Aliens (1986)

Director:

James Cameron

Writers:

Dan O'Bannon (characters) and
Ronald Shusett (characters) ...

Release Date:

18 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

This time there's more.

Plot:

The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, enough?

Plot Keywords:

Atmosphere Generator | Profanity | Crushed Head | Tense | Mission

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Ellen Ripley
Carrie Henn	...	Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden
Michael Biehn	...	Cpl. Dwayne Hicks
Lance Henriksen	...	Bishop
Paul Reiser	...	Carter Burke
Bill Paxton	...	Pvt. Hudson
William Hope	...	Lt. Gorman
Jenette Goldstein	...	Pvt. Vasquez
Al Matthews	...	Sgt. Apone
Mark Rolston	...	Pvt. Drake
Ricco Ross	...	Pvt. Frost
Colette Hiller	...	Cpl. Ferro
Daniel Kash	...	Pvt. Spunkmeyer
Cynthia Dale Scott	...	Cpl. Dietrich (as Cynthia Scott)
Tip Tipping	...	Pvt. Crowe

Also Known As:

Alien 2 (USA) (working title)
Alien II (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for monster violence, and for language. (1992 special edition)

Runtime:

137 min | USA:154 min (special edition)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | Italy:T | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Acton Lane Power Station, Acton Lane, Acton, London, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The sound-effect of the video-phone "ring" when Ripley contacts Burke early on in the film is the same as that used for the Village telephones in "The Prisoner" (1967).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The Marines in the film wear (current) Army stripes - although it is likely that insignia will change in the next several hundred years, they of course do not necessarily have to.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "3rd Rock from the Sun: Frozen Dick (#1.12)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Movie music

Gets better every time I see it

I am just going to add my voice to the chorus of praise for this movie. It is as near to being perfect as any I have ever seen. I will not say that it is much better than Alien - which is just about near to being perfect also. But I do love all the characters in this movie. I have rarely seen a movie where all the characters were so well developed. Even most serious dramas seldom develops each character so completely. None of these characters are stereotypes even Paul Reiser as Burke, although the slimy company/government man villain is a prerequisite in disaster type movies. I would almost say that my favorite is Michael Beihn as Hicks, just because I really like his work & consider him to be underrated. But I also really like Lance Henriksen as Bishop, William Hope as Lt. Gorman, Bill Paxton as Hudson, and of course, Jenette Goldstein as Vasquez. I really liked all of these characters. I cared about their lives & deaths. The final scene for Gorman & Vasquez still chokes me up after seeing it many times.

I am not ignoring Sigourney Weaver or Carrie Henn. Ripley is the template for the modern action heroine. In the 24 years since Alien, few have been able to measure up to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. Even in Alien 3 & 4, Ripley was still powerful, despite the 3ed rate quality of the movies. As for Carrie Henn as Newt, she was the emotional heart of Aliens. Cameron's ability to develop well rounded characters does not detract from his ability to create great action scenes or to scare the audience out of a several years of growth.