The Alien franchise has been a fascinating way to look at the past 45 years of Hollywood blockbusters. The first film was directed by an up-and-coming auteur who remains a prolific filmmaker decades later. In between, we got sequels that ranged from great to terrible.
Now, as we prepare for Alien‘s first appearance on TV, let’s look back at every movie in this franchise. Some are better than others. However, that doesn’t mean we all agree on where each of them should wind up.
9. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
An all-time low for both of these franchises, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem was schlock designed only for the basest among us. The movie, which follows a group of small-towners who get caught in the middle of an unfolding war, seems designed to make fans of these franchises angry.
Alien and Predator are both proudly sci-fi movies, but Requiem seems to suggest that the people who like those things don’t deserve to have good movies. This movie is not worth your time, even if you’re a completionist.
You can watch Alien vs. Predator: Requiem on Hulu.
8. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
A movie that’s exactly as serious as the title makes it sound, Alien vs. Predator exists to fulfill the desire of every boy who ever rammed their xenomorph action figure into their predator action figure.
Although there might be some minute satisfaction in the titular battle, the human characters here uniformly fail to register as interesting. Plus, the fighting is not good. This is a mashup of two universes that everyone has happily forgotten all about.
You can watch Alien vs. Predator on Hulu.
7. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
The last Alien movie to feature Ripley is also the weakest by a considerable margin. Resurrection has a couple of interesting ideas and a cast that includes some great actors, but on the whole, it’s a movie in search of a purpose beyond continuing a saga that peaked a decade ago.
This entry is also pretty disconnected from the lore that defined so much of the series, as it focuses on a distant future in which Weyland-Utani has long since ceased to exist, and the defining conflict is about whether Ripley even likes humanity anymore.
You can watch Alien: Resurrection on Hulu.
6. Alien: Romulus (2024)
The most recent Alien film, Romulus, is a pretty solid Alien movie. The issues with this installment primarily stem from its insistence on linking back to the original Alien, as it is set in a time that is nearly contemporaneous with it. What the movie has going for it, though, are some genuinely gross ideas, as well as a compelling young cast of actors who are not movie stars yet.
In particular, Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson are excellent in wildly different roles. Jonsson is asked to do more and fully lives up to the challenge, and Spaeny proves that she can be a steely heroine in the mold of Ripley.
You can watch Alien: Romulus on Hulu.
5. Prometheus (2012)
Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien franchise after decades away received some mocking when it hit theaters, and not unjustifiably. This prequel, which does not really even include a xenomorph, instead tells the story of a science crew who believe they have discovered the origins of humanity.
As the crew attempts to meet their makers, they begin to realize that their mission won’t be as beautiful or peaceful as they might have imagined. While Prometheus features some dumb action sequences, it has a great cast, and its philosophizing about what it would be like to meet God might make it the headiest movie in this franchise.
You can watch Prometheus on Hulu.
4. Alien 3 (1992)
David Fincher is one of the best directors to ever touch this franchise, and while he largely disowns this movie, there’s plenty to recommend about Alien 3. While it doesn’t stand up to the first two, this third installment is almost shockingly brutal, reminding us that Ellen Ripley is a character who seems almost destined to suffer.
This time, she finds herself in an all-male prison colony and realizes that she brought an alien with her. While some of the effects are a little dodgy, the cast is impeccable, and the result is a film that is far better than its reputation would suggest.
You can watch Alien 3 on Hulu.
3. Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien: Covenant was, on the whole, a more successful balancing of the elements that make an Alien movie great than its predecessor. Not since the original has an Alien movie captured what makes the franchise great.
The film follows a group of space colonists who meet David, the AI who survived the Prometheus. Michael Fassbender is remarkable at the center of this movie, playing two different androids, but just as crucially, Covenant finds innovative ways to get us to the xenomorph, who finally shows up in this second prequel installment.
You can watch Alien: Covenant on Hulu.
2. Aliens (1986)
The top two entries on this list were basically guaranteed. The first two Alien movies are the best in the franchise, and there’s a sizable gap between them and the field. Aliens and Alien are excellent, so choosing the better of the two is genuinely difficult.
Aliens, James Cameron’s action-oriented sequel to the original film, follows a group of space marines who come face to face with the xenomorph and quickly come to understand just how outmatched they are. Aliens is a more hopeful story than Alien, and one that gives Ripley more agency. Sigourney Weaver is (unsurprisingly) incredible as a traumatized Ripley trying to save those around her.
You can watch Aliens on Hulu.
1. Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s very first Alien movie is the reason this is a franchise in the first place. The film tells the story of a working-class space crew as they encounter an alien force that seems designed to kill. The horrors at the center of Alien are indelible, but part of what makes the movie so remarkable is the way it balances one particular story with a sense of a much broader universe.
There’s so much packed into Alien, and while it adheres to the conventions of a typical horror movie, Alien is also a movie about corporate indifference, artificial intelligence, and humanity’s desire to expand the scope of our influence.
You can watch Alien on Hulu.
