Aliens

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Alien sequel is bigger, faster, scarier.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the relentless, ravenous clawed monsters iin Aliens, the sequel to Alien, are likely to give small kids (and others) nightmares. It's even more violent than the original. Besides the rerun of the grisly moment when embryonic aliens burst out of people (in reality and in dream scenes), we also see quick cuts of victims seared with acid, getting set on fire, and blowing themselves up with a grenade. Gunfire, bombs, and flamethrowers are directed at the aliens. Most disturbing of all -- or, at least, the most nakedly manipulative -- is the perpetual threat of ghastly violence/death/contamination directed at a frightened, screaming little girl. There's also a plethora of swearing and lots of adoring fondling of guns and high-powered weapons. 

  • A mothering instinct/motherly love drives both Ripley and the queen alien. Technology doesn't always guarantee sueriority in combat, as shown by gung-ho Marines charging into tunnels with high-powered guns only to get shredded to pieces by hordes of an enemy that keeps on coming -- director James Cameron's metaphor for the Vietnam War. 
  • Ripley turns from the fear-paralyzed victim of the original Alien film into a tough, idealized action-heroine. She even forssakes body armor and takes a combination gun-flame thrower and charges alone into the alien nest. A corporate executive character who claims to be "an OK guy" is really murderous and treacherous in his greed. What little we see of the world of the future seems dominated by evil businessmen and bullying soldiers. The multiracial Colonial Marines are overconfident, swaggering braggarts. 
  • Mostly in quick flashes, but still severe, as human characters are splashed with acid, torched with fire, or have little aliens bursting out of them. One man is literally torn in half, with the qualifier that "he" is an android, not human, with beige-colored blood and viscera. Gunfire, bombs, and flamethrowers are directed at the aliens. Much of the violence and lethal danger is threatened against a small child.
  • Indistinct glimpses of pin-up pictures in a locker room. Some mildly suggestive banter between co-ed Marines.

What's the story?

Revived from a coma-like state 50 years after aliens massacred her crew, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is forced to take on menial spaceport jobs. When communications with the new colony are lost, a slimy Company executive (Paul Reiser) convinces her to go back to the planet where the massive battle took place. Ripley sets out with a heavily armed squad of interplanetary Marines, all itching for action. At first, the colony seems deserted, except for a cowering girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But a little more searching -- and nightfall -- brings out the aliens; hundreds of jaw-snapping, fanged, acid-bleeding horrors, unafraid of guns, who cut through the panicked Marines. It's Ripley who has to take charge of the mission (and uncover yet more Company treachery) if any of them are going to get away alive.


Is it any good?

 

This sequel to Alien is bigger, faster, and way more amped-up than the moody, gothic-style interplanetary chills of the original. If it errs, it does so when director James Cameron insists on squeezing every last cliffhanger out of a nightmare scenario about being stranded in a remote place with a bunch of vicious, clawed creatures out to get you. Cameron conjures up a strong Vietnam metaphor (or U.S. military misadventure of your choice) in the proud, gung-ho warriors charging into battle with their fancy hardware, only to get shredded to pieces by hordes of a primitive enemy that keeps on coming. And the film is more than a little hard to take seriously when Ripley, forsaking even body armor, slaps together a gun-flamethrower combo and charges alone into the alien nest.

The director really seems to go over the line with the manipulation, putting the screaming little (orphan) girl in hideous peril every time the opportunity arises, and conniving to make sure that opportunity always does. Commentators love to point out, though, that both Ripley and the queen alien are essentially driven by mothering instincts -- Ripley to find a replacement for the child she lost while is suspended animation -- and they serve as mirror images of each other.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about the military metaphor in the film; it's said James Cameron had Vietnam on his mind when he depicted a group of gung-ho Marines charging into tunnels only to get shredded to pieces by hordes of an enemy that keeps on coming. What could the characters have done differently? 

  • What do you think of the showdown between the bereaved mother Ripley and the monstrous mother alien queen?

  • How do think this sequel compares with the original Alien


This review of Aliens was written by
Teen, 16 years old
December 27, 2009
 
Intense and amazing. OK for all teens.
Aliens has intense violence and some profane language, but is totally fine for any young teens or even mature older kids. Awesome movie, the tension never lets up - I slightly prefer Alien, but Aliens is also one of the best sci-fi movies out there.

