James Cameron’s Aliens received seven Academy Award nominations.
The 1986 science-fiction sequel was recognized at the 59th Academy Awards for its combination of action filmmaking, creature design, sound, editing, and visual effects. It won two awards: Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Aliens also received nominations for Sigourney Weaver’s leading performance, film editing, original score, art direction, and sound. Weaver’s nomination was especially notable because action and science-fiction performances had historically received less recognition from the Academy.
The film followed Ellen Ripley as she returned to the planet LV-426 with Colonial Marines. Although it expanded the scale of Ridley Scott’s Alien, Cameron emphasized military action and ensemble suspense. The film’s seven nominations are distinct from its two wins, a distinction that is sometimes lost when people summarize its Oscar record.