Director
James Cameron
Leading Actors/Actresses
Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, and Carrie Henn
Genre
Science Fiction
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for the following Academy Awards: Best Actress for Weaver, Best Art Direction, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing (Winner), and Best Visual Effects (Winner)
Date of Release
18 July 1986
Producer
Gale Anne Hurd
Setting and Context
LV-426 (A Moon)
Narrator and Point of View
Through the point of view of Ripley
Tone and Mood
Scary, Solemn, Sad, Mysterious, Scheming, Violent, and Controlling
Protagonist and Antagonist
Ripley vs. the Alien
Major Conflict
The conflict between Ripley (and the marines) and the Xenomorphs/Aliens
Climax
When Ripley and Newt face the Queen
Foreshadowing
Ripley killing (and how she kills) the Queen is foreshadowed early on in the film (this is in fact one of the most famous instances of foreshadowing ever in film).
Understatement
The lack of resistance the colonists provided is understated in the film.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
While incredibly well-shot and well-made, Aliens is not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.
Allusions
Allusions to science, mythology, the Bible, religion, popular culture, other films.
Paradox
The marines are very heavily armed, yet are easily killed by the Alien Xenomorph.
Parallelism
No significant instances of parallelism.
