Aliens (1986) is James Cameron's follow-up to Ridley Scott's classic Alien (1976). It tells the story of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, who is rescued by a team after being in hypersleep for over 50 years. After, Ripley is tasked with helping marines re-establish contact with the citizens of the moon that the Nostromo visited. Ripley fears that a violent alien she had previously encountered is responsible for the colonists losing contact, so she and the marines go to the planet heavily armed to try and find out what happened.
Upon release, Aliens received critical acclaim. On movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.com, it has a critics approval rating of 99% and an audience score of 94%. That sites critics consensus reads: "While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver." It was likewise nominated for a number of Academy Awards: Best Actress for Sigourney Weaver, Best Set Direction, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects. On a budget of between $17 and $18 million, it made back between $131.1 million and $183.3 million.
