The Alien franchise has been one of the most interesting horror franchises of all time. Starting way back in 1979 with Ridley Scott first introducing us to the deadly and nearly unstoppable Xenomorphs, the series has reshaped and evolved in many different directions over the years -- some good, some bad, and some very confusing.
With talk of a new film being made with will follow the events of Alien: Covenant, the timeline of these films could finally come full circle. With the original film, the sequels, the prequels, and the spin-offs, it can be easy to get a little confused about the events of it all. To help get your bearings on the franchise, here is a breakdown of all the films in the Alien series in chronological order.
8. Alien Vs Predator
Some people might argue that the Alien vs Predator films don't belong in the actual series. But there are clearly some big connections between these film and the original series which began in 1979. Therefore, the series that has been known for its futuristic sci-fi setting actually goes back to more modern times.
Alien vs Predator takes place in 2004 with a group of scientists and mercenaries who investigate a mysterious underground pyramid found in Antarctica. They soon find themselves in the midst of a centuries-old feud between two very deadly alien species. Lance Henricksen (who played Bishop in Aliens) appears in this film as Charles Bishop Weyland, human basis for the future android and CEO of Weyland Corporation, although that would later be retconned.
7. Alien Vs Predator: Requiem
Alien vs Predator: Requiem is a direct follow-up to AVP, taking place immediately after the previous film. After the fight between the Aliens and Predators ends in a bit of a draw, the Predator spaceship crashes in a small town in America where the unlucky humans residing there are gradually picked off.
Apart from showing us a brief glimpse of the Predator's homeworld and the creation of a Xenomorph/Predator hybrid, the film is a rather forgettable spin-off which doesn't add much to the overall mythology of either franchise, nor does it set up anything that will follow in the years that follow.
6. Prometheus
Prometheus was the long-awaited return of Ridley Scott to the Alien franchise which he helped kick off all those years ago. While it clearly takes a lot of the visual cues and settings of the original film, Scott wanted to avoid making a direct prequel to his own film which means that not all the questions are answered.
The movie takes place in 2093 when a group of scientists investigate the origins of the human species by seeking out the ones who created them - known as The Engineers. This film establishes Peter Weyland as the founder of Weyland Corporation and explains such things as the "space jockey" from the first film, as well as the origins of the Xenomorphs with actually showing one.
5. Alien: Covenant
Alien: Covenant is the sequel to Prometheus, and therefore still a prequel to 1979's Alien. The movie finds a colony spacecraft in the year 2104 making an emergency landing on a planet which was supposedly home to The Engineers. Once again, the doomed crew falls victim to the deadly alien creatures, who are still not quite the Xenomorphs we know and love.
The movie continues the storylines set up by Prometheus instead of setting up the original series. However, we do get to see more about the creation of the famous aliens and who was ultimately responsible for them. It is an effectively chilling reveal even if it doesn't change much about the films that came before.
4. Alien
1979's Alien kicks off the original series of films which occur chronologically from this point on. The classic original is also our introduction to the series' hero, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver. Ripley is a crew member aboard the shuttle Nostromo, in the year 2122. After getting a distress signal from a nearby planet, the crew unwittingly let a deadly passenger aboard.
The horror classic helped introduce the terrifying nature of the Xenomorphs. From their ghastly design, to their evolution, to their killer instincts -- it became an instant horror movie icon. As for Ripley, she became the much-needed human center of this franchise.
3. Aliens
Alien would have been a difficult movie to make a sequel to without just doing the same thing over again. To combat this, James Cameron decided to make a very different movie. For Aliens, he traded in the claustrophobic horror style of the first and made a full-blown action film.
Set in 2179, Ripley is rescued after decades of being in cryogenic sleep. She is asked to return to the planet where they encountered the alien, which has now been turned into a colony. Along with a small band of marines, Ripley takes on an army of Xenomorphs, becoming an action movie icon.
2. Alien 3
Alien 3 was David Fincher's directorial debut and, sadly, it was not the ideal display for his immense talents as a filmmaker. After the events of Aliens, the ship that Ripley and the other survivors escaped on is damaged and crash lands on a space outpost which serves as a prison. Ripley is the only human survivor of the crash along with some Xenomorphs who begin their deadly rampage of the prison.
This film saw the end of Ellen Ripley as she sacrifices herself to kill a Xenomorph, but not quite the end of Sigourney Weaver in the franchise. The film also continues the theme of Weyland Corporation as the human villains of the franchise.
1. Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection is another new direction for the franchise. With a script by Joss Whedon, it has a much more comedic tone than any of the other films. It finds Ripley cloned and being used to help create new Xenomorphs for military purposes. Of course, that plan backfires and Ripley teams with a group of mercenaries to destroy the creatures.
To date, this is Weaver's last appearance in the franchise. Generally regarded as the worst in the series, it put an end to the franchise for many years. However, there is talk we could someday see Weaver's Ripley again.