logo Sign In

Ranking the Alien films

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Man, I really do have a penchant for making ranking threads. Anyway, my rankings:

  1. Alien (1979) - 9/10

  2. Aliens (1986) - 8/10

  3. Alien 3 (1992) - 7/10

  4. Alien Resurrection (1997) - 7/10

  5. Alien: Covenant (2017) - 6/10

  6. Prometheus (2012) - 5/10

  7. Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007) - 3/10

  8. Alien vs Predator (2004) - 1/10

Anyway, what are your thoughts?

Not enough people read the EU.

Author
Time

I’m sure you’ll get complaints about #3, but I absolutely agree with your top five order.

I’ve never bothered seeing 6 or 7.

Author
Time
  1. Aliens ***** - Perhaps the most perfect sequel.
  2. Alien ***** - #2 gets the edge because it’s faster and more intense, but the first one is more brilliant.
  3. Alien vs Predator ***1/2 - What can I say, I liked it.
  4. Alien 3 ** - I should rewatch it as it’s been a long time since I saw it and I don’t know if I ever actually watched the “Special Edition”.
  5. Alien: Resurrection ** - I highly highly recommend TMBTM’s fanedit “Alien-Ate”.
  6. AvP Requiem ** - So bad I barely remember it.
  7. Prometheus ** - I wish I barely remembered it.

Don’t do drugs, unless you’re with me.

Author
Time

Once again I feel duty bound to throw my hat into the ring here.

  1. Alien (5balls) perfect film.
  2. Assembly Cut of Alien 3 (3balls) too much swearing and some of the effects are dated but very atmospheric. If only they had just left Vincent Ward alone to make the film they had paid him to develop and direct.
  3. Aliens (2andahalfballs) one of the best action films of that decade and quotable but tatty and lazy.
  4. AVP (2balls) much better than it should be given the premise but still very silly and unnecessary.
  5. Alien Resurrection (1andahalfballs) some good ideas but the tone is way off. The only good thing to come out of the project was half a season of Firefly and Serenity.
  6. Prometheus (a ball) the same plot as AVP only making less sense but with even more stupid characters. Looks nice though.
  7. AVP Requiem. (infinitenegativeballs) 80s style Friday 13th rip-off with the worst lighting in any film. One scene actively subverts the best scene in the first film by making pregnant women the victims instead of John Hurt’s unwelcome pregnancy. Offensively awful.
Author
Time

I think that Prometheus has the same plot as Alien vs Predator (expeditioners go to a remote place in search of something new, with a second in command who is female, and then they find themsleves in trouble, people die, at the very end a new type of Alien is introduced) but is done infinitely better.

Not enough people read the EU.

Author
Time

I don’t think anyone will come up and say AvP Requiem is good. “FUCK YOU!” (Blows Aliens head off and doesn’t get melted). Though I like the scene where the asshole gets his face burned off and the Predators gives no shits.

Not enough people read the EU.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

1 - Aliens
2 - Alien
3 - Alien 3

  1. Alien Resurrection
    5 - AvP 1 & 2 (I really don’t prefer one over the other)

I’ve yet to see Prometheus

EDIT: Not sure what’s up with the indentation on Resurrection and AvP

The Person in Question

Author
Time

Neglify said:

  1. Aliens ***** - Perhaps the most perfect sequel.
  2. Alien ***** - #2 gets the edge because it’s faster and more intense, but the first one is more brilliant.
  3. Alien vs Predator ***1/2 - What can I say, I liked it.
  4. Alien 3 ** - I should rewatch it as it’s been a long time since I saw it and I don’t know if I ever actually watched the “Special Edition”.
  5. Alien: Resurrection ** - I highly highly recommend TMBTM’s fanedit “Alien-Ate”.
  6. AvP Requiem ** - So bad I barely remember it.
  7. Prometheus ** - I wish I barely remembered it.

I’m confused by your reviews of #4 thru #7 combined with giving each two stars.

Author
Time

Eh, my ** means “Pretty bad but not the worst”. It’s been a while since I’ve watched those flicks, so I didn’t know if they merited less than **. Although I’ve seen Prometheus recently, it wasn’t so horrendous to deserve less than **, but it’s easily the weakest in the franchise. But I probably should rewatch AvP Requiem as I’m sure that’s supremely awful and should be rated/ranked lower.

