‹ All movies
Aliens poster

Aliens

year 1986decade 80sdirector James Camerongenre Sci-figenre Action

137 minutes

IMDbLetterboxdJustWatch
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Sigourney Weaver Ellen Ripley
Michael Biehn Dwayne Hicks
Paul Reiser Carter J. Burke
Carrie Henn Rebecca "Newt" Jorden
Bill Paxton Hudson
William Hope Gorman
Ricco Ross Frost
Al Matthews Apone

Aliens | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Chia Hao Tatproducer Eduardo Ocampoproducer Matt Pevic theme Summer of CR
Explore episodeClose episode

Private Hudson Game Over Man category

Private Hudson — proposed full-film scene-stealer award

The panel proposes a new category here.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:14Read transcript
  • Bill Paxton’s Hudson is too prominent to qualify as a short heat-check performance
  • The proposed award recognizes a supporting performer who takes over much of the film
  • About Last Night’s Jim Belushi performance is offered as a comparison
  • The name is not finalized during this discussion

Roger Ebert's review

Roger Ebert’s review is discussed: 3½ stars

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:24Read transcript
  • The hosts report Ebert awarded 3½ stars
  • They contrast his praise of craft with his discomfort at the sustained intensity

Most Rewatchable Scene

Motion trackers / ceiling reveal; alien-hive ambush

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:38Read transcript
  • Ripley’s nightmare
  • Meeting the Marines, Vasquez’s pull-ups and Bishop’s knife trick
  • Discovering the facehuggers and Newt
  • Finding the cocooned colonist and the hive ambush
  • Ripley taking control of the armored vehicle
  • Bishop volunteering to reach the transmitter
  • Motion-tracker countdown and aliens above the ceiling
  • Hudson’s last stand and Gorman/Vasquez’s shared death
  • Newt in the water
  • Ripley rescuing Newt from the egg chamber
  • Power-loader finale, Bishop torn apart and the airlock rescue
  • Two preferences favor the tracker sequence; the ambush is another explicit preference

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Vietnam echoes and 1986 Hollywood conventions

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:20Read transcript
  • Vietnam-war overtones
  • A female action lead treated as a novel proposition
  • Michael Biehn replacing James Remar
  • Burke’s contemporary-looking blazer
  • Metroid and the female-hero reveal are linked to Ripley

What’s Aged the Best?

Slow-burn structure, practical craft and the ensemble

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:43Read transcript
  • An hour-long build before the first sustained alien action
  • Timeless hostile-terrain war structure
  • Physical sets, miniatures and creature effects
  • The war-focused promotional tagline
  • Paul Reiser as a comic actor playing a villain
  • Organic continuation from Alien
  • Video calling and other simple future technology
  • Michael Biehn’s screen presence
  • Hudson and Hicks as contrasting partners
  • Filming the Marines’ introduction late to capture their familiarity
  • The finale’s countdown matching elapsed time

Sean Fennessey Award for Stealth Homage That Gives Every Movie Nerd a Criterion Orgasm

Dark Star, The Shining, War of the Worlds, war films and 2001

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:07Read transcript
  • Bishop’s knife game compared with Dark Star
  • A child’s Big Wheel in the extended cut compared with The Shining
  • The opening probe compared with 1953’s The War of the Worlds
  • Military structure compared with Sands of Iwo Jima
  • Parallel Vietnam storytelling with Rambo: First Blood Part II
  • Dissolve from sleeping Ripley to the planet compared with 2001

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Burke’s scheme; Newt’s parents; Newt / missing motivation

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:31Read transcript
  • Burke’s plan to bring an alien specimen home is challenged
  • Newt’s parents bringing children to investigate the derelict ship is questioned
  • Newt’s prominence and self-assigned nickname are criticized
  • Ripley’s daughter backstory is defended as crucial motivation in the extended cut

What’s Aged the Worst?

Vasquez casting and omitted Ripley backstory

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:52Read transcript
  • Jenette Goldstein’s portrayal of a Chicana character is discussed critically
  • Omission of Ripley’s daughter from the theatrical cut
  • James Horner’s compressed scoring schedule
  • The scripted co-ed shower scene and its removal
  • Alien 3 killing Hicks and Newt
  • Later action movies unfavorably compared with Aliens

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Franchise direction, Vietnam comparison and Ripley’s final line

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:53Read transcript
  • Aliens may be the best entry while constraining the franchise around Ripley
  • Aliens may be a better Vietnam film than Full Metal Jacket, without necessarily being a better movie
  • Ripley’s famous final line delivery is criticized; another participant defends it
  • Craig is invited to prepare for this category in future and has no prepared take here

