter 2.
Rambo Last Blood.
Abominable.
Judy.
Joker.
Little Monsters.
The Addams Family CGI Animated Movie.
Maleficent Mistress Of Evil.
Frozen 2.
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.
Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker.
Cats.
etc. etc.
There are few things more painful in life than someone else not liking a film that you really, really like. I hope you're doing okay.
@@sallymiller9147 It's been three years, Sally. How is your struggle with cocaine going?
Ebert: But I want a happy ending to my dystopian sci-fi horror movies!
Just wait until Alien 3...
Man, Siskel and Ebert weren't nearly as observant as they thought they were! If they'd been paying attention to the very scene they'd
just ran, they'd have realized that A. Newt had survived perhaps weeks or months in the colony after everyone had been killed
or taken by the xenomorphs on her own by hiding out and knowing the place inside out and B. she'd have long been dead already had a facehugger gotten to her. I agree seeing the movie opening night it was a bit disturbing seeing a child menaced by them, but you kind of know she'll somehow be rescued, in a sense, because Ripley promised her earlier she wouldn't let her go, etc. Normally it would be a
cheap shot as they stated, but in ALIENS it's an integral part of the plot, that Newt is a survivor as Ripley is/was.
This is one of my favorite movie reviews. Ebert saying “it’s too intense!” Oh course it is! That’s what makes it great 😂
Gene Siskel shows here how truly subjective movie reviews are. He completely wets the bed with his opinion. Aliens today is often mentioned in the top 50 greatest movies of all time. An absolute classic.
Funny to hear original reactions...good and bad...to a film that has become a true classic. Ebert was right that back in 1986, this movie was very stressful and I too would feel bad after watching it...physically stressed out, lol! I know that sounds funny to people today, but back then it was a completely different world we lived in and ALIENS really pushed the gamut with high tension and thrills. It doesn't make me feel bad today because we are so desensitized, but I will never forget the experience in 1986. I understand where Siskel is coming from about the girl in peril, but I honestly think it works here. Yes, we know she will live, but it is about the journey to save her that matters. They built up the relationship between Newt and Ripley so that we really cared, even if we knew they would survive! Great film that still holds up today, despite the endless rippoffs it inspired! Wow, the film is 33 years old now!
Imagine what they would have said about Dunkirk if you could go back in time and show them the film.
What Cameron did with this movie never could be done in the same way. As a sequel, the movement from the original Alien film to this one is totally unpredictable. Considering only the movie, it's amazing. In relation with the previous one, it's unthinkable.
The review is hilarious. "This was too stressful!" They also didn't realize what scenes had been deleted (and never should have been)
NOT with Siskel on this one. This is a sequel that DELIVERS. Alien was one thing (and a masterpiece), this took it to new levels and the action / terror route was a great way to go to up the stakes.
This review doesn't really age well. Aliens on IMDB is listed #77 of the best movies of all time. Watch it in 1986, watch it in 2019 its just as powerful, just as good. Even the effects have aged well.
nothing ages well 40 years later, idiot
@@videogames6134 I said the review didn't age well not the film
IDIOT
What are you 13 years old? get a life
@@zodden01 IMDB means nothing
@@cesarzpontu8886 You are correct. It should be higher than #77
@@vigilante8374 nah it should be lower
James Cameron is a perfectionist.
From a 2019 perspective I really liked Ebert's comments about Sigourney Weaver. She was a strong character, and she did a great job supporting the movie, even in Siskel's comments he gives her credit. Nothing about her being a woman, it didn't matter, she was just a great character, and to this day this character is recognized as a great character. Then again they didn't realize they were watching a to be classic so who knows... lol
James Cameron wrote a great story. Today Hollywood puts ideology first.
As much as I love Aliens, I have to prefer Alien. It was the original. It gave us a view to Sci-Fi and horror that we had never seen before. The imagination & the sets were astounding.
Sometimes Siskel Can't See the Forrest for the Trees, May He R.I.P.
My favorite SciFi movie, will watch it anytime it’s on and I catch it. I think The Thing was a close second for intensity and overall scare power.
The reason for the girl being inconstant peril and her overall vulnerability is Ripley having the motherly instincts to protect her. Hence why the scene with Ripley protecting Newt..and the Queen protecting her eggs makes the scene and last third of the film more powerful!