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Adult
May 4, 2011
 
Not for kids.
Aliens is one of my favorite movies ever, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone but older kids and adults. It is a cinema masterpiece, but not a kid friendly one. First off, violence. Though not as bad as modern horror movies like Saw and all that other crap (which I will never watch or review) in terms of gore, it can still get a bit intense. To fully grasp this, you need to know something about the monsters in this film. They are insect-like hive creatures. The queen lays an egg, which hatches into a spider-like creature. This creature searches for humans, and leaps onto their faces, forcing an alien embryo down their throats, knocking them unconscious in the process. Later the person wakes up, and feels fine. However, the embryo grows gradually inside the victim, until it eats it's way out of their chest in a shower of gore. This is shown in great detail in one scene. Also, the creatures spurt green blood when shot, which is acidic, and eats into human flesh. The creatures also bite, stab, claw, and impale humans, though with little blood. Aside from all that, there is the issue of language. F*** and other words are used liberally and often in this film. As for sexual content, there really isn't much, aside from some jokes told by the soldiers. In short, this is strictly a teens-and-adults-only film. Make sure the kids are in bed before you watch this one.
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Teen, 13 years old
May 30, 2011
 
Even better than the first "Alien". This time, we've got James Cameron.
My rating: PG-13 [borderline with R] for some intense and frightening images of alien violence and gore, tense situations, and for some language.
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Teen, 16 years old
August 25, 2010
 
3 stars? The film is great.
I was 11 the first time I saw this film and it was great. There are a few scenes that are too violent for young kids, but the worst are the chest-bursters. And you see those twice in the entire movie. Aliens has minor cursing, but it's nothing kids wouldn't hear when their parent(s) does something along the lines burning themselves while cooking. It's absurd for people to comment on the "frequent use of guns" by the characters--they're Marines! The only drug/alcohol use in the film is the cigars that are smoked by Sergeant Apone when the marines are introduced. The "bad role models" are the characters who aren't meant to be viewed as role models. The characters who are meant to be viewed as role models are clear, as they differ from the rest--examples being Ripley, who is a traumatized innocent that conquers her fears, and Hicks, a quiet, down to earth "grunt" that has his act together. There are few scenes of "ghastly violence" against the little girl in the film, one where she ACCIDENTALLY gets shot at (no harm comes to her) and another where she and Ripley are in a room with two parasites. This is a PG-13 film that can be viewed by kids of younger ages who understand the difference between reality and fiction.

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Parent
August 21, 2010
 
Incredible Alien Sci-Fi Thriller
Let's just start out by saying this is an outstanding film. The screenplay? Ehh, it lacked. The plot? Fantastic. The climax? Incredible. With brilliant acting (well, mostly...a few terrible actors in there. 'o.O) this is a film you don't wanna miss. You have your classic thriller right here-I'd strongly suggest you grab some popcorn and see it today! :P The only thing is it's not necessarily a movie for people with weak stomachs or for under 13-14. (Unless your child is mature) Strong, graphic violence exchanged between creepy looking monsters and proud marines makes this movie a hardcore R. For sex...well, there's not any of that in here. I will list a few of the most graphic scenes of violence: -A realistically human-looking Android is impaled, white blood gushes out of his wound and mouth. He is then lifted up, screaming, and brutally torn in half, again, white blood spewing from his torso. His torso is thrown to the ground, where what I believed to be intestines are visibly exposed in a semi-graphic manner. (Again, it's clearish white; realistic, yet, discoloured) -A young boy about 12 or 13 years of age is seen mangled in a cocoon. He begs for help, so the marines attempt to approach him. In a "jump" scene, a very disturbing image protrudes from his stomach. It breaks out of the skin, blood and gore eminent, which we realize is actually a baby alien. (This isn't a humanoid, it's a real boy; so the blood and gore is red and realistic) -Multiple instances of limbs scorched by acid. In one instance, a man's face is eaten away by the acid. (Shown briefly, but somewhat disturbing) -Multiple arrays of aliens, the crab-like little spawns and the full grown adult squid things are graphically shot to death, and sometimes, blown up. (A LOT of green blood and gore) -A woman is slashed to death by an alien. (doesn't show the alien slashing her, but blood spews all over the cockpit) -Multiple corpses are seen cocooned to plasma-like walls of alien slime. -A marine ignites another marine on fire on accident with a flamethrower while trying to kill an alien. The marine flips over a rail and falls approximately 2,000 feet while engulfed in flames. -A crab-like organism is disected; its internal organs are visible as Bishop examines it. -2 crab-like creatures attempt to kill a young girl and a woman. The little girl post-pones her attacker, while the woman's attacker slowly strangles her to death. Some marines arrive in the nick of time and get the creature off her neck and then machine gun it to death. (Red blood spews all over the camera) -Multiple other disturbing and violent sequences of monster violence and terror; not appropriate for young children. Suggested MPAA Rating: Rated R for Sequences of bloody monster violence, disturbing images, and some language. Overall, this is a very, very good film. I strongly encourage whomever has a strong stomach and has a knack for aliens to view this movie; its definately worth it.
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Teen, 13 years old
August 21, 2010
 
