“Alien: Romulus” pits young people against fearsome aliens
Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced star as young explorers who investigate an abandoned space station and find utter terror in “Alien: Romulus.”
“In space, no one can hear you scream” was the tagline for 1979’s “Alien,” though over the course of 45 years, audiences have encountered many sounds, including bloodcurdling voices, sobs and noises of creatures hugging faces and explosions from human breasts.
The sci-fi horror franchise gave us a great action hero in Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley, who fought monsters in four movies but hasn’t appeared in an “Alien” project since the 1990s. There’s also been a series of androids, from Michael Fassbender in Prometheus to David Johnson in the new Alien: Romulus movie, plus the pesky Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which seems to care more about the cosmic beasts than its employees. And of course the impressively fanged Xenomorph that became the iconic villain of the film series.
That slavering, snarling alien is unleashed once again in “Romulus” (in theaters Friday), which is reminiscent of director Ridley Scott’s original outing — and like other previous installments is streaming on Hulu. But how does the latest film stack up against the old horrors from decades past? Here is the definitive ranking of all the “Alien” movies so far. (We’re not including the “Alien vs. Predator” movies because they’re their own franchise and frankly pretty terrible.)
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7. “Alien: Resurrection” (1997)
The fourth episode focuses on science experiments and the military’s decision to clone Ripley 200 years after she was sacrificed (see: “Alien 3”) as a hybrid that “gave birth” to a new alien queen. While not big on the actual plot, “Resurrection” features a series of creatures that a crew of mercenaries (including Ron Perlman and Winona Ryder) must deal with, and a really weird humanoid monster that shares a surprisingly touching moment before being sucked into a spacecraft.
6. “Alien 3” (1992)
Ripley is stranded on a planet with an all-male penal colony and not much else. Unfortunately for everyone, an alien has boarded her spaceship. Director David Fincher explores gender issues and creates some really interesting visuals, while Ripley shaves her head to match the abundance of dudes. It’s a bit disappointing when it comes to alien escapades: There aren’t many Xenomorphs and the CGI is definitely lacking.
5. “Alien: Covenant” (2017)
This episode combines the ‘Prometheus’ theme with the chaotic horror of the previous films. A ship carrying the future of the human race makes an unfortunate stop on a paradise planet, and all hell breaks loose when some guys are infected by the alien parasite. The creatures are nice, but Michael Fassbender stands out in the dual android roles of David and new model Walter.
4. “Prometheus” (2012)
The most divisive film among fans, the prequel was a surprise “Alien” movie, gradually revealing its ties to the franchise amid a story of human archaeologists trying to map the connection between humanity and an ancient race of Engineers. “Prometheus” leans much more troubling than action-packed — though there’s plenty of horror, including Noomi Rapace giving herself the cutest c-section ever.
3. “Alien: Romulus” (2024)
Director Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe”) emphasizes the human characters before placing them in the worst possible scenario. Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her friends just want a better life when they happen upon a seedy space station that quickly turns into a house of horrors. “Romulus” mixes what worked in the first two franchise films – action and isolation – and adds an interesting new element to the myth.
2. “Aliens” (1986)
Packed with action-movie machismo, James Cameron’s sequel awakens Ripley after 50 years of hypersleep and takes her back to LV-426, the world where her crew first encountered alien life. Now, it’s an Earth colony where Ripley teams up with space marines — including an unforgettable Bill Paxton — to take on alien antagonists. Ripley deserves to become a feminist folk hero and surrogate mother, as well as take on the alien queen for all the galactic marbles.
1. “Alien” (1979)
Director Ridley Scott’s original is not only the best “Alien”, but also one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made, as it creates an atmosphere of non-stop dread. A group of space trucks try to take minerals back to Earth, answer a distress call and have to fight for their lives as a Xenomorph hunts them down one by one. Even after decades of visual effects spectacle, the sight of the alien coming out of John Hart’s chest is still totally terrifying, totally creepy, and totally awesome.
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