It’s been seven years since a new Alien film last hit the big screen, and fans of the franchise can finally return to the terror-filled universe of Xenomorphs.
Directed by Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe), Alien: Romulus is the ninth film in the 45-year franchise and takes Alien back to its horror roots. Speaking at the Gotham Awards in Los Angeles last year, lead star Cailee Spaeny said Romulus takes place in between Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens.
With the film releasing in cinemas today (16 August), now is the perfect time to revisit the Alien films before grabbing a bag of popcorn and watching Romulus. There are four films in the mainline series, as well as two prequels and two Alien vs Predator movies to sink your teeth into.
All are available to stream on Disney+ and there are two ways to watch the films – in chronological order (from the beginning of the Alien timeline to the end) or in the order each film was released. Keep scrolling to find out how to do both, starting with the chronological order.
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If you’re looking to stream the Alien movies, all of them are available to watch on Disney+. The ad-based plan costs £4.99 per month, the standard plan costs £7.99 per month or £79.90 per year and the premium plan costs £10.99 per month or £109.90 per year.
How to watch the ‘Alien’ films in chronological order
1. ‘AVP Alien vs. Predator’ (2004)
The first of the Predator crossovers, Weyland funds an expedition to Antarctica in the hopes of finding the source of a mysterious heat, discovering that it’s the aliens. To make matters worse, Predators turn up on Earth to hunt down the other aliens.
2. ‘Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem’ (2007)
In the second Predator film, humans are once again caught in the crossfire as the Predators and aliens go to war in the middle of Gunnison, Colorado.
3. ‘Prometheus’ (2012)
In the first of the two prequels to the original Alien franchise, a space crew heads out on a mission to find out the origins of humanity, where they find an ancient civilisation and a malevolent alien.
4. ‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017)
A colony ship is heading for a new and (what they think) uninhabited planet, only to realise that the paradise world hosts a deadly lifeform intent on killing them.
5. ‘Alien’ (1979)
The movie that kicked it all off. When the Nostromo space crew picks up a transmission from a nearby moon and finds a colony of alien eggs, attaching to one of the crew, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her team find themselves fighting for their lives aboard their space tug.
6. ‘Alien: Romulus’ (2024)
Set 20 years after the first Alien movie, Romulus is a standalone film that sees a group of space colonists come face to face with a terrifying lifeform as they scavenge an abandoned space station.
In cinemas now
7. ‘Aliens’ (1986)
James Cameron takes over the reins in Aliens. Ripley wakes up 57 years later to find that the aliens she battled have grown stronger. Together with a new crew, she embarks on a mission to kill the aliens for good.
8. ‘Alien 3’ (1992)
The only survivor after the events of Aliens, Ripley crash lands on wasteland Fiorina 161, alongside an alien organism, and has to lead a planet of prisoners into war, all the while discovering she’s got an alien queen growing inside her.
9. ‘Alien: Resurrection’ (1997)
Set 200 years after the events of Alien 3, Ripley has been cloned by the military, so they can extract the alien queen embryo, but her DNA fuses with the queen, seeing the aliens escape.
How to watch the ‘Alien’ films in release order
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James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
