For me it's close but I go Aliens followed by Predator, for a lot of the same reasons you cite. Ripley meeting the Queen, Bishop getting ripped in half, etc. are similarly great "oh shit" moments that completely stand the test of time in my opinion. Movie has a ton of great quotes as well.
I mainly pick Aliens over Predator because I love the Ripley character and think it's the gold standard for how to portray a good female action hero. Predator is the gold standard of telling everyone to go fuck themselves and producing a unapologetically testosterone fueled action movie.
Good thread,
Screamfeeder
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