10 Awesome Movies With 99% On Rotten Tomatoes

5. Aliens

Aliens Ripley Newt Sigourney Weaver
Fox

James Cameron's Aliens is, alongside his own Terminator 2, one of the greatest sequels of all time, a thunderously intense action-thriller that, quite sensibly, is totally different to Ridley Scott's quiet, suspenseful 1979 original.

And like T2, what really elevates Aliens beyond its (admittedly stunning) technical work is the fantastic characterisation, especially that of protagonist Ripley, for which Sigourney Weaver received a Best Actress Oscar nomination (an enormous rarity in the sci-fi genre).

No matter the glut of mediocre sequels, prequels and spin-offs that followed, Aliens remains a towering accomplishment, melding white-knuckle action with an affecting central character dynamic, perfectly-placed comic relief, and colourful supporting players.

Yet again, the single negative review comes from Gene Siskel, who hilariously squabbled with Roger Ebert about Aliens on their At the Movies TV show, calling the movie's near-relentless tension "overkill."

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.