Alien: Romulus is in theatres worldwide, and this is the perfect time to revisit the preceding movies in the Alien franchise. Beginning from Ridley Scott’s original Alien (1979) and followed by James Cameron’s Aliens (1986), the franchise has had seven instalments, including Romulus but excluding the crossover Alien vs. Predator movies. In this article, we explore the definitive ranking of Alien movies in order, from the best to the worst.
The Alien movies come under the genre of science-fiction horror. The genre takes science-fiction elements and simply makes them creepy. These movies (and shows, books and so on) may feature killer aliens, scary technologies or even the terrifying immensity of our universe.
The reason sci-fi horror movies like Alien are so effective in scaring the daylights out of us is because they tap into our deep-seated fears of what could potentially be a reality one day. Ghosts or zombies do not exist, but outer space may have some unspeakable horrors in store for us that we might come face-to-face in the near future. Many people around the world claim to have encountered UFOs or aliens.
Typically speaking, Alien movies feature protagonists getting hunted by one or more deadly alien species Xenomorph in the close confines of a spaceship or space station. This is a formulaic yet effective setup that helps create tension and dread. The Xenomorph is a nearly indestructible movie monster whose sole purpose is to perpetuate its species. Its skin is armoured and if you do succeed in penetrating it, the corrosive blood destroys any surface it touches. Fighting a Xenomorph is thus a lose-lose situation. It is because of Xenomorph and its distinctive design that the Alien movies can also be called monster movies.
Note: The movies are ranked according to their IMDb ratings in order of the best to the worst. Also, since these movies are set in the same universe, they feature many of the same characters and follow each other, there will inevitably be spoilers.
Best of Alien movies in order of quality: A definitive guide to the Xenomorph saga
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Alien (1979)
IMDb rating: 8.5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93 per cent
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm
Movie duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Synopsis: In a future where space travel is common, the crew of a commercial spacecraft called Nostromo receives a distress signal from a nearby planet and lands to investigate. Captain Dallas (Skerritt) and Kane (Hurt) head out to find the source of the signal. They inadvertently let a fearsome extraterrestrial entity, Xenomorph or the titular Alien, aboard. It breeds through Facehuggers, spider-like creatures that emerge from its eggs and attach themselves to human faces. As the crew is hunted one by one, only Ellen Ripley (Weaver) appears to have what it takes to take on the Xenomorph.
Why it’s great: “In space, no one can hear you scream”. This was the eerie tagline of Alien. While it promised relentless scares, it was in fact a much more slow-burn horror that rewards your patience. And oh boy, when the Xenomorph is finally unleashed it gets utterly, utterly terrifying quickly. The movie has aged astonishingly well. Also, it gave us Ripley, one of cinema’s most iconic characters.
Aliens (1986)
IMDb rating: 8.4
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94 per cent
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn
Movie duration: 2 hours 17 minutes
Synopsis: Ellen Ripley (Weaver) is the sole survivor of the Nostromo incident (which happened in Alien). The planet where she and other crew members found the Xenomorph is now being terraformed. When the contact is lost from the colony, she is asked to accompany another crew. She agrees, but only on the condition that whatever Xenomorph(s) they encounter will be destroyed. When they reach the planet, there appears to be only one survivor, a young girl called Newt (Henn). Lo and behold, Ripley is engaged in another battle against the alien creatures.
Why it’s great: Aliens is more action-focused compared to the more horror-driven original, and yet, it is not at all short in thrills and chills. The Xenomorph is still a killing machine whose only aim is to reproduce. Cameron masterfully ramps up the tension and as is common with his movies, the special effects look great even today.
Prometheus (2012)
IMDb rating: 7
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 73 per cent
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron
Movie duration: 2 hours 4 minutes
Synopsis: A prequel to Alien (1979), Prometheus is set in 2093 and follows a group of scientists and explorers. They embark on a journey to a distant moon to find clues to the origins of humankind on the titular spacecraft and Engineers who are believed to be the creators of humanity. The crew includes archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Marshall-Green), Captain Janek (Elba), android David (Fassbender) and Weyland Corporation representative Meredith Vickers (Theron). As they investigate, they inadvertently awaken a dark force that is a danger not only to them but also to all life on Earth.
