Ellen Ripley (Weaver) is a survivor of the Nostromo spaceship disaster from the first film, and is discovered in hyper-sleep half a century later by a salvage ship.

She is taken back to Earth and discovers that a human colony was founded on the same planet where the aliens were first found.

She is then sent back to the planet along with a team of Space Marines determined to destroy the alien menace forever.

When they reach the deadly planet, they find a little girl who is the only surviving colonist.

When Ripley assures her that she'll be protected by the Marines, she announces with a chilling confidence, "It won't make any difference."

The theme of this film is motherhood. Ripley's protective maternal instincts are awakened, and she soon forms a bond with the child.

At the same time, the Marines are asking themselves where all the aliens can possibly be coming from.

If they hatch from eggs, who's laying the eggs? It becomes clear that a confrontation between Ripley and the alien mother is inevitable.

This sequel is a non-stop high tech war movie, where sci-fi, horror and action merge to form one of James Cameron's masterpieces.

It's brilliance is in the film's ability to let you believe that the threat is gone and then to startle you with yet another unexpected attack.

Strangely the aliens don't make an appearance until at least half way through the film, but it's worth sticking it out for the nightmarish hostility when they finally crash onto the screen.

With more action than the original, the staggering effects and a rousing score help to create this tension and horror-filled movie. The actual alien attacks are emotionally and physically staggering.