Sequels that are better than their originals are rare. Rarer still are sequels like Aliens, which managed to improve on an original that was pretty damn good while essentially changing both the genre and the dramatic thrust of that original. 40 years ago, the James Cameron-directed Aliens hit theaters, and with all due respect to, say, The Empire Strikes Back, it stands today as the greatest sci-fi sequel of all time.
by flynnfx
19 Comments
I’ll personally vote for *Wrath of Khan* but it’s an extremely stacked competition between that, *Aliens*, and *Empire*, to be sure.
I think Terminator 2 is the best sci-fi sequel, myself. But Aliens is immediately next on my list.
unpopular opinion: compared to the 1979 movie it was truly awful. Slow, lagging, barely any action, and overloaded with CGI tarantulas.
To this day, Bill Paxton still has my favorite performance of a character who fully steps up & redeems himself in any movie
Because James Cameron.
‘Decider.com’ article turns 10: Why it’s the best explanation of why Aliens is the best sequel ever ever.
Are we only talking film #2 in a series or any sequel?
Because Fury Road is the G.O.A.T. sequel.
By any reasonable metric like box office, physical media sales, TV viewership, critic reviews, cultural impact, you name it, I don’t see how you can logically put Aliens above Empire and Terminator 2. It seems like the writer is presenting his personal movie taste as fact.
Terminator 2 is the best sci fi sequel ever
Am I the only one that loved Alien and did not enjoy Aliens?
The Empire Strikes Back fans are going to be upset but they’re wrong. Aliens wins.
The ultimate mother’s day movie.
Being dyslexic without the internet I don’t realise that aliens was a different movie from alien id see it on one of the four channels we had back then and just skip over it thinking I’d seen it.
Out of pure boredom I put it on thinking I don’t remember it starting like this.
The prefect sequel. Without taking away from the original.
Masterpiece.
Still so angry they contracted the remaster out to a garbage genAI company.
*Suppose that’s par for the course since Cameron loooves generative AI.*
I’m not here to debate if this is or is not Sci-Fi but for me Empire Strikes Back is the best Sci-Fi sequel.
Very difficult call for me between Aliens an Terminator 2 as to the best sequel.
Damn.. I have also turned 40 yesterday.
Nice reminder I’m getting old.
I think Dune 3 has potential. Seeing Brian K. Vaughan as a co-writer really jimmied me up, I love Saga.
At the very least it’s going to be the strongest Sci-Fi trilogy ever made.