Alien: watch order

The movies in the series, sorted by release date. Total runtime: 7 h 57 min. A science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her battle with an extraterrestrial life-form, commonly referred to as "the Alien". Produced by 20th Century Fox, the series started with the 1979 film Alien, then Aliens in 1986, Alien³ in 1992, and Alien: Resurrection in 1997.

1. 
   Movie 1

   Alien (1979)

   1 h 57 min · ★ 8.2

   During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a…

2. 
   Movie 2

   Aliens (1986)

   2 h 17 min · ★ 8.0

   Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she…

3. 
   Movie 3

   Alien³ (1992)

   1 h 54 min · ★ 6.4

   After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more…

4. 
   Movie 4

   Alien Resurrection (1997)

   1 h 49 min · ★ 6.2

   Two hundred years after Lt. Ripley died, a group of scientists clone her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the new Ripley is full of surprises … as are the new aliens. Ripley must team with a band of smugglers…