Ripley and Jones are rescued, but 57 years have past and humans now colonise the planet where the original Alien was found.
Can the Company get a crew of Marines out to the planet in time to save them? Can they survive themselves?
After being awoke from such a long hypersleep, Ripley's life is very different. The Company does not believe her story and she is striped of her profession. Even all her family have now passed away. She finds herself tortured by nightmares.
When the Company loses contact with the colony, after sending some colonists to investigate Ripley's story, they have a change of heart and send the crack Marines in to rescue the colonist but need Ripley's knowledge.
She eventually, reluctantly joins the trip as an advisor, as long as they kill the creatures they find.
When the team find that the colony is completely overrun with the creatures, survival becomes the only concern.
Strong sequel. Very different in mood, deliberately, as they move into a sort of siege story and the hide and seek of the first drifts away.
As a result this is a less effective horror story but is a very effective grownup sci-fi movie.
Although the Marines are all stereotypes, and they have the minimum required to cover all the options, they are well acted and the action is well paced.
Sigourney Weaver's second outing as Ripley allows the character greater depth and flexes some different acting muscles too. There is a believable set of relationships and dynamics between Ripley and the other characters, especially young "Newt", played by Carrie Henn. Indeed, the child steals many scenes from the more established actors.
Lance Heinrikson and Michael Biehn are always good to watch but Bill Paxton is superb as the 'comic relief' Hudson. Paul Reiser, very popular at the time, pulls in the slime as the Company man looking to make his fortune - at any cost.
The effects are good and the sets again very believable. The final showdown again grips.
Although this is a very effective sci-fi action movie it is not a traditional horror, lacking the menace of the original.
Things to look out for: nightmares, inquiry, queen alien, grunts, Newt, loads of one liners, another android.
