Rank the Alien films

[co2]

With Prometheus added to the list, I think it is time for a new ranking of any theatrical relation of Alien. For the fun of it, I am going to include the AVP movies since they do have the creatures, but I know not everyone feels that way. Feel free to exclude what you will.


1. Alien - Where to begin? This film is so innovative..so wholey original in design, that it STILL feels timeless. It seems to hold up the best out of the whole series to me. The acting, direction and mood are superior. And the creature design and concept of it's life-cycle feels plausible. Plus, it gave us practically the first female action hero. I mean, you can go on and on.
Rating- 5 out of 5

2. Aliens - One of the greatest sequels and action films of all time. I often go back and forth on which of the two I like more. Cameron kept what worked, and heaped on even more. It's really a perfect sequel.
Rating- 5 out of 5

3. Alien 3 - It's all about expectations. After the high that was Aliens, I Did NOT like this when it first came out. But as I've watched it over the years it went from "growing on me" to really liking it. I see what Fincher was doing now. The whole theme of "moment of sacrifice" is clear to me. It's a sad ending, but a true one, and I appreciate the guts it had. It also added the concept of the Xenomorph taking on the attributes of the host. And out of the great music of the first 3, I think I may like this score the best.
Rating- 3.5 out of 5

4. Alien Ressurection - OK, I may start to sound harsh, but this is one of those sequels that I just prefer to pretend like it doesn't exist. With a campy sense of humor, it does not feel like it fits with the rest of the series. It feels like someone tried to make a campy version of Aliens. It doesn't add anything of value to the series either. I know some people like it, but I just ignore it. This felt like the epitome of beating a dead horse.
Rating - 1 out of 5

5. AVP - I was excited for this film because two of my favorites, which seemed like a natural fit, were coming together. I walked out of the thater so disapointed. This movie was obvisously made more for fans of the video game rather than fans of the films. It just had a kid's film quality to it. Admittedly, the Aliens looked great in this film, and there are moments where it is fun seeing the two species fight, but the poor looking Preds, and Predator/Human team-up really knock this movie down for me.
Rating - 2 out of 5

6. AVP-R - The acting was poor, story non-existent, and it was not well lit, but I do give it credit for bringing the franchise back to a horror feeling. It may be the most gruesome of these movies. And it does get another boost from restoring the Predator with maybe the coolest Pred since Predator 2. And I did like the Pred-Alien queen.
Rating - 2.5 out of 5

7. Prometheus - Saw it last week and still a little conflicted. On one hand, it had some amazing moments, and Ridley Scott is a visual artist. On the other hand, it didn't answer much and actually left more questions. It was pretty, but felt a bit empty. Overall, I liked it, it just didn't leave me as satisfied as I would have liked. But I am certainly going to give it another viewing on video.
Rating - 3.5 out of 5

 

[Schlosser85]

I do not acknowledge the existence of AvP because they suck.

My ranking.

1. Aliens
2. Alien
3. Prometheus
4. Alien 3
5. Alien Resurrection

 

[akfj]

1. Alien / Aliens (toss-up, an amazing one-two combo)
3. Prometheus
4. Alien 3
5. Alien Resurrection

I've never seen the AVP films, but I don't think I'm missing much.

 

[Liam_H]

I do not acknowledge AvP movies either.

Alien
Aliens
Prometheus
Alien 3
Alien Resurrection

 

[THUNDERSTRIKE]

Alien and Aliens are the top two without a doubt but everything else afterwards crapped out for me...

 

[THANOSRULES]

I think Alien 3 is better than Resurrection..it tried to hold true to the spirit of the first film and tried to recreate the suspense and helpless feeling, it was well acted by a competent cast and such.

I just hated the plot developments...

Resurrection was pretty weak all around, and was worse cheesy and videogamish. Not to mention the Alien Human hybrid was an epic fail. Some of the acting jobs and casting was horrid, I mean Nic Tortelli from cheers? c'mon.

 

[Boom]

Alien
Aliens




Prometheus
Alien 3
Alien Resurrection
Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem

The space represents a massive gap in quality.

 

[Tanin]

Alien DC
Alien
Aliens DC
Alien 3 Assembly Cut
Aliens
Alien Resurrection

I haven't seen any of the others yet.

 

[DACrowe]

1. Alien: 10/10 -- This is quite frankly the perfect sci-fi horror movie. It is a bit harder to get scared by after you've seen it a few times or after pop culture has spent the last 30+ years parodying certain scenes (most likely one involving a dinner table), however it still works. There is an elegance and vision on display here from Ridley Scott you just don't see in many genre films. The entire movie is made to manipulate fear out of the audience, but also cause them to think and connect the dots. You learn enough about the characters to believe they're real people, played with great authentic blue collar naturalism, but you still don't know them intimately. That makes it all the scarier. You have an idea of what the alien is and why it does what it does, but you don't know what it's doing with the bodies exactly, how it grows, how intelligent it is and if it's trying to (shudder) reproduce with certain crew members. Most of all you don't know how much the parent-company knows about the crashed ship or what it's cargo is, but you know it's invasive, creepy and full of the most disgusting psycho-sexual body horror you're going to see in an A-picture.

