Alien Movies Ranked Worst to Best
In space, no one can hear you scream. But your neighbours might hear you holler out in terror if you jump from your seat when watching a scary moment from one of the Alien movies.
They might also hear you scream if you’re madder than a Face Hugger after watching a disappointing entry in the long-running franchise!
For this article, we have ranked every Alien movie from worst to best. Do you agree with this list? Or would you order them differently? Feel free to scream…erm…respond politely in the comments below if you want to get something (preferably not a baby alien) off your chest.
#9: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem should have been brilliant. For starters, its premise—warring Aliens and Predators go to war in a rural town—is brimming with potential.
Then there’s the fact that the Strause Brothers, the movie’s directors, decided to turn the movie into an R-rated splatterfest, which must have been good news for those disappointed by the PG-13 antics of the first Alien vs. Predator movie.
Sadly, the movie was a massive disappointment. Sure, it had some decent special effects and lots of bloody carnage. But as it was largely shot in the dark, it was very difficult to see what was happening on the screen.
The story was pretty bland too, catering more towards gore-loving 13-year-old boys (who would have been too young to see the movie) rather than die-hard fans of the Alien franchise who wanted a modicum of intelligence from the writing.
#8: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Paul Thomas Anderson isn’t a director many people would equate with quality movie-making (Resident Evil and Monster Hunter are evidence of this) but people were still pretty pumped about the first Alien vs. Predator movie when it was initially announced.
The opportunity to see two sci-fi horror legends battling it out on the screen was a fanboy’s dream, so it’s little wonder that many folks were excited to see it.
Unfortunately, the movie lived up to its tagline – “Whoever wins, we lose.” There was some fun to be had watching the two alien species squaring up to one another, but with a distinct lack of scares and gore (due to the aforementioned PG-13 rating) and an awful backstory explaining the Predator’s reason for their ‘hunting games’, it’s little wonder the film fared badly with both critics and cinemagoers alike.
#7: Alien: Resurrection (1997)
French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet is responsible for some brilliant movies, with Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children being among them. But his entry in the Alien franchise isn’t well-regarded, due to his trademark humorous style that undermines the scares that people wanted from the movie.
The cloning plot that saw Ripley return to the franchise, despite being killed off in Alien³, also irked many. But with all that being said, the movie isn’t as disposable as some have suggested, due to some excellent special effects and an exciting underwater chase sequence that ranks as one of the best moments in the series.
#6: Alien³ (1992)
Alien³ was plagued with production problems but debuting director David Fincher still managed to deliver a decent movie, even though he didn’t have many kind words to say about it following its release.
In this one, Ripley crashes into a prison planet and leads the inmates into battle against the alien Xenomorph, who was the unwelcome passenger on her ship.
Despite the exciting premise, Fincher foregoes the action heroics of James Cameron’s Aliens and focuses instead on creating a dark and bleak atmosphere that evokes a palpable feeling of dread as we sit through the movie.
The theatrical cut of Alien³ is fine but for the best possible viewing experience, we recommend The Assembly Cut which expands on and improves the overall story.
#5: Alien: Romulus (2024)
This latest entry in the franchise hasn’t pleased many people, with our own Greg Wheeler calling it a “cheap, chewy knock-off” in his review.
Directed by Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe), the movie is set between Alien and Aliens and tells the story of a group of young colonists who find themselves at the mercy of Facehuggers and Xenomorphs when they enter an abandoned space station.
Not every critic has hated on the movie, so it’s worth going in with an open mind when you sit down to watch it. It’s certainly spectacular and it has a handful of kick-ass moments.
But you might want to lower your expectations a little if you’re expecting something as dark and suspenseful as the first movie in the franchise.
#4: Alien: Covenant (2017)
Ridley Scott’s follow-up to Prometheus just about delivers on the visual front but the complicated script and alien backstory didn’t please some members of the audience when it was first released.
The movie continues the story of David (Michael Fassbender), the synthetic android from Prometheus, who meets his duplicate Walter (a far more friendlier android, also played by Fassbender) and a new cast of space travellers.
Despite being directed by Scott, the mastermind behind the 1979 franchise starter, the movie isn’t as tense or atmospheric. But it’s still worth a watch for horror fans who will get a morbid kick from watching the movie’s space crew get picked off one by one by the alien menace.
#3: Prometheus (2012)
33 years after he directed Alien, Ridley Scott returned to the franchise with Prometheus, a prequel to the 1979 film which tells the story of a husband and wife team who discover the origin of the first movie’s “Space Jockey” alien when looking for clues about the origins of mankind.
Prometheus divided critics upon release, with some taking issue with the fact that it wasn’t as scary as Scott’s earlier movie. This criticism still holds up but while it’s not a full-blown horror movie, there is plenty to enjoy with this one, thanks to the spectacular visuals, starry cast (Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace), and thought-provoking ‘gods in space’ storyline.
#2: Aliens (1986)
Alien was a masterclass in all-out terror. James Cameron’s sequel, set 50 years after the events of its predecessor, moves away from the original’s ‘haunted house in space’ premise and delivers instead a sci-fi action spectacle with lots of gloopy gore and some kick-ass battle scenes.
After a supporting (though still pivotal) role in the first movie, Ripley takes centre stage in this sequel. She journeys with a group of space marines to an alien-infested mining colony and comes face to face with the iconic Alien Queen in one of the best scenes of the movie (and the franchise).
#1: Alien (1979)
The movie that started it all is still the best of the bunch, thanks to some incredible setpieces (the sudden appearance of the Chest Burster; the final battle between Ripley and the alien), Ridley Scott’s impressive camerawork which expertly ratchets up the tension as he explores the dark shadows of the Nostromo, and the excellent alien effects that were considered groundbreaking at the time.
Alien still stands as the best sci-fi horror movie ever made. It has been much imitated – Event Horizon (1997), Life (2017), the terrible Galaxy of Terror (1981) – but nobody has captured the claustrophobic terror that Scott created for this intense nerve-shredder that still has the power to frighten audiences today.
Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know in the comments below.