The Sci-fi horror movie series, Alien, is easily one of the most influential and intriguing film series of all time. Most of the movies are great, filled with suspense, and pose interesting questions. Just for fun, let’s see how each of them rank from worst to best when compared against each other.

7) Alien 3

While Alien 3 has some decent elements, like killing off characters you may think would last until the end and exploring an Alien story on the surface of a planet, it’s overall a mess. It’s the worst the Xenomorph has looked in any of the movies, the little girl from the previous film died off camera in the beginning of this one which makes the Aliens ending pointless, and Ripley is forced to sacrifice herself which makes her three-movie battle pointless. There’s also a lot of gross and uncomfortable moments that feel… sexual assault-y. A couple of decent jump scares aside, this one isn’t very scary, and overall isn’t great.

6) Alien: Covenant

Alien: Covenant attempts to blend together the thought-provoking philosophy of Prometheus and the eerie vibes of the classic films, and it doesn’t completely succeed at it. The two tones overlap weirdly. It’s an entertaining movie and is worth the watch for any fans of the franchise, but it’s fairly weak compared to the rest of the series. Most of the kills feel like a lazy 80s slasher movie where the characters announce they’re wandering off alone and then don’t come back. The CGI is also surprisingly bad for a 2017 movie. It’s fun, but nothing more.

5) Prometheus

Prometheus is slower than the other movies on this list, and isn’t what most Alien fans are looking for in an installment in their favorite sci-fi horror series, but it’s honestly pretty solid. It’s very well shot, asks fascinating philosophical questions, offers some answers regarding the series, and at least tries something new with the series. The acting is also quite impressive. That being said, a lot of the characters’ decisions are absolutely ridiculous. A giant object is rolling toward you? Get out of the way and don’t just run in a straight line away from it. You encounter an alien organism on a mysterious planet? Don’t try picking it up. Their decisions get frustrating. Still, it’s an interesting-enough movie.

4) Alien: Romulus

After years and years of the franchise being away after trying something new, Alien Romulus returned to the classic vibes and formula that made the series popular in the first place. It’s scary, captures the important themes, has an interesting story with memorable characters, and the atmosphere is positively chilling. The Offspring creature at the end is one of the scariest monsters in the series. Sure, it’s a little derivative and doesn’t add a ton of its own flavor, but the low gravity scene is exciting, and they play with the Alien’s acid blood in clever ways. This one would be higher on the list, but it’s also hard to put it above the others that are just as great, if not better.

3) Alien: Resurrection 

I might get a lot of flack for putting Alien: Resurrection so high on this list, but hear me out. Sure, it’s not as smart or atmospheric as the original two films in the series, but it’s hard not to have fun with it. It’s campy, silly, and action-packed. Ron Pearlman and Winona Ryder join the battle against the Xenomorphs and it’s all just plain badass. Sure, it’s not what a lot of fans want from the series, but it’s still a cool sci-fi action movie. Plus, it still captures the same themes. It also corrects the ending of Alien 3, and it has a fun underwater scene. If you like a schlocky action flick, you’ll have fun with this one.

2) Aliens

Aliens is often cited as people’s favorite of the franchise, including critics. It’s definitely a fantastic sequel that escalates everything set up by the original. Sure, there are more characters and most of them are armed, but it still doesn’t help them very much, which is terrifying. It dives further into the themes that show the horrors of capitalism, and it’s got a ton more action. It also has a ton more aliens, so if one scares you, the feeling of being surrounded by more of them will haunt your nightmares. 

1) Alien

With all that being said, it’s really hard to beat the original Alien, and no, it’s not just because it came first. It’s a uniquely terrifying movie that merges hard sci-fi with visceral terror. No other movie truly has an atmosphere quite like it. Imagine being trapped in space, you and your coworkers being hunted by an unstoppable monster. It’s cold and claustrophobic. It’s also hard to look away from. The sci-fi ideas are also brilliant, and the anti-capitolism themes are woven seamlessly throughout. It’s no question as to why this film is a pop culture staple.

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