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How James Cameron Beat the Odds and Made the Perfect Sequel

Published

7 years ago

August 16, 2017

Ask anyone who has watched a lot of movies and they’ll tell you. It’s damn difficult to make a sequel to a popular film that’s actually as good as the original. There are exceptions, of course, but they’re typically few and far between. James Cameron – who celebrates his birthday today – was responsible for two of the greatest examples of a sequel that can actually hold a candle to the original film. Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Aliens.

When you talk to horror fans about their favorite action movie, undoubtedly Aliens comes up. It conquered both the action and horror genres, and did so in such a phenomenal and outstanding way that each subsequent entry into the Alien franchise is inevitably held up for comparison.

Aliens extrapolated the journey of Ellen Ripley, who was already an incredible character and a heavy-hitter in the world of female protagonists. Thanks to James Cameron, her character was launched into total badass territory. Our vision of Ripley was forever changed with the utterance of a now iconic line – “Get away from her you bitch!” – as she stepped up and threw down.

Image via BaldMove

Part of the magic of Aliens is that it doesn’t try to be like the original film. It builds on the world created by Ridley Scott and adds a whole new cast of characters that we – as an audience – immediately root for. They’re brash, they’re gruff, but dammit, they’re phenomenal.

The Weyland-Yutani Corporation is given a smarmy new presence with the addition of Burke (Paul Reiser), a company man through and through. He knowingly puts the rest of the team in terrible danger in the hopes of securing an implanted alien to bring back from their doomed rescue mission. He’s, frankly, such an asshole, but he’s so useless (in a practical sense) that he doesn’t pose a larger threat than the Xenomorphs themselves.

Image via TasteOfCinema

And of course, there’s the Xenomorphs. A perfect movie monster to begin with, in Aliens they’ve multiplied the threat. A whole bunch of times. And added in a Queen. Because what better way to increase the terror of the first film? But, true to the awesomeness of the 80s, this new thrilling entry had to be a full-throttle, guns-blazing, explosive action extravaganza.

While many prefer the tense, unexpected thrills of Alien, the sequel had to branch out and go bigger. Once you’ve seen the true terror of the chestburster scene once, you can’t recreate it and expect the same reaction. Aliens needed to draw a bigger and broader audience, and it had to bring something new to the table.

Image via EyeForFilm

So, Cameron did. He amped up the action, the raised the stakes, and he won over fans of horror and action alike. Aliens was one of the first films I remember seeing as a child, and it had a huge effect on me.

Speaking of films that had a huge influence on me, that brings me to Cameron’s next sequel.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day took the heroine of The Terminator and gave her a killer upgrade. We hadn’t seen Sarah Connor for quite some time, and she while she wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet in the first film, she trembled in terror beside the unstoppable force of terror that was pumped-up Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Image via ComicVine

In Terminator 2, however, the T-1000 couldn’t even make this weary warrior blush. Like Ripley, Sarah Connor grew from her traumatic experience and became what she was always meant to be – a hardened and unflappable killer queen.

Of course, one of the other fantastic aspects of T2 was the humor and humanity that it brought to the one-fearsome literal killing machine. Again, Cameron knew that he couldn’t simply recreate the first film and expect the same results. He had to give us something new.

Image via AV Club

And new it was, though that didn’t mean he was pulling any punches. The T-1000 – like the Xenomorphs of Aliens – needed to bring something bigger, stronger, and scarier to the table. Cameron understood that you can’t just hit the same notes as the original film; there needs to be growth.

For this, we really need to give the man more credit. Building a franchise is hard, and arguably we wouldn’t have two of the most recognizable franchises in modern pop culture if it wasn’t for his efforts.

No matter how you feel about the films following, you can easily say that T2 and Aliens weren’t just successful, they were genuinely great movies.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

17 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

19 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.