Why it’s great: It took the return of the franchise’s progenitor Ridley Scott to infuse new life into these movies. A visually stunning sequel, it features awe-inspiring vistas and yet does not forget to craft the familiar cramped scenes showing Xenomorph stalking its helpless victims.
Alien 3 (1992)
IMDb rating: 6.4
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 44 per cent
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance
Movie duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
Synopsis: After the events of Aliens, the ship carrying Ripley (Weaver) crash-lands on Fiorina “Fury” 161, a maximum-security prison planet. Unbeknownst to her, an alien egg was also on board, and once again, Ripley must once again confront her nemesis, along with prison inmates. Only this time, she has no weapons, and the only faint hope for escape is a rescue ship for her by Weyland-Yutani.
Why it’s great: This movie has infamously been disowned by its director, the great Fincher who went on to direct acclaimed movies such as the murder mystery movie Se7en (1995), crime actioner Fight Club (1999) and psychological thriller Zodiac (2007). Yet, there is a lot to like about it. Its atmosphere is creepy like the first two movies but in a unique way. Fincher’s stamp is noticeable in the movie’s visuals and suspenseful scenes.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
IMDb rating: 6.4
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 65 per cent
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride
Movie duration: 2 hours 2 minutes
Synopsis: A direct sequel to Prometheus, this movie is about the crew of a colony spacecraft Covenant tasked with establishing a human based on a remote planet by terraforming it. The crew includes Daniels (Waterston), Christopher Oram (Crudup) and android Walter One (Fassbender), who is identical in appearance to David (the android character from Prometheus, also played by Fassbender). Despite Daniels’ protests, they divert their course after receiving a transmission from another planet, believing it is more suitable. Not surprisingly, they find themselves in the fight for their lives as they are hunted by the Xenomorph.
Why it’s great: While Prometheus was more philosophical, Covenant brings the franchise back to its horror roots. The atmosphere is both hauntingly beautiful and viscerally terrifying.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
IMDb rating: 6.2
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 55 per cent
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Michael Wincott
Movie duration: 1 hour 49 minutes
Synopsis: This is where it gets weirder. At the end of Alien 3, Ripley (Weaver) sacrifices herself to destroy the infant Xenomorph queen and to defy Weyland–Yutani’s plans to use the aliens as biological weapons. In Resurrection, she is, well, resurrected. Two hundred years after her death, Ripley comes to life in the form of a clone called Ripley 8. She was cloned by military scientists to extract the Xenomorph embryo. However, Ripley 8 is a human-Xenomorph hybrid. As she comes to terms with her nature, she must help a group of space smugglers, including Annalee Call (Ryder) and Ron Johner (Perlman), to stop a terrifying new Xenomorph species from being unleashed on Earth.
Why it’s great: It is not, to be honest. Not letting Ripley die and making space for new heroes or heroines is only one of its many failings. Yet, it has redeeming qualities. Weaver is, as always, awesome in the role of Ripley. The set design and visuals are also pretty swell.
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox/ IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Since technically, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is an alien invasion movie, it remains the highest-grossing movie in the genre. It has collected USD 2.08 billion worldwide.
Two alien movies featuring shocking plot twists include ‘Arrival’ (2016) and ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014).
A few good alien documentaries include ‘Mirage Men’ (2013), 'Ariel Phenomenon' (2022) and 'The Phenomenon' (2020).
It depends on the nature of the movie, but none of the movies in the 'Alien' franchise are suitable for kids. They are all rated R because of violence and gore.
Every 'Alien' movie falls under the sci-fi genre, but the best movies in the franchise are still the first two: 'Alien' (1979) and 'Aliens' (1986).
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Kshitij is a journalism graduate who did not initially intend to become a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. Now, Kshitij is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild, bringing expertise and experience in evaluating entertainment content with him. Additionally, he serves as a jury member on the Critics' Choice Awards in India. When he's not busy wielding words, catch him nose-deep in books or joyfully lost in the realms of gaming and photography.
