Summary
- Ripley confronts Ash and proves to be the smartest person on the ship, making tough decisions to prevent disaster.
- Ripley demonstrates her maternal instincts by caring for Newt in a post-traumatic world of danger and deceit.
- Ripley’s transformation into an action hero is solidified in iconic battles with the Xenomorphs, culminating in memorable moments.
Ellen Ripley is a star of both cinema and… Foreign franchise like the Xenomorph, and has many iconic moments from the original quadrilogy. Ridley Scott’s original quadrilogy Foreign The film was written as a true ensemble piece, with no one character taking priority over the others, so all was lost when they started getting slaughtered by an alien. But after Ripley emerged as the sole survivor of the Nostromo (and one of the most badass action heroines in cinema history), she quickly became the focal point of the series.
Ripley has come to be considered, along with John McClane and Sarah Connor, one of the greatest heroes in the history of action cinema. James Cameron’s first sequel, Extraterrestrialscemented her place as an action movie icon with a surprisingly touching mother-and-surrogate-daughter story. She continued to have a crazy arc throughout the following sequels, as she died in Extraterrestrial 3 and came back as a clone in Extraterrestrial ResurrectionFrom standing up to Ash to saving Newt, Ripley has plenty of great moments throughout the story. Foreign saga.
10 Ripley does not allow pollution
Foreign
After Kane leaves the Nostromo to explore the alien planet and ends up getting attacked by a facehugger, Ripley doesn’t want to let him back on the ship. According to protocol, they can’t allow any contamination to come aboard the ship. But according to Dallas, they can’t just abandon their friend. Ash also insists that they let Kane back on board, even though following protocol should be his prime directive, offering an early clue to his nefarious ulterior motive.
This is a clear example of Ripley being the smartest and most rational person on the ship. Dallas shouldn’t be the captain; Ripley should be, because she can make tough decisions like this. If they had listened to Ripley and let Kane fend for himself on the alien planet, the xenomorph would never have come aboard the Nostromo.
9 Ripley cleaning Triton
Extraterrestrials
When Ripley finds herself floating in space at the beginning of ExtraterrestrialsAfter narrowly escaping her first run-in with the Xenomorph, she’s asked to go to an off-world colony that’s been overrun by dozens of Xenomorphs. Ripley is naturally skeptical about going straight into the lion’s den, but reluctantly agrees when they promise to wipe out the creatures. (Of course, that was a lie: the company still wants to capture and weaponize the Xenomorphs.)
Upon arriving at the colony, they are shocked to learn that there is only one survivor left: an orphaned girl named Newt. Having lost her own daughter during the decades she was in cryosleep, Ripley immediately takes Newt under her wing and becomes a sort of motherly figure to her. This is beautifully demonstrated when Ripley cleans Newt up, caring for her new surrogate daughter.
8 Ripley 8 discovers the failed cloning experiments
Extraterrestrial Resurrection
After killing Ripley at the end of Extraterrestrial 320th Century Fox realized that Sigourney Weaver was a big draw for this franchise, so they didn’t want to make a fourth film without her. Extraterrestrial Resurrection brings back Ripley as a clone called “Ripley 8”, who was created in an attempt to resurrect the xenomorph. Although Extraterrestrial Resurrection It is widely regarded as one of the worst Foreign In the movies, the story of cloning features a chilling sequence.
Halfway through the film, Ripley 8 stumbles upon a lab containing the disturbing results of seven previous attempts to clone Ripley. Only one of them is still alive, and she begs Ripley 8 to kill her out of mercy. Extraterrestrial Resurrection It’s not a great movie overall, but this sequence is truly chilling in a deeply existential sense.
7 Ripley’s Nightmare
Extraterrestrials
At the opening ceremony of ExtraterrestrialsCameron does a fantastic job of showing the impact of the trauma Ripley suffered in the first film. She may have narrowly escaped the clutches of that first xenomorph, but she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from that ordeal. Cameron visualizes this PTSD the same way most movies, TV shows, and video games visualize it: with a terrifying nightmare sequence.
In ExtraterrestrialsIn the nightmare sequence, Ripley wakes up and is told that she has been in cryosleep for 57 years. Suddenly, a baby xenomorph begins trying to burrow its way through her chest, reminiscent of the horrifying chestburster scene from the original film. This nightmare shows that Ripley is having a hard time feeling safe after her encounter with the xenomorph, as every time she felt safe, she actually wasn’t. Now, she’s just waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under her.
