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| Word About BiehnReviews of Michael's Work |
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| Word About BiehnReviews of Michael's Work |
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I guess when it comes to Aliens, I don't have really strong feelings. That I've watched it several times is primarily due to the presence of Michael Biehn rather than to the film itself. Generally, the futuristic horror stories with all their gadgetry and special effects aren't my favorite type film, with Terminator being the exception.
Aliens is a good film, though; it's good storytelling. Not only does it have suspense, it also has characters one gets to know and care about. And tension flows from those characters' personalities and conflicts almost as much as it does from the outside threat.
But it's Hicks (played by Michael) who fascinates me, and I suspect there's little objectivity in that. Nevertheless, I like the way his character is revealed. He begins in the background, the only thing drawing our attention being his good looks. But he has little dialogue; he's one of the grunts. Perhaps our awareness of him as a possible pivotal character begins at the briefing session. He's not much of a standout there at first-Gorman, the new CO, even confuses him with Hudson, whose character is much different than Hicks and who until then has been much more in the limelight. However, it's Hicks who captures our attention as the only one to take Ripley seriously, and the hero/heroine connection begins at that point. Little by little, our understanding of Hicks' character grows, and bit by bit his relationship with the heroine is built. Michael throws in some nice touches along the way. One that comes to mind is when the Marines and Ripley arrive at the lab to discover the aliens preserved in canisters. Ripley sees them at the door and stops. Hicks comes up behind her, calls Gorman over, and then, gently moves her aside. That small gesture shows his sensitivity to her feelings and is nicely done. Only gradually does Hicks rise in prominence (cream must rise to the top, after all), until, almost without our realizing it, our hero is fully there. Michael's performance is understated; nowhere does he act macho; he's simply the strong, silent type. Bluster isn't necessary; his courage and intelligence are evident, and he's oh-so-appealing. I breathed a sigh of relief when he lived through the film, and was looking foward to the next one....
Well, I've never seen Aliens III. I refuse to watch it because Hicks was killed. I'm sure my personal boycott has had a devastating effect on the filmmakers, too, but it's a matter of principle. Question is, why did they kill Hicks? I know Ripley is supposed to be the strong, independent woman who has no need of a man to protect her, but Aliens left Hicks badly injured. She could have been called on to protect and care for him! The set-up was ideal for the man to depend on the woman, and the producers blew it! Well, water over the dam.... For me, the Aliens saga ended with Aliens; Hicks eventually recovered and went on to live happily ever after. And that's how it should have been!
Kay
Abyss ***Art Of War ***Asteroid ***Blood Of The Hunter ***Breach of Trust/Crash ***Chain Of Command ***Cherry Falls ***Coach ***Dead Men Can't Dance ***Deadfall ***Deadly Intentions ***Deep Red ***Double Edge/American Dragons ***The Fan ***Fire In The Sky ***Frame By Frame/Conundrum ***Hill Street Blues ***Hog Wild ***In A Shallow Grave ***Jade ***K2 ***The Magnificent Seven ***The Martyrdom Of Saint Sebastian ***Megiddo ***Mojave Moon ***Navy SEALS ***Rampage ***The Ride ***The Rock ***Seventh Sign ***Silver Wolf ***Strapped ***Susan's Plan/Dying To Get Rich ***A Taste For Killing ***Terminator ***Tiberian Sun ***Timebomb ***Tombstone
