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Movies / On DVD / Aliens
Aliens

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Aliens (1986)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:44

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.8/10

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.

Runtime: 2 hrs 34 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller

Director: James Cameron

Director: James Cameron
Screenwriter: James Cameron
Story: David Giler, Walter Hill, James Cameron
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Composer: James Horner

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 22, 2008

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Reviews for Aliens

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Proved that James Cameron has a mind for directing action movies considerably more nuanced and plot-driven than just "find ways to blow things up".

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
12/11/09
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

If you were to only see one movie in your entire lifetime it would have to be ALIENS. James Cameron has delivered a masterpiece that will never in a million years be topped...

Full Review Source: Bloody Disgusting | comment Comment
08/27/09
Brad Miska
Brad Miska
Bloody Disgusting

Some critics consider this chapter to be better than the first, but the two movies are vastly different: Ridley Scott's is a scary horror film, whereas James Cameron's is a high-tech actioner with superlative set-pieces.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/14/09
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

The trouble Ripley has found this time is exponentially bigger and scarier than anything she encountered in Ridley Scott's memorably minimalist, eerily elegant 1979 film.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/19/08
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cameron's strength lies in solid storytelling in the muscular fashion that he stages the action, creating exciting thrills and intense suspense without ever descending into the mere mechanical.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
09/20/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

Un film clé en son genre.

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
08/20/08
Jean-François Vandeuren
Jean-François Vandeuren
Panorama

Weaver is superb -- tough, smart, and the best fighter, male or female, in the movie.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/17/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Truly great cinema.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/24/07
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine

If only all blockbusters were this good.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One sequel that surpasses the original.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 4 Comments
09/24/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There is always an interesting tension in Cameron's work between masculine and feminine qualities. When it finally hits the fan here, we're in for the mother of all battles.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
08/16/07
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Everything a sequel should be.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

This sequel dares to build slowly, allowing Weaver to develop a multi-dimensional character even as it ups the ante by fetishising the Marines' hi-tech hardware and spawning legions of aliens.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out New York
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Features Sigourney Weaver as a female Rambo with nurturing instincts.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/26/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The Director’s Cut of the film hauntingly amplifies Ripley’s disconnect from her dead daughter and her relationship to the young Newt.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
12/15/03
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

[A] modern sci-fi classic.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
12/05/03
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/03
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

Aliens never strives to be as accomplished as the original, but it's wit and turbo-charged battles make it a wild and electric ride, one with the best replay value of the franchise.

Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
09/29/03
Gabe Leibowitz
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt

What happens when you take a premise, soak it in a combination of adrenaline and kerosene, then light the sucker.

comment Comment
08/18/03
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

The most instense and satisfying piece of science fiction ever made. James Cameron's masterpiece.

comment Comment
07/14/03
Blake Davis
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News
 
 
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