15. The Alien Hive
Another great example of shooting a film properly, the Alien hive in the atmosphere processing plant was filmed on location in Londons decommissioned Acton Lane Power station. Steel gantrys and grated walkways were perfect for the dirty, slightly rusty futuristic feel of the film. The Alien nest also seen in smaller scale in the Alien special edition was a dark and oppressive set which had all the characteristics of the Aliens themselves. Seeing the people strung up in the nest with looks of horror and pain etched on to their faces forever was a great way to make you feel sick and terrified to be in there.
14. Scene: Burke The Betrayer
Ripley learns that the order to search for the Alien derelict was signed off by Burke himself and corners him after the first encounter with the creatures. This is a great character build for both parties. We see Ripley getting angry at Burkes sleazy attempts to brush the incident off. Why didnt you warn them? Burke attempts to worm his way out of it saying that he didnt know whether they would find anything but we leave the sequence knowing that Burke will have to find some way of silencing Ripley before they get back to Earth, if they ever get back to Earth
13. Scene: Send in the Facehuggers
An opportunistic moment for Burke to silence Ripley happens when Ripley and Newt are asleep under a bed and Burke releases a couple of Facehuggers and locks the door. As Ripley wakes up and realises her peril, she tries to signal for help to the camera in the room, but Burke shuts the monitor off while the marines have their attention drawn away to other matters. The scene is genuinely scary because it is just Ripley and Newt versus Facehuggers with acid for blood, with no way out of the room.
12. The Armoured Personnel Carrier
This vehicle was a beast of ugly purposefulness. With a massive, retractable top mounted cannon, which sadly we never saw used, and a smaller double barrelled gun on the front, it was a machine of sharp cut military coloured angles that looked perfect for rolling into town on. You wouldnt get in the way of that thing. Sadly, it dies early on and we never get to see it do too much, but what a machine.
11. Smartguns
Easily the most badass of all the handheld weaponry in Aliens is the Smartgun. When we see Vazquez and Drake open up with these puppies, no Alien stands against them for very long. Even just watching the two of them as they move in tandem, practising on the Sulaco makes you want one. These are high impact guns of doom and no mistake.