Aliens
| release date | July 18 1986 |
| studio | 20th Century Fox |
| director | James Cameron |
| writer | James Cameron |
| starring | Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton |
| rating | R |
| tagline | This time there's more. |
| site | alien-movies.com/index_frames.html |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
1 Comments
The only good Alien film was the first one. This is the most overrated movie I have ever seen. Why the fuck is this an action movie? seriously! By turning this into an action movie you ruin everything that made the original great. instead of the intimate atmospheric Gothic horror movie we get a cartoonish macho action movie in the vein of Predator or Robocop. now that wouldn’t be a problem if this weren’t a sequel but it is.
With the exception Of Weaver and the little girl the rest of the performances by the space marines Are just as macho and over-the-top as their big goofy guns.
overall Aliens was entertaining as an action movie
but as a horror movie it wasn’t scary and rarely intense. Not a worthy follow up to the original but then again thats a sequel for ya .
Alien was a true horror masterpiece. Why? Because of the hopelessness . . . just the tag line gives me chills. You know from the first 30 minutes that no one is going to live, and whoever does live is going to have one of the most intense struggles ever captured on film.
Aliens was a happy-jolly action movie that could have been mistaken for a Vietnam movie for over half the runtime. The last 30 minutes are great; the first 30 minutes are great; maybe 20 minutes in the middle are great–the other hour is terrible. And I can’t just look over that.
Alien 3 was much truer to form.
Excellent action movie, but fails to deliver on the horror front. However, it compensates by being one of the best action movies ever, so I think I can let that slip.
For a sequel that is arguably just a good as the original, this film couldn’t be more different. The suspense/horror tone of the first is replaced by a more action driven one in this sci-fi blast of a sequel.
This time around we have more aliens, new aliens, super cool colonial marines, many more catch phrases, and a universe built upon by the imagination of James Cameron. Whether you love his vision or not, the film is undeniably bold and daring as it takes the storyline of the original film in an entirely different direction.
In my opinion, it was very successful. I believe I was 7 years old when I first saw “Aliens”, and from then on I was a rather huge fan. I used frolic around my house, causing all kinds of shenanigans while acting like I was as hardcore as characters like Hicks. I used to draw sketchy, rather terrible pictures of aliens and space marines and even write my own fan fiction. Oh yes, those were the days!
C’mon, see it for nostalgia’s sake.
James Cameron not only delivers a great sequel to ALIEN, his ALIENS actually continues the story “logically” (which is more than I can say for the awful sequels that followed) by redefining the role of Mother (Computer, Ripley, Alien Queen) …. In fact, everyone involved deserves credit (from actors, special effects, etc) in giving more life to H.R. Giger’s fantastic vision (if only 20th Century Fox would respect his artistic integrity by giving Giger proper credit)!
The best of the Alien films and my fav!!
Bill Paxton is super awesome in this flick crap everyones awesome in this movie. I’ll never get tired of watching it!
My all time favorite horror movie. It is nearly flawless. The closest thing to perfection I have ever seen. I believe it even exceeded the original. I have never felt such anxiety and fear as this movie engendered in me the first time I watched it. Sigourney Weaver should have won an Oscar for her performance as Ellen Ripley. Once again, the casting was top notch and the special effects by Stan Winston were incredible. James Cameron at his finest as a director. I’ll take this movie over “Titanic” any day!
In a way better than the first and in a way worse. Either way, this movie was still amazing and if you haven’t seen it, you have really been missing out on some of the best filmmaking.
i didnt like this film as much as most people did, I did feel it was more entertaining than it’s original and the 3rd that followed.
The best sequel to the best sci-fi movie. Meets everthing the first one did, great acting, awesome effects, music, filming locations and music. The new alien design was really really cool too. Highly, highly recommended.
better than original…
This the first horror movie I saw when my then boyfriend that became my husband. The movie scary to me then…lol
Good movie even though everybody dies except for 3 people. Good acting and special effects!
I think I may enjoy this movie more than the original. Aliens is more of an action flick than the previous film, and just as many creepy elements. Plus, Bill Paxton…
This movie rocks big time. Rambo like characters against kickass monsters in outer space. I love it. Nothin bad to say hear. This movie delivers the goods.
One of the best sequels of all time. Kick arse action, great characters and one of Stan Winstons best creations, the Alien Queen. This movie is flawless.