They missed this one badly. This is a great film.
Funny to hear these Boomers talk about how the movie was so good, it was overwhelming. I saw Aliens for the first time in 1990, when I was 8. Easily the best part of my childhood.
They weren't boomers. Too old.
Monster movie fans can never get enough monsters.
Pretty much the most inaccurate movie review ever
Siskel missed on the mother-daughter dynamic that Ripley and Nute formed that resulted in the climatic battle between mothers defending their daughters/offspring. It was brilliant!
Ya can't blame the movie because it got you so invested.
Its always about them and not about the movie.
I saw it the night it premiered in ‘86. And I knew I had just seen one of the greatest films ever made. Went back to see it eight more times..
The sole reason I never watched Top Gun in a movie theater. With Aliens, who'd need TG!?
@@defiverr4697 I saw both in theaters. (Before cell phones and people making noise and nonsense.) And the were both awesome! Wouldn't have had it any other way.
I loved watching „At the movies“ before they went big time. Those two had awesome chemistry together
Aliens is the gold standard in sci fi horror. If a movie gives you a pit in your stomach....it did its job.
I am so glad I never saw these guys review a movie. They do not give a shit about spoilers.
How anyone could see this as anything other than a masterpiece is baffling? Siskel keeps bleating on about 'kids in peril'. It's a film grow some balls man
Ebert is my go to critic. As refined as his taste in movies may seem, he actually does let himself enjoy films that aren't necessarily on par with the more autuer variety, and I loved what he had to say about this movie. Siskel on the other hand is an absolute prude.
Ebert co-wrote a movie called “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” with sleaze merchant Russ Meyers.
There's isn't a better scifi action movie. Some equal but none better.
I agree with you all the way!!!
Great film. The extended version on DVD is even better in my opinion, because the aliens don't appear for a long, long time, probably an hour or more into it. That very slow build up and then the explosion of action is brilliant.
Jesus what is Gene talking about?
Gene lets his arrogance get in the way of so many reviews.
You may not agree with them, but At The Movies was THE movie review show of the 80s. No interwebs in those days. This was IT.
They really dropped the ball on this one.
They also got silence of the lambs wrong too.
They offered their real opinions. So what if it doesn't match yours. At least they weren't bought and paid for like critics today.
Jamie Braswell your right, and that is why I miss these two a whole lot!!!
Didn’t Ebert give this movie a thumbs up?
I miss the days when movie reviewers gave honest opinions of movies. Today we get paid shills, who give almost everything a positive review, or online ragebaiters who hate everything. It's very rare to find truly honest movie reviewers, like Siskel and Ebert.
Siskel was such a prude.
Once again, Gene Siskel is totally friggin wrong. I’m sure he’s in heaven now watching his cherished “My Dinner With Andre” on a loop.
If the film didn’t have the child Newt, Siskel would not have hated the film. Children in danger in films was one of his biggest pet peeves as he thought it was the cheapest ploy for thrills.
Any time a child was in danger in a movie siskel gave thumbs down.
Yeah, he had a similar reaction to Child's Play.
He had no problems w/ Terminator 2.
@@jp3813 I wouldn't call John Connor a child.
@@FeverDog420 He was 10-years-old.
He sure doesn't look 10 (Edward Furlong was 13 during filming) but I'll concede your point.
On the official commentary for "Aliens: Special Edition" James Cameron talks about how Siskel's complaint about using kids in danger as a "cheap tactic" to elicit emotion; how that critique really annoyed him and he could never get over it. Then Cameron had kids himself and was like "ya know, I hated Siskel for saying it, but now I totally get it."
i have watched this film at least once a year for the past 30 years. It never gets tired. I notice something small everytime i watch it. It is the perfect sequel which surpassed th original in almost every way (the original is a classic in its own right). I never noticed now that you only see the first Alien almost halfway in the film but it never feels slow paced. There is just a tension and suspense throughout the film. The marines are well fleshed out as characters and provide alot of the humour throughout the film which allows Sigourney to shine as the stoic voice of reason. No second is wasted. No superflous story lines. It's a masterpiece in cinema.
You all aren’t thinking about this 4th dimensionally, Marty! Siskel didn’t get things wrong, time did.
Siskel gave thumbs-down to Aliens and to Apocalypse Now.
Words fail me.