Rating: 
Summary: One of THE BEST horror films ever made
Review: The movie Aliens is one of those rare instances where the sequel not only expands on a good film, but is superior to the original. I truly loved watching this movie, and have fond memories of this film when I first saw it in the theater. I jumped out of my seat several times, and was pleasantly surprised by this film in a good way.James Cameron loved the original Alien movie, and you can tell that he loved this movie from the opening moments of this sequel that he wrote and directed. The emergency shuttle that Ripley escaped from the Nostromo in the previous film looks exactly like the same ship in every way. The attention to continuity is shown not only in the sets, but also in the story, as Ripley looks at photos of people from the previous crew as she testifies to the infamous corporate leaders about her first encounter with the alien. I won't go into detail what happens next in the film, only that just when things look bad, they get even worse. The additional 17 minutes added to the film on DVD are good, but aren't essential because the story is just as good either way. The supporting cast that make up the Colonial Marines are a well balanced, well thought out cast. They all really do stand out as individuals in this movie. When Gene Roddenberry had started work on the new Star Trek series, he screened this movie to help him and his team to come up with ideas for characters for what would become Star Trek: The Next Generation. The themes in this movie are the same as the original, only better -- the distrust the common people have for the corporate world -- Ripley standing up to the injustices done to those who are victimized. Sigourney Weaver is a wonderful heroine. When I saw this movie in the theater, I remember the audience cheering loudly for her. This was a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hell of a movie.
Review: This is probably my favorite movie of all time. The characters are done remarkably well...this is one of the few movies in which many of the people who did die, I didn't want to. The art is spiffy as well. The weapons, vehicles, gear, and environments are downright believable for near-future space travel, unlike in other films where the prop guys just slap something together that looks cool, but doesn't have any visceral tug. The battle scenes are well done, and the aliens themselves...don't get me started about them. This has gotta rank up there with "Die Hard" as one of the greatest action movies of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: One Great Movie!
Review: Aliens is without a doubt one of the best action/sci-fi films ever made. Director James Cameron takes us more into an action oriented Alien movie then the horror-esque type of the first film, and it's done extremely well, engrossing you (for the most part) from the first scene, to the very last. Although saying all of this, it's not perfect.
Aliens opens 57 years after the end of the first film, where Lieutenent Ripley (Segourney Weaver) is found by a salvage team in deep space during her hypersleep, she's taken aback to a station where she's revoked of her Pilot status because of the destruction of the ship of the first film. She is asked to accompany a crew of marines to another planet where a colony of many families is being tested because contact with them has been lost, the plan is to wipe out any surviving Aliens on that planet who are thought to be the ones that killed them, and hopefully rescue any survivors. The rest is self explanatory.
The best thing about this film is the script,and with the new extended special edition we get more into Ellen Ripley's character. There isn't much else except for a few more lost scenes with only about 17 minutes of extra film. The characters act very well and are very much believeable as marines, but the settings are a little too propy and not completely believable which goes to show the budget must not have been very high. And the Aliens themselves,even though still creepy and slimy, seem to move kind of jerky, so you can tell they're just animatronics. Also, even though Camerons directing was excellent in terms of characterization and cinematography, the overall films directing and editing seems somewhat sloppy, especially during the battle scenes. It's just hard to sometimes tell what exactly is going on, but you'll get the jist of it. And with the film running at 154 minutes, the film seems about 10 minutes too long, no big deal though.
These are all minor quirks, if Cameron had just a little more directing experience and the budget was a little higher, this could've been an absolutely mindblowing film. Keep in mind it's still great for its time and the drabby "sloppyness" of the film somewhat helps it at times. I myself find Aliens very riveting and entertaining. The trilogy is a classic saga that can run with other great trilogys such as Indiana Jones and The Lord of the Rings, and Aliens definietly does the trilogy great justice. The movie kicks serious ...! If you're a sci-fi fan, there is absolutely no reason in the world not to own this movie and the 2 others that go along with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Big, loud, coarse, stupid, and moderately entertaining
Review: This movie will not be winning any artistic achievement awards any time soon. Neither does it function as a piece of entertainment that makes you think. It's best to check your brain at the door before viewing this one. The characters are almost ridiculously stupid, and the "space marines" act like a bunch of children with guns as opposed to trained professionals. Of course, it's only a movie, but Cameron could have given us just a smidgen of more depth.
