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(Photo by 20th Century Fox.)

All Alien Movies Ranked

Ever since 1979, when Ridley Scott blasted the haunted house formula into deep space, the Alien franchise has been synonymous with brooding atmosphere, strong female leads, eye-covering gore, grotesquely magnificent set design (as originally envisioned by H.R. Giger), and films that just overall ooze with style, along with whatever else that drips out of a Xenomorph’s mouth. In 1986, James Cameron turned the series into an action epic; subsequently, any sequel that tries the same route now gets called the Aliens of whatever franchise. David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet had their controversial and trouble moment in the series, and then two Rotten Predator-related spinoffs convinced Scott to return with mythological prequel Prometheus and back-to-basics Covenant. See how they all stack as we rank all Alien movies by Tomatometer! Alex Vo

#1

Alien (1979)
93%

#1
Adjusted Score: 114155%
Critics Consensus: A modern classic, Alien blends science fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.
Synopsis: In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey... [More]
Directed By: Ridley Scott

#2

Aliens (1986)
98%

#2
Adjusted Score: 106938%
Critics Consensus: While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver.
Synopsis: After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team.... [More]
Directed By: James Cameron

#3

Prometheus (2012)
73%

#3
Adjusted Score: 88067%
Critics Consensus: Ridley Scott's ambitious quasi-prequel to Alien may not answer all of its big questions, but it's redeemed by its haunting visual grandeur and compelling performances -- particularly Michael Fassbender as a fastidious android.
Synopsis: The discovery of a clue to mankind's origins on Earth leads a team of explorers to the darkest parts of... [More]
Directed By: Ridley Scott

#4

Alien: Covenant (2017)
65%

#4
Adjusted Score: 87663%
Critics Consensus: Alien: Covenant delivers another satisfying round of close-quarters deep-space terror, even if it doesn't take the saga in any new directions.
Synopsis: Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, members (Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup) of the colony... [More]
Directed By: Ridley Scott

#5
#5
Adjusted Score: 59684%
Critics Consensus: Alien Resurrection marks a slight improvement over its predecessor, but still lacks the emotional stakes that helped make the franchise's first two entries sci-fi/horror classics.
Synopsis: Two hundred years have passed since Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) died on Fiorina 161. Aboard the medical research vessel USM... [More]
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet



#8
Adjusted Score: 14396%
Critics Consensus: The increased gore and violence over the first Alien vs. Predator can't excuse Requiem's disorientating editing, excessively murky lighting, and lack of new ideas.
Synopsis: Residents (Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz) of Gunnison, Colorado, are caught up in the crossfire when two deadly extraterrestrial... [More]