The best movies and shows to watch before Alien: Romulus

Best movies and shows to watch before Alien Romulus: Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine facing a xenomorph in the movie Alien Romulus.
(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

What are the best movies and shows 🔴to watch before Alien: Romulus? The new movie marks the seventh – ninth if you include Alien vs Predator – instalment in Ridley Scott’s long-running franchise, and frankly, there’s a lot to catch up on. Luc♏kily, director Fede Álvarez’s film is intended to be a standalone sequel that harkens back to the series’ roots by keeping the chest-busting action all in one haunted spaceship. 

However, there’s no denying that you find more enjoyment in watching the newly released 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Alien: Romulus with some foundational Extraterrestrial knowledge – and that’s where we come in. This list of the 10 best movies and shows to watch before Alien: Romulus𒁃 will catch you up on the basics of the Alien timeline before you head t🍰o the cinema while also introducing you to other worlds created by Álvarez and Scott. 

Whether you prefer horror or watching the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best alien movies, look no further; these will scratch that itch. And if you want to go even deeper into Alien lore, then check out our piece on how to watch the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Alien movies in order. Just be sure to not let any spider-like creatures get on yo🦋ur face&hell🐻ip; 

10. Alien

Sigourney Weaver as Ripley wearing a spacesuit in the movie Alien.

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Release date: 1979

Ridley Scott’s original sci-fi horror is terrifying. In fact, it's one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best horror movies of all time. Sigourney Weaver plays Ripley, a crew member of the Nostromo who intercepts a mysterious transmission from a nearby planet. The♈ team decides to investigate, only to discover a derelict alien ship. When on𓄧e particularly investigative Nostromo officer – Kane, played by the late, great John Hurt – goes on ahead and finds a strange egg, a creature bursts out and attaches itself to his face. 

The rest of the crew wonder what to do with Kane, but little do they know the monster they have invited on board their ship. Alien really is as terrifying a watch today as back in the late ‘70s. Scott&r𒀰squo;s masterful direction ratchets up the tension while Weaver gives her star-making performance as  Ripley. It’s also worth noting that Alien: Romulus takes place between the events of Alien and Aliens, making this something of a must-watch for anyone going to see Fede Álvarez’s new mov𓆉ie.

Follow-up with Aliens: The sequel that takes the franchise in an unexpected direction, swapping horror for action under 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:James Cameron&rౠsquo;s direction. Some will argue Aliens is even better than Alien, though we will leave that debate for another article…

9. Prometheus

Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, Michael Fassbender as David, and Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway in the movie Prometheus.

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Release date: 2012

Following two fairly average Alien sequels, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, plus two crossover spin-offs with the Predator franchise (more on those later), Ridley Scott decided to revamp his Alien series with a prequel that delves into the origins of mankind. Prometheus ends up being less like an Alien movie and more a philosophical look at what makes a human a human, which, at the time of release, proved a controversial choice. Fans wanted more 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xenomorphs and less Michael 💙Fassbender as an android butler.

However, Prometheus is an underrated gem, introducing epic mythology to the series and featuring brilliant performances by Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Noomi Rapace, and Fassbender in spectacularly creepy form. Plus, with this being a prequel to Alien, Prometheus also acts as a prequel to Alien: Romulus, making it a must-watch. You can read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Prometheus review for more details!

Follow-up with Alien Covenant: Scott heard those fans complaining about not having enough intergalactic monsters in Prometheus and decided to make a sequel that amounts to a greatest-hi🐷ts collection of Alien moments – chest-busting galore.

8. Prey

Amber Midthunder as Naru running from the Predator in the movie Prey.

(Image credit: Disney Plus)

Release date: 2022

Alie💛n: Romulus takes a classic franchise and cuts off all the fat (read: sequels) to deliver a terrifying, standalone sequel. Sound familiar? Prey served the exact same function for the Predator movies – essentially a soft reboot of the series with a new protagonist, all the while paying homage to what came before. In Prey, Amber Midthunder plays Naru, a member of a Comanche tribe who becomes prey for an intergalactic monster. 

If you’re after a tense horror that combines with a sci-fi hook, then check out our four-star 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Prey review. The Disney Plus movie is the perfect introduction to another franchise that has somethi🌟ng of a unique relationship with the Alien movies. Dan Trachtenberg directs, and the filmmaker is currently working on a follow-up, a separate P💙redator spin-off titled Badlands. 

