Aliens
You are either an Alien person, or an Aliens person. I am an Aliens person. (A select group are Alien 3 people and those people are difficult and insane). Aliens is the textbook example of Dialing It Up for the sequel. James Cameron really does not get enough credit for what a great writer he is. He’s arguably our greatest feminist filmmaker. Ripley’s transformation from scared, traumatized woman to bad ass superheroine is one of the greatest hero’s journeys ever undertaken. From the moment the crew awaken on the ship the tension just keeps building and building until the film literally explodes. The acting is great, the pacing is great, the dialogue is great, the characters (especially the dearly missed Bill Paxton) are great, the special effects are great. It’s just SO satisfying. It’s all even more remarkable when you learn about the making of this movie and how the crew was effectively in open rebellion against Cameron.