I feel like the cut that was released definitely hurt the franchise, had we gotten something closer to the assembly cut on release I believe it would have done fine. As is I think its a fitting end to the original Ripley's arc, nothing in that universe garners a happy ending, in some way the alien represents the cold inescapable vacuum of space and the last dying breath you can't take as you drift into the empty dark. The happiest ending she could get was dragging a queen burster into the molten lead with her as she lost her life.