Every Alien Movie, Ranked

Summary

• Alien, the legendary movie series, influenced all sci-fi with aliens, including Metroid, Predator, and Dead Space.
• Ranking the Alien movies: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem struggled with dark lighting, a sloppy script, and lackluster execution.
• Alien 3 disappointed fans with a weak plot, lack of powerful narrative, and unlikable characters; not the strongest entry.

Without Alien, we wouldn't have a lot of things. We wouldn't have Metroid, Predator, or Dead Space. We certainly wouldn't be able to jestfully proclaim "Game over, man" when we burn the pot roast. To be honest, any piece of sci-fi with a strong alien presence is influenced by this legendary movie series, with its iconic Xenomorph creature and protagonist Ellen Ripley.

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Like all series, though, the Alien movies have had ups, downs, and awkward moments that are neither here nor there. If you've been living under a rock and haven't seen any Alien movies, or you're simply choosing which one to re-watch, here's our official ranking of all the Alien movies.

Updated on August 25, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: With the release of Fede Álvarez's 2024 entry, Alien: Romulus, it's finally time to add it here and give this list a much-needed upgrade for all fans of the series to enjoy. On top of Romulus, we've also added the two Alien vs. Predator movies from the 2000s to provide a better account of each film's standings.

Spoilers for movies within the Alien series, including Alien: Romulus, are discussed below.

9 Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

A Sequel That Went Overboard With The Use Of Dark Environments

While Alien vs. Predator started as a crossover line of comics by Dark Horse, it seems the sequel film's crew took the 'Dark' aspect way too literally. Requiem is made with purposefully very, very dark lighting and the film suffers from it; the sewers, woods, spaceship scenes, and then when the power outage comes, you'll sometimes find it hard to see anything happening in a scene. The camera work is awful and the Predators and Xenomorphs will blend into the pitch-dark background.

Picking up from the first movie's events, the Predator ship crashes into Gunnison, Colorado. The Xenomorph-Yautja hybrid 'Predalien' escapes to wreak havoc on the town, with the Predator on the hunt. It's an interesting concept to take the conflict from outer space to a small town in the US, but the script's own ambitions ultimately brought down the execution.

The acting and plot also carry a 2000s slasher movie vibe reminiscent of Freddy vs. Jason or Rob Zombie's Halloween installments rather than being a very focused AVP film, which indeed was a sign of the times. Requiem certainly won't be your favorite Alien, or Predator movie, for that matter, which is a shameful waste of the Predalien Xenomorph concept.

8 Alien 3 (1992)

A Prisoner Of Its Own Flaws

When a director retrospectively disowns their movie, you know things are bad. Alien 3 was released in 1992 as a direct sequel to Aliens (1986), with Sigourney Weaver returning as the series' Xenomorph-busting matriarch, Ellen Ripley. The film was reviewed poorly and director David Fincher publicly distanced himself from it.

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Alien 3 sees an escape pod containing Ripley, Newt, and Lt. Hicks crash land on Fiorina "Fury" 161, a baron, volatile planet home to an abandoned prison. The prison's remaining inhabitants discover Ripley and take her in, only to find that an Alien lifeform had managed to board her escape pod. A fully grown Xenomorph soon appears, putting the lives of Ripley and the inmates at risk.

While this film's predecessors champion either action or horror, Alien 3 dithers in the middle of those two genres, resulting in a damp squib that doesn't make use of the series' powerful narrative strands in any way. Ripley isn't powerful or inspiring like she was in the previous movies, and the supporting cast doesn't bring enough to the table to salvage this movie's weak plot.

7 Alien Vs. Predator (2004)

An Entertaining, Action-Packed Crossover Ride From Paul W.S. Anderson

Despite what the critics have to say, the first Alien vs. Predator movie from 2004 remains an iconic and memorable entry that sees the two extraterrestrial 20th Century Fox (now Disney) characters crossing over on the big screen. Even today, you might still recall most of the action sequences, visceral and atmospheric pyramid chamber environments, key plot points, and the Antarctic team-up against the Xenos between humans and the Predator species.

Although Lance Henriksen makes a confusing return to the franchise as Charles Bishop Weyland, who leads the expedition into the ancient pyramid, you have another excellent female protagonist in Sanaa Lathan's Lex Woods. The action is great, the archeology mysteries and lore are a fun concept, the premise of Predators using a hunting ground for Aliens is brilliant, and the finale is an epic battle between a Yautja and a Xenomorph Queen.

6 Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Too Hollywood For Its Own Good

While Alien 3 tried (and failed) to be edgy and nuanced, Alien: Resurrection went all out Hollywood with a star-studded cast, corny script, and unnecessary amounts of gore. While its plot is innovative and interesting, the execution simply isn't there, leading to a movie that lacks the style and atmosphere of other entries in the series.

Alien: Resurrection is set 220 years after the events of Alien 3. Military scientists have cloned Ellen Ripley and extracted an alien queen embryo from her body, using human hosts to breed new Xenomorphs for research purposes. When the Xenomorphs escape their enclosures, all hell breaks loose on the ship and the human-alien hybrid clone, Ripley 8, must join forces with a team of mercenaries to save the day.