2. Aliens: 9/10 -- Repeating the scares or tone of Alien wouldn't work. The monster is just naturally not scary after its reveal in this kind of film. So what if there are hundreds of them and space marines have to fight them off as swarms to survive? This pivot in tone and concept by James Cameron wisely avoids being a rehash of Scott's film and instead turns it into one of the most exhilarating action movies ever. Yes, the characters are bigger-than-life cardboard '80s action movie cutouts, but hey at least you remember most of them and have a visceral reaction when they bite it (no pun intended). Ripley's relationship with Newt, makes the movie. Ripley goes from weary survivor to superhero and it works.

3. Prometheus: 8/10 -- Ridley Scott returns to this world 30+ years later. With his return comes an even bigger ambition to probe his characters and his audiences with bigger questions. The Lovecraftian dread of forbidden knowledge which is palpable in Alien is in every second of this film. It has the gaul to ask in the most pointed ways who are we, where did we come from, and if we ever met God would he even care about us? Are we anything but a mistake? But he also brings back body horror with a vengeance in this movie with the most intense scene in the series since Aliens. However, despite some great acting, the movie is bogged down with an excessively large cast just sitting around to die and some sloppy writing to connect the plot points at the expense of natural character reactions.

4. Alien 3: 6.5/10 -- Director David Fincher wanted to make a sci-fi art film about religion in space. Fox wanted to make a commercial picture about a monster on a prison planet. Sigourney Weaver just wanted to make a star vehicle without guns and more sexual body horror from the first film. All of these things are in the movie, but none of them gel particularly well. But it, like the above three films, is a visual feast that attests a young Fincher's already amazing style. The image of the newest, dog-based, xenomorph breathing down on a newly bald Ripley's face in an industrial wasteland is one of the series's most iconic images. However, it's plot is not. All the side characters (intentionally) look the same and are easily expendable. The idea of religion meets science is mildly entertaining here, but the end felt like a contrived attempt at messianic depth and the fact that it begins by killing off Newt and Hicks always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Generally, I just pretend this one doesn't exist.

5. Alien: Resurrection: 5/10 -- Clearly Fox and Sigourney Weaver had quit caring by this point. That's not surprising since Alien 3 ended with little chance of continuing the story. Instead, we get a CLONED Ripley whose at least part-xenomorph and has had an alien baby. Yep. Joss Whedon's early screenwriting credit he claims is better than the execution of the final film. And while I do agree that I can hear certain scenes working much better under different direction (Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet went for BIG CAMP), the script is still lousy and too goofy for this franchise. Still, for a bad movie it's entertaining in its campiness. The mid-90s Nike commercial-esque lighting and cinematography, the human-alien hybrid, the over-the-top campy characters waiting to die, Winona Ryder rocking her sexy gamine/pixie haircut with laughable lesbian undertones between her and middle aged Ripley-clone are all terrible but amusing to laugh it.

6. Alien vs. Predator: 3/10 -- It sucks. A cheesy and asinine idea from '90s arcade games and comics is made into an even more asinine movie by Hollywood's go-to hack-y schlock director, Mr. Paul W. S. Anderson. Other than the five second geek factor of seeing aliens and predators on screen together, it has nothing to offer but boring, empty, soulless, mind-numbing entertainment. It's stupid. It's been disowned and retconned by Fox. 'Nuff said.

Never saw AVP:R. Don't plan to.

 

[Heisenberg]

1. Alien [10] - It defines the genre, is near perfect in tone, shots, cast and writing. Truly a classic.
2. Aliens [8.5] - Ranks high amongst action movies, but the change of tone/genre detracts from the originals greatness and lends itself to cheesiness.
3. Prometheus [7] - Some vast ideas, superb cast, moments of greatness that recall the best of Alien, but poor writing/editing ultimately fail it.
4. Alien 3 [6] - Better than some give it credit, but it's clearly two films/ideas being forced into one frame. Would love to have seen Fincher's intentions played out sans Fox interruptions.
5. Alien: Resurrection [3] - I really, really don't like this movie.

I never watched Avp/Avp-R, I hated the idea, and never saw anything in them that made me even curious to watch them.

 

[TheOnlyOmega]

1. Alien Classic
2. Prometheus Still pretty fresh in my mind, but I love it.
3. Aliens Once again classic
4. Alien: Resurrection I actually kind of like this. Guilty pleasure
5. Alien 3 Hate this so much

I actually kind of like the AvP movies, in that I enjoy ripping on them with friends.

 

[Figs]

Alien
Aliens
Prometheus
Alien 3

I ignore everything else.

