After Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) escapes the planet inhabited by Xenomorphs, her ship crash lands onto a remote ore refinery full of prisoners, with an alien stowaway on board. While she waits for the Weyland Corporation to rescue her, Ripley has to help the prisoners fight off and kill the alien while she also protects herself from the men on board.
While many people hated this installment in the series, Alien 3, for me, is when Ripley achieves her all-time “bad ass” status. After two previous run ins with the Xenomorph alien, Ripley is hardened and able to protect herself from anything and anyone that might challenge her. After shaving her head, years before G.I. Jane became famous for it, Ripley makes herself unattractive, or so she thinks, to the sexually frustrated men on board and solidifies her place as the ultimate tough guy amongst a sea of rapists and murderers.
Sure, Alien 3 is not the best film in the series but it surely isn’t the worst. I am sure everyone will agree that Alien: Resurrection holds that title. Who can really complain about getting to watch Sigourney Weaver in a tiny tank top using giant guns to destroy acid blood aliens that are murdering prisoners? Besides, this film would have been a great finish to the story line had they not decided to pull out the whole clone plot in Resurrection.
To me, there is nothing worse than when a horror/sci-fi series heroine dies in a way that doesn’t suit them (i.e. Laurie Strode in Halloween: Resurrection). Ripley goes out exactly how she should, taking the remaining alien out right alongside her. Truthfully, any other death would have been an outright insult to her character.
In short, Alien 3 is worth the watch, no matter what anyone might say. Consider adding it to your Halloween watch list this season.
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Ann Hale is the horror editor for Pop-Break.com and a senior contributing writer, reviewing horror movies and television shows. She is also the American Correspondent for Lovehorror.co.uk. Ann attended East Carolina University, majoring in English Literature. She is a collector of Halloween (the film) memorabilia and is a self-admitted opinionated horror nerd. You can follow her, her collection and her cat, Edward Kittyhands on Twitter and Instagram @Scarletjupiter
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