Hans Gruber Scale Villain Ranking

Burke: 6.5 versus 8.5

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:19Read transcript
  • Burke receives proposed ratings of 6.5 and 8.5
  • The alien queen is defended as protecting her young rather than being a villain

Casting What-Ifs

Weaver negotiations; Paxton and Remar/Biehn casting

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:29Read transcript
  • Weaver’s salary negotiation is recounted
  • Paxton’s prospective Police Academy 2 role and Bobcat Goldthwait are discussed
  • James Remar’s removal and Biehn’s quick arrival are recounted
  • Pacino visiting a neighboring set leads to imagined roles for him; those are jokes, not casting history

Recasting Couch

Boston; director swap; Costner and Barrymore

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:11Read transcript
  • Move the setting to Boston
  • Swap Kubrick and Cameron between Aliens and Full Metal Jacket
  • Young Kevin Costner as Hicks
  • Drew Barrymore as Newt

Half-Assed Internet Research

Practical effects, production conflicts and the extended cut

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:41Read transcript
  • British crew tea-break conflicts
  • A lightweight Newt dummy for carrying scenes
  • Carrie Henn repeating slide takes
  • Fourteen puppeteers operating the alien queen
  • Heavy prop weapons
  • Henriksen’s reported illness from Bishop’s milky effects mixture
  • Reuse of the alien-nest set for Batman
  • Editing out the colony sequence
  • Weaver’s objections to cutting Ripley’s daughter backstory
  • Franchise timeline complications
  • Alien: Isolation’s Amanda Ripley premise

Apex Mountain

Weaver, Biehn and Goldstein: yes; Cameron and Paxton: no

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:16Read transcript
  • Sigourney Weaver: yes
  • James Cameron: no
  • Michael Biehn: probably yes
  • Bill Paxton: no, with Twister and Titanic cited
  • Extraterrestrial movies: E.T. offered instead
  • Alien franchise: disagreement between Alien and Aliens
  • Jenette Goldstein: yes
  • Body-concealment performances: examples discussed without resolution
  • Paul Reiser: no; Mad About You offered instead

Picking Nits

Ripley ignored, inconsistent logic and survival mechanics

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:52:03Read transcript
  • Authorities ignore Ripley’s experience
  • Claims of no comparable alien life versus Marines’ alien-sex talk
  • Ripley’s financial situation after hypersleep
  • Newt surviving alone
  • Destroying the eggs despite an imminent explosion
  • Ripley’s exposure inside the power loader
  • Holding on during airlock decompression
  • Sparing Burke needs more justification
  • Marines overlook the ceiling
  • The Marines’ effectiveness is questioned and defended as Vietnam commentary

Is This Movie Better With…?

Impressions and a proposed refresh of the roster

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:58:47Read transcript
  • Zane Lowe interviewing Ripley
  • Barney from The Vanishing is proposed
  • Hudson is proposed for future impersonations
  • Frank Hackett from Network is proposed
  • The group discusses refreshing a recurring roster

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Hypersleep, transfer changes and Bishop’s future

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 02:02:15Read transcript
  • Whether Ripley’s teeth were altered in the 4K transfer
  • Biological needs during and after hypersleep
  • How to spend the first moments after waking decades later
  • Relative horror of cocooning, implantation and being torn apart
  • A deleted Burke cocoon scene and timeline logic
  • Bishop’s reconstruction after losing half his body

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 02:08:10Read transcript
  • Two Cameron votes and two Weaver votes are explicitly tallied
  • Paxton is mentioned as a personal favorite, not a fifth final vote
  • Individual speaker mapping remains unresolved in this pass
  • The group suggests a public poll to resolve or explore a true split
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Sigourney Weaver
Speaker not identified
Sigourney Weaver
Speaker not identified
James Cameron
Speaker not identified
James Cameron
Speaker not identified
Sigourney Weaver
Speaker not identified
Sigourney Weaver
Speaker not identified
James Cameron
Speaker not identified
James Cameron
Speaker not identified
James Cameron
Speaker not identified
James Cameron

More from the conversation

Summer/year of CR wording connects Aliens with Chris Ryan’s requested run; no exact formal month is established.
Approx. transcript time · 00:00:37Read transcript
A Vietnam-themed month is floated as an idea, not announced as this episode’s series.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:33Read transcript
Sigourney Weaver winning an Oscar for Gorillas in the Mist is asserted in the transcript. This claim is flagged for external checking and is not imported as a movie fact.
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:27Read transcript
Theatrical versus extended cut is debated; screenplay and production stories are reported claims.
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:39Read transcript
An October horror movie month is announced as future programming. Aliens is not tagged Horror Month.
Approx. transcript time · 02:16:01Read transcript