I have to agree, the rod-puppet work was pretty lacking. There are a few instances in the climax of the film when the Alien just looks too small in scale in comparison to it's surroundings. But I found so many other redeeming qualities in that film that made up for these less than stellar special effects. And now that you mention it, Ripley's character did seem deeper in
Alien 3. She had this almost biblical undertone of bravely accepting her fate, rather than just trying to run from and/or kill the creature(s).
I still find
Alien 3 (both versions) to be a more interesting than
Aliens, though. Don't get me wrong, Aliens is a remarkable film. In fact, it was that film that began my lifelong love for this whole genre when I saw it as a young lad, but
Alien 3 has just grown on me more over the years.
The original
Alien is the only film that compares, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts, fellas!