We rank one of the strangest and most ambitious sci-fi sagas in cinema: Alien.
In space no one can hear you scream.
Or at least that is what some rather ingenious 20th Century Fox marketers pushed back in 1979.
And in the near half-century that followed, those screams continue to echo in our ears.
Obviously some yielded better results than others, however almost every one is worth multiple revisits.
Below is thus our humble estimation of how to rank the nine Alien films released to date.
AndersonsAlien vs. Predatorspectacle felt so inherently hollow is because that movie was rated PG-13.
Predator: Requiemto remind you that gratuitous violence does not a good movie make.
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Of course it wouldve helped if fanscould seethat gratuitous gore and violence.
Alas, the quickie, rushed, and underfundedAlien vs. As it turns out, the worst thing that could happen is a dull, incoherent eye sore.
David Crow
8.
Predator (2004)
We will admit there was some internal debate about whether to include theAlien vs. Predatorflicks.
Truthfully, were not sure if the concept could ever truly work.
Tonally and aestheticallyAlienwill always feel closer tothe cynical nihilism ofBlade Runnerthan John McTiernans charming guns and guns sci-fi actioner.
Still, writer-director Paul W.S.
Anderson does a few fun things with his first stab atAvP.
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7.
Whereas that film boldly ignored the xenomorph fromAlienin favor of H.R.
Never before has playing a flute been so seductive.
This Milton-infused conception reduces the original films perfect organism into a literal demon born from a paradise lost.
Its all so brazenly ludicrous to be almost tempting.
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6.
And the Newborns subsequent demise wouldve done James Whale proud.
Its also a couple million lightyears from where the series started.
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5.
Worse still, she begins to suspect that she herself may have been impregnated by an alien during cryosleep.
A gothic sense of impending doom hangs like a fog inAlien 3.
Its a movie seemingly obsessed with mortality and the fleshy vulnerability of all living things.
That texture extends to the performances.
Admittedly,Alien 3s production difficulties are apparent at timeseven in the far superiorAssembly Cutreleased in 2003.
Plus: Elliot Goldenthals score is a thing of bone-chilling beauty.
Ryan Lambie
4.
And director Fede Alvarez lovingly, painstakingly homages it all while giving pride of place to Ridley ScottsAlien.
With that said,Romulusbrings little new to the table.
Its cast of characters are predominantly ciphers who could populate any slasher movie.
David Jonsson gets more to play as her adopted brother, a somewhat slow and mistreated android named Andy.
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3.
Especially if you dont focus too much on the screenplay.
Well admit choosing to make the answernotan elephantine creature is somewhat disappointing.
The feminist undertones in this body horror all-timer feel all the more pronounced today.
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2.
But even all these years later,Aliensis still one of the greatest sequels of all time.
This, I think, is what makesAliensso engrossing, even after repeat viewings.
These, of course, are only some of the aspects that makeAlienssuch a fantastic film.
Lance Henriksen is superb as Bishop, the cagey but ultimately benign android.
The script is endlessly quotable.
The score is note-perfect.
The action ramps perfectly to a thrilling conclusion.
AfterAliens, its little wonder that Hollywoods screenwriters struggled to think of a way to follow it.
Alien (1979)
Having heaped praise onAliens, it might seem strange to rank it behindAlien.
But for me, the original remains the best: prowling, disturbing, unsettling.
The minimalism of the plot is one ofAliens strengths.
Stopping off to investigate, they unintentionally bring something horrible back to their ship.
Alienis one of those rare films where every casting and design decision seems perfect.
That grounded realism plays off against the otherworldly imagery conjured up by artist and designer H.R.
Its attention to detail is flawless, its story uncluttered, its horror unrelenting.
As Ash glibly admits toward the films end, I admire its purity… RL