Despite some memorable sequences and decent performances from Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman, Alien: Resurrection's trigger-happy approach is cheesy at times, and the lack of any real tension, atmosphere, or build-up made this a painfully basic sci-fi action that deserved better.

5 Alien: Romulus (2024)

A Perfect Mish-Mash Of Moments And Story Beats From The Previous Films

If you're left feeling conflicted about Alien: Romulus, you're not alone. The movie starts with a fresh and engaging plot but quickly takes a nosedive into the series' greatest hits, with numerous callbacks and homages to iconic quotes, scenes, story beats, and even the posthumous return of Ian Holm in questionable CGI as Rook, the synthetic science officer aboard the station. The ending is also predictable and directly copies the first movie, only with a different, more horrifying human-hybrid creature called the 'Offspring,' which still harkens back to Resurrection.

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Aside from David Jonsson's android character, Andy, and Cailee Spaeny's protagonist, Rain, all the other characters have little to no development and aren't even likable to get attached to, and you might not even recall their names by the end, just how they died. The setting and Xenomorphs are also very underutilized, and it's not an Alien: Isolation (or even horror-mystery) experience, despite its inspirations.

The sequences with Facehuggers and the zero-gravity acid-dodge moment stole the show. The direct connections to the original and Prometheus were cleverly woven. But by the end, it just leaves you craving a sequel to Covenant and seeing what David has been up to in the lead-up to the first film.

4 Alien: Covenant (2017)

Fassbender Vs. The World

Anticipation for Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant was sky-high after Prometheus filled fans with confusion about the future of the series' narrative. While Covenant didn't quite meet expectations and only further set up room for a sequel, its shortcomings are balanced by great scares and a monumental Michael Fassbender performance.

The human colony ship, Covenant, is on course for its destination when it receives a transmission from a nearby planet. Covenant's synthetic human, Walter (Fassbender), awakens the crew from cryostasis, and they land on the mysterious planet to investigate. The crew explores the seemingly habitable planet and follows the transmission to a crashed alien ship, where, you guessed it, all hell breaks loose.

Fassbender's dual synthetic role as both Walter and the antagonist David makes for a pretty entertaining watch that continues the more sinister atmosphere of Prometheus whilst cranking up the horror and gore. That said, Covenant retreads a lot of old ground and its lack of innovation makes it feel stale and predictable at times.

3 Prometheus (2012)

A Brilliantly Thought-Provoking Prequel

With Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection proving to be mediocre installments in the Alien series, fans were excited to have its originator, Ridley Scott, work on a prequel to his 1979 masterpiece, Alien. And while Prometheus wasn't what many were expecting, it lassoed the series back to its dark, stylish, and suspenseful roots.

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Prometheus stars Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, an archaeologist who is part of the Prometheus expedition to follow a star map believed to be an 'invitation' to meet humanity's creators. The Prometheus ship lands on the baron planet LV-223 to discover large structures and evidence of Engineers - humanoid creatures who may have created the human race. Before long, the Prometheus crew learns that they may have dug too deep, as bioweapons forged by the Engineers start to pick them off one by one.

Prometheus has a complex plot and an unpredictable third-act twist that may require a couple of viewings to appreciate, but its stunning visuals and art direction keep you hooked while you suss it all out. Captivating performances by Rapace and Michael Fassbender also add to the film's charm, which is underpinned by Ridley Scott's expert direction.

2 Aliens (1986)

"The B*tch Is Back"

Aliens takes the tension and subtlety of Alien and blows it apart with a pulse rifle. But despite the bullets and explosions, it somehow retains the dark and irresistible vibe of the original. It's action-packed, stylish, and simply iconic.

57 years after the events of Alien, Ellen Ripley is found in an escape pod by her employers, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. She summarizes the events of the first movie but is convinced to return to the planet where she discovered the alien, after being told contact with its human colony has been lost. Ripley accompanies a group of battle-hardened marines to find the colony has become a nest full of Xenomorphs, leading to a rescue operation with a cortisol-raising number of twists and turns.

Taking on a sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) was a tall order, but James Cameron hit the ball out of the park with this movie, which many would argue deserves the top spot on this list.

1 Alien (1979)

In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream

The original isn't always the best, but in the case of the Alien movies, Ridley Scott's inaugural sci-fi outing has proven impossible to beat. Alien defined the sci-fi horror genre through a near-perfect film that was way ahead of its time, using the nightmarish artwork of H.R. Giger to create the terrifying Xenomorph that acts as the film's antagonist.

Starring the formidable Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley, Alien follows the crew of the commercial space freighter Nostromo as they investigate a distress call from a nearby planet. Whilst investigating the planet, one of the crew members becomes a living host for an alien embryo which later bursts out of their chest and grows to full size within a few hours, and then proceeds to hunt the crew one by one as they scramble to survive.

There are no pulse rifles or grenades here, just a crew of space-age couriers trying to outsmart a superior organism with acid for blood. Alien excels through its creation of tension and dread; the sound, lighting, and set design create a sense of claustrophobia that can be felt long after the movie's 116-minute run time — something that no other sci-fi horror has emulated to the same degree. If you want to watch the definitive Alien movie, watch this one.

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