9. ALIENS (1986)
Directed by James Cameron
Seven years after Ridley Scott's creepy, chest-thumping space thriller Alien, James Cameron instilled war-movie testosterone in the sequel, as Sigourney Weaver's Ripley leads a pack of gung-ho Marines to an inhospitable planet now swarming with vicious, acid-bleeding critters. Ripley was the first of a new breed of female action hero, one who can lead a team of frightened men and get the job done on her own terms. And for her efforts, Weaver not only became the first action heroine to strike box office gold, she landed a Best Actress Oscar nomination as well.
POP CULTURE LEGACY In the wake of Star Wars, outer-space folk were routinely depicted as quirky, fuzzy creatures. Look no further than Tatooine's infamous cantina. But Cameron — building on Scott's lead — set the cinematic standard for grotesque intergalactic creatures that could (and would) tear your lungs out.
THE BEST BIT While the first film took a less-is-more approach to revealing the gnarly beast, the sequel's queen alien gets her close-up, most memorably in the mano a mano climax. When the queen corners a young orphan, Ripley announces her arrival with Schwarzeneggerian brio: ''Get away from her, you bitch!'' —Jeff Labrecque
