Aliens is one of the best science fiction films of all time. The plot was original, the alien itself was terrifying, and Ripley was the hero that we all looked to when dealing with any Xenomorph. 57-years later Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) awakes to realize that things have changed since her crew died fighting the alien leaving her as the only survivor to tell the story of their first encounter. Nostromo and all her crew with the exception of Ripley died all those years ago with little information for, “The Company,” or anyone else to understand. Now Ripley has been found and still no one believes her story. She learns that her daughter is long gone and even more terrifying, a colony has been established on LV-426, the planet from Alien. No surprise, all contact has been lost with the colony.

Everyone turns to Ripley who is the only person to ever witness the alien and tags along with some real arrogant and badass marines. Ripley doesn’t want to learn, study, or even begin to understand the alien, she wants them destroyed. The alien killed her crew, and almost her, what else is there to understand, it’s kill or be killed. Ripley is shocked to learn that a colony was even established on that planet, and even before the marines and Ripley arrive, we see a young family who happen to stumble upon the ship from the first film. Once we see the facehugger, we know that things are only going to get worse.

The marines aren’t worried and why should they be, they hardly believe Ripley in the first place. Once everyone arrives on LV-426, the entire colony is a ghost town. No one is there, all remains of life or anyone in general are all but gone. Until a tracker is activated revealing where the colonists are located. “Looks like a goddamn town meeting,” says one of the marines. One thing that Aliens succeeds in is adding in loads of actions including great one-liners and wise-cracking jokes especially from Hudson (Bill Paxton). Once the marines locate the colonists the horror sets in, they are as good as dead. The aliens are now in the hundreds and have created a breeding grounds for the little ones to be set free. Marines are picked off one by one leaving only a few behind. A rescue ship comes to their aid to evacuate but an Alien slipped on board causing the ship to crash and explode leaving everyone else stranded on the planet. “Game over, it’s game over!” screams Hudson.

With only several marines left alive, Ripley, Burke a representative from the Company who’s name I shall not reveal, and the only survivor from the colony, a little girl named Newt. Alongside the rest of the gang is Bishop, an android who assists on the mission. At first, Ripley is reluctant of him because the android, Ash, from the first film sabotaged and purposely endangered the crew of the Nostromo. However, Bishop is very keen on technology and proves to be a viable asset. Gathering up all their weapons and ammo, the marines hold off the aliens as best as they can while Bishop works on his computer to bring down another ship to rescue them. It all takes time, and time is really not on their side.

Alien was very suspenseful and scared us whenever we saw the alien, even for a split second; here in Aliens the sheer number of the xenomorphs rushing in still gives us chills. There is never enough ammo to hold them off. Yet when we sit and stare at the screen and seeing the action unfold, our hearts are racing and our blood is pumping. One scene in particular is when the aliens are closing in on the marines location, a motion tracker reveals that they must be in the room. Just hearing the beeping noises and the fear in Hudson’s voice is a scene that is hard to forget.

Other things do happen throughout the film and only one of those things I would like to mention. We finally learn where they come from, the xenomorphs. A queen gives birth to them, much similar to ant colonies. She is big, she’s scary, and my is she someone that only Ripley can tango with. The battle between Ripley and the Queen is awesome to say the least. One of the most famous badass lines ever uttered, “Get away from her you Bitch.” Sigourney Weaver will be always remembers as Ellen Ripley, the soul survivor of the Nostromo and a badass hero that you would want to have by your side whenever the xenomorphs return.

Even though Aliens is regarded as one of the best sequels ever made, I do concur, however, I still have my heart set on the original film. It was scary, creepy, and a truly unforgettable time. With Aliens the movie moves so fast, so loud, and bombastic that we are glued to our seats from start to finish. Like a roller coaster ride from hell, it moves with incredible speed.

While I don’t plan to visit LV-426, I will be returning to watch one of greatest sequels ever made. One that does surpass the original in many ways offering us more action, more thrills, and even some laughs. It’s the very definition of a summer movie.