Aliens

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Aliens

R

Released Jul 18, 1986

2h 17m

Sci-Fi

Horror

Action

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

142 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.

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Critics Consensus

While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver.

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Scott Cain

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Let's not mince words: Aliens is the greatest horror movie since Frankenstein. Here is a rare instance in which a sequel is infinitely superior to the original. Alien, the 1979 thriller, now seems like a preliminary sketch.

Jul 30, 2024

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Mike McGrady

Newsday

Cameron is a master of machinery and weaponry, a technical wizard who replaces Scott's refinement with his own kind of muscularity... But with either film, you leave the theater drained, physically exhausted, well-rewarded for all your suffering.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 30, 2024

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Jay Maeder

New York Daily News

The long-awaited sequel to Alien proves to be an extraordinary treat, as perfectly realized a thrill-a-second screamer as has ever come along.

Rated: 4/4

Jul 30, 2024

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Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

From the small character details to the massive set-pieces, Cameron expands the Alien mythology and switches sub genres seamlessly. It truly is a perfect sequel.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 16, 2024

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Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

[James Cameron] takes the franchise in another direction by raising the stakes and turning the sequel into an action-packed, war epic [while] retaining the dread-inducing feel and tone of the first movie.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 15, 2024

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Lou Lumenick

Bergen Record (New Jersey)

What can I say? Aliens is the scariest and most exciting movie I've seen in several years. My adrenalin was still racing an hour later. It's involving. It has well-drawn characters. It has consistency. And Sigourney Weaver gives a dazzling performance.

Jul 30, 2024

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Peter V

My number 9 of my Top 10 list of movies! Sigourney Weaver one of my all time favorite actors. First time that a woman kicks ass and it became time (not every woman screams when in trouble, there are enough women who can kick ass!) Sequel of the movie Alien just fall out of my Top 10 list of movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Audience Member

Best movie of all time related to alien cratures. Easyyyy..!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

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Matthew B

Absolutely brilliant love it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/17/25

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Erica B

Great movie sequal.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

Full Review

Todd M

Like its original, this is one of my favourite films. I would say this is in the top three Alien movies, along with the original from 1979 and Prometheus (Resurrection can go die). It has the same interesting concept as the original only with less tension and more action. However, I still don't believe that this film is better than the original. Maybe it's just me that thinks that, but I prefer the eerie stillness and tension of the original and helplessness of the crew (considering they didn't have the power of the military on their side) as they try to kill the Alien. Also, the xenomorphs aren't as much as a threat in this movie. In the original, it took blowing up the ship, impaling it, exposing it to the vacuum of space, and frying it before it died. But in this movie, all you have to do it shoot it in the head. Not that I don't like this movie, I just prefer the original.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

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Leprechaun K

Probably the best sequel of all time other than Empire Strikes Back. Movie was just perfect in everyway. Cameron's best work.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

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James Cameron

Director

Sigourney Weaver

Lt. Ellen Ripley

Carrie Henn

Rebecca "Newt" Jorden

Michael Biehn

Corporal Dwayne Hicks

Paul Reiser

Carter J. Burke

Lance Henriksen

Science Officer L. Bishop

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Aliens: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.

Director: James Cameron
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Screenwriter: James Cameron, David Giler
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox, Brandywine Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 1986, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $77.6M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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