Simon, I went to see it in the theater not long ago in honor of the 45th anniversary. https://medium.com/flicks-tv-hound/which-came-first-the-xenomorph-or-the-egg-4f388463cef6. The first two films are classics in storytelling and moviemaking. They will be hard to beat! I remember when the film came out and the previews made specific pains not to give away anything about the monster, or that Ripley was the hero. It was the first movie where the hero was female and this was a big deal. It surprised audiences and it kept the suspense even stronger, because you didn't know it would be her who survived. Especially when she and the man (and the cat) finally made it back to the ship. Movie audiences had never seen such a strong female lead. And I agree with all of your female/birth references. All of this was important in the story.