Aliens (1986)

Rob August 5, 2015

★ 8.5/10

One of my all time favorites. It still contains some of the drama and suspense of the first but with far more action leading to what I find a far more appealing storyline. As with Cameron's movies he makes you feel for the core characters from the start rather than just a bunch of 'bad ass' marines (Although they are). The progression of Ripley was really defined by this movie the 'brave but scared' Ripley of Alien is gone and a more determined, meaner Ripley emerges with elements of the older nurturing character kept in check with a young girl called Newt. It definitely stands out miles compared to all the other 80's alien-type movies of that decade.

Patrick E. Abe October 20, 2016

★ 8/10

"Ripley and the Soldiers" can be found in two versions: the short version that cuts from Midway station directly to the Weyland-Yutani hearing, and the "director's cut" which cuts to a waiting room with a wall size "scenery channel" display. When I first saw the short version, I wondered how Ripley was able to make an immediate connection with Newt. "Sister solidarity" sounded bogus, and the "director's cut" cleared up that mystery. The more interesting "director's cut" reveals Newt's family on LV-426, a long discussion on what the surviving Marines are facing, and an action sequence featuring the deadly Sentry units. As Ripley suggested, I.Q.s did drop sharply among the Weyland-Yutani brass, with Carter Burke sending a deadly directive to "Hadley's Hope." In short: Ripley is living the blue collar life by day and experiencing a recurrent "Alien birth" nightmare at night. Carter …

Charles Dance February 19, 2017

★ 4/10

**The Disney film of the franchise** A basic shoot 'em up that comes complete with soldiers greasing up and watching each others muscles and also added an annoying kid straight out of Oliver Twist. Cameron took everything Ridley Scott slowly built up and tossed it in the trash can to make a cheap shot Stallone/ Schwarzenegger style action fiasco. People who like this one tend to not be fans of horror movies as they complain about the _dark nature_ of the horror film Alien 3 - LOL - and this is precisely the reason Aliens fails as part of the horror franchise that is Alien. - Charles Dance

John Chard September 28, 2018

★ 10/10

My mommy always said there were no monsters - no real ones - but there are. Ripley has been found in deep space by a salvage ship and brought back to a space station to be awoken from her 57 year sleep. Here she is mortified to find that the planet on which herself and her now deceased Nostromo crew found the Alien, LV-426, has been colonised by Weyland-Yutani Company. Suffice to say that when The Company representative, Burke, tells her that all contact is lost, she's not in the least bit surprised. Unable to get anyone to believe her about what happened to the Nostromo crew, Ripley is cajoled into going back to LV-426 with a crack team of space marines to seek, destroy or rescue... How do you make a sequel to one of the finest, most loved modern era films ever? This was something that director James Cameron must have pondered on many a dark night once he had agreed to make Aliens…

AmazoniaNOTAmazon October 23, 2019

★ 4/10

How Disappointing ! This movie, Aliens (1986) is a real fiasco. Especially compared to Alien (1979). James Cameron ruined the spirit and soul of Alien for several reasons. The first one, according to me, is that, unlike Alien, he is using too many characters. Almost all of the actors are lacking of charism, even Sigourney Weaver. The soldiers show more muscles than intelligence and this is not reality, it is almost ridiculous. I do not understand why Cameron did that. It's unbelievable for a director who made in 1984 Terminator and in 1991 Terminator 2. The second one, is the length of the movie : about 2h20mn. Too long, much too long. The third one is the lack of entertainment. I'm sorry, but, compared to Alien, this film cannot hold the comparison. It lacks of depth, and sometimes, it is better not to shoot a second part of a blockbuster. I recently watched Chinato…

Repo Jack October 28, 2020

★ 10/10

How do you do a followup to a classic like Alien? GIve it to James Cameron to amp it up to 10 with a bazillion aliens and a fantastic performance by Sigourney Reaver.

r96sk February 22, 2022

★ 8/10

A better sequel to 'Alien' than I was expecting. 'Aliens' - love the creativity, guys! - is a minute jot off the original but it remains a thoroughly enjoyable film - despite a slightly longer run time, which pleasantly doesn't hamper events. Sigourney Weaver is terrific again; I can see why these films launched her career. I will say parts of this 1986 flick are a tad repetitive from the original and a few bits are predictable, e.g. the arcs of Lance Henriksen's Bishop and Paul Reiser's Carter, but when judged overall it's another entertaining release from this franchise. I look forward to seeing if they made it a hat-trick with 'Alien³'.

The Movie Mob August 19, 2022

★ 10/10

**Overall : Aliens is an unparalleled essential that any sci-fi or horror fan needs to see.** The original Alien (1979) set a new standard for sci-fi horror due to the fantastic vision and directing of the legendary director Ridley Scott. How could a green rookie director with just a handful of directing credits hope to top that? James Cameron found a way! Aliens improves on its predecessor in every way. Instead of a crew of civilian pilots fighting to survive a single alien, Cameron pits a squad of hardened space marines against an alien infestation. The experience, training, and advanced weaponry fail to protect them from the onslaught of alien xenomorphs, increasing the horror and hopelessness of the film. Cameron's camera work and perspective increase the tension, regularly showing the struggling survivors from the viewpoint of the stalking alien predator. The special effects, the…