This movie was so good that it was better than the original for me. The fact that there is more than one alien now is awesome and it turned into a action movie. The original was a sci-fi suspense filled movie. Stan winston did a fucking sweet job on the alien queen which looked awesome as. The characters were cool, well developed and none of them were annoying or stupid. My favourite character was Hudson and I was almost reduced to tears when he died (yes I know i’m a big softy). The storyline was creative and original, the end battle was probably one of the most uber showdowns ever and the guns in this movie were imaginative and kick ass. The catch phrases were mad and I find myself using them every so often. This movie is very memoriable and is a classic in my dvd collection. I give aliens 10/10
Bad ass! As good as the first entry.
This is my favorite movie of all time. Not only is it significant to the science fiction genre, as well as its predecessor, it contains great action, terror, drama, and every other genre known to man. I love this movie with all of my heart. I believe that this movie will stand the test of time. Go RIPLEY!!!
High scores to all the series.
I am speechless…
This time there’s more. This time it’s war.
Game over, man..Game over!! THE BEST SEQUEL PROBABLY EVER. Took the original movie multiplied it by 1000 then turned it on it’s head…Thank You James Cameron.
For sheer quotes it gets 10/10
“anthive!!!!.”
“bees,man,beehive!.”
Or
“knives,sharp sticks.”
right up there with the first, action packed!
My favourite alien movie hands down. Love it, the end scenes are amazing.
Hands down the greatest sci-fi action film and easily the best of the Alien series (though 1 is amazing in it’s own right). Anybody who hates this movie is either not a fan of the genre period or just plain hates it for the wrong reasons.
One of my all time favorite sci-fi/horrors. This movie is Epic and has a solid cast. If you don’t like this movie you should just not be on this website, srsly.
I just realized the other day that Vasquez is actually John Conner’s foster mom from T2. Can’t believe I didn’t notice. She’s also the nurse in Autopsy. huh, I didn’t even realize….
Movie magic at its best.The #1 sci-fi action horror movies of all time.Doesn’t get any better than this pure adrenaline rush.The acting is top notch and the ALIENS themselves were badass!This is a must see for all movie going public horror fan or not.
THE epitomy of Science Fiction. The movie all other sci-fi movies should be gauged. Absolute brilliance.
This film grabs you by the throat within the first 15 minutes and never lets go. 20+ years later still one the most intense, scary, thrilling, fun, edge-of-your-seat films that I have ever seen. It freaked the hell out of me when I saw it back then at the age of 13, and it still makes me grip my seat.
Motion pictures like James Cameron’s “Aliens” should make intelligent people question the business of remakes–there’s no way to improve this sci-fi masterpiece. It stands today as strong as it was over two decades ago.
Cameron crafted a rollercoaster ride so relentless that it doesn’t leave the moviegoer time to catch his breath and that doesn’t include the final twenty minutes which really kicks it up to overdrive.
“Alien” and “Aliens” should not be compared–they’re entirely different. The first is really a gothic horror story set in outerspace that starts out so slowly that one doesn’t notice the horror-ridden build to one of the most frantic climaxes in movie history.
“Aliens” is off at the gate…like a monumental thrill ride that threatens to derail at every twist and turn. It is at the final 20 minutes of each film that they become one…offering two of the most devastatingly fierce climaxes in film history.
Cameron’s film offers superb acting from Sigourney Weaver, returning as Ripley, sole surviving crew member of the ill-fated Nostromo. Here she is tender and touching at one moment then a veritable GI Joe the next. It won her one of her four Academy Award nominations, highly unusual for this genre of film.
The film received multiple nominations and was one of the top box office hits.
Unfortunately “Alien 3″ was such a dark film, killing off Ripley’s character at the end, that it didn’t receive the accolades of the first two films. Not a great film, but a good one still with another superb acting turn from Weaver.
She received somewhere near $20 million to do the third film and had some creative control as well.
Back then, the studio said there would never be an “Alien” film without Weaver.
Truer words were never spoken…Sigourney Weaver is the “Alien” franchise
The first film was perfect and the sequel is well….perfect. Two very different movies that work together perfectly and one of the few sequels to raise the bar over the original. A bar that none of the subsequent films have even come close to.
very cool. i like it a little more than Alien.
Cool movie, but didn’t think it was as good as Alien
I personally think Aliens is the best entry of the series, a lot of action, and great actors as well. Classic sci-fi flick.
