"In 19 minutes this area's gonna be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska."

*Disclaimer of Awesomeness: Not only does 'Aliens' have TWO suit-up scenes -- the locker room suit-up scene in the film was my first review here for the site -- it actually has two and a half. Shit, call it three! Three goddamn suit-up scenes in one movie! It's no wonder this is my favorite film of all time. So what is this double-banger suit-up scene I refer to?

When Ripley goes back for Newt, of course!

But you see, before Ripley gets on that elevator and descends into hell, she preps her gear for the suit-up scene. It's what I call the "suit-up before the suit-up".

She starts by grabbing the essentials. M40A Pulse Rifle. M240 Flame Thrower. Then, in a move we'll see in future suit-up reviews of mine to come, Ripley duct tapes both of the weapons together, making one, fused weapon of destruction: A pulse rifle that not only fires standard light armor piercing explosive tip caseless shells, but also M40 grenades... and now, a stream of fuel which will ignite and torch any mofo alien in Ripley's path.

Slapping the ammo clip in hard (the way Hicks taught her), we see the LED ammo counter on the pulse rifle jump up to 95. Cocked, locked, and ready to rock.

Continuing on, Ripley tapes a locater to the top of the gun, so she can track Newt's position. She then grabs some bonus treats. Extra M40 grenades. M-94 Marking Flares. And ammo belt of even more M40 grenades. At this point, Bishop tries to warn her yet again, of the insanity she's attempting.

BISHOP: "Ripley..."
RIPLEY: "I don't wanna hear about, Bishop! She's alive. There's still time."
BISHOP: "In 19 minutes this area's gonna be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska."

And then comes a line in the movie that only exists in James Cameron's director's cut of 'Aliens'... the version of the film I am reviewing now. It's an exchange of lines actually that should never have seen the editing room floor.

Ripley is about to exit the dropship for a suicide rescue mission to save Newt, a young girl her and the marines discovered on LV-426 as the only survivor of the colonial outpost. Having recently found out that her own daughter died of old age, while Ripley floated through hyperspace for 57 years, she immediately takes to Newt as her own. And therefore, will do anything to get her back and find some redemption in her own loss.

Some in the audience may see this as nuts. We just watched an entire platoon of the United States Colonial Marine's best get annihilated by these aliens. Those who escaped have the acid burns to prove how close to death they came. And now, Ripley, last surviving member of the Nostromo is going to take them all on? She barely had the courage in our first film to eject a single alien out the airlock. She's going to face off against an entire nest of these things!?

But one man believes in her. Corporal Dwayne Hicks. You see, throughout our movie, Hicks has gotten a chance to see the leadership skills Ripley has. The courage, morals, and most of all... sheer badass-ness she possesses within. So once she's completed her pre-suit-up-scene ritual and is ready to go do the impossible, we get a brief exchange between these two warriors.

RIPLEY: "See you, Hicks"
HICKS: "Dwayne. It's Dwayne..."
Beat. Ripley looks touched.
RIPLEY: "Ellen."
Beat.
HICKS: "Don't be gone long, Ellen."

Why this ten second exchange was ever cut from the movie is beyond me. It's unforgivable really, because it hints at something more between these two. That maybe they just don't have to be warriors, but maybe can become lovers. But it also speaks to Hick's belief in Ripley. That while, the audience may think her mission is fruitless, Hicks knows more. His "Don't be gone long, Ellen" is an almost cocky trust in her.

Hell, who am I kidding? The entire audience knows what's up. Ripley is going to kick some xenomorph-ass. James Cameron style.

Cue the descent into hell!

At this point, the pounding military drumroll score of James Horner's drops out momentarily, and all we hear are the alarms of the outside station, warning its vacant population of the impending destruction.

"Attention. Emergency. All personal must evacuate immediately. You now have fifteen minutes to reach minimum safe distance."

Ripley enters the elevator. The doors close. She begins to descend. No time to waste! Time to suit-up!

Close-up: Ripley carefully loads M40 grenades into the pump-action style grenade launcher under the barrel of her pulse rifle.

The elevator continues to descend.

Having loaded the grenades, Ripley gives the rifle a strong pump.

Close-up: Ripley retrieves the M46-Flares from their pouch and loads them into her pockets. These will prove essential later, as a "breadcrumb trail" leading her back out towards escape.

Level 15. 13. 12. The elevator continues to descend.

Not much time. Ripley strips off her top shirt. Suit-ups into the ammo belt, adorned with dangerous M40 grenades. The intensity on Ripley's face is so real. So frightening. No wonder Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress for this part at the 1986 Academy Awards.

Next the fused Pulse Rifle / Flame Thrower is suited-up.

Level 7. 6. 5.

Then my favorite part. Something I wish more suit-up scenes would have...

Close-up: Ripley closes her eyes. Breaths in deep. It's a zen moment. A moment of reaching down deep, and digging up whatever courage you can muster. Something terribly real. A glimpse at a real person. Not just some heroic character in an action movie. Someone who wasn't sent along to carry a gun and kill monsters. But someone who had to become that person, in order to rescue her archetypal daughter and redeem herself. This is powerful stuff. And this one moment validates the entire suit-up scene, as not something just aesthetically glorious and technically brilliant... but something psychological and true.

Her eyes closed. Her breathing now controlled. Ripley snaps to it. Eyes open again. Determined. Pissed off.

She triggers the ignitor on the flame thrower. It emits a cool, evil blue stream.

The elevator touches down. The violins on the score reach a crescendo. The doors open.

Ripley stands in the smoke. Ready to go save Newt. And heaven help anything that gets in her way.