The Alien movie franchise is one of the rare franchises that has few bad movies. Alien began in 1979 with Ridley Scott’s excellent Alien and has continued on to this day. There have been a host of big-name directors helming Alien titles from James Cameron to David Fincher.

The Alien movie franchise does have some low points, specifically the Alien vs Predator films. Those two films are not included in this list as they fall into the crossover category rather than a franchise. Also, they are just bad and would inevitably round out the bottom of this list. The proper Alien movies have pushed cinema forward and most of them are still worth watching today.

Alien 3: The Worst Alien Movie

1992’s Alien 3 is the worst film in the franchise. Just ask famed director David Fincher. Fincher hates this film and his experience working on it so much he rarely ever mentions it in interviews. He couldn’t even be bothered to return for a director’s cut, instead allowing the rest of the film team to work on an “assembly cut.”

While Alien 3 is the worst in the franchise, it isn’t necessarily a bad movie. There are some really fun moments and imagery that have become synonymous with the Alien franchise. Alien 3 just fails to live up to the other great entries in the franchise.

Alien Resurrection: A Bizzare End to Ripley’s Story

Alien Resurrection was released in 1997 and is the last Alien movie to feature Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. Ripley had become the backbone of the series and after her death at the end of Alien 3, audiences weren’t sure where the franchise would go without her. The answer was two hundred years in the future with Sigourney Weaver returning as a clone of Ellen Ripley.

Alien Resurrection isn’t so much bad as it is bizarre. In 1997 studios were still figuring out CGI technology and the film suffers from underwhelming CGI sequences. Still, Alien Resurrection boasts some memorable characters and an amazing underwater sequence. Alien Resurrection is worth a revisit, even if it does get a little bonkers at the end.

Prometheus: A Controversial Alien Movie

Prometheus is one of the more controversial films in the Alien movie franchise. The film is loved by many and hated by some. Prometheus is not a bad movie, not even a bad Alien movie, but it misses a few key ingredients that make the franchise so special.

As a film, Prometheus is very good. It has a strong cast, a great villain, and beautifully realized themes of creators turning on their creations. But as an Alien movie, it feels wildly out of place. Each film in the franchise is riddled with subtext of isolation or motherhood just underneath the surface of a survival horror film. Prometheus is almost entirely subtext with very little in the way of action or horror. It’s still a great film, but not as great as others in the franchise.

Alien Covenant: Ridley Scott’s Super Fun Alien Prequel

Alien Covenant is a direct sequel to Prometheus and feels like an answer to complaints audiences had with the first. Prometheus was light on aliens but heavy on subtext. Alien Covenant retains the grandiose themes but adds in great sequences of action and terror.

Alien Covenant balances action, horror, and mythological themes perfectly. Prometheus can oftentimes feel like a history lesson but here we get both the lesson and the fun of an Alien movie. The first battle scene in the dark between humans and a small xenomorph is one of the more exciting in the series and the rest of the film is carried by Michael Fassbenders perfect dual performance.

Alien Romulus: The Newest and Wildest Entry in the Alien Franchise

Alien Romulus just released in the summer of 2024 but is already making waves around the industry. The film stars Cailee Spaeny as a corporate slave desperate to leave her sunless planet. She and a group of friends attempt a heist and end up on a ship infested with facehuggers and Xenomorphs.

Fede Alvarez took over directing duties for this franchise and his signature style can be seen throughout. There are scenes of brutal body horror, tense terror, and a contained script that never overstays its welcome. Alien Romulus is a welcome addition to the Alien movie franchise and the type of entry we hope to see more of.

Aliens: James Cameron’s Alien Movie Masterpiece

Aliens takes the setting and characters from the original film and turns it into an epic action adventure. The film follows Ripley almost sixty years after her nightmare on the Nostromo. She has been asleep in stasis this entire time and is now tasked with visiting a human colony on the dangerous planet where the first Xenomorph was found.

Aliens deals with themes of survivor guilt and motherhood all wrapped in a slick 80s action flick. The movie also plays with audiences’ expectations of heroes, giving Ripley the spotlight as the heroine who saves the day. Aliens is a classic film and one that works just as well today as it did in 1986.

Alien: A New Wave of Horror Films

One of the biggest arguments in cinema is which Alien film is better. Alien or Aliens. Both films are masterpieces in their own right but Ridley Scott’s original film is our pick for the best in the series.

Alien takes place on a small ship called the Nostromo. A crew of space truckers are forced to land on a strange planet and inadvertently bring back a deadly unknown alien being. The true alien though is also the secretive Ash, an android placed on the Nostromo whose only motivation is to help the company. Not the humans on board.

Alien is a masterpiece of a film. The movie is scary, well-acted, and littered with subtext throughout. The staying power of Alien is a true testament to how amazing this film was in 1979 and still is today. There have been numerous sequels and the franchise continues today but the original Alien movie is still our favorite in the franchise.