This weekend, the latest installment in the Alien film series hits theaters. Alien: Romulus is set between the events of the original Alien and Aliens, following a group of young space colonists aboard a derelict space station who come face to face with the xenomorph. You can go see the new movie in theaters on August 16, 2024, but if you want to catch up on the story beforehand, all of the Alien movies are now streaming on Hulu.
There have been eight Alien movies to date, starting with 1979’s Alien, directed by Ridley Scott. Three sequels by three different directors then came out between 1986 and 1997, building upon the story of the original movie and pushing the timeline forward:
The franchise went dormant for a few years, and then in the 2000s, 20th Century Fox released two Alien vs. Predator crossover movies that aren’t canon. You shouldn’t feel the need to watch these two (they’re pretty terrible), but they’re also streaming on Hulu:
In the 2010s, Ridley Scott picked up the mantle and revived the franchise with two prequels set years before the events of Alien, expanding on the mythology of the universe:
Based on the early reactions to Alien: Romulus, you don’t need to see all of the Alien movies to have a blast with this one. That said, you might get more out of it if you watch (or rewatch) Alien and Aliens first, since Romulus connects to both movies. I’m also a Prometheus apologist, so I recommend adding that one to your list as well.
It’s also worth noting that a TV series called Alien: Earth is in the works for FX on Hulu, written and directed by Noah Hawley (Fargo). It’s expected to premiere in the first half of 2025 and will be set 30 years before the events of Alien.
