The Sulaco's escape pod with Ripley, Hicks, Newt and the remains of android Bishop crashes on the inhospitable prison plante Fiorina 161. Ripley is dragged to the infirmary and resuscitated. It seems that she is the only survivor of the crash but as the prisoners start to meet grisly ends it becomes apparent that something else was on board.

David Fincher's (disowned) first feature takes the franchise into a more gothic territory. While narratively uneven, this is a deserving finish to the original trilogy.