Alien | Ranked

Let's rank the Alien movie franchise...

I was always kind of a hater when it came to the Alien franchise. I never saw the mass appeal it brought out of everyone who enjoyed them. So, recently I decided to go back and watch every entry in the Alien franchise, minus the original and AVP: Requiem (I've seen those ones enough times to remember them). Below, you will get my honest rankings of the entire franchise.

As of this writing, Alien: Romulus is in theaters right now. I decided to wait until it releases on streaming to give it a watch and I will add it to this ranking page when I watch it officially.

Enjoy!

8. ALIEN vs. PREDATOR: REQUIEM (2007)

About: Warring Alien and Predator races descend on a rural Colorado town, where unsuspecting residents must band together for any chance of survival.

Analysis: By far the worst in the franchise, let alone one of the worst films ever made. Nothing about this movie entertained me in the slightest. The cast was pretty weak and the story was just terribly written. The Alien-Predator hybrid creature design was okay, but the movie didn't do the unique creature any justice.

SCORE: 1/5

7. ALIEN (1979)

About: After investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin, the crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform.

Analysis: A prominent entry in the franchise, but other than the presence of Sigourney Weaver, the film falls pretty flat all around. The only true memorable moment of the film is the cat and the chestbursting scene. For its time, its a great horror film. I understand the significance it holds with fans, but for me it didn't do much. I do love the use of practical effects, however. You can never go wrong with that.

SCORE: 2.5/5

6. ALIEN 3 (1992)

About: Returning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.

Analysis: David Fincher is a great and creative director, but this is one of his less great additions. It really didn't add much to the franchise for me. Little bit of the same vibe as Aliens, the second entry. The cast is great, the direction is fine, but the writing is a bit weak. Sigourney Weaver's performance and the visuals are great, however.

SCORE: 2.5/5

5. ALIENS (1986)

About: Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.

Analysis: A lot more fun and action packed than the first film, with a great cast and nicer visuals and overall vibe. Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn's performances are great. Definitely liked the fact it had more action than the first film. More to it this time around.

SCORE: 2.5/5

4. ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997)

About: Two centuries after her death, a powerful human/alien hybrid clone of Ellen Ripley aids a crew of space pirates in stopping the aliens from reaching Earth.

Analysis: This entry gets overlooked way too much. It has a great cast, story and the alien designs are clean and more refreshing. This is also my favorite Sigourney Weaver performance of the entire franchise. She's feral, more unique and clever than the rest of the films. It has a ton of action quality and it looks great visually. Underrated.

SCORE: 2.5/5

3. ALIEN: COVENANT (2017)

About: The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.

Analysis: Solid cast, especially Michael Fassbender's performance. It has amazing visuals, creature designs, story, action sequences and has incredible atmosphere.

SCORE: 3/5

2. ALIEN vs. PREDATOR (2004)

About: During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realize that only one species can win.

Analysis: Definitely the most action packed of the franchise, sharing the screen with one of my favorite creatures in film of all time, Predator. A great cast led by a fantastic Sanaa Lathan. Visually great, creature design and performances. There's a ton of nods to the original films. Overall, so so good and one of my favorites of either Alien or Predator franchises, respectively.

SCORE: 3/5

1. PROMETHEUS (2012)

About: Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.

Analysis: Easily the greatest film of the Alien franchise. A great cast, led by Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender. Visually fantastic, an engaging story and I love them explaining the mythology of the Alien creatures. The sound design, atmosphere and cinematography are all phenomenal. It doesn't have the most action sequences of the franchise, but its a lot more story driven, which is what I enjoyed about it. The creature designs, including the 'engineer' design are all great and slick. It's a really good, fun, entertaining entry in the Alien franchise.

SCORE: 4/5

OVERALL ANALYSIS

ALIEN is a pretty solid horror franchise, not my favorite by any means. But I'm glad I got around to seeing the original sequels. The creature designs are great, visually impressive (most of the time), great action sequences spread out, great ensemble casts. Sigourney Weaver makes for one of the most entertaining final girls of all time. Weaver is what really sells the franchise wholeheartedly. She has no wasted presence in any of the films she appears in. I wish she was brought back in some kind of capacity with the franchise she put on the map, with the newer films, but it is what it is. I would recommend the franchise, except AvP: Requiem. You can go ahead and pretend that film doesn't exist. You're welcome.