How can a sequel be better than the original you ask? Well, this rather amazing sequel to the popular Alien is, and always will be. Aliens see’s Ripley, the star of the first movie, wage war against the aliens. This has got to be the best movie I have ever seen! The action is very fast paced, the gore and the goo is everywhere, and the story is very well plotted. Aliens is a true epic of it’s time, and of our time! Aliens has some of the most amazing looking creatures I have ever seen, goo and gore isn’t lacking. The script is very well done, with some great one liners and some great lines of dialogue. One of the best things, though, is the pace. Every minute your on the edge of you seat, waiting for something to happen. The suspense is thrilling, the horror there, and there is no shortage of gore filled deaths. A truly great epic, a truly great classic, a truly great movie!
I highly reccomend you watch Aliens. Every sci – fi and horror lover will want more, and it has no shortage of thrills.
10/10
The best out of the alien saga!
‘Aliens’ is a good movie, but it doesn’t match the brilliance of the first film, ‘Alien.’ This is an action/adventure movie, with very few scare tactics or horror elements. Alien was a psychological thriller that terrifies the crap out of me to this day. Aliens comes off as an insanely cliched, guns and ammo quasi-sequel to Alien that didn’t impress me too much, even though it accomplished what it set out to do – look badass.
Aliens is probably the best science fiction/horror film I’ve seen because of the breathtaking cinematography, the gratuitous blood spray, and character development. This was a solid film that exceeded my moderate expectations and left me asking for more. A stunning film that’s both visually phenomenal and a superior film in itself. A minor issue that hampered me from giving this a superb rating, is the pacing. While slow, it does build momentum, but still the first hour was a bit tedious. Aside from that, the film is boatloads of fun and both Alien and Aliens are excellent.
By far my favorite movie of all time. The mastery of camerawork, the characterization, the aliens themselves…God. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say I have an Aliens poster in my room, and the DVD is one of my most well taken care of.
Overrated movie that flawlessly combines science fiction and action to a typical spectacular showdown in the end that would make any modern hollywood blockbuster proud. While doing this it sacrifices the elements of horror that the original Alien had to make a more crowd-pleasing film. It also de-mystifies the aliens by turning them into “space-bugs” ala Starship Troopers.
The craftwork on display here is genius, though with the deft camerawork, editing and practical effects.
This movie has earned it’s rightful place in the Alien franchise, but it’s not as good as the original movie, which it borrows liberally from.
The best of the Alien Franchise
A great horror film and one of very few sequels that was just as good if not better than it’s predacessor.
Amazing sci fi horror movie which i think is superior to the original
Prolly one of the best sequels in movie history. Godfather 2 being the first. Terminator 2 being the second.
I hated Alien. I thought it was the most overated rubbish I had ever seen! It was dull and boring!
Now the first half of this (lets be honest) is a little slow and I was waiting for something to happen. But the second half was an action packed thrill ride! I had to catch my breath when it was over! I loved the second half and that mother alien was one nasty bitch! Fantastic film, I would reccomend!
Entertaining film. The visuals and action are top notch, But the Cameron curse of his characters and dialogue being quite hokkie
This movie contains the blueprint / birth of all western ‘mech suits’ that you’ve seen.
Its most likely my favorite of the Alien franchise.
James Cameron is BEAST at making movies.
Its one of the best films but it comes close to Aliens 3 which is my favourite
x
EVERYTHING a Sequal should be. (Period.).
(Y)
The best movie sequel in history in my opinion! (well…besides Empire Strikes Back) James Cameron took what was established in the first movie, and gave it an adrenaline shot in the ass! Not to mention the debut of a modern sci-fi icon…the Alien Queen!
I really can’t call this a horror movie, as much as a science fiction action film, with some horrific elements thrown in…but either way it works. My only complaints would be the corny dialogue in sections…usually from the marines or Newt. But hey, what 80′s movie’s dialogue HAS aged perfectly??? I cannot recommend this movie enough, and there are actually people out there who haven’t even seen it!
THE best movie ever created. James Cameron makes one of the greatest horror films. The aliens were totally awesome and the marines kicked and took names
I don’t understand everyone’s fascination with this action sequel. Typical overrated Cameron work. Annoying characters all around, especially Bill Paxton constantly whining and the little girl exercising her ear splitting scream every 5 seconds. There is no suspense and the action effects seem cheap to me, although I’m sure they were way too expensive. Thoroughly unimpressed with this one. This is by far my least favorite of the Alien franchise, barring of course the two terrible Vs. Predator films.
One of the best sequels ever made. Incredible FX work, edge of your seat action and great characters. One of Cameron’s best.
