The 1950s sci-fi film that influenced James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’
It’s no surprise that the science fiction genre is one of the most beloved in cinema history. Being unmatched in transporting us to otherworldly settings infused with pertinent narratives that can challenge our perspectives on the societies we live in, the genre offers tremendous breathing room for filmmakers to tell their stories. Its roots can be traced back over a century, with films such as A Trip to the Moon, and more recent cultural icons like Star Wars can be credited for taking the genre mainstream.
While we’ve been treated to some seriously brilliant sci-fi releases since the late 1970s that have reshaped the genre, its almost overwhelming popularity has led to some pretty shocking films that never managed to hit the nail on the head. Out of all the filmmakers who have tackled the polarising area of the industry, James Cameron, for the most part, has thankfully been one of the fundamental individuals for delivering some of the best sci-fi films, many of which have had a sizable impact on subsequent pictures.
Cameron’s most acclaimed films, like The Terminator or Avatar, created unimaginably successful movie series, but he’s no stranger to contributing to franchises that were already well-established. Another late ’70s film that paved the way is Ridley Scott’s genre-defining sci-fi horror Alien, which received its first sequel in 1986. Although it would be impossible and also quite daft of Cameron to not use the original film as the primary inspiration for his sequel, Aliens shares quite a few similarities with a film that came over 50 years prior.
Released in 1954, Them! was one of the early examples of how to combine sci-fi with horror in one gripping, disturbing package. The film’s premise is that after nuclear tests were conducted in New Mexico, common ants transform into bizarrely large ones, unsurprisingly posing a threat to now measly humans. The concept of large monsters being the hunters is one of the most common tropes in sci-fi, particularly examples that lean into horror, but Aliens shares similarities with the influential Gordon Douglas-directed film.
Ridley Scott’s gruesome introduction to the Xenomorphs (the name the franchise gives to its alien antagonists) established them as a genuine threat. But, in typical 1980s fashion, they’re way more hostile to fit the action bill and make Sigourney Weaver even more of a ‘badass’ protagonist, something that studios were flooding the big screens with during the decade. Now that the aliens are more akin to the ants in Them!, the similarities between the two films become rife, whether intended or not.
The creatures not only resemble each other to an extent, but Aliens also uses noticeably similar shots throughout to help convey the increased threat of the Xenomorphs. This can certainly be put down as generic establishing shots that can be found in countless films in the genre, but still raises eyebrows when putting them side-by-side. The lighting techniques are also similar, with some lines of dialogue even being a little too reminiscent of each other.
While Aliens and Them! are particularly similar visually, the former’s unmistakably resilient protagonist, courtesy of one of Weaver’s best performances and the extraterrestrial setting keep it from simply being the same film. Despite Ridley Scott initially being hacked off that the sequel was being made, Cameron’s entry into the franchise managed to earn over $183million at the global box office, and is revered as one of the best sci-fi films of the 1980s.
