Aliens

When the science fiction and action genres are written at the end of time, little else will rival ALIENS. And as far as sequels go, only TERMINATOR 2 can bring out guns as big as the M41A Pulse Rifle. Naturally, Weaver's performance holds the whole thing together, believable and commanding as Ripley; rarely has an actress ever held such a masculine poise at the peak of her powers. Sure, the whole "Motherhood" thing might be a little trite by today's standards, but Cameron wisely subverts cliche by leaving Ripley alone to face the evil version of "mother", complete with the nastiest looking ovipositor I've ever seen. In fact, the last hour of this film is bordering on insane levels of action and suspense, moving from one bravura set piece to the next (Ripley and Newt vs. Facehuggers in the Med Lab assaults with high levels of chills and thrills) leading to one of the best climaxes in action history. Stan Winston (RIP) really went for broke with the Xenomorph scout design, moving away from the Freudian Giger design and opting for a more humanoid warrior look. Let it be known, of course, that forty years later, this is Cameron's show; the wheels turning since his Corman days have never stopped turning. This was his moment, his ultimate shot to prove TERMINATOR was no fluke, and this might just be his masterpiece.