Aliens (1986)

Average rating

(81%)

Starring:	Sigourney Weaver \| Carrie Henn \| Michael Biehn \| Paul Reiser \| Lance Henriksen \| Al Matthews \| Bill Paxton \| Mark Rolston \| Ricco Ross \| Jenette Goldstein \| Colette Hiller \| William Hope
Director:	James Cameron
Studio:	20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time:	148 mins
Genres:	Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Languages:	English
Hearing-impaired:	English
Released:	April 12, 2004
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Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole survivor from the original ALIEN, is awakened after 57 years of drifting through space, her stories disbelieved by Company executives who tell her that the alien's planet is now inhabited and colonized. When contact is suddenly lost with the colonists, Ripley returns to the planet with a squad of marines, an android (Lance Henriksen), and a Company executive (Paul Reiser) with a mission of his own. Once on the planet, no survivors can be found except for Newt, a little girl who awakens motherly instincts in Ripley just in time for the acid-blooded aliens to attack in what quickly becomes a one-sided battle for sheer survival. Considered by many to be the best of the series, ALIENS is a fast-paced, high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action films and cemented director James Cameron's status as one of Hollywood's leading directors following the success of THE TERMINATOR. Weaver received an Academy Award nomination and became a feminist hero for her strong, sensitive performance as the survivor Ripley, while costars Reiser, Henriksen, and Bill Paxton all give career-making performances in this landmark sci-fi extravaganza.

Rating of 5 stars out of 5

Surpassing its predecessor in terms of sheer spectacle, this sequel to Ridley Scott's outer-space nightmare from director James Cameron is an outstanding science-fiction thriller. Sigourney Weaver wakes up 57 years after the original events unfolded, only to be told that the planet where she first met the alien predator has been colonised. When all contact with the inhabitants is lost, she's sent in with a crack squad of marines, and hurtles headlong into a hi-tech house of horrors that delivers super shocks and nail-biting suspense. Masterfully controlling the tension and moving the involving plot at a lightning pace, Cameron exploits everyone's worst fears and carries them to the riveting extreme in this consummate Oscar-winning fright-fest.

Rating of 1 stars out of 5
Halliwell's Film Guide

Frightening but mechanical sequel with none of the half-assed poetry of the original.

Highest rated reviews

Most recent reviews

Different, but nearly as good as the original.

JohnnyX from from Bristol, 20th September, 2008

This is another brilliant sci-fi action horror thriller, but it doesn't have the same shock value as the original, because we now know what to expect. Unforunately, the advance party sent in to investigate what has happened on a remote human outpost, do not, even though Ripley has let them know (no-one quite believes her). The film, which is a sequel to the orinal 'Alien'' is bound to be compared to it, but it shouldn't be, because it is quite different in its details. In the original there is only one alien creature, and it kills the crew individually, one at a time; so the action, the suspense and the horror is very intimate and personal. In this second film, there a lots of creatures, and lots of soldiers to do battle with them. However, because the threat has been underrated, it again turns into a struggle for survival against enormous odds. This gives the second film a greater scale and a proportionately greater need for technical wizardry, but this doesn't make it better than the original; it is just different, and nearly as good.

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