What is Aliens rated, and is it OK for kids?

No. It is rated R, with real scares, lots of jump scares and brutal violence.

Aliens (1986)

Film · 2h 17m · Rated R

Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A space marine faces an alien horde in a relentless, gritty fight for survival.

Tense and suspenseful. A full-attention watch at full speed. Emotionally it is heavy.

Streaming on Netflix.

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Aliens parents guide

Of what we could confirm, nothing runs past an R: real scares and lots of jump scares.

Scare: Properly scary; Frightening, not just tense.
Jump scares: Lots; Jump scares are a main device.
Gore: Graphic gore; Blood and wounds shown clearly.
Violence: Brutal violence; Our top level for violence.
Sex and nudity: None flagged; It is rated R, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.
Language: Moderate; Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Aliens scary?: Yes, properly. Aliens is the real thing without being an endurance test.
How gory is Aliens?: Graphic gore and brutal violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.
What is Aliens rated, and is it OK for kids?: No. It is rated R, with real scares, lots of jump scares and brutal violence.

What is Aliens about?

Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.