Aliens Vietnam war allegory

• Socialist

  19 May 09, 22:12

  

   

   

  It has been pointed out by some critics that Aliens works as an allegory of the Vietnam War, in that an overly confident military finds itself in a quagmire battling an unseen opponent they cannot comprehend. Sigourney Weaver, who holds strong views on gun control, has stated that she was deeply uncomfortable with the amount of gun violence in the movie, and that Ripley would be required to strap on heavy artillery herself. But she admitted she ended up enjoying the role and that the gunplay held a seductive appeal. The film added an additional level of depth to Ripley's character by establishing a daughter who grew old and died while Ripley was lost in space (this scene was not included in the theatrical version but was seen in extended versions on TV and DVD). When Ripley discovers a little girl, Newt (Carrie Henn), hiding in the ruins of the colony, Newt becomes a surrogate daughter for Ripley, allowing Ripley to overcome her feelings of guilt and achieve closure.