WE CAN TALK for days about sci-fi, horror movies and action movies. But there is one franchise that has been running for 45 years (and more) and combines all of that – and that is the world of Foreigner.
Foreigner began in 1979 with the release of the very first film, which to this day remains one of the true masterpieces of the legendary director Ridley Scott (and he has a lot of good films). The film is nearly half a century old, but it still manages to sustain tension and thrills better than anything else you’ll ever see. Why? A big reason lies in the atmosphere the film carefully builds by brilliantly showing only brief moments of the terrifying titular creature and having it stay in hiding when it’s at its most terrifying – it’s all about the mood and the fear of what might be coming.
Of course, the Foreigner Franchise develops; Director James Cameron (ever heard of him?) took over for Aliens, The second and much larger film was released in 1986, and the franchise has continually expanded its world and ambitions in the years since.
Scott returned to the world of Foreigner in 2012 and 2017 for two prequels entitled Prometheus And Alien: Covenant, and to continue to explore the world of the Weyland Company decades later. In 2024, the franchise lives on with Alien: Romulus, Director and co-writer: evil Dead (2013) and Don’t breathe Director Fede Álvarez for a film set between the events of Foreigner And Aliens. It’s just as exciting as any other installment in the series, but offers a contemporary perspective on both filmmaking and the franchise itself. Noah Hawley (by Fargo And legion Fame) is also working hard on his own Foreigner Series for FX – titled Alien: Earth—which will debut sometime in 2025.
Before we go into too much detail, a few quick things. We will specifically exclude the Predator Franchise (which, as you know, is a completely different world) and the two Alien vs Predator Films (which usually have nothing to do with the rest of the world) Foreigner World). The other films have a common thread to some degree, but these don’t.
The three latest films of the Foreigner Franchises are technically prequels, to an extent, so if you want to watch them in “chronological” order, you should watch these first. But we really wouldn’t recommend these at all! There are major reveals and important references that require the viewer to have seen and understood the previous installments. Foreigner Movies. If you start with the newer movies that are set earlier in the timeline, you’ll spoil the excitement of the older movies.
But if you really wanted to (and again, we don’t recommend it), this would be the chronological order:
Prometheus (2012)
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Foreigner (1979)
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Aliens (1986)
Aliens 3 (1991)
Alien: Rebirth (1997)
But seriously, if you really want to see these movies as they were meant to be seen (and if you want to get the most out of them), just watch them in the order they came out. It’s a fragmented timeline, but we believe in you – you can keep up. Like the MCU, Star Wars, and the X-Men We recommend that you watch the films in the order in which they were released in theaters.
So this is really the best order to Foreigner Movies.
Foreigner (1979)
The film that started it all. Ridley Scott’s original Foreigner is an experience full of suspense, fear and terror as we follow a small crew who have no idea what kind of mission they are being sent on. Here we first meet Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, a true daredevil, and get our first glimpse of the breast-bursting Xenomorphs. The film is set in approximately the year 2122.
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Aliens (1986)
We meet Ripley again in a completely new setting, aboard a busy space station, 50 years later (in the year 2179). James Cameron takes over the role from Ridley Scott, and pretty much everything about the film is bigger: a bigger storyline, more action, and huge fight/battle scenes. This film is awesome.
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Aliens 3 (1992)
Also set in the year 2179, Aliens 3 Ridley’s film follows directly on from the events of Aliens. Directed by David Fincher – his first feature film, although he was not satisfied with the final product (in 2009 he said in an interview with The Guardian. Still, if you are interested in the entire history of this franchise, this is canon – you must read on. And it is still Foreigner. A lot of fun happens, but a warning: It is bald.
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Alien: Rebirth (1997)
After Aliens 3, We jump about 200 years into the future (approximately 2318) for the events of Alien: Resurrection. This story is about a cloned version of Ripley that scientists have brought to life as a kind of (hopefully) killing machine, with the intention of stopping the Xenomorphs before they reach Earth. The film was a classic of the 90s, so it should come as no surprise that Signourney Weaver’s co-star is the wonderful Winona Ryder (and Ron Perlman is also in the cast). While resurrection (co-written by Joss Whedon) a series of sequels were planned, but they never materialized; however, the story was told in a series of Foreigner Comics (the did cross with Terminator And predator).
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Prometheus (2012)
Prometheus is the first film in the Foreigner Franchise (excluding the above Alien vs Predator Some films don’t feature Sigourney Weaver or Ripley… and that’s because the action takes place far back in history. Prometheus is set in the period 2089-2093 and thus reaches back as far as this world reaches back to the present day. The film, which was again directed by Ridley Scott and co-written by Damon Lindelof, is the first in a planned trilogy of prequels to the first Foreigner Film (followed by Alien: Covenant)shows us the intoxicating, existential origin (of a sort) of this strange world, and plenty of action to boot. The cast includes Noomi Rapace as the protagonist, along with Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Guy Pearce and an incredible Michael Fassbender. This story will be continued in a comic book series.
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Alien: Covenant (2017)
Federal Government, also directed by Ridley Scott, is set in the year 2104; it is both a sequel to Prometheus, and also a prequel to the original Foreigner. It’s a sort of mashup of everything you like about this franchise – thrilling action, an unsettling sense of dread, and some genuine freak-out moments – combined with a bit more of the existential mythos that was present in Prometheus. It has something else in common with the other films: a great cast. This film prominently features the returning Michael Fassbender (again playing a terrifically repulsive android). along with newcomers Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup and Danny McBride.
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Alien: Romulus (2024)
Set between the events of Foreigner And Aliens, Alien: Romulus plays for most of the time like the Star Wars: The Force Awakens the Foreigner franchise. The characters, settings and plot are all familiar – but in a good way, because it’s all really well done and executed in an extremely engaging way. That is, until the last 20 minutes or so, when director and co-writer Fede Álvarez does exactly what he did in his 2013 film. evil Dead Film – brings a grand finale full of absolute heat. The cast consists mostly of young talents, including Cailee Spaeny (Civil War, Priscilla) and David Jonsson (Industry, Rye Lane) who are doing a great job leading a new generation of heroes and androids.
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