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Aliens (1986)

Trailer
0:31 | Trailer
Ellen Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years. The moon that the Nostromo visited has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, colonial marines have impressive firepower, but will that be enough?

Director:

James Cameron

Writers:

James Cameron (story by), David Giler (story by) | 4 more credits »
Popularity
339 ( 59)
Top Rated Movies #73 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 23 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sigourney Weaver ... Ripley
Carrie Henn ... Newt
Michael Biehn ... Corporal Hicks
Paul Reiser ... Burke
Lance Henriksen ... Bishop
Bill Paxton ... Private Hudson
William Hope ... Lieutenant Gorman
Jenette Goldstein ... Private Vasquez
Al Matthews ... Sergeant Apone
Mark Rolston ... Private Drake
Ricco Ross ... Private Frost
Colette Hiller ... Corporal Ferro
Daniel Kash ... Private Spunkmeyer
Cynthia Dale Scott ... Corporal Dietrich (as Cynthia Scott)
Tip Tipping Tip Tipping ... Private Crowe
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Storyline

57 years after Ellen Ripley had a close encounter with the reptilian alien creature from the first movie, she is called back, this time, to help a group of highly trained colonial marines fight off against the sinister extraterrestrials. But this time, the aliens have taken over a space colony on the moon LV-426. When the colonial marines are called upon to search the deserted space colony, they later find out that they are up against more than what they bargained for. Using specially modified machine guns and enough firepower, it's either fight or die as the space marines battle against the aliens. As the Marines do their best to defend themselves, Ripley must attempt to protect a young girl who is the sole survivor of the decimated space colony. Written by blazesnakes9

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

This time there's more. See more »


Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Biehn later said that he almost never got to play heroic characters like Corporal Dwayne Hicks, saying that people who look at him must see something wicked in his eyes and assume there's something wrong with him. Coincidence or not, in The Abyss (1989), his next film with James Cameron, he was cast as the villain. See more »

Goofs

When Burke comes into Ripley's apartment to recruit her, she appears to light her cigarette twice. She actually is seen to suddenly pull the lighter away from the cigarette before it lights because she is distracted by the identity card that Burke puts down on the table. If one looks carefully, the cigarette is not lit in the long shot as Burke and Gorman exit the apartment, even when Ripley attempts to light it again. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Salvage Team Leader: Bio-readouts are all in the green, looks like she's alive. Well, there goes our salvage, guys.
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Crazy Credits

As the final credits fade, there is the sound of a facehugger scurrying across from left to right. See more »

Alternate Versions

The Blu-ray edition of Aliens (available as part of the Alien Anthology boxset) fixes two errors that appear near the movie's ending. Firstly, the famous goof towards the movie's ending where Ripley picks out weapons on the dropship and then sets them down in the wrong order, has been fixed. She no longer picks out a pulse rifle and sets down a flamethrower before picking out a flamethrower and setting down a pulse rifle; she now picks out and puts down a pulse rifle and then a flamethrower in order. Secondly, when Bishop grabs Newt to stop her sliding out of the airlock during the confrontation with the alien queen, the section of actor Lance Henriksen's torso that could previously be seen poking up through a hole cut in the floor has been digitally removed. See more »

User Reviews

 
James Cameron and Bill Paxton at their finest
15 June 1999 | by baumerSee all my reviews

There are really good movies and then there's that select few that change your life. For me movies like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, JFK, Titanic and Star Wars did that. By viewing a movie you see life in a different light. Aliens also did that to me. I didn't think a movie could scare me as much as Halloween did but this one certainly did that and more. The atmosphere in this movie, and the lighting and cinematography and of course the direction are top notch, and some of the scenes are some of the scariest I've seen in my life time. But what puts this movie over the top as one of the all time greatest films ever made is the casting.

Sigourney Weaver is terrific but it is her supporting cast that shines and makes you feel like you know the crew that is heading to that desolate planet.

Paul Reiser is perfect as Burke,the slimy corporate kiss ass that cares about profit before human lives. Lance Henriksen shines as Bishop, the cyborg with a heart. Jeanette Goldstein is the rough around the edges female marine that more than holds her own with all the testosterone floating around and Michael Biehn ( another Cameron favourite )is the perfect quiet leader that leads by example and not so much a loud demonstrative voice. But the show stopper in this flick ( just as he always is in any movie that he is in ) is Bill Paxton.

Paxton and Cameron have worked on Terminator 1, True Lies, Titanic and Aliens and Bill is one of those actors that steals scenes from every actor and was always a recognizable face even before Titanic. Here, his Hudson character is the comic relief but he is also perhaps one of the true characters that we can all identify with. His tough exterior is nothing more than camouflage for his frightened fragile interior. He realizes the dire situation that they are all in and he can't hide his fear. When he finds out that they won't be rescued for at least seventeen days, his response is " Hey man, we're not going to survive 17 hours man! Those things are going to come in here and they're going to get us and..... " ( Ripley ) This little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no military training. " ( Hudson ) " Why don't ya put her in charge!!! "

Paxton is a gift to any and every movie that he is in and this is his finest work. He should have won a best supporting actor that year. And if you haven't seen this movie, rush to see it if only for Bill Paxton. He steals the show. But if a tightly wound, brilliantly technical and unbelievably scary movie is your thing, then you can't go wrong here. This is easily a ten out of ten, and one of the best ever made. If Spielberg is the king is Hollywood, then Cameron is his heir apparent. Oh, and one more thing, Paxton will win an Oscar one day.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 1986 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

Aliens- Le retour See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$18,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,052,042, 20 July 1986

Gross USA:

$85,160,248

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$131,335,326
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (special edition)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Eastman Kodak)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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