Follow-up with Predator: We’re not talking about The Predator, directed by Shane Black, but the original Predator, helmed by John McTiernan. A classic of the genre, Predator remains one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best action movies to date.

7. Alien vs. Predator

A xenomorph and the Predator hissing at each other during the movie Aline vs. Predator.

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Release date: 2004

Following the mediocre reception to the third and fourth Alien movies, and with the Predator franchise laying dormant, Fox decided there was only one thing to do: taඣke a weird crossover comic from 1989 🃏and make it a reality. Thus, Alien vs. Predator was born. At the time, James Cameron was not happy about the series going in such a wayward direction and ceased work on a fifth Alien movie while likening the idea to Frankenstein Meets Werewolf. 

Ridley Scott, meanwhile, had zero interest and later admitted he couldn’t puജt himself through watching the crossover, helmed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Well, Scott’s missing out on a great time. Because once you ignore the flimsy characters and plot shortcomings, you have a stupidly fun film that’s simply ridiculous. Even Cameron ca🗹me around. “I actually liked it,” he said. “I actually liked it a lot.” Damning praise, but praise nonetheless. 

Follow-up with Aliens vs. Predator Requiem: Someone out there loved Alien vs. Predator enough because a sequel 𒈔was made. It’s not very good&hellip💦; but if you are after more Xenomorphs, then here they are.

6. Evil Dead

Jane Levy as Mia Allen covered in blood during the movie Evil Dead.

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Release date: 2013

Fede Álvarez has previous experience rebooting famous franchises. Back in 2013, the director brought the Evil Dead back to cinemas with a terrifying “re-imagining” of Sam Raimi’s beloved classic. Like the original, Evil Dead is the simple story of a group of friends heading out to a cabin in the woods, finding a haunted book, reading aloud an incarnation, and awakening an evil spirit inte🌟nt on killing them. Just your ordinary weekend away.

Álvarez removes some of the low-budget original’s campy humour, instead infusing his version with a sense of dread. In parts, it can be a slow build, but the result is a blood-curdling gore-fest that’s the ultimate experience in gruelling terror. Jane Levy, who leads the film, would go on to star in Álvarez’s other brilliant horror, Don🌊&♒rsquo;t Breathe.

Follow-up with Evil Dead Rises or Don’t Breath: The Evil Dead Rises is another great instalment in the franchise, while Álvarez’s own follow-up, Don’t Breathe, demonstrates the evolution of one of the genre’s most interesting fi😼lmmakers.

5. Blade Runner

Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard fixing a machine in the movie Blade Runner.

(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Release date: 1982

After the success with Alien, Ridley Scott returned to the sci-fi genre with another masterpiece, Blade🍒 Runne🦹r. Though not featuring the same overt horror as Alien, Scott’s follow-up showcases a bleak future for mankind as Harrison Ford's Deckard, a former police officer, hunts down bioengineered humanoids, called replicants, to "retire" them. 

However, his own beliefs about what makes a human are called into question. For anyone with even a passing interest in sci-fi, Blade Runner is a must-watch. But considering this is one of Scott’s other foundational films, anyone heading into Alien: Romulus, which Scott produced, could do a lot worse than seeking out this highly influential classic. It's also one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best sci-fi movies around, so check it out!

Follow-up with Blade Runner 2049: With no exaggeration, it's wild that dir🐷ector Denis Villeneuve pulled off Blade Runner 2049, a sequel that matches – and, some would argue, surpasses – the original Blade Runner.

4. Raised By Wolves

Travis Fimmel as Marcus walking in a desert during the TV series Raised by Wolves.

(Image credit: Max)

Release date: 2020 – 2022

Staying on the theme of Ridley Scott’s great work, Raised By Wolves is another great creation from the filmmaker. Unlike everything else on this list, Rai🎃sed By Wolves is a TV show. Comprising 18 episodes across two seasons, the HBO series centres on two androids who raise a human child after the destruction of ✨Earth.

If you see a throughline to Scott’s work on this list, you’re not the only one. Th🧜ere are echoes of Prometheus and Blade Runner in Raised✨ By Wolves, which features killer performances by Amanda Collin and Abubakar Salim as Mother and Father. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled before its third season entered production, but that’s no reason to miss this deeply philosophical and action-packed story. 

Follow-up with Dark: This is another brilliant, lengthy, and complicated viewing experience. There are no androids here; instead, expect time-travel shenanigans and more existential questions about humanity. Dark is one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Netflix, period.