20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) captured lightning in a bottle twice with their Alien and Predator franchises. The two most iconic sci-fi horror IPs of all time, the franchises have managed to enjoy a longevity that has endured for decades and expanded across mediums. But it all starts with the movies and, naturally, both franchises have had their peaks and slumps.
What follows is every single cinematic installment of both franchises, including the two crossovers. As one might expect, the crossovers didn’t fare so well in the ranking. Yet, even in the worst of the Alien and Predator movies, there are elements and scenes to enjoy.
14. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
The major crime Paul W. S. Anderson’s AVP made was the PG-13 rating. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem fixes this mistake, but also doesn’t. After all, to appreciate cinematic carnage, one has to actually be able to see the carnage, and that is not the case with the scantily lit AVPR.
The Brothers Strause have only directed one film since the spinoff sequel’s release, and that was the equally cheap-looking Skyline. But in Skyline the viewer could at least see the fairly unconvincing special effects. AVPR manages to take Xenomorphs, Yautja, and a combination of the two, place them in a small town, and have the viewer remember absolutely none of it. The one scene that manages to stick out is, not uncoincidentally, a daytime forest scene where a hunter and his son are attacked by a facehugger.
13. The Predator (2018)
There is one installment of the Alien saga that experienced a ton of behind-the-scenes tumult and one installment of the Predator saga that faced the same. The difference is that one of the two manages to survive the conflicting visions and end up a coherent film. Shane Black’s The Predator is not that coherent film.
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It’s odd, considering Black has crafted some major crowd-pleasers over the years, including Iron Man 3, so even when he has a concept for a film that doesn’t quite acclimate to what’s come before, it can prove successful (which many would argue is the case for his MCU trilogy-capper). In the case of The Predator, much of the film was reshot, including the entirety of the climax, excising what could have been a bit of ambitious world-building for the franchise and replacing it with an entirely forgettable elongated action sequence. The behind-the-scenes tampering is obvious throughout the film, as evidenced by the fact that the death of Sterling K. Brown’s Will Traeger, a major antagonist throughout the narrative, is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it.
12. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Fans waited a long time to see the Yautja and the Xenomorphs go head-to-head. Unfortunately for them, AVP: Alien vs. Predator was extremely disappointing wish non-fulfillment. Obviously, the choice to make it PG-13 was solely an attempt by the studio to make it as profitable as possible, yet that decision alone was enough to turn even the most ardent fans of the two IPs into sceptics before the film even hit the big screen.
There are elements that work in AVP‘s favor, and it’s certainly a more coherent and enjoyable experience than its sequel, but that’s fainter praise than it seems. It may not have the graphic violence that would have been necessary to make the film what it should have been, but at least Sanaa Lathan stands out in the lead role, and more Lance Henriksen as a member of the Weyland family is never a bad thing.
11. Alien Resurrection (1997)
In the history of wholly unnecessary sequels, Alien Resurrection ranks extremely high. There’s little reason to recommend it. And, when it comes to Alien fans, it’s outright painful to see Ellen Ripley return from the dead, only to be an entirely different character.
The only reasons Alien Resurrection doesn’t rank lower are the practical effects-generated shots of the Xenomorphs and a great supporting cast. But, to the latter point, while Ron Perlman and Winona Ryder are given a lot to do, Michael Wincott, Brad Dourif, and Dan Hedaya are utterly wasted. When it comes to the original Alien Quadrilogy, Resurrection is the only one that’s better left skipped.
10. Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien: Covenant marked something of a course correction. Fans of the IP were disappointed by Prometheus‘ big swings so returning director Ridley Scott decided to try and get back to basics while also further expanding what was established in that 2012 prequel. The issue is, Covenant fails on both fronts.
The big questions in Prometheus either go unanswered or are answered with swift, disappointing results (e.g. the fate of Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw). There’s a solid supporting cast but like with Prometheus most of them play characters who make decisions so dumb that they stretch believability to its breaking point. As for getting back to basics, there is Xenomorph action, but none of it proves particularly memorable. Then again, the backburster scene was a nice touch and Michael Fassbender again excels, this time in a dual role.
9. Predators (2010)
Predators is an odd duck. It had been nearly 20 years since the last solo Yautja movie and the tactic was to basically remake the original. It’s not a movie that takes many risks, but in its entertainment-above-all approach, it succeeds more than it fails. There are also a few things it adds to the mythos that are effective, e.g. having a bullied Yautja and the kidnapping element.
In other words, there are worse ways to start a movie than by having a group of protagonists all of a sudden free fall into an alien jungle. Unfortunately, not all of those protagonists are particularly well-cast or likable. On the former front, Adrien Brody was an extremely strange choice to front the project as a former U.S. Special Operations Forces soldier. On the latter, even Walton Goggins manages to grate one’s nerves as a racist death row inmate. In terms of Alien and Predator movies, Predators is the very definition of middling.
8. Prometheus (2012)
Was Alien³ divisive? Sure, but Prometheus was even more so. For those expecting anything close to a straightforward Xenomorph movie, it couldn’t have been more disappointing.
For those just hoping it would be a film that would ask big questions about creation and try to take the IP in a different direction, it was a win. Given the paper-thin characters who make baffling decisions and iffy pacing, it wasn’t a huge win, but a win nonetheless. It did have one universally appealing element, however, and it’s the same element that helped Alien: Covenant. the astounding performance by Michael Fassbender.