Abnormally overrated. It is much more of an action movie than a horror movie. It lacked the intensity and atmosphere of the first one. I felt that the alien creatures were an accessory to Cameron’s love for explosions.
Great sequel…. 8.5
Not bad for a sequel. But more of an action movie. I really wish they made no sequels. The first one was brilliant.
Good movie…that little girl was annoying though
Many say this one trumps “Alien”. Not me. I love both films, but this one is more of an action oriented horror flick. “Aliens” is great and a must see, just make sure you see “Alien” first!
“Alien” is waaaaay more creepy, and genuinely scary.
An incredibly strong follow up to it’s predecessor. This is a must see, it’s really a must own.
This film benefits from an amazing screenplay and story by James Cameron. This film paces so perfectly and in a way that still allows for much character and plot development to take place. THIS is how great horror films are made, with the ability to develop the film without putting the viewer to sleep and still keeping them on the edge of their seat. James Cameron and Ridley Scott made this happen in these films and it’s a darn shame we don’t see more of this in modern day horror films. Mr. Cameron really focused on Ripley in this film and brought out more of her character than what was seen in the first film. We learn she had a daughter who died from natural causes during the 57 years that Ripley was asleep, which leaves her feeling desolate and emotionally unstable. In her recklessness she decides to go to the planet and by chance she finds a young girl named Newt(Carrie Henn) who managed to survive all of the alien carnage that went on. Newt’s family has been killed and she immediately bonds with Ripley, finding herself a new mother and Ripley finding herself a new daughter. With a new purpose to live we see Ripley transform from her slightly sissy, pessimistic self into a strong woman both mentally and physically, going into grave danger on several occasions to ensure the safety of her new “daughter”.
We get more main characters in this film that manage to make this plot quite colorful. Horror icon Lance Henriksen(famous for his roles in the “Pumpkinhead” series) stars a Bishop, an android much similar to the one that went haywire and caused a few deaths in the first Alien. This adds to Ripley’s character conflict because after the events she “recently”(in her mind) went through she has absolutely no trust for androids and quickly despises him. Surprisingly enough Bishop winds up playing a pivotal role in this film in a very intricately woven use of his character at the hands of James Cameron himself. We get to see another horror legend in this film by the name of Bill Paxton who starts as a colorful and loudmouthed soldier by the name of “Bishop”. You may remember him as “Severen” from the classic 80′s vampire flick “Near Dark” which also stars Lance Henriksen, or as the father in the religious horror film “Frailty”, which he also directed. Aside from Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton we get ANOTHER cast member from the film “Near Dark”(which released the following year after this film) named Jenette Goldstien. She portrays “Diamondback” in the film. In Aliens she portrays Pvt. Vasquez, a tough as nails and possible lesbian who carries a big gun and an even bigger attitude. I found some of her dialogue to be a bit silly, but for the most part she really nailed her character. The last bit of character conflict involving Ripley would be that of Carter Burke(Paul Reiser) who was the driving force behind convincing her to come on the trip and tagged along with her to make sure the mission goes smoothly and protects his client’s financial interests on the planet. He comes off as the typical money oriented sleaze ball and defies Ripley’s trust in him by attempting to bring some of the alien embryos home to sell to the highest bidding research center.
So how is the alien action in this film? Well…I can use one word to describe it, AMAZING! The first film only gave us one alien, and rightfully so given it had to develop the story. This sequel was able to take off from that and literally gives us HUNDREDS of aliens and lots of alien carnage. We are given numerous firefights with the aliens and some of the sweetest scenes I’ve seen in a horror film. My personal favorite would be how the aliens blended in with the walls so perfectly and would unsuspectingly move from the wall and kill their victim in violent fashion. James Cameron is a genius for working this already creepy notion into the film with a very creepy looking creature. We also get a “queen” alien in this film that seals the deal on this film’s very high rating. The ending sequence had me on the edge of my seat and in awe at the special effects involved in making these scenes with the queen happen. James Cameron rightfully opted for live action effects for all of the aliens in this film and somehow made this happen with the giant queen as well. This film would just NOT stop getting better! Every time I felt the film was going to end I was given another shocking scene that kept the film going with the intensity even higher. The final scene between Ripley and the queen will remain in horror lore as one of the greatest scenes in horror history.
