In 1979, the cult classic Alien kicked off a fan-favorite sci-fi franchise centered on the Xenomorph creatures and the badass action hero Ripley, played by the always wonderful Sigourney Weaver. Since then, there have been a few great sequels and a handful of mediocre ones.
The most recent movie to come out of the franchise, 2024’s Alien: Romulus, promises to usher in a new era for the franchise, which has been faltering since the 1990s. That means this is a great time to rewatch the whole series, taking in what makes each of these movies so beloved by fans. We just did that, which is why we’ve ranked every Alien movie, excluding spin-offs, from worst to best.
7. Alien 3
Alien 3 is inarguably the worst movie in the Alien franchise for two simple reasons. First, the film killed off Newt and Hicks who are, besides Bishop and Ripley, the best characters in the entire franchise. They were both killed offscreen, at the beginning of the film, and for no important reason.
The film is not the worst film in the world though, as it still boasts some harrowing scenes while furthering some of the franchise’s themes around motherhood. Ellen Ripley crash lands on a planet that is also a prison, and she inadvertently brings one of the iconic face-huggers with her. The film ends with her making the ultimate sacrifice, which makes for a pretty dramatic conclusion if this were only a trilogy.
6. Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection takes place 200 years after Alien 3, with a clone of Ellen Ripley, who met her end in the previous film. This installment and Alien 3 are, in truth, about equal in terms of their cinematic quality. The only reason Alien Resurrection edged out Alien 3 is that this movie didn’t kill any great characters.
The movie contains some (perhaps unintentionally) fun moments, such as Ripley’s clone making an excellent basketball shot. Winona Ryder plays a synthetic, and never appears again in the franchise. The film is forgettable, which is kind of unfortunate because one could do a lot with a clone storyline.
5. Alien: Covenant
Alien: Covenant had a big task ahead of it. Be better than Prometheus, the film that revived the franchise, and be better than Alien: Resurrection, which ended the series’ original run on somewhat of a sour note. One out of two ain’t bad, I guess. The film served as a prequel to the original Alien and a sequel to Prometheus. The downfall of Alien: Covenant came from both the fact that it wasn’t a great film and also that it tried to explain the backstory of the Xenomorph’s evolution. The Xenomorphs were interesting creatures, aliens, which stop at nothing to take over everything in their way. Placing David the android in the evolutionary cycle takes some of the mystique of the alien away as well, adding to the film’s poor quality.
4. Prometheus
Prometheus is a good film, albeit not a great Alien film, even though it is packed with lore. The fact that this film strayed away from being an Alien film is a bonus here. We get to see some backstory with the Weyland-Yutani corporation and Peter Weyland’s obsession with immortality. We are introduced to the mysterious aliens dubbed the Engineers, and at the end of the film, we see the first chest-burster. The performances in this film are stellar, and that is why it ranks so highly. Michael Fassbender, who also appeared in Alien: Covenant, is particularly outstanding. Also, this was the first film Ridley Scott returned to direct after Alien. His deft directorial touch helps the film rank higher than its predecessors.
3. Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus is one of the franchise’s strongest entries, balancing nostalgia with fresh ideas. The film’s first half reintroduces the franchise’s sci-fi world, focusing on blue-collar workers fighting deadly threats due to corporate greed. However, it’s in the second half where Romulus truly shines.
As the movie progresses, director and co-writer Fede Álvarez unleashes his deranged energy, finding new ways to play with the canon. Álvarez’s mastery of practical effects creates visceral confrontations and unnervingly realistic deaths. The only thing dragging Romulus down is how it’s too concerned with homage instead of embracing its new ideas. Still, with a talented cast led by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson and its exploration of AI themes, Alien: Romulus breathes new life into the franchise, promising an exciting future for Alien movies.
2. Alien
The one that started it all, Ridley Scott’s Alien is a masterpiece. A crew reports to a distress signal on a planet and brings an alien back to their ship. One by one, the alien picks them off. Starring Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ian Holm, this film is iconic for its great story and great performances. The film is a master of tension, manipulating sound and design in awesome ways to bring the terrifying Xenomorph to life. Out of every film on this list, this is the only one that is a straight science fiction horror film and it is so much better than most of the sequels for that very reason.
1. Aliens
Alien is a horror film. Aliens is an action film and one of the best ones ever made.
Starring Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn and directed by James Cameron, the film adds two things that the first film did not have: more aliens and the 80s. Muscles, guns, and explosions define the film, but the performances by almost every actor, from Carrie Henn, who played Newt, to Bill Paxton, who played Hudson, are also memorable. It’s game over for any other Alien film that might have wanted to take home the top spot.