for some reason it appears that the 35th anniversary of something (or other, look you see) has now become very much a "thing". in days gone by i am aware of more rounded, zero ending anniversaries being the same, which is to say a thing. perhaps these odd numbered, centre of a (decimal) ten anniversaries are a natural extension, or just some marketing making mischief.
anyway, no matter, as this gives me something to write of here. it just to happens today, the date of publication at the least, marks the 35th anniversary of the day on which audiences in at least one place in the world were able to go to a cinema and watch Aliens.
i consider myself to be one of the "lucky" ones, as i got to see Alien in that lengthy period where any such thing as a spoiler for the film was virtually impossible. not entirely sure, but i think i saw that one in late 83, or maybe even 84, via a late night showing of it on either BBC 2 or Channel 4. no, i had absolutely no idea who, if anyone, might survive by the end of that motion picture. a viewing experience which has not been realistically possible ever since the unexpected sequel turned up.
little, if anything, of the original Alien film screamed "needs a sequel". it was brilliant, and very much self-contained. but, that said, there were threads to pull on if required. the whole concept of the company which sent the Nostromo out to space in the first instance, and the question of where these alien eggs may have come from. pulled these threads most certainly were, by James Cameron and company, to create one of the most devastating, mind blowing, exhilarating and terrifying experiences audiences have ever been hit right in the face by.
one perpetual notion which circulates as "fact" is that sequels are "never" as good as the original film. time and again this is disproved. whereas Alien was incredible, Aliens took it to all new levels. even greater sequels to great films had happened before, like with The Godfather, and from time to time would happen again, like The Dark Knight. but the "wow" factor here was the sequel took on the form of a virtually entirely different genre, yet retained all elements to be true to the original, and worked just as well on a "new" audience as it did those who loved the original.
just a moment taken here, then, to pause and reflect on the greatness of James Cameron. many film makers, directors and what have you, could claim to "own" the 80s, or be the best of the best. yes, sure, Spielberg, John Hughes, etc. but, you know what, for us into our teenage years during that decade, with the first ever video machine at home, and loosely followed laws by corner video shops in regards to certificates on tapes and the age of the person renting, The Terminator and Aliens were amazing. hard to imagine why the great genius what made these two has decided to squander his talent and life on making films of Ferngully Smurfs In Space, but no matter.
using the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode for this celebration is most apt. in an really rare move, and one which shows how awesome Aliens was, it was so that both games made as a tie-in thing for the film were excellent. of the two, it was the one where you had a first person shooter set up, and could change characters, which was probably the best.
whilst i doubt it was the very first (for a start, Saturday Night Fever got a heavily edited "special edition" release to catch a younger market), i think Aliens was the first film i can remember coming out with a slightly different edit. over time i have come to appreciate the taunt, perfect editing of the film as it got released in the first instance, but still, that 'special edition' with some 18 minutes shoved in was very enjoyable. especially them tracer gun things.
rather compelling is the case that this marks the 35th anniversary of a decent Alien film being released. sadly, it is one that just about all would have to agree with. whereas the films that followed, be they direct Alien sequels or prequels, or of the vs Predator nature, have some moments of excellence and are not entirely devoid of merit, they are nowhere near the quality of Alien and then Aliens. people who get upset by any sort of Star Wars prequel should really consider what we, who loved Aliens, had to sit around and wait for a number of years for to get Alien 3. it was, like, totes bad.
yes, Bill Paxton. legend has it, thanks to Aliens, that he is the only actor ever to have been killed by the most decidedly unholy trinity of a Terminator, an Alien and (thanks to Predator 2) a Predator. well, i have long argued that Lance Hendriksen (Bishop out Aliens) also suffered the same fate, but others argue not, saying his Terminator demise was merely implied off-screen, and if he actually got "killed" in the traditional sense of the term by an Alien is debatable. so yeah, all right, go Bill.
nothing much else to add, really, except they come mostly at night, and by jove yes, now is the time for you to give consideration to either watching Aliens again, or watching it for the first time. bloody good it was, if not acid blood, thank you.
game over, man, game over.
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