My favourite by far of this franchise

Tied for #1 for favorite movies of all time.

- Great characters, and more polished and fleshed out than "Alien". Better actors as well. Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, ect. They all killed it. Like most James Cameron films from the '80s, the side characters are a major part of the film, and their dialogue is also great.

- Cultural impact on Sci-fi/Action genre. Everything from pulse rifles, colonial marines, drop ships, ect. This film set up a lot things that would become standard later on, and not just in film, but video games, board games, table top games, ect.

- Stan Winston was a genius. The effects, Xenomorphs, Queen, ect. all look fantastic even to this day.

- This movie, arguably, makes Ellen Ripley the greatest action hero of the '80s, which is saying something. While Sigourney is mostly playing a final girl/ Jamie Lee Curtis role in "Alien", she really gets to shine in the sequel. She's smart, but still sensitive with the mother to Newt angle. She's a badass when she has to be. Like all the others, she gets great dialogue from Cameron, and the delivery is great. My favorite is when she tells Hudson to get his shit together after the drop ship crashes. This film made Ripley an icon.

To me, this is a perfect film. It has everything I could possibly want in it.

Yeah, I'd say it is my favorite, though I love part 1 and like part 3. This was my first Alien movie, as a 5th grader or so (maybe 4th, can't remember anymore) and I always loved the series. Tons of fun and great film!

Yes, for me as well! The first being a close second.

My second favorite. I prefer the first film.

Yep.

As great as Alien is, Aliens somehow manages to exceed it. Obviously there’s the riveting action, but its secret weapon is its great, likeable, endlessly-quotable characters. Sigourney was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Ripley in Aliens, that tells you something about how Cameron nailed it