In space, no one can hear you stream: How to watch the 'Alien' movies in order
The Alien universe is expanding yet again. After seven feature films, a short, a digital series, and numerous books, the franchise is coming to television in the form of Alien: Earth. The FX series, created by Noah Hawley, takes place two years before 1979's Alien and features a new cast of characters set to face certain doom in the form of the terrifying Xenomorphs we've come to know.
Alien: Earth is slated to premiere on FX and Hulu on Aug. 12, and while the series reportedly doesn't directly connect to the film prequels, a decent knowledge of the events to come may only enhance your viewing experience. Thus, we've prepared a handy guide to watching every Alien movie (excluding the two Predator crossovers) for a comprehensive crash course on the franchise.
Thankfully, all entries are readily available on Hulu to get you prepared. Here's how to watch every Alien movie in timeline order.
Prometheus (2012)
This Alien origin story takes place long before facehuggers hugged their first face.
In 2093, a crew including archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), geologist Fifield (Sean Harris), and biologist Millburn (Rafe Spall) is tasked by Weyland founder Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) to embark on an intergalactic expedition on a ship called Prometheus. Steered by Captain Janek (Idris Elba) and monitored by Weyland's no-nonsense employee Vickers (Charlize Theron) and right-hand synthetic butler (Michael Fassbender), they travel lightyears away in hopes of uncovering mankind's origins. But once they reach a barren, Icelandic-looking planet and find a bunch of creatures with the intent to kill, it's a race to save mankind before they're all destroyed.
Where to watch Prometheus: Hulu
Alien: Covenant (2017)
In the direct sequel to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant follows the colony vessel, Covenant, traveling to a remote planet. However, the ship was thrust out of orbit, prompting the crew — Walter One (Michael Fassbender), Daniels (Katherine Waterston), Tennessee (Danny McBride), Maggie Faris (Amy Seimetz), Dan Lope (Demián Bichir), Ricks (Jussie Smollett), Upworth (Callie Hernandez), Christopher (Billy Crudup) and wife Karine (Carmen Ejogo) Oram — who had been in cryosleep, to regain its course. They find a distress call on the planet and land there. When they begin considering whether to colonize there, several new alien types emerge and attack them. The crew also encounters David (Fassbender), who has made the planet his experimental laboratory and stirs up trouble for everyone.
Where to watch Alien: Covenant: Hulu
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's original classic always makes our chest burst...with love (and fear). The first Alien centers around explorers aboard the ship Nostromo as they investigate a transmission heard on a moon. There, they discover an alien egg that hatches a creature. It hugs executive officer Kane's (John Hurt) face, impregnating him. Back on the ship, a baby creature bursts through his chest, killing him. Soon, Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) learns that she and her crew were deceived by their own. So Ripley, her crew, and her cat Jones attempt to survive and kill the creature, which has evolved into a deadlier threat.
Where to watch Alien: Hulu
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Years after the events of Alien, a ragtag group of young scavengers — Rain (Cailee Spaeny), Andy (David Jonsson), Kay (Isabela Merced), Tyler (Archie Renaux), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu) — wishing for a better life, learn that there is an abandoned space station with cryo chambers, capable of holding them until they can reach a paradise planet. When they arrive at the station, they find out there was a reason why it was abandoned. Chased down by facehuggers and Xenomorphs, the scavengers must get the pods and escape the ship.
Where to watch Alien: Romulus: Hulu
Aliens (1986)
James Cameron's thrilling action sequel flips the script, for it's the humans taking the war to the Xenomorphs this time around. Fifty-seven years after the events of Alien, colonel marines discover Ripley's shuttle and awaken her from a state of hypersleep. They inform her that the moon her team investigated has been colonized. However, they have lost communication with the inhabitants. They recruit her for their mission, but, when they get there, they find out that the Xenomorph species have taken over — and a 9-year-old named Newt (Carrie Henn) is the only survivor. Though they might be up against more aliens than ever before, the marines are equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. While protecting Newt, Ripley locks and loads, and gives the Xenomorphs a taste of her vengeful power.
Where to watch Aliens: Hulu
Alien 3 (1992)
Before becoming the famous director we know from Se7en (1995), Zodiac (2007), and The Social Network (2010), David Fincher made his feature directorial debut with Alien 3. In this installment, when a facehugger is loose on the ship Sulaco, the computer is prompted to send out escape pods of the Aliens survivors in hypersleep into space. Ripley's pod crash-lands on the desolate planet Fiorina "Fury" 161 and is taken to a nearby maximum security prison. When she is woken, she is informed that she is the only survivor of the Sulaco. Meanwhile, the Dragon, a new Xenomorph form, breaks into the prison and kills inmates and guards. Even though she doesn't have any weapons on this occasion, it's up to Ripley to take charge and lead the men into the battle.
Where to watch Alien 3: Hulu
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Ripley is reborn in the most "she's giving mother" entry of the Alien series. After Ripley sacrifices herself to save mankind in Alien 3, scientists aboard a military medical vessel clone her with her and a queen Xenomorph's DNA. They obtain from her a queen Xenomorph embryo and conduct experiments on it. The clone, Ripley 8, possessing both human and alien traits, awakens 200 years after the events of Alien 3.
A crew of space smugglers — Annalee Call (Winona Ryder), Ron Johner (Ron Perlman), Gary Christie (Gary Dourdan), Frank Elgyn (Michael Wincott), Sabra Hillard (Kim Flowers), and Dom Vriess (Dominique Pinon) — arrive at the ship to deliver human stasis bodies, but soon find out that they are making them hosts for alien breeds. Once several aliens break loose, the ship sets an emergency course back to Earth. With hours on the clock, Ripley 8 and the smugglers must unite and stop the aliens and military workers.
Where to watch Alien Resurrection: Hulu
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