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Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film written and directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien, and the second film in the Alien franchise. The film is set in the far future; Sigourney Weaver stars as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship. When communications are lost with a human colony on the moon where her crew first saw the alien creatures, Ripley agrees to return to the site with a unit of Colonial Marines to investigate. Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, and Carrie Henn feature in supporting roles.

Despite the success of Alien, its sequel took years to develop due to lawsuits, a lack of enthusiasm from 20th Century Fox, and repeated changes in management. Although relatively inexperienced, Cameron was hired to write a story for Aliens in 1983 on the strength of his scripts for The Terminator (1984) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). The project then stalled again until a new Fox executive, Lawrence Gordon, decided to pursue it. On an approximately $18.5 million budget, Aliens began principal photography in September 1985. The filming process was tumultuous, and rife with conflicts between Cameron and the British crew at Pinewood Studios. These difficulties gave the composer, James Horner, little time to record the music.

Aliens was released on July 18, 1986, to critical acclaim. Reviewers praised its action, although some criticized the intensity of certain scenes. Weaver's, Bill Paxton’s and Jenette Goldstein’s performances were consistently praised. The film received several nominations and awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Weaver at a time when the academy had historically tended to overlook the science-fiction genre. Aliens earned $131.1–183.3 million during its theatrical run, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1986 worldwide.

Aliens is now considered by many critics to be among the greatest films of the 1980s; among the best science fiction, action, and sequel films ever made; and arguably as good as Alien or even better. It expanded the scope of the series by adding backstory and factions such as the Colonial Marines. Aliens inspired a variety of merchandise, including video games, comic books, and toys. The film was followed by two more sequels – Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997), neither of which were as successful, and by two prequels Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017).