PLOT OUTLINE: (from a review at the IMDB -
http://us.imdb.com/Plot?0103644 )
Despite the efforts of Ripley and the space marines in the film Aliens, an embryonic alien infiltrates the starship. It accidentally triggers the ship's emergency systems, dropping the escape capsule to the surface of a nearby planet. Ripley finds herself in a prison colony peopled by a religious cult composed of former murderers and rapists. Meanwhile, the alien has managed to grow into a new and deadly form, and is picking off the weaponless prisoners. Ripley soon discovers, much to her horror, that the real danger is much more personal...
__________________________
I saw this as an attempt to get back to the original premise of "Alien" with just one Alien doing the damage, but still almost unstoppable by the unarmed prisoners and Ripley. If there'd been just one gun kept for emergencies, it could have been a short film as Ripley would have known what to do
The alien being born from a dog was a nice twist, which gave it some different abilities...