The Alien Franchise Ranked (2024 Edition)

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The Alien film franchise is one of stellar highs and confounding lows that has been a mainstay of cinema since the late ’70s. The saga began with the release of Alien in 1979, directed by Ridley Scott, which was part of the post-Star Wars explosion of sci-fi. A ground-breaking combination of science fiction and horror, the film introduced audiences to the iconic star beast known as the Xenomorph and the resilient protagonist Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. The film’s success didn’t immediately launch a franchise but it stayed in the public consciousness enough to keep the studio interested.

1986 saw the release of Aliens, directed by James Cameron. One of the highest regarded sequels of all-time, the film expanded the scale of the film series while maintaining the intense atmosphere and suspense that defined the original. The franchise has continued with two more direct sequels that saw a rapid drop off in quality before attempting to revive itself by combining with the Predator series. The two Vs. films were the lowest point for the Xenomorph and lead to Ridley Scott returning to make a pair of divisive films to his original.

Now, with the franchise having been in hibernation since 2017, the Xenomorph returns to the big screen with Alien: Romulus, a film set between the Scott’s classic and Cameron’s sequel.

Here’s our rankings for the films in the Alien franchise.

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