Summaries

Two centuries after her death, a powerful human/alien hybrid clone of Ellen Ripley aids a crew of space pirates in stopping the aliens from reaching Earth.

The saga continues 200 years after Ripley sacrificed herself for the sake of humanity. Her erstwhile employers long gone, this time it is the military that resurrects the one-woman killing machine through genetic cloning to extract the alien from within her, but during the process her DNA is fused with the queen and then the aliens escape. Now Ripley must decide where her allegiance lies.

It has been two centuries since Ellen Ripley's selfless sacrifice in Alien³ (1992). But progress is unstoppable. As a result, military scientists aboard the top-secret USM Auriga have successfully created Ripley 8, a mysterious clone plagued by fragmented memories. However, nothing can contain the dormant embryonic Xenomorph Queen growing inside her. After all, the human/alien hybrid has strength beyond comprehension. And when aggressive Xenomorphs escape confinement, the genetically enhanced Ripley must pick sides. But humans despise her, and Xenomorphs reject her. Once more, humankind is no match for the ferocious extraterrestrial species. Can Ellen's ghost save the world from the Alien resurrection?—Nick Riganas

Ellen Ripley sacrificed herself to destroy the Company's desires to use the alien queen as a biological weapon. 200 years and seven horrible experiments later, she is resurrected on the USM Auriga using blood samples from Fiorina 161, for the purpose of extracting the alien queen inside her. However, Ripley's DNA gets mixed up with the Queen's DNA and she begins to develop enhanced strength and reflexes. After a band of smugglers, hired by the government, bring the crew of a hijacked transport to the Auriga, all hell breaks loose when the aliens breed from the hijacked crew escape. When the Auriga is set on automatic pilot back to Earth, it's up to Ripley and the smugglers to stop the Auriga and escape with their lives. And when the Queen's secret was revealed, it exposed a bizarre DNA mix-up that left both Ripley and the queen's genetics intertwined; giving light to an alien that could spell doom for Earth.—Kerwin Tsang <kertsang@yahoomail.com>

It is 200 years since Ellen Ripley sacrificed herself to destroy the alien queen on Fiorina 161. Ripley's former employers, the Weyland-Yutani Company has dissolved and now the United Systems Military has assumed the task of breeding and harnessing the deadly aliens. With blood samples taken from her previous life, scientists clone a new Ripley in order to extract the alien queen inside of her. The new Ripley, known as Number 8, acquires physical and emotional traits from both humanity and the aliens, making her question where her allegiances lie. Shortly after, the aliens break free and commence killing those onboard. Along with a crew of smugglers that unknowingly helped in delivering hosts to breed the alien species, Ripley must now escape the perilous ship. Along the way, Ripley encounters a shocking revelation that truly sets herself against both humanity and the alien species. She must now decide what she truly is, in order to save humanity once more.—Chris Broz <pdivison@visi.net>

Details

Keywords
  • alien
  • pirate
  • strong female lead
  • pregnant alien
  • female android
Genres
  • Action
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi
Release date Nov 25, 1997
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) R
Countries of origin United States
Language English Spanish
Filming locations Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Production companies Twentieth Century Fox Brandywine Productions

Box office

Budget $75000000
Gross US & Canada $47795658
Opening weekend US & Canada $16474092
Gross worldwide $161376069

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 49m
Color Color
Sound mix DTS Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio 2.39 : 1

Synopsis

Two hundred years after the events of Alien 3, military scientists on the outer space vessel USM Auriga create a clone of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) using DNA from blood samples taken before her death. The Alien queen's DNA was mixed in with Ripley's, and the clone grows up with an embryo already inside it. The scientists extract the embryo, raise it, and collect its eggs. The Ripley clone is kept alive for further study. As a result of the alien's DNA inside her, she develops enhanced strength and reflexes, has acidic blood and a psychic link with the Aliens. Also, the alien's genetic memory allows the clone to have some of Ripley's memories.

A group of mercenaries, Elgyn (Michael Wincott), Johner (Ron Perlman), Christie (Gary Dourdan), Vriess (Dominique Pinon), Hillard (Kim Flowers), and Call (Winona Ryder), arrive at Auriga on their ship Betty. They deliver several kidnapped humans in stasis. The military scientists use the kidnapped humans as hosts for the Aliens, raising several adult Aliens for study.

The Betty crew soon encounters Ripley. Call recognizes her name and tries to kill her, suspecting she may be used to create more Aliens. However, the Aliens have already matured and escape confinement by killing off one of their own and using the acidic blood to burn through their enclosures. They damage the Auriga and kill the crew members who do not manage to evacuate, including General Perez (Dan Hedaya) and Elgyn. Military scientist Dr. Wren (J. E. Freeman) reveals that the ship's default command in an emergency is to return to Earth. Realizing this will unleash the Aliens on Earth, Ripley, the mercenaries, Wren, a Marine named DiStephano (Raymond Cruz), and surviving Alien host Purvis (Leland Orser), decide to head for the Betty and use it to destroy the Auriga. Along the way, Ripley encounters the grotesque products of 7 failed attempts to clone Ripley. The surviving one begs Ripley to mercy kill her, and she complies.

As the group make their way through the damaged ship, they swim through a flooded kitchen. They are chased by two Aliens. One is killed, while the other snatches Hillard. As they escape the kitchen, the Alien returns and blinds Christie, who sacrifices himself to kill the Alien so the others can escape. After Wren betrays the group, Call is revealed to be an android. Using her ability to interface with the Auriga's systems, Call sets it on a collision course with Earth, hoping to destroy the Aliens in the crash. She cuts off Wren's route of escape and directs the Aliens towards him. Ripley is captured by the Aliens, while the other survivors head for the Betty. There, Wren shoots Purvis and takes Call hostage, demanding that she abort the collision. An injured Purvis violently attacks Wren and forces his head to his chest just as the Alien embryo he is carrying bursts through his rib-cage, causing it to go through Wren's head and kill them both. The survivors then shoot at the embryo.

Ripley is taken to the Alien nest, where she witnesses the Queen, now possessing a womb as a result of the genetic mixture, gives birth to a Newborn, a Xenomorph with human traits, such as human teeth, mouth, pale skin color and a human-like face with actual eyes. The hybrid Alien recognizes Ripley as its mother, kills the queen Alien and Dr. Jonathan Gediman (Brad Dourif), a scientist previously captured and cocooned. Ripley takes advantage of the distraction to escape. She makes her way to the Betty.

The Newborn reaches the Betty and attacks Call. It kills DeStephano when he arrives to help her. Ripley finds her way onto the ship and saves Call by distracting the Newborn. Using her acidic blood, Ripley melts the glass of a window and pushes the Newborn towards the hole. It is violently sucked through the hole due to explosive decompression, while Ripley tearfully watches.

The countdown on the Auriga continues as the survivors escape in the Betty. The Auriga collides with Earth, causing a large explosion. Call and Ripley look down at Earth, and when Call asks what Ripley wants to do next, she says, "I'm a stranger here myself."In an alternate ending that is used in some extended adaptions, The Betty lands in a ruined Paris.

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