Most people are going to vote for Terminator 2 (it's already about 30 votes ahead), and that's perfectly fine. I love Terminator 2; it's an excellent movie and
easily my number two pick on the list.
But it's
Aliens.
I'll let Roger Ebert explain why, as I always found
his review of the film, especially the opening paragraph, really had it's finger on the pulse of the movie and why I love it, even though it left him feeling "
drained" and "
filled . . . with feelings of unease and disquiet and anxiety";
The movie is so intense that it creates a problem for me as a reviewer: Do I praise its craftsmanship, or do I tell you it left me feeling wrung out and unhappy? It has been a week since I saw it, so the emotions have faded a little, leaving with me an appreciation of the movie's technical qualities. But when I walked out of the theater, there were knots in my stomach from the film's roller-coaster ride of violence. This is not the kind of movie where it means anything to say you "enjoyed" it.
It is a movie that, in his words; "
maintains such a pitch of intensity for so long; it's like being on some kind of hair-raising carnival ride that never stops." In my opinion, the difference between Terminator 2 and Aliens is a matter of pacing. While it feels like Aliens takes longer to ramp up (which isn't a complaint, it creates a huge amount of tension), once it does it never really stops. Both films move quickly, but where Termiantor 2 has a few beats between action sequences, Aliens really doesn't, not once it gets roaring. Terminator 2 has lulls. Aliens has desperate gasps for air.