This will be fascinating in that we have not ended up with films featuring the usual 80's tough guy archetypes at the center.
What we have are two films that have masters of both well choreographed moments of tension and propulsive action and violence which however formalized they may be are still more grounded and relatable in comparison to say a Rambo or Commando. The protags are both people thrust into situations out of their depths facing incredible odds while simultaneously working through very personal emotional baggage. John is teetering on the edge of divorce and losing his family. He is sorting through his own anger at his predicament of a permanent separation being on the table while attempting to tamp down his usual tendencies so as to possibly win his wife and kids back. Ripley is still dealing with the horror and trauma of her last trip into deep space and she has awoken to a world that is not only indifferent to what she had been through but also seems to have ripped away all personal connections like friends and family. Then she is forced to confront her worst fears which were swept aside offhandedly by a sclerotic corporate culture which has become even more detached from humane emotions and values than when she originally left Earth 57 years ago.
Both of these main characters might also headline but the directos also wisely don't put their eggs into one basket. Die Hard and Aliens both are great examples of how when it comes to casting it pays off to put as much thought into the "guts" of the film as it does the "face". Willis and Weaver are undeniable in their roles but they are aided by a game and very solid ensemble. Whether slimeball coked up yuppie scum willing to do anything to cut a deal, inquisitive but aloof androids, well meaning patrolmen just looking to making it home with some Twinkies, hard as nails Colonial Marine Sergeants riding herd over a platoon of life takers and heartbreakers, suave and collected would be criminal masterminds or lowkey corporate users looking to climb that ladder made from the tragedy of a doomed and dead human colony the characters that surrond our heroes enhance the story, enhance the leads and more than do the job of inhabiting the characters they are being presented to the audience nearly perfectly. The stories of both films lives and dies on the network surrounding the main characters.
Neither film is about unstoppable agents of vengeance but of well rounded people whom fate has thrown gigantic curves to.
Both films have these characters
SwordOfMorningSuper Moderator