 

[Octoberist]

Aliens
Alien
Prometheus

 

[spider-neil]

Aliens DC - Ripley's story arc gives her a reason to go after Newt and despite the secondary characters in Alien being more believeable and Alien looking WAY better Aliens is the best of the series for me.
When I bought the quadoligy Aliens was the first movie I saw and Aliens is the movie I have seen the most in the series (by a mile) so remains my favorite despite Alien being better shot, better lit and probably better acted.

Prometheus - Love the themes set up in the movie. Alien is a better movie but this movie has stayed with me more and has me thinking about the movie more.

Alien - Great movie but saw it after the event so knew the pop culture references going in so the horror wasn't that scary for me. Giger's design is incredible. The cinematogry is incredible and the actors feel 'real'.
...
...
...
...
Alien 3 - Well acted but the disappointment is probably the biggests disappointment I've ever had in movie theatres.

AR - Fun but easily the worst of the series.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

1. Alien
2. Aliens
3. Prometheus
4. Alien 3
5. Alien: Resurrection

 

[Octoberist]

My problem with AvP: R was that it was reduced to a slasher flick..in Colorado. Plus it was so mean-spirited.

 

[Mandalore464]

Edit : Deleted

 

[Lord]

1-Alien- 8.5/10
2-Aliens- 9.5/10
3-Alien 3- 7/10
4-Alien Ressurrection- 4/10
5-Alien vs Predator- 4/10
6-Aliens vs Predator: Requiem- 1/10 I don't even know why some rate it higher than the first AVP, just because it has more gore? Are you just psychos? THis film is just bad filmmaking, had a worse story than your normal slasher flick and a laughable script, then it's so badly directed that you can't even see what's happening. This is Uwe Boll bad, if not worse, the only good scene in it was the Predator planet, and that was only 5 seconds. While i can still watch the first AVP movie i can't stand to watch this

 

[Gianakin_]

Alien - 10/10
Prometheus (right now) - 9/10
Aliens - 8.5/10

 

[spider-neil]

Alien - 10/10
Prometheus (right now) - 9/10
Alien - 8.5/10

You have Alien listed twice

 

[Gianakin_]

Whoops! Curious what an "s", or a lack of it can do, eh? Imagine if someone had missed it on Superman's suit!

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

Haven't seen Prometheus yet since it's not in cinemas till August around here, so without Prometheus my ranking would be:

Alien - 10/10 (for being the most awesome horror movie in space like...ever)
Alien 3 - 8/10 (for bringing back the horror after Cameron f***ed up big time)
Alien: Ressurrection - 4/10 (not good but a few redeeming qualities. almost all of them rhyme with Lynona)
Aliens - 2/10 (what the f***?? a war movie? military porn? destroying a franchise with a mindless action flick, thank you Mr. Titanavatar)
AvP:R - 2/10 (awful, but at least less plotholes than AvP)
AvP - 1/10 (worse than Camerons flick, which by itself is art)

 

[chamber-music]

1)Alien - What can you its a classic

2)Aliens - OK James Cameron wanted to make Starship Troopers and this was his knock off version as he didn't have the rights but its still a good flick on its own.

3)Prometheus - Is it perfect? no but I don't care I really enjoyed this movie. I think Ridley has a directors cut to come which might push this movie into the number two spot but as it stands in the current cut its the number 3 spot.

4)Alien Resurrection - A Ripley clone I didn't care about with xenomorph superpowers, random lesbian undertones, campy horror. Even Joss Whedon hated how the movie turned and he wrote the script although it was edited beyond recognition.

With all that said I would still rather watch it over Alien 3.

5)Alien 3 - Boring back to basics entry with stuff with had already seen in two previous movies. I despise sequels that make the previous movies redundant. There may of been a good movie in Alien 3 without all the studio beef Finsher had to deal with.

AVP movies - These films aren't cannon anymore anyway but they were both lame. A throw away joke in Predator 2 given two movies that drove both franchises into the ground.Atleast AVP was some what watchable but AVP:R was the worst. Nothing more than a slasher flick in some midwest town with characters you neither remembered or cared about.

 

[dude stannis]

1. Alien 10/10.
2. Aliens 10/10
3a. Prometheus 9/10
3b. Alien 3 Assembly Cut 9/10

I disregard everything else.

4. Resurrection. 4/10. Stupid to the point of being infuriating.
5. AvP. 3/10 Ditto, but poisons two franchises rather than one.
6. AvP:R.. DUD. Beyond any shadow of a doubt the worst movie I have ever seen. My most utterly hated film.

And just for completions sake;

1. Predator
2. Alien
3. Aliens
4. Prometheus
5. Alien 3
6. Predator 2
7. Predators


































8. The Room
9. Reserection
10. AvP
























































11. That time I saw my Luis Guzman looking friend walking out of my hotel room in his underwear with a Thai hooker by his side and high fived me.
12. AvP:R

 

[Gianakin_]

dude love, your opinion is invalid. The Room should've been #1. It's written, directed by and about the Alien King. It's a huge contribution to the mythos.