Overall, this is another solid installment to the Alien franchise and manages to portray the same awesomeness as it’s predecessor. I recommend this film to all horror fans and movie fans alike. The alien carnage you see in this film will never be replace and put this film at the top of the list as one of the best, if not THE best horror/sci-fi film of all time.
this one is as good as the first one, easily!! Cameron covers all of the bases, even all the little details. Weaver is at her best, kicking the aliens asses, but also taking care of the worst bad guy’s in the whole movie–the beaurocratic assholes that only want the alien for there war purposes!! this movie has absolutely everything that a great movie needs to have, and then some!!!!
best one of the alien seris!!
Even better than the first, more of everything, and an excellent fight scene at the end that pushes it into movie lore for generations to come.
Excellent sequel, awesome. An excellent story with very good performances. After the first movie was already great, James Cameron does a fantastic job with this sequel, not to be missed.
Few movies reach this level of perfection. Honestly, I’d never thought of it as a horror movie, but that might be because I saw it when I was in elementary school, before I was even aware of genres. But really, this is a flawless movie, with spot on performances from everyone, a great script, and… just everything. Awesome.
the perfect sequal….
One of the best sequels ever! Too bad the ending was shat on by Alien 3.
One of those rare occurances where the sequel is actually as good as the original.
It expands on the mythology of the Aliens and manages to not re-tread the events of the 1st movie.
In retropsect the dialogue of the Marines is pretty bad but you know what it works.
Hobo Approved(TM)
awesome sci-fi action horror film too bad they ruined the ending by making Alien 3
One of the few sequels that are better than the original. More action, more spectacular effects and better written characters bring it to that achievment.
This is another of my all time favourite movies! If you are a true sci-fi/horror fan then you’ll love this. I remember as a kid staying up to watch this late at night on TV and how it scared me! Well I must have seen this film 30 times or more and it doesnt get old. The writing and directing by James Cameron is absolutley fantastic as per usual.
The acting from Weaver and Bean and all the cast is also top notch.
This film follows on from Alien which was released in 1979. But what makes it different is that Cameron goes all out on this one. We are faced with hundreds of aliens, bigger locations and more weapons and characters. All this adds to make it one of the best films I have ever watched.
I think this was the best out of the 4 films and is not to be missed. Theres also a lot of famous quotes in this one and is already regarded as a horror classic in many respects.
Fantastic 10 out of 10 – How have you not seen this?
Masterpiece.
That is all.
Easily one of the best films ever made, and definitely one of my absolute favorites. This movie is rare in its general lack of flaws, it just works, all in all, a beautiful work of cinematic artistry.
LOVE the Aliens franchise, this one does not disappoint. It’s got less of a horror element than the first, but it’s got more badassery and awesome aliens. “Game over, man! Game over!”
Great film however my biggest issue with it is that we lost what made Alien wonderful, however that is rather obvious as we have James Cameron at the helm and we all know subtly is not his strong point, so in turn he ramps up the action. Which gives us a more visercal film, however the problem is that the creature is not designed to fit into this world and that is the issue here, the creature is no longer an entity that scares, which drops the quality of the film as well Ripley has changed and not for the best. Where she was once a strong character, she becomes a cliche of her former self and as these are the only two features that carry over from the first film it is sad to see, although compared to other horror films beside its predecessor this films does stand with its head held high.
Great film. I see where people are coming from about the fact that the 1st one was horror and this one was more action oriented, but seriously… who cares? H.R. Giger seriously made one memorable movie monster.
Great and inevitable sequel to a great original. Ripley was marvelous and the soldiers held their own. A rare instance of an action packed film containing a strong storyline. A tale of a woman facing her fears and surviving.
top 5 films of all time
top 5 directors of all time
this movie is perfect
Okay lets face it, Aliens is probably one of the best sequels ever made, right up there with T2 and The Godfather Part II. Aliens did justice to the original, introduced a new variety of characters through the use of brilliant story telling, the visual effects are great and James Cameron’s direction is amazing.
This was a pretty good movie, however, the first Alien was better…..and the little girl was annoying as crap.
For starters I understand that some people don’t like that this movie is very different then the classic. I feel if Aliens had took the same slow paced creepy feel of the first Alien this film series would not be what it is today. People wanted something different and exciting but true to the universe and that is what this film did. I felt the Alien Queen was the best answer as to where the Alien came from, and the hive was a creepy touch too. The characters were classic given they stared in a horror outer space movie. It might not be the true face of the Alien series. That belongs to the first movie in my eyes, but this is a great movie that did the name justice without a doubt.
Good Review in my opinion. Kudos!