Discovered in cryo-sleep decades after the events of the first film and tasked with returning to the now-terraformed LV-426, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley squares off against an infestation of titular extraterrestrial killers – earning her a place on AFI’s list of cinema’s greatest heroes. Written and directed by James Cameron, the explosive science-fiction masterpiece was produced by AFI Trustee Emeritus Gale Anne Hurd – with a soundtrack by legendary composer James Horner, who was a longtime friend of the American Film Institute – having scored thesis projects on behalf of the AFI Conservatory’s Fellows as early as 1978 and through 2012.
Learn more about ALIENS in the AFI Catalog.
