Big-budget special effects,
swiftly paced action and a distinct feminist subtext from writer-director
James Cameron turned what should have been a by-the-numbers sci-fi sequel
into both a blockbuster and a seven-time Oscar nominee. Sigourney Weaver
returns as Ellen Ripley, the last surviving crewmember of a corporate
spaceship destroyed after an attack by a vicious, virtually unbeatable alien
life form. Adrift in space for half a century, Ripley grapples with
depression until she's informed by her company's representative, Carter
Burke (Paul Reiser) that the planet where her crew discovered the alien has
since been settled by colonists. Contact with the colony has suddenly been
lost, and a detachment of Colonial Marines is being sent to investigate.
Invited along as an advisor, Ripley predicts disaster, and sure enough, the
aliens have infested the colony, leaving a sole survivor, the young girl
Newt (Carrie Henn). With the soldiers picked off one by one, a final
all-female showdown brews between the alien queen and Ripley, who's become a
surrogate mother to Newt. Several future stars made early career appearances
in Aliens (1986), including Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Reiser.| Sigourney Weaver | Ellen Ripley |
| Carrie Henn | Newt |
| Michael Biehn | Cpl. Dwayne Hicks |
| Lance Henriksen | Bishop |
| Paul Reiser | Carter Burke |
| Bill Paxton | Pvt. Hudson |
| Jenette Goldstein | Pvt. Vasquez |
| William Hope | Lt. Gorman |
| Mark Rolston | Pvt. Drake |
| Carl Toop | Alien Warrior |
| Alan Polonsky | Insurance Man |
| Tip Tipping | Pvt. Crowe |
| Trevor Steedman | Pvt. Wierzbowski |
| Ricco Ross | Pvt. Frost |
| Kiran Shah | Double for Newt |
| Cynthia Scott | Cpl. Dietrich |
| Valerie Colgan | ECA Rep |
| Barbara Coles | Cocooned Woman |
| Colette Hiller | Cpl. Ferro |
| Louise Head | Double for Newt |
| Blain Fairman | Doctor |
| Alibe Parsons | Med Tech |
| Paul Maxwell | Van Leuwen |
| Daniel Kash | Pvt. Spunkmeyer |
| Al Matthews | Sgt. Apone |
| John Lees | Power Loader Operator |
Genre/Type - Science Fiction, Horror, Sci-Fi Action, Monster Film, Sci-Fi Horror
Produced by - 20th Century Fox / Brandywine
Release - Jul 18, 1986 (USA)
Released by - 20th Century Fox
Running time - 138 min.
Pitch Black (2000, David N. Twohy)
Dog Soldiers (2002, Neil Marshall)
Boa (2002)
DeepStar Six (1989, Sean S. Cunningham)
Alien Hunter (2003, Ron Krauss)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001, Hironobu Sakaguchi)
Deep Rising (1998, Stephen Sommers)
Red Planet (2000, Anthony Hoffman)
is followed by: Alien ³ (1992, David Fincher)
is preceded by: Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)