Ranking the Alien Franchise, from Classic to Calamity

by Cláudio Alves

They call it a perfect organism. The beast brings forth destruction like nothing else in the universe, designed for maximum lethality and single-minded bloodlust. It slays and reproduces, only ever caring about the perpetuity of its kind over other living creatures. There are many ways for it to come into the world, whether through a mysterious black liquid or intelligent spores, an infection, or insemination by a violating face hugger. It is the product of mutation, ravaging existing beings as incubators or raw material for a further step in monstrous evolution. So, is it perfect or just good at killing and hard to kill? Is it perfect or an abomination? Am I talking about the xenomorph or the franchise that birthed it?

Through transforming genres and crossbreeding with other movie legacies, through artistic inspiration and corporative rot, through thick and thin, masterpieces and mediocrities, the Alien movies have persisted across decades. With its ninth installment now in theatres, it's a good time to take a look back at the saga and rank its nine films...

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"Raised by Wolves" 1-3: Prometheus Reborn

by Tony Ruggio

"Mother" and her children

Raised by Wolves is Ridley Scott’s answer to those who didn’t take to Prometheus, his magnum opus follow-up to Alien decades later. The powers that be got in the way of his true passion and led to a compromised vision once Alien Covenant came along. This is clearly an opportunity for him to revisit such themes as religion, man’s origin, and artificial intelligence, as well as delve into his slower, more methodical aesthetic preferences in greater detail. The first three episodes introduce us to a future wherein a great war has been fought (or is still being fought? It’s unclear) between atheists and a religious faction known as the Mithraic, spiritual fundamentalists devoted to a sun god called Sol. 

The story begins on a planet distant from Earth where an atheist group has sent two androids with the mission of shepherding a successful human colony there. So far, Wolves is primarily interested in the evolving behaviors of these androids, known only as Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubukar Salim)... 

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Review: "Alien: Covenant"

This review was originally published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad

If the famed director Ridley Scott were in art school, his professor would be yanking the paintbrush out of his hand — “it’s perfect, stop adding brush strokes!” His wife probably has to pull spices from his hands as he cooks. If you’ve been playing along with this Hollywood giant’s career you know that he can never leave well enough alone. I’ve lost count of how many “versions” there now are of his early sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner (1982) and, after years of threats, that film will have a sequel this October, Blade Runner 2049, though Scott opted to pass the directorial reigns over to Denis Villeneuve (Arrival).

Having exhausted returning to that particular sci-fi well, Ridley has moved back even earlier in his career to the film that made him famous, Alien (1979). He’s now directed two prequels to it (Prometheus and now Alien: Covenant) and more films are promised. (Perhaps the controversial ending of 1991’s Thelma & Louise is the only thing that’s kept that film, the third member of his holy trinity of masterworks, free of his tinkering!).

So how’s the new film?

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"Get Away from Her, You Bitch!": Revisiting the Alien Saga

By Spencer Coile 

The tagline for the first Alien film, short and deeply frightening, reads "In space no one can hear you scream." Written in tiny font, it is placed on the poster for Ridley Scott's first venture into the Alien-universe beneath what we soon learn is the egg from which the menacing title creature is born. The image is simple but punchy, rather like the power and artistry emerging from Alien, in very much the same way the monsters pop out of humans' chests. On paper, the series is simple. But only on paper. Revisiting the world of Ellen Ripley and co. as a lead-up to the release of Alien: Covenant this weekend, one thought kept running through my mind: these films are disurbing, because they get at the root of what it means to be a human, to be a monster, and to make sacrifices that benefit oursevles, but also the greater good. What may have started out as a cut-and-paste psychological horror from 1979 soon became a story that is deeply compelling and worthy of examination.

So let's put on our space helmets, grab our flame-throwers, and start exploring the storytelling of the Alien saga...  

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Yes No Maybe So: "Alien: Covenant"

Colony ship Film Experience crew member Robert here!

Since Prometheus blasted us back into the Alien universe to mixed reaction (hey, I really liked it!) there has been a flurry of talk about what the next entry in the franchise would be. For a while it was looking like Neill Blomkamp would get his shot at reviving the franchise with original star Sigourney Weaver, but Ridley Scott's sequel to Prometheus – originally not related to the Alien franchise, now called Alien: Covenant – put those plans on ice.

After a very tense teaser a few months ago we have a full trailer and it looks like it will be a bumpy ride for all. Trailer with the accompanying "Yes No Maybe So" after the jump...

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