6 Ripley confronts Ash
Foreign
While going through Mother’s files, Ripley is horrified to discover that the Company woke them up and sent them to the alien planet to bring the Xenomorph aboard. The Company secretly ordered Ash to bring the alien back to Earth for study, and that the crew should be considered expendable. Ripley wastes no time in confronting Ash about this, proving what a tough girl she is – she won’t take any nonsense from a milky-blooded robot.
Ash attempts to kill Ripley, but Parker steps in to help her fight him off. They end up ripping Ash’s head off, which incapacitates him enough to interrogate him without fear of a counterattack. This whole ordeal causes Ripley’s distrust of androids to increase. Extraterrestrials It’s totally understandable (who would trust androids after dealing with Ash?) and paves the way for Bishop’s touching redemption arc.
5 Ripley and Newt get trapped with a Facehugger
Extraterrestrials
Although the company promised to eliminate the xenomorphs at the beginning of ExtraterrestrialsThe company being the company, they secretly plan to bring some of them back to Earth. Corporate enforcer Carter Burke is sent to make sure at least one xenomorph makes it back to the ship. While Ripley and Newt enjoy a slumber in what appears to be a safe room, Burke sneaks a facehugger in there with them.
Luckily, Ripley wakes up in time to see the facehugger chasing her. This is one of the most tense sequences in the film. The odds are stacked against Ripley and Newt; they’re trapped in a confined space with an unstoppable creature whose sole purpose is to impregnate unsuspecting victims. Ripley manages to fight it off, but suffice it to say, she’s not too happy with Burke.
4 Ripley jumps into the oven
Extraterrestrial 3
When Ripley is implanted with a xenomorph embryo at the end of Extraterrestrial 3The Weyland-Yutani team wants to get their hands on the embryo. They promise that if she undergoes surgery to remove the embryo, it will be destroyed. But, having been burned twice, Ripley doesn’t believe a word the company says, especially when they say they don’t want to keep the xenomorph this time.
So, she throws herself into a smelting furnace below. When the baby xenomorph bursts out of her chest, she grabs it and brings it into the fire with her. Though Ripley would eventually return as a clone, this was a fitting end to her arc. After going to such great lengths to stop Weyland-Yutani from obtaining the xenomorph, it made sense that she would have to give her own life for that cause.
3 Ripley returns to the hive to save Newt
Extraterrestrials
One of the most glorious money grabs of all time Foreign The saga unfolds as the elevator door opens, the smoke clears, and Ripley emerges, her trusty flamethrower in hand. She was on the verge of escaping the Xenomorph-infested colony when Newt fell into the sewers and was swept away by the aliens. Ripley had already lost one daughter in this film; she wasn’t about to lose another. So, she heroically entered the Xenomorph hive on a rescue mission.
It’s simultaneously terrifying and thrilling to watch Ripley march through the xenomorph nest, taking out any aliens that come near her, in search of her son. The stakes are clear, and it’s easy to root for Ripley. This whole moment of Ripley going into the belly of the beast to save her son is the perfect culmination of the film’s mother-daughter story.
2 Ripley kicks the alien out of the shuttle
Foreign
Just when the first one Foreign The film appears to be coming to an end and Ripley appears to have escaped the xenomorph’s wrath. Scott shocks viewers with another creepy scene. Ripley managed to get into an escape pod and let the Nostromo self-destruct, so she appears to be safe. But she is horrified to learn that the xenomorph managed to get into the escape pod with her and is still out for her blood.
Ripley manages to eject the Xenomorph from the shuttle, and as it clings to the outside, she ignites the thrusters to launch it into space. Ripley’s final battle with the Xenomorph shows just how tough she’s become. She started the story as an ordinary woman, but by the end she’s transformed into an action heroine.
1 Ripley vs. the Alien Queen
Extraterrestrials
Before Ripley can leave the colony once and for all and take Newt with her, she has to defeat the Xenomorph Queen. To level the playing field, Ripley dons one of the metal exosuits installed earlier in the film. They’re supposed to be used for loading and unloading, but Ripley discovers that those suits are also pretty useful for killing aliens. When she emerges in the exosuit, ready for battle, Ripley delivers one of the most iconic lines in action movie history: “Get away from her, bitch!”
Using the queen as the big bad of ExtraterrestrialsCameron created an interesting thematic parallel with the mother-daughter story. Just as Ripley wants to keep Newt safe, the Xenomorph Queen only wants to protect her children. This culminates in the most impressive boss battle of the entire series. Foreign franchise.