Incredible Alien Sci-Fi Thriller
Let's just start out by saying this is an outstanding film. The screenplay? Ehh, it lacked. The plot? Fantastic. The climax? Incredible. With brilliant acting (well, mostly...a few terrible actors in there. 'o.O) this is a film you don't wanna miss. You have your classic thriller right here-I'd strongly suggest you grab some popcorn and see it today! :P The only thing is it's not necessarily a movie for people with weak stomachs or for under 13-14. (Unless your child is mature) Strong, graphic violence exchanged between creepy looking monsters and proud marines makes this movie a hardcore R. For sex...well, there's not any of that in here. I will list a few of the most graphic scenes of violence: -A realistically human-looking Android is impaled, white blood gushes out of his wound and mouth. He is then lifted up, screaming, and brutally torn in half, again, white blood spewing from his torso. His torso is thrown to the ground, where what I believed to be intestines are visibly exposed in a semi-graphic manner. (Again, it's clearish white; realistic, yet, discoloured) -A young boy about 12 or 13 years of age is seen mangled in a cocoon. He begs for help, so the marines attempt to approach him. In a "jump" scene, a very disturbing image protrudes from his stomach. It breaks out of the skin, blood and gore eminent, which we realize is actually a baby alien. (This isn't a humanoid, it's a real boy; so the blood and gore is red and realistic) -Multiple instances of limbs scorched by acid. In one instance, a man's face is eaten away by the acid. (Shown briefly, but somewhat disturbing) -Multiple arrays of aliens, the crab-like little spawns and the full grown adult squid things are graphically shot to death, and sometimes, blown up. (A LOT of green blood and gore) -A woman is slashed to death by an alien. (doesn't show the alien slashing her, but blood spews all over the cockpit) -Multiple corpses are seen cocooned to plasma-like walls of alien slime. -A marine ignites another marine on fire on accident with a flamethrower while trying to kill an alien. The marine flips over a rail and falls approximately 2,000 feet while engulfed in flames. -A crab-like organism is disected; its internal organs are visible as Bishop examines it. -2 crab-like creatures attempt to kill a young girl and a woman. The little girl post-pones her attacker, while the woman's attacker slowly strangles her to death. Some marines arrive in the nick of time and get the creature off her neck and then machine gun it to death. (Red blood spews all over the camera) -Multiple other disturbing and violent sequences of monster violence and terror; not appropriate for young children. Suggested MPAA Rating: Rated R for Sequences of bloody monster violence, disturbing images, and some language. Overall, this is a very, very good film. I strongly encourage whomever has a strong stomach and has a knack for aliens to view this movie; its definately worth it.
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Teen, 14 years old
February 18, 2010
 
Not that violent and barely any strong language
This film is actually not that scary or violent, and theirs not much bad language either. This film nowhere near deserves and 18+ the new alien vs predator movies are more gory and they are 15+. The film in my opinion may have been able to pass as a 12+. Anywho enough about age ratings; the film is amazing. James Cameron himself said he couldn't top alien but he did. I congratulate him for this film and hope him the best.

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Teen, 14 years old
August 24, 2010
 
Good movie
Action-packed epic Alien thriller. Extremely violent in two scenes, but it doesn't go too far. Incredible acting and realistic fighting sequences makes this movie a full 5 stars. I don't see why its R though; it should probably be Pg-13. It's not THAT bad.
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Parent of 17 year old
August 24, 2010
 
Great movie for tweens +
Incredible science-fiction thriller. It's honestly not that violent, and there's no sex. The language is coarse at times, but basically remains moderate throughout the movie. Some strong violence I suppose at times, but it's never over the top. This movie isn't one you want to miss; it may be rated R, but by today's standards, It would probably be Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of sci-fi violence, terror, and language. This is definately one film you don't wanna miss!
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Teen, 15 years old
May 4, 2011
 
MEH
This movie is okay not as good as the first tho not as scary ether but still gives you a creepy feelng
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This review of Aliens was written by
Topics:adventures, great girl role models, space and aliens
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Director:James Cameron
Cast:Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser, Sigourney Weaver
Genre:Science Fiction
Run time:154 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 16, 1986
DVD release date:June 1, 1999
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:monster violence, and for language.

This review of Aliens was written by
 

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