Don’t do drugs, unless you’re with me.

Author
Time

Same ranking as OP though not necessarily the same thoughts because, while terrible, I actually sort of enjoy the two AVP flicks, in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

Author
Time

At least they are short. Not like the Hobbit 2 and 3.

Not enough people read the EU.

Author
Time

Alien – A+

Alien 3 (Assembly Cut) – B

Aliens – C

Alien vs. Predator – D

Haven’t seen any of the others.

Author
Time

Judging by his ratings of Alien 1 & 3 I’m assuming he prefers the horror elements of the Alien franchise instead of the sci-fi action seen in Aliens.

The Person in Question

Author
Time
 (Edited)
  1. Alien (theatrical): 10/10 - in my top 5 films

  2. Aliens (SE): 9/10 - I would give it 10 but the last half hour Rambo-style crap prevents me

  3. Alien3 (Assembly Cut): 8/10 - interesting setting

  4. Resurrection: 5/10 - quite average

  5. AVP and AVP2: 2/10 - equally bad

真実

Author
Time
 (Edited)

LuckyGungan2001 said:

I think that Prometheus has the same plot as Alien vs Predator (expeditioners go to a remote place in search of something new, with a second in command who is female, and then they find themsleves in trouble, people die, at the very end a new type of Alien is introduced) but is done infinitely better.

How?
In AVP the characters all have jobs which they do before being overwhelmed by experiences beyond their experience.
In Prometheus every character is an arsehole only the droid is following his programing.
As I say it looks good.

And yes Aliens is tatty (wrong aspect ratio, ugly titles, variable model effects, recycled score from other Horner movies, lousy rear projection) and lazy.
It’s by the numbers. Almost every lever of the plot either comes from the first film where it made sense (decompressing the Narcissus made sense because it was a small ship and Ripley is wearing a space suit, doing the same thing with the Sulaco would tear the ship to pieces and kill everyone in the landing bay) or it’s painfully cliche… Screaming child in peril…(yawn) look at how the Feral Kid turned that old chestnut on it’s head. Making Bishop a good droid deserves praise though.

Author
Time

Bingowings said:

Once again I feel duty bound to throw my hat into the ring here.

  1. Alien (5balls) perfect film.
  2. Assembly Cut of Alien 3 (3balls) too much swearing and some of the effects are dated but very atmospheric. If only they had just left Vincent Ward alone to make the film they had paid him to develop and direct.
  3. Aliens (2andahalfballs) one of the best action films of that decade and quotable but tatty and lazy.
  4. AVP (2balls) much better than it should be given the premise but still very silly and unnecessary.
  5. Alien Resurrection (1andahalfballs) some good ideas but the tone is way off. The only good thing to come out of the project was half a season of Firefly and Serenity.
  6. Prometheus (a ball) the same plot as AVP only making less sense but with even more stupid characters. Looks nice though.
  7. AVP Requiem. (infinitenegativeballs) 80s style Friday 13th rip-off with the worst lighting in any film. One scene actively subverts the best scene in the first film by making pregnant women the victims instead of John Hurt’s unwelcome pregnancy. Offensively awful.

Author
Time

Bingowings said:

LuckyGungan2001 said:

I think that Prometheus has the same plot as Alien vs Predator (expeditioners go to a remote place in search of something new, with a second in command who is female, and then they find themsleves in trouble, people die, at the very end a new type of Alien is introduced) but is done infinitely better.

How?
In AVP the characters all have jobs which the do before being overwhelmed by experiences beyond their experience.
In Prometheus every character is an arsehole only the droid is following his programing.
As I say it looks good.

And yes Aliens is tatty (wrong aspect ratio, ugly titles, variable model effects, recycled score from other Horner movies, lousy rear projection) and lazy.
It’s by the numbers. Almost every lever of the plot either comes from the first film where it made sense (decompressing the Narcissus made sense because it was a small ship and Ripley is wearing a space suit, doing the same thing with the Sulaco would tear the ship to pieces and kill everyone in the landing bay) or it’s painfully cliche… Screaming child in peril…(yawn) look at how the Feral Kid turned that old chestnut on it’s head. Making Bishop a good droid deserves praise though.