Religion plays a very important role in this movie. Like Clemens says, the inmates have adopted some sort of millenarian apocalyptic Christian fundamentalist brew. But its more than just an attempt to give some additional background to the prisoners, its also used as a very important aspect of the movie itself. When Ripley asks Dillon what theyre waiting for, he just laughs and says were waiting for God to return and raise his servants to redemption. So Ripley is both savior and destructor. She comes crashing down from the heavens and she brings with her the alien, the ultimate test of what Dillon and the brothers say they believe. Its one thing to say youre a man of faith when you have no temptations, but its another when those temptations are paraded right out in front of you. And there are men who falter, proving that religion is just a convenience for them more than a matter of faith, such as the two men who are discussing how theyd hit on Ripley if they saw her walking around without Clemens or Andrews. Or when the group of prisoners attempts to rape her. In that scene, Dillon makes it very obvious that his belief is sincere. I gotta re-educate some of the brothers. We gotta discuss some matters of the spirit. Golic also proves himself to be devoutly devoted to the apocalyptic vision, when he releases the alien from captivity and says to it, tell me what to do next. In fact, he just may be the most devout of anyone. He shows remorse when he has to kill someone and he willingly accepts the judgment hes waited all these years for. Ripleys own devotion to wiping out the alien becomes almost religious. Before, she would attempt to save as many people as she could. But this time, she willingly sacrifices the men shes become the inadvertent leader of. When theyre trying to trap the alien, its chasing one of the prisoners. He leads it into the room and Ripley closes the door once the alien goes in after him, not even giving him a chance to escape. And as he screams, she shows no remorse. Its also fitting that the alien is now red, the final scene takes place surrounded by molten lead, and the entire world of Fury-161 appears very much to look like hell. In the end, Ripley has brought these men of faith the very apocalypse theyve been praying for. We give you thanks, oh Lord. Your wrath has come and the time is near that we be judged. And to fulfill her role as savior, Ripley even sacrifices herself to the fires of hell in order to purge the beast and save the rest of mankind. A fitting end to a great trilogy, if you ask me.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
