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Aliens

Play trailer 1:55 Poster for Aliens R Released Jul 18, 1986 2h 17m Sci-Fi Horror Action Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Aliens

Aliens

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Munchie A Aliens builds on the world Alien created. More action than horror, this Cameronized movie is the best in the series. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/13/25 Full Review Matt L One of the all time greats. But have to use this platform to settle any dispute this one is better than the original. It’s not. Ludicrous plot overcome by amazing acting. Every single actor in this movie gets an A. Except for Weaver, she absolutely transcends and carries this movie. The best performance in horror ever. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/13/25 Full Review Romas M Greetings from Lithuania. "Aliens" (1986) is my favorite film of all time, and i'm a huge fan of Alien franchise. The first "Alien" was and still is an unmatched cinematic masterpiece of pure terror, suspence and an example still of how to craft an examplary film. "Aliens" on its hands is a relentless science fiction action thriller. What can i say about this movie that wasn't told hundreds time before? Excellent and perfect. Those are only words that can describe this movie. Directing by Mr. James Cameron was perfect. Acting is highly involving - each and every character are simple yet memorable because of excellent dialogs and pitch perfect acting. Cinematography is claustrophobic yet epic when it needs to showcase the scope of events and situations. But its the editing so brilliant that elevated its material above and beyond. Special effects were cutting edge back on the day and they still holds up strong even in 2025. Sound design is amazing, while music by James Horner created this pulse pounding film unforgettable and literally a journey into a rabbit hole. And there is Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley - best female action heroine of all time! Her dynamic with Newt and supporting characters is what makes "Aliens" work above and better then its material. And the late great Bill Paxton really deserved an Oscar nomination that year - his Hudson is unforgettable character. Overall, rewatching "Aliens" every time during decades i got from it something new almost each time. The overall mood and suspension will never be the same again as it was created in this film. When this film ends you literally feel as exhausted as its characters on screen. This is a brilliant film in every single department created by all time great James Cameron. This is in my opinion the best sequel ever made matched by only Terminator 2 and Godfather Part 2. It's as good as movies go. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/24/25 Full Review Aidan F. What a movie! Despite this movie being more action-focused and not as much horror, it is one of the greatest space/alien movies of all time. There’s a lot of awesome scenes, including the space marines when they’re in the nest, when the hoard of aliens come towards them, or when Ellen Ripley is in the machine-suit fighting the xenomoprh, it is just a fantastic film. It is about as perfect as you can get. There are scares in it and it has its moments of terror. Overall just a well paced and well written film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/24/25 Full Review C S Overrated. This is where the franchise started going wrong. Created the most volatile portion of the fanbase. Its like they're ill with cult mentality. Zombified or mummified minds all clapping for cheap action. All they want are space soldiers, queen alien t-rex in high heels, and super hero Star Wars family style nonsense. The knuckle draggers really love it. Can't recommend. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/22/25 Full Review tim s Aliens takes the atmospheric tension of its predecessor, Alien, and masterfully combines it with hard-hitting action. The battle-hardened Colonial Marines ultimately prove no match for the hordes of Xenomorphs, but they put up an entertaining fight. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, delivering another noteworthy performance as the heroine. The production value is exceptionally detailed, given the setting is expanded to an entire planetary colony. James Cameron delivers a resounding sequel. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Aliens

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Movie Info

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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