The Anniversary Brothers: Aliens 40th Anniversary

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Aliens.

Aliens is a sci-fi action film directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to 1979’s Alien. Cameron developed the story with David Giler and Walter Hill and wrote the screenplay. It opened in theaters on July 18, 1986.

In the film, a salvage crew finds Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in stasis 57 years after events of the first movie. Though the higher-ups at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation initially dismiss her story about the deadly xenomorph, one of the representatives, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser), asks Ripley to help rescue colonists on the moon where she first encountered the alien.

Joining them is a group of space marines. Notable marines include Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) and Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein). Also part of the crew is an android, Bishop (Lance Henriksen). The only survivor they find is a girl called Newt (Carrie Henn). Xenomorphs have overrun the colony.

Aliens opened to positive reviews, though it was too intense for some critics’ liking. It is now considered a classic, just as good as the original, if not better. It was the seventh highest-grossing film at the U.S. box office and made approximately $183 million worldwide. 

Aliens was nominated at the Oscars for Best Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. The film won Best Visual Effects (like the first film) and Best Sound Effects Editing. Weaver’s nomination broke the mold for science fiction roles, often passed up for recognition. 

Aaron had seen Aliens before, but Josh had not. Aaron talks about his first time watching it before the Josh shares his opinion. They talk about the plot, characters, the effects, and parts they thought didn’t hold up. They also discuss its place in the Alien franchise and James Cameron’s filmography.

You can also listen to Aaron and Josh’s podcast with Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin on James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. 

Aliens is available to rent on Prime Video