Rating:
Summary: Take A Great Film, Add Tedium
Review: I have to agree with most of the 5 star reviews, Aliens is a great, classic science fiction film. Unfortuantely, Cameron's "Special Edition" takes a masterpiece and messes it up. Like the extremely dodgy Abyss Special Ed., Aliens SE adds nothing and, in the end, takes far too much away. For example, the "restored" opening sequence of the space miners makes literal what we simply imagined in the original. Now we get to see the plodding exposition that sets up the story whereas in the original we went straight into the action. Elsewhere, a complete alternative section of the film (where the Marines are trapped) diverges into an anti-climactic sequence featuring gattling guns. While in most films, these restored scenes would be just fine, Aliens as it was originally released was far, far scarier, faster and more exciting. As this is the only version now available on DVD, you have very little choice, buy or don't buy. In an ideal world however, we'd get a branching version of the DVD where the viewer gets to choose what verison they want to see, keeping both purists and revisionists happy. If only.
Rating:
Summary: the best movie ever!
Review: i have seen aliens special edition about 50 times and i never get tired of it, the action the excitment it keeps you on your toes thoughout the whole movie..the performances awsome, i can't recommend this movie enough, now i got to go watch it again!
Rating:
Summary: cousinpaco's top terrors: #3
Review: Bugs are icky. Entomologists might disagree with me, but black, glistening, chitinous exoskeletons evoke a primal revulsion in many people. Wasps are the worst--they're cruel-looking, aggresive predators. H.R Giger tapped this nerve when he envisioned the creature for "Alien," and James Cameron (with Stan Winston) pushed those buttons even harder when he tweaked the design for the sequel. Plus, Cameron's film shows more of the aliens in motion, and their agile leaping and lightning-quick striking movements are fundamentally unsettling. Ripley, the sole survivor of the first film is returned to Earth, where she learns that people have begun settling the world she visited. When communications are mysteriously cut off, Ripley accompanies a band of Colonial Marines to investigate. After landing on the desolate planet, they discover the entire colony is missing, except for one small girl named Newt. The marines inadvertently swagger into a hive of lurking parasites, where chaos quickly breaks loose. The marines' overconfident bravado proves to be their undoing--they DRASTICALLY underestimate their foe. Ripley, Newt and the last few Marines are left to figure out an escape, while hordes of murderous aliens converge on their position... The DVD release, touted as a "director's cut," includes 17 unnecessary minutes. Most of the additions are insignificant, but a restored sequence fleshing out Ripley's backstory detracts from her relatonship with Newt--the fact that Ripley once had a daughter makes her bonding with Newt more contrived. I always thought it made for a more well-rounded character that Newt ignited a maternal instinct in the tough, ordeal-scarred Ripley. Like most "special editions," I wish they'd included the original theatrical cut on the disc. But even with the extraneous footage, this film is top-notch entertainment, and there are some neat bonus features that make the DVD worth picking up. At its heart, "Aliens" is an "icky bugs" movie. But it's a darn good one.
Rating:
Summary: I had nightmares for a week.
Review: I love these movies. I had nightmares for a week after I saw Aliens 2 in 1986. Special effects are awesome on all of them, tension and momentum are high and acting is good. Overall: EXCELLENT
Rating:
Summary: Aliens v.s Alien
Review: Aliens is on nearly everyone's short list of all time great action films. I won't bother to rehash story line others have done it better than I would be willing to do. Instead I would like to address the prevelant notion amoung other reviewers that Aliens is a "Far" superior work than its progenitor Alien. I think this is a mistake, although an easy one to make. As similar as these two films may seem on the surface the are really quite different. We love Aliens for the same reason we love a rollercoaster. It is unrelenting action from begining to end, with Ripley and Knute providing the sweet soft filling of this treat. James Cameron described it as "Vietnam in space". As Americans we -if box office means anything- prefer action to Sci-Fi. Aliens is one of the greatest action pictures and Alien is its equal in the Sci-Fi genere. You may prefer oranges to apples but you cant prove superiority.
Mobius's and Giger's work is so apart of pop culture now. In the afterbirth of 2001 and Star Wars, Alien went its own way with its organic\industrial hybrid look we are so accustomed to seeing today. It is easy to forget how truly influential and unique Alien was and contiues to be. Yes, Cameron's action packed Aliens is the next logical step for the series to take, but he does it standing squarely on Scott's shoulders.
Rating:
Summary: The best in the series...
Review: James Cameron directed this second entry into the wonderful "Alien" saga and surpassed the creepy original. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, last survivor of the doomed starship Nostromo. A colony is developing on the Aliens' planet and soon contact is lost with the colonists. Ripley must lead a group of hot-shot marines into the depths of the alien planet, confronting a huge alien queen. This is science fiction at its best. Loaded with action and still-great special effects, "Aliens" packs in an amazingly exciting 2 1/2 hours.
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