In space, no one has time for sentimentality.
Twentieth Century Fox
Acting is an art form, and behind every iconic character is an artist expressing themselves. Welcome to The Great Performances, a bi-weekly column exploring the art behind some of cinema’s best roles. In this entry, we examine Sigourney Weaver’s Academy Award-nominated performance as Ellen Ripley in Aliens.
The blockbuster action movies of the 1980s were built on excess, best personified in a moment in the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit
Commando (1985). When his character, John Matrix, prepares to storm the island compound of an ex-South American dictator, there is a prolonged suit-up scene where he slings gun after gun over his shoulders, loading up his chest with enough grenades and ammo to take down the small army he’s about to face. It plays more like visual hype-up music, getting the audience stoked for the ensuing battle, rather than a moment for the audience to see Arnie’s commando mentally and emotionally preparing himself for a fight that could cost him his life.