Ranking all 6 main Alien movies based on their Rotten Tomatoes score

Ridley Scott's classic sci-fi universe is set to return this year as director Fede Alvarez brings us Alien: Romulus. Focusing on a young cast that boards a space station to scavenge what's left of it, Romulus will take the franchise back to its roots, and they will be met with the most terrifying life form that has ever existed.

While the hype for Romulus is quite high among fans, Alien has always been a special franchise that has defined the science fiction and horror genre of movies. With the franchise spanning over 6 films, spinoffs, comics, and more— it's a vast property that has been going on since the 70s.

With the upcoming release of Romulus on August 16, 2024, let's rank all the mainline films in the franchise from worst to best, based on their Rotten Tomatoes score.

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All 6 Alien films ranked based on their Rotten Tomatoes score

6) Alien 3 (48%)

A look at the Xenomorph in the film (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Following up on Aliens, the hype for the third film in the franchise was high. With a young David Fincher stepping in to direct the film, it followed Ellen Ripley as she got stranded in a prison on a planet, and once more had to face the most terrifying lifeform to ever exist.

While the film has started receiving critical compliments recently, it still remains the worst-reviewed film in the franchise. Fans at the time took issue with the film's killing of Newt and Hicks at the start, and also with unmemorable supporting characters.

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5) Alien Resurrection (54%)

Ellen Ripley in 'Resurrection' (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Set 200 years after the third film, this fourth entry in the franchise sees the return of Ellen Ripley after her death. In Resurrection, the USM hopes to create more xenomorphs through human hosts, but these experiments end up escaping and Ripley alongside a few mercenaries must do their best to kill them and stop them from reaching to Earth.

While Resurrection was a mildly enjoyable film, it still suffered from many issues. Most notably, it appeared to have lacked the emotional punch that the previous films in the franchise had, ending up being another lackluster entry in the series.

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4) Alien: Covenant (65%)

The terrifying Xenomorph in 'Covenant' (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Continuing with the prequel era of the franchise, Covenant brings the series back to its basics. Ridley Scott returns to direct the sequel to Prometheus which follows a new colony crew landing on a mysterious planet. When they run into the rogue android known as David, they come across a terrifying monster that will be hell-bent on hunting them all.

While Covenant did bring the franchise back to its basics, it featured an incoherent story that takes a bit to get going. Michael Fassbender does stand out impressively, but the script is where the film ultimately appears to suffer, ending up feeling like a collection of the franchise's greatest hits rather than something original.

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3) Prometheus (73%)

A still from 'Prometheus' (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Ridley Scott returned to the franchise for the first time since the original film and brought us the prequel known as Prometheus. Focusing on a group of scientists who travel to a different planet to seek out the origins of humanity, the film sees them come across horrors that could essentially cause the extinction of the human species.

While Prometheus features many ambitious ideas and terrific performances from Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, it appears to lack a script that can deliver on its thematical developments. Nonetheless, it's a striking film that features some of the best visuals of the franchise.

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2) Alien (93%)

A still from Ridley Scott's classic horror film (Image via 20th Century Studios)

In 1979, Ridley Scott changed horror and sci-fi forever with this film. Focusing on the crew of Nostromo who come across an extra-terrestrial ship and find eggs in it, a creature from it jumps out and attaches itself to one of its crewmates. This leads to the birth of the Xenomorph. Fighting for their lives, they must give their everything to defeat this creature.

Scott introducing us to the deadly Xenomorph and the horror icon Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, makes this a brilliant film that has etched itself into the cultural zeitgeist.

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1) Aliens (98%)

A still from 'Aliens' (Image via 20th Century Studios)

James Cameron's sequel to the 1979 classic does everything better. Aliens is set 50 years after the first film where Ripley is finally found and awoken from her cryosleep, but is sent out into battle once more with marines when a colony on a planet needs their help. However, when they reach there, they are greeted by a bunch of Xenomorphs that have inhabited the colony.

Aliens is an action classic that improves upon everything that its predecessor does. Cameron delivers a fast-paced and kinetic film, making it one that no action and sci-fi fan should miss.

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You can check out the franchise's return to cinemas this year when Romulus releases in theatres on August 16, 2024.