Action movies, especially in the ’80s, were a massive time for cinema and changed the landscape of the blockbuster in massive ways. One of the best examples of this was James Cameron’s Aliens, in which he altered the franchise’s protagonist, Ellen Ripley.
Not only has the sequel gone down in history as one of the best in the genre, but it also has one great scene that has one of the best quotes after 40 years, and helped make Ripley an icon. Now, as the Alien movies arrive on HBO Max, it’s a great time to remember why Ripley’s “Get away from her, you bitch!” line is still so iconic in the action movie space.
Ripley’s Quote Defines Her Character Arc in Aliens
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) faces off with a xenomorph in AliensImage via 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection
In Ridley Scott’s Alien, Ellen Ripley was a resourceful but ultimately underprepared protagonist. She wasn’t even the captain of the Nostromo when everything went wrong, and yet she was forced to be the most level-headed among the group. What came of that was her survival, at the cost of being adrift in space during cryo sleep, only to be found decades later.
Aliens saw Ripley’s return to humanity only to learn that her daughter had died and she was all alone with the choice to either figure things out as is or work with the Weyland-Yutani corporation on another mission tied ot the xenomorphs. What made her arc so interesting was that she spent most of the movie yearning to be a mom again and wrestling with crippling PTSD from her previous experience.
When she met Newt on LV-426, everything changed for her, and she saw the mom she could be to a little girl who needed one. More than that, it also helped Ripley face her fears and challenge the xenomorph queen by killing her nest and drones, coaxing her from her nest. This eventually led to Ripley and the queen duking it out with Ripley in powerloader armor after uttering her iconic line.
While action movies have more than a few great lines thanks to stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, Ripley’s represented more than a cool phrase. She was ready to face her fear to save others and became more than a survivor in the process. By taking on the queen, she became a hero in both sci-fi and action, completing her arc in a subtle but fitting fashion.
Aliens Evolved Ripley Into a Perfect Picture of an Action Heroine
Image via 20th Century Fox
Ellen Ripley calling out the xenomorph queen with such an epic line is cool on its own and changed her in the series forever. However, one thing that no one noticed until decades later was how she redefined what it means to be an action heroine. Where John Rambo was all about machismo and saving lives while looking cool, Ripley’s strength was far more subtle.
In her case, her bravery was fueled by maternal instinct and accepting and learning to understand what makes her vulnerable. She never hides her fear or weakness against facing something she’s terrified of, but for all intents and purposes, her child was in danger, and Ripley fought to save her.
With those, Ellen Ripley became one of the most important action heroines out there and set a standard still admired today. Horror icons like Sidney Prescott of Scream fame owe a lot to what Ripley accomplished, and that’s not an exaggeration. The only difference is that the consolation prize for Ripley’s evolution in the Alien films was that her growth from survivor to fighter was capped off with an awesome quote that people can never forget and still say 40 years later.
Release Date
July 18, 1986
Runtime
137 minutes