Aliens (1986): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Aliens is a 1986 action thriller directed by James Cameron, starring Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn. It runs 2 hours 17 minutes and earned $131.1 million worldwide. It won 2 Oscars, including Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects, and 10 awards in all. Critics gave it 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.4/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 17m (137 min)
- Director
- James Cameron
- Original language
-
English - After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Aliens About?
The premise of Aliens without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Years after surviving an attack by the deadly Xenomorphs, Warrant Officer Ripley joins a rescue team investigating a colony on LV-426. When contact is lost, they discover the planet is overrun by the terrifying creatures, forcing Ripley to confront her past trauma and fight for survival once again.
Aliens Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- alien
- rescue mission
- soldier
- monster
- xenomorph
- ellen ripley character
- sequel
- android
- cat
- death of daughter
- doll's head
- yelling for help
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- acid burn
- strong female character
- concussion
- human versus alien
- human body alien host
- action heroine
- spaceship
- acid
- space marine
- little girl
- surrogate mother
- space colony
- rescue
- cryogenics
- trust
- helmet camera
- camaraderie
- doll
- screaming girl
- locked in a room
- bolt upright after nightmare
- alien queen
- strong female lead
- creature feature
- crawling through an air shaft
- betrayal
- childhood innocence
- megacorporation
- parenthood
- self sacrifice
- promise
- cult film
- nightmare
- corrupting influence of capitalism
- male android
- mother daughter relationship
- year 2179
- orphan
Aliens Cast
Sigourney Weaver leads the cast, with Michael Biehn. Directed by James Cameron.
-
Director James Cameron
Aliens Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Aliens 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.4/10.
-
IMDb 8.4 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 94% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 94%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 84 Metascore
User score 8.9
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 80% User score
See on TMDB
Aliens Plot Summary
What happens in Aliens from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, is miraculously rescued after spending 57 long years in stasis, drifting through the void of space. Upon her return, she faces a rigorous debriefing from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation regarding the shocking destruction of her ship, the Nostromo. Skepticism clouds her testimony as the corporation questions her harrowing account of an Alien creature that resulted in the demise of her crew. Determined to convey the truth, Ripley underscores the threat the Alien posed; although she succeeded in eliminating it, she warns that the alien vessel harbored thousands of eggs. Should any find their way to Earth, the consequences could be catastrophic as these creatures gestate within living hosts.
Full summary
The whole story of Aliens, scene by scene
Aliens Box Office
Aliens grossed $131.1 million worldwide. $85.2 million came from the US and Canada and $45.9 million (35%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$131.1M
- US & Canada
- $85.2M
- International
- $45.9M
Aliens Awards & Nominations
Aliens won 2 Oscars, including Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects, and 10 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Saturn Awards 1987, with 7 wins from 10 nominations.
10 wins22 nominations4 ceremonies
-
Saturn Awards 1987 7 wins · 10 nominations- Won Best Actress
- Won Best Director
- Won Best Performance by a Younger Actor
- Won Best Special Effects
- Won Best Supporting Actor – Bill Paxton
-
Oscars 1987 2 wins · 7 nominations- Won Sound Effects Editing
- Won Visual Effects
- Nominated Actress in a Leading Role – Sigourney Weaver
- Nominated Art Direction
- Nominated Film Editing
-
BAFTA 1987 1 win · 4 nominations- Won Best Special Visual Effects
- Nominated Best Makeup and Hair
- Nominated Best Production Design
- Nominated Best Sound
-
Golden Globes 1987 1 nomination- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama (Actress) – Sigourney Weaver
Aliens Trailers & Videos
10 videos: 2 trailers, 1 teaser and 7 featurettes.
- Trailer Modern Trailer
- Teaser TV trailer #2 1986
- Featurette Making of Aliens 1986 documentary (2003)
- Featurette Aliens Wins Visual Effects: 1987 Oscars
How Well Do You Know Aliens?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who is the main protagonist of the film?
Cars in Aliens
5 cars on screen, including the Hunslet ATT77 and the LV 426 Rover.
-
Hunslet ATT77 Main role -
LV 426 Rover Important role -
1978 Blaw-Knox Pathmaster 42 Background role -
Bradshaw FB2 Background role
Aliens Also Known As
58 alternative titles, including “Alien 2” and “Alien 2: Aliens”.
- Also known as
-
- Alien 2
- Alien 2: Aliens
- Alien II
- 異形2
- Aliens: Director's Cut
- Aliens: Special Edition
- Alien 2 Aliens le retour
- 에일리언 2
- Aliens (El regreso)
- Aliens : Le retour
- Alien 2 el regreso
- Obcy 2
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- Aliens - Scontro Finale - Edizione Speciale
- Aliens: El regreso
- Alien 2 Le retour
- Alien 2 - Aliens - O Resgate
- Чужие
- Obcy: Decydujące Starcie
- 1986 - Alien 2
- Aliens: Die Rückkehr
- Alien 2 - Die Rückkehr
- A bolygó neve: Halál
- Alien 2. - Halál bolygó
- Чужі
- エイリアン2：1986
- Quái Vật Không Gian 2
- Yaratık 2: Yaratığın Dönüşü
- 異形續集
- Aliens, le retour
- Aliens Die Rueckkehr
- Aliens: O Resgate
- Այլմոլորակայինները
- Aliens - Die Rückkehr
- Aliens - Scontro finale
- Votrelci
- Vetřelci
- 异形2
- Yaratığın Dönüşü
- Aliens: O Recontro Final
- Aliens - Paluu
- Aliens - A Bolygó neve: Halál
- Obcy - decydujące starcie
- Aliens - återkomsten
- Aliens - det endelige opgør
- שובו של הנוסע השמיני
- Пришълците
- Осми путник 2
- エイリアン2
- Tulnukad
- Άλιενς: Η Επιστροφή
- Extratereștrii
- 에이리언 2
- Svešais 2
- Svetimi
- بیگانه ۲: بیگانگان
- เอเลี่ยน 2 ฝูงมฤตยูนอกโลก
- Osmi potnik 2
- Oʻzga sayyoraliklar, უცხოები
Seen Aliens?
Movies Like Aliens
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Alien: Resurrection, Alien and Alien 3.
Aliens FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Aliens, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Aliens?
Aliens runs 2 hours 17 minutes (137 minutes).
When was Aliens released?
Aliens was released on July 18, 1986.
Who directed Aliens?
Aliens was directed by James Cameron.
More films by James Cameron Who is in the cast of Aliens?
Aliens stars Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn.
How much did Aliens make at the box office?
Aliens grossed $131.1 million worldwide ($85.2 million domestic, $45.9 million international).
How is Aliens rated?
Aliens has 8.4/10 on IMDb, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 84 on Metacritic and 80% on TMDB.
What awards did Aliens win?
Aliens won 10 awards from 22 nominations, including Best Actress at the Saturn Awards 1987.
Does Aliens have a post-credit scene?
No. Aliens has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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