Watch The Assembly Cut

Rating: 7/10 (25 January 2018)

Despite a troubled production history and Fincher disowning it, I still thought the theatrical version is an okay sci-fi horror flick that benefited from great industrial set designs, great acting and strong dialogue, an uncompromising dark tone, and a dynamic score from Elliot Goldenthal.
However, it's even better in it's Assembly cut form. The narrative flows more coherently, the supporting cast are given stronger development, and the religious theme is more pronounced. The standout performances for me are Charles Dance (who is killed way too early), Charles S. Dutton, Ralph Brown, and Paul McGann.
It's still far from a great film due to issues with the script (Hicks and Newt being killed too early, the queen face hugger somehow able to impregnate twice), too many characters, it's poorly-staged corridor-heavy third act, and occasional dodgy special effects.
It's not as good as Alien or Aliens, but I still think it's a good movie and would have been a suitable conclusion to Ripley's character. I certainly prefer it over anything that has come out of the Alien franchise since.