How to watch the Alien movies in order

Both a sci-fi and horror film at the same time, the first entry in the Alien series, the eponymous 1979 masterpiece, started a movie franchise that’s still going strong almost fifty years after its release. To date, there are eight films in the series, countless comic books, dozens of video games, as well as a host of books and audiobooks. Since there’s so much ground to cover, it’s sometimes confusing for newbies to the series on how to start their xenomorph-fueled nightmare. Luckily, we’re here to lead you through, both in chronological order and the release date of the Alien films.

Introduction to the Alien franchise

Back in the late ‘70s, sci-fi was all the rage among audiences, mostly due to the success of Star Wars, best seen in its box office numbers. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long before science fiction would mix its tropes with another popular genre that was also booming at the time. That genre was, of course, horror. What Dan O’Bannon, Ridley Scott, and H.R. Giger did is still the perfect example of how to create an ultimate nightmare set in space. The plot of the series revolves around a hostile alien creature that comes into contact with a group of astronauts, picking them off one by one in the claustrophobic hallways of their spaceship, Nostromo.

Alien franchise books

Like all popular movie franchises, the Alien series has its book adaptations. From actual movie novelizations to graphic novels to non-cannon titles, there are numerous books worth checking out for die-hard fans of the franchise.

Release date order of the Alien franchise

Let’s first focus on the release date order of the Alien films.

Alien (1979)

The first film, the original Alien, was released way back in 1979. Nevertheless, it still holds up in terms of effects, mostly because they are practical and thanks to H.R. Giger’s timeless design of the creature and the sets.

Aliens (1986)

The second film in the franchise, smartly titled Aliens, came out seven years after the original. It was directed by none other than James Cameron, the man behind blockbusters and audience favorites such as Terminator, Titanic, and Avatar.

Alien 3 (1992)

Although not as well received as the first two, the third Alien film took another six years to make and came out in 1992. Nowadays, thanks to the release of the Assembly Cut, David Fincher’s first full feature is getting both fan and critic love it deserved.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

The work of French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and famous Hollywood screenplay writer Joss Whedon, Alien: Resurrection was released only five years after the infamous third film. It’s quirky, but it adds Winona Ryder to the cast of the series, which is a major plus.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Neither directed by Paul Thomas Anderson nor Wes Anderson, but by Paul W. S. Anderson, Alien vs. Predator is the first entry to the series from the 21st century. It’s a crossover with The Predator franchise, and it’s got some cool ideas going on.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Requiem is the follow-up to the 2004s AVP, and it’s what most fans of the series consider the lowest point of the Alien franchise. Once again, it’s a crossover with The Predator movies, continuing the epic fight between the two extraterrestrial species on Earth.

Prometheus (2012)

2012 was a great year for the Alien series. Ridley Scott, the man behind the first film, returned to the franchise, directing a prequel with another stellar cast, including Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and Idris Elba.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Currently, the last entry in the Alien series is a 2017 film called Alien: Covenant. It’s the third film in the franchise that was directed by Ridley Scott and is certainly a must-watch for all fans. It might not reach the heights of the first three films, but it’s certainly better than the AVP ones. Listen to the Alien: Covenant audiobook on Speechify.

Chronological order of the Alien franchise

Here’s the chronological order of the events of the Alien films.

AVP: Alien vs. Predator

In the first Alien vs. Predator film, Charles Bishop Weyland, played by Lance Henriksen, takes an expedition to Antarctica to come across a mysterious pyramid inhabited by hostile xenomorphs. Things quickly escalate when the predators appear to hunt down the other alien species.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Requiem starts when a spaceship with an alien crash lands on Earth. The ship was followed by another spacecraft occupied by predators hunting the hostile extraterrestrial beast. The story is all over the place, but at least we get a look at a hybrid predalien creature.

Prometheus

In search of mankind’s origins, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw leads a team of scientists into space. During their expedition, they come across god-like creatures, known as The Engineers, who aren’t very fond of humans, leading to a series of disastrous events.

Alien: Covenant

When a group of humans comes across a planet seemingly beautiful, they consider starting a colony there. However, they soon meet David, the sole survivor of the previous ship, who, as it turns out, is into eugenics and is breeding hostile aliens.

Alien

The first film in the series is actually the fifth in terms of chronological order. It follows a group of space truckers of the commercial Weyland-Yutani star fleet who get orders to investigate a mysterious rescue call on a nearby planet.

Aliens

Years after the events of Alien, Ellen Ripley wakes up from a comma to an offer to escort a group of colonial marines to a human-occupied planet that is suspected to be infected by xenomorphs. Yes, it’s the one in which the xenomorph queen appears.

Alien 3

After Newt’s and Michael Biehn’s Hicks’ death in the escape pod, Ripley finds herself stranded on a prison planet, as the only female inhabitant. Nevertheless, it soon turns out she wasn’t the sole survivor of the crash, as a face-hugger impregnates a bull/dog, giving birth to another killing machine.

Alien: Resurrection

Resurrected 200 years after her death in Alien 3, Ripley is confused as her DNA was used by the military to clone a xenomorph. After joining a group of pirates, she soon starts questioning her allegiance to the human race.

Audiobooks of the Alien franchise

Alien books have their audio version, narrated by professional actors. Sure enough, you can find them on major retailers such as Amazon Audible, but we’re here to offer you an alternative audiobook source—Speechify.

Speechify

Although the Alien franchise is pretty much synonymous with Sigourney Weaver’s face, the story fits the book medium surprisingly well. You can listen to some Alien audiobooks right here on Speechify, including Alien: Isolation, Alien: Prototype, Alien: Inferno’s Fall, and more. In fact, you can do so for $0 the first time, as well as on any device as Speechify works on iPhones, Android devices, iPads, and PC and Mac computers.

FAQ

What is the next Alien movie?

The current state of the Alien franchise is a bit hectic. However, reports suggest that Fed Alvarez is set to write and direct the new entry in the series in the foreseeable future.