The latest film in the Alien Franchise, Alien: Romulus releases this week. In honor of its release, this week’s binge watch looks at the films of the franchise. Below is my take on the previous six films in ascending order.

No. 6: Alien 3 (1992)
About: This film was the third in the franchise and was directed by David Fincher. I love Fincher and many of his films. This isn’t one of them. The setting isn’t great, and the story isn’t great. It also begins in a rough spot erasing some of the better parts of the previous film. This is a disastrous sequel.

No. 5: Alien Resurrection (1997)
About: This one brings Ripley back and has a ridiculous story. We also got Winona Ryder in a weird role. This isn’t a good film, but I’d say it’s a bit of a step up from the previous installment.

No. 4: Alien: Covenant (2017)
About: This was the second of Ridley Scott’s return to the franchise. I had liked where things were going with his first return, but this just didn’t work. Michael Fassbender is still a gifted actor, but this movie is stranger and more boring than compelling.

No. 3: Prometheus (2012)
About: This was the return to the franchise for Scott, his first Alien film since the original. This had a great cast, including Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Noomi Rapace, and a script co-written by Damon Lindelof. I liked a lot of what this was doing. It’s not incredible, but it’s a solid addition to the franchise.

No. 2: Aliens (1986)
About: There are two good films in the Alien franchise. The first I’ll talk about is this sequel from James Cameron. It’s a strong return to the world and I liked the pairing of Ripley and Newt. This is more of an action-oriented installment but it’s a really fun ride.

No. 1: Alien (1979)
About: This original is a great film. It’s one of my favorite films from the 1970s. It was a great thriller that plays like more of a horror movie than the rest of the films in the franchise. Sigourney Weaver is great here, as is the rest of the cast. This was the one that started it all and still the best.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.