Ever since Ridley Scott’s, ‘Alien: Covenant’ hit cinemas across the globe, the franchise once again has exploded on social media, Reddit and other tv and film broadcasting websites.
Let’s face it. The Alien franchise is something you either love or hate but there are a few on the FIB team who are totally invested in it, including this person right here! Those who are die-hard fans like myself would have noticed that there are a lot of films in this series and range from ‘must-see-again’ to ‘down-right box office flops’.
And if you’re a late bloomer to this sci-fi horror cult, it can be a little daunting to consider which films of the series are worth watching. So, to make things easier for you, FIB has compiled a list of the best and worst of the Alien films and in the ‘timeline’ of the Alien franchise.
Also, we will not be including the ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ films due to conflicting timelines with Prometheus and the recent release of Alien: Covenant. Whether you want to watch this universe is up to you… but why bother? They’re not that interesting!
Warning: There will be spoilers and mentions of gore!
‘Prometheus’ (2012) – Year 2091-93:
Ridley Scott, who directed the original Alien in 1979 returned to the franchise to make a prequel. In this movie, several scientists voyage to moon LV-223 on The USCSS Prometheus in search of ‘The Engineers’, their supposed creators. Ellen Ripley, protagonist of the first Alien films, was born a year before. Although Prometheus may not have been the Alien prequel fans wanted, Scott managed to create his desired prequel… with a few plot holes and plenty of unanswered questions. The visuals of the film are stunning and you are immediately drawn into the unforgiving world of Prometheus. Although being classified as a sci-fi and horror film, the entire thing feels like a philosophical journey based on Greek myth and the search for immortality. We never really find out how, or why the Engineers came to be and the lack of answers is undeniably frustrating. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most watched sci-fi film to date.
‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017) – Year 2103
This is probably the most violent and graphic out of all the Alien films. It doesn’t help that the majority of the characters in this movie are couples. If you’re not into gore, we suggest you clear your browser history, close your laptop and make yourself a cup of tea. The latest release, also directed by Scott Ridley is set 10 years after the events of Prometheus and aboard the colony ship, Covenant. The crew discovers what they believe to be an unexplored and sustainable paradise. Yeah, we all know how this works in horror films. Without going into too much detail, critics are unable to define whether this is a good movie or not. Scott taps into the mythological creation he’s so set on portraying while combining the horror that seemed to be lacking in Prometheus. As a result, Alien: Covenant feels like two movies compressed into one. An unusual combination but we can give him credit for taking fans into consideration and re-introducing Michael Fassbender’s ‘David’.
‘Alien’ (1979) – Year 2122
The first Alien film and if you had to pick one to watch, it would be this one! Not only is it considered a cult science fiction film, it’s probably one of the best films of all time. Impeccable, well paced, great characterisation combined with dread and horror – Ridley Scott you done it right! This is exactly what you should classify as a sci-fi/horror film. The film follows Ellen Ripley and her colleagues responding to a distress call where they come across the first Alien that picks each and everyone of them while growing into more terrifying forms. The film shifts between horrific situations and surrealism but never loses its sense of logic or realism. The cast includes names like Tom Skerrit, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt but most of all, Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the woman who would become the face of the Alien franchise. For decades, Weaver has been idolised for her performance alone, revolutionising depictions of a typical female hero and praised not for ‘purity’ but strength, intelligence, adaptability and capability of survival. If you want to start with the Alien franchise, start with the original! Five stars from us!
‘Aliens’ (1986) – Year 2179
It’s difficult to choose between the first and second movie. We suppose it’s a matter of preference as they’re both fantastic in their own way. Ripley is found in space after being in stasis for 57 years. In the same movie, we’re introduced to characters like Corporal Hicks and “Newt”. Together, not only do they battle one Alien, they face off an entire colony! Like the first film, it’s superb in terms of plot line, cinematic flow and characters. What’s certain that Aliens is a sci-fi masterpiece. Coming off the success of The Terminator, James Cameron takes the reign of director for the Alien franchise. He answered questions from the first film by fleshing out the ‘Aliens’ universe, and makes it more terrifying than ever. He gives them a culture, intelligence along with their desire to kill. Throw in a military trope and voila! What more can you want in horror film! With a second film like Aliens, today’s sequels dim in comparison.
‘Alien III’ (1992) – Year 2179
David Fincher’s take on the third film is somewhat controversial. The unit 2650 in which Ripley, Newt and Hicks escape, crash lands on Fiorina ‘Fury’ 261 prison facility, killing Hicks and Newt in the process. Ripley along with a society of religious male inmates take on her extraterrestrial foe once again. At the end of the film, Ripley sacrifices herself but genetic samples of her are collected for later films. Original themes of the Alien franchise non-existent in the theatrical cut but it is nevertheless an innovative spin on the ‘Alien’ mythology. To be honest, ever since the success of the second Alien film, fans of the series knew Alien III was intended to be a nightmare from the get-go, just like Resurrection which came after. But even with all its script-rewrites, Fincher manages to bring an interesting redirection of the series and have Ripley move into some of her darkest moments of her character. She is no longer the ‘untouchable heroine’, and in such desolate surroundings, she is more of a victim than ever. Sigourney did a fantastic job with her performance despite the set backs with scripts. We give this a 3.5/5.
‘Alien: Resurrection’ (1997) – Year 2379
The movie sounded fantastic on paper but in cinemas, it was an absolute train wreck. Directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet, script by Joss Whedon, starring Ron Perlman, Winona Ryder and featuring the return of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, what was not to love? Sadly we were mistaken. From an analytical standpoint, we guess this clusterfuck of a sci-fi film comes down to editing and artistic direction. After killing off the protagonist in Alien 3, creators were left with nothing to work on. Recruiting an abnormally long list of writers and film makers before settling with Whedon, the film evolved shifted drastically resulting in the awkward mess that is Resurrection today. Definitely a no from FIB!
So grab your pop-corn, a fluffy blanket and find the nearest couch and TV remote. You’re in for a wild ride of sci-fi horror!