7. Predator 2 (1990)
One year after making his studio film debut with fellow sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Stephen Hopkins was given the reigns to the Yautja’s path of destruction. Fortunately, Predator 2 is a far sight better than The Dream Child, but like that Freddy Krueger movie, it indicated to audiences that it was part of an IP that might be better off left alone for the time being. Make no mistake, Predator 2 was a disappointment, but like with the next entry on this list, time has been kind to it.
Credit where due, Predator 2 takes a lot of big swings. That’s arguably better than putting another group of soldiers in a jungle and having them get picked off one-by-one. Furthermore, it’s hard to truly hate a movie where Gary Busey gets to play fully eccentric. And, as far as Schwarzenegger replacements go, Danny Glover does a lot with what he’s given. It’s greatest asset, though, is the returning Kevin Peter Hall as the title character. Sadly, Predator 2 was one of his final films.
6. Alien³ (1992)
Like The Predator, Alien³ had a tough time reaching the big screen. Unlike The Predator, Alien³ manages to have its well-aged merits. For one, it’s a terrific finale for Ellen Ripley, and watching it with the benefit of hindsight makes Alien Resurrection seem even more needless than it did at the time.
It also has the most iconic shot of the franchise, a few memorable supporting characters, and an Assembly Cut that fixes most, but not all, of the theatrical cut’s near-fatal flaws. What really saves Alien³ is its grim atmospherics and another superb performance from Sigourney Weaver. It may not be perfect, but it feels like a more vital part of the IP than Resurrection or the bizarre Prometheus and Covenant.
5. Alien: Romulus (2024)
When a legacy sequel or legacy prequel (both of which are categories that fit Alien: Romulus), there’s a common occurrence of trying to replicate what’s worked to an extent that ends up harming the final product. Fortunately, Fede Álvarez’s love letter to the Xenomorph is like his 2013 Evil Dead reboot, it works more often than it doesn’t. The only real knocks against it are a controversial third act and a gratuitous role for a legacy character. Or, rather, a copy of a legacy character.
It may not be perfect, but Romulus shows that it’s possible to take the franchise back to its horror roots and succeed in doing so. Other assets in its corner include a substantial usage of practical effects, pacing that’s neither rapid-fire nor lethargic, and a game cast. In particular, Cailee Spaeny continues her streak of delivering phenomenal performances, and manages to convince audiences that solo Alien movies can work just fine without Ellen Ripley.
4. Prey (2022)
For a while there, it sure looked like the Predator franchise was like Jurassic Park: better left at one movie. Predator 2 didn’t come close to matching it critically or commercially, then there was a long gap between that sequel and the third installment (not counting the two AVP movies), then not even Shane Black could deliver a truly worthwhile sequel. But then, just as he surprised people with 10 Cloverfield Lane, a film that wasn’t announced until it was about to be in theaters, Dan Trachtenberg went and delivered what is easily the second-best Yautja movie to date. And it was a streaming exclusive.
In fact, Prey is arguably as good as Predator, if not better. The lead performance from Amber Midthunder is without a doubt the best acting the franchise has ever seen, the action manages to feel fresh, and the narrative takes its time in analyzing its protagonist. As a film, there’s a strong argument to be made that it’s objectively better given its character-focused approach, but there are three reasons Predator ranks higher: utter quotability, perfect pacing, and it was the one to introduce the Yautja. Even still, Trachtenberg is confirmed to be returning for not one but more installments in 2025, including Predator: Badlands, and that should be enough to get fans very excited.
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3. Predator (1987)
As an action movie, they don’t get much better than Predator. The only other movie from the ’80s that gives it a run for its guns-blazing money is Die Hard, also directed by John McTiernan. After a brief but satisfying set-up, the film becomes all about a limited group of characters facing an unknown threat.
And, while all of those characters are gruff macho men, the performers manage to make them likable and the script, for the most part, manages to make them feel distinct. One of Predator‘s major accomplishments is genuinely making the viewer feel as though even these battle-hardened individuals are truly in danger. When your lead is Arnold Schwarzenegger, three years off leading The Terminator, that’s quite the feat.
2. Aliens (1986)
James Cameron may very well be the master of sci-fi action sequels. The difference is, with Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the follow-up was to an IP he himself created. With Aliens, he stepped into a pre-existing world with his own idea for it, and the idea was a doozy.
In a way, Aliens is extremely simple: Alien but many more of them. In fact, that’s how Cameron pitched the film to 20th Century Fox. He wrote down “Alien” in large block letters then put a “$” after it. The pitch worked, and his movie works even better. Like Predator, it’s one of the definitive action films, but what gives Aliens the edge is its wonderful and organic development of Ellen Ripley, with Sigourney Weaver delivering the best work of her four films.
1. Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s Alien is deemed by many to be a perfect film, and rightly so. Sublimely paced, genuinely scary, wildly ambitious, and riddled with terrific performances, it’s a true classic. As good as its immediate sequel is, there’s just no beating the original.
Speaking of Aliens, while the director’s cut there is the better of the two, one would do well to stick with the theatrical cut of the original film. Nothing that was excised does anything but detract from the pacing, even if it’s not to a great extent. The theatrical cut was and remains the ultimate haunted house movie, where danger lurks around every corner of a tightly spaced single locale.
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