When Foreigner When the film hit the screens on June 22, 1979, no one was prepared for the terrifying journey the world was about to embark on. Set in the claustrophobic confines of space, where no one can hear your screams, hunted by an unstoppable race of murderous monstrosities known as the Xenomorphs, the Foreigner Franchise has revolutionized the way we experience fear in cinema. The franchise started with a screech with two great films, but the quality has certainly changed over the years as more entries have come out. Still, there is no denying its longevity as a compelling series. No matter how good or bad an entry is, the world always wants more of these terrifying space creatures. Since we are getting another film in the form of Alien: Romulus by horror heavyweight Fede Álvarez, we bring you a complete ranking of all Foreigner film and its various spinoffs, sequels, and prequels. Don’t worry, this is a spoiler-free countdown, so let’s break down the worst and the best Foreigner Movies.
8.
Aliens vs Predator
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Pour: Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Horror
Evaluation: Part 3 – 13
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes
Rotten tomatoes: 22% (critics), 39% (audience)
Let’s start with by far the weakest contribution in the series, Paul WS Anderson’s Alien vs Predator. Originally hinted at at the end of Stephen Hopkins’ Predator2 in 1990, when Lt. Michael Harrigan boards the Predator’s ship and sees a Xenomorph skull as a trophy. After a series of comics and video games, there wasn’t a live-action duel between the two alien titans on the big screen until 2004. Of course, it wasn’t the epic confrontation we were hoping for. Of course, there were moments of bloody battles between the aliens and the Predator, but the film was dragged down by a long list of problems: the fight between the aliens and the Predator went on far too long, the characters just weren’t interesting, it wasn’t scary, and we got a human-Predator team-up that nobody wanted or asked for. All in all, it just wasn’t a satisfying film.
7.
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
Director: Greg and Colin Strause
Pour: Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis
Genre: Action, drama, sci-fi, horror, mystery
Evaluation: R
Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
Rotten tomatoes: 12% (critics), 30% (audience)
Greg and Colin Strause Aliens vs Predator: Requiemthe continuation of AVPwas an improvement. Not a big one, but an improvement nonetheless. The terror level was upped and the bloodshed increased tenfold, but the film still had characters that were hard to like, bad editing, bad lighting (it’s hard to see at various points in the film), and a lot of things that happened for no good reason. The first two Foreigner Films were not just slasher pictures, they had expertly developed and appealing characters, something that the Alien vs Predator Movies were sorely lacking. What these movies showed us is that it’s just not enough to pit these two monsters against each other. You still need competent storytelling.
6.
Aliens 3
Director: David Fincher
Pour: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover
Genre: Science fiction, mystery
Evaluation: R
Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes
Rotten tomatoes: 44% (critics), 46% (audience)
By far the weakest of the Sigourney Weaver-led Foreigner Films, David Fincher Aliens 3 was the first sign of the drop in quality the franchise would suffer. The film suffered from a lack of originality, as it essentially told the same story as the previous films, just with different characters and much less efficient direction and writing. Visually, the film is interesting, but this was also a time when CGI was being used more heavily in films, and the Xenomorphs were no longer practical effects, but computer generated imagery that aged terribly. Apparently this film was riddled with studio meddling, reshoots, and rewrites, and the end result shows. It also comes across as dirty and grimy compared to the first two films, and the shock moments – or lack thereof – become incredibly repetitive. The film was originally set up to be a fairly lukewarm farewell to Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley, but really all it did was put us to sleep, both in the theater and at home.
5.
Alien: Rebirth
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Pour: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman
Genre: Science fiction, horror
Evaluation: R
Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes
Rotten tomatoes: 55% (critics), 39% (audience)
Ripley returns! Well, sort of. 200 years later Aliens 3Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet brings our heroine back as a human/xenomorph clone hybrid, and why not? Sigourney Weaver is the strongest part of the film, but even she can’t keep a ship of irrelevant characters, nonsensical plot points, and sometimes unbearable dialogue afloat. This film is better than Aliens 3but that doesn’t mean much. As mentioned, Weaver and her escapades alone are worth the price of admission. But similar to Aliens 3the film is not so much scary as it is bloody and action-packed, pushing aside any real sense of terror. If this were a self-contained film, resurrection would probably have been better received. But when the time came, the audience Foreigner Tiredness, and a much needed dose of something different and new was urgently needed.
4.
Alien: Covenant
Director: Ridley Scott
Pour: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride
Genre: Horror, sci-fi, mystery, thriller
Evaluation: R
Duration: 2 hrs 2 mins
Rotten tomatoes: 65% (critics), 55% (audience)
After the initial fan complaints about Ridley Scott’s horror/thriller epic Prometheus not having enough connection to the rest of the franchise, Federal was an attempt to not only tell the story of Prometheus but also to bring the series back to its roots. In some ways, it succeeds. Unfortunately, in most other areas, it fails to recapture the magic. FederalThe plot of is full of strange creative choices that didn’t sit well with fans, as well as some awkward, sometimes unintentionally hysterical dialogue (“I do the fingerings,” Michael Fassbender’s David says to his clone, whom he is teaching to play the flute). It was a welcome sight to see the Xenomorphs again, but director Ridley Scott’s effort to Prometheus have more to do with the Foreigner The franchise as a whole felt contrived. The film has plenty of scary moments, but it lacks innovation in a series that suffered because of it.
3.
Prometheus
Director: Ridley Scott
Pour: Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron
Genre: Horror, sci-fi, mystery, thriller
Evaluation: R
Duration: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rotten tomatoes: 73% (critics), 68% (audience)
Although it is not necessarily the story everyone wanted, Ridley Scott’s visually magnificent and profound semi-prequel Prometheus nevertheless provided us with a captivating narrative that provided background information, not only about Foreigner franchise, but humanity itself. With strong performances from a strong cast – especially Michael Fassbender –, fascinating images and exciting moments, Prometheus did something the series desperately needed: a journey in a new direction that told a different story in the universe. Despite all this Prometheus tried, fans felt that there was not enough connective tissue to Foreigner Anthology that led to the return of the Xenomorphs Federal. Although the film deviates a little from the usual formula, Prometheus gave us a gripping story and at the same time showed the courage to swim against the tide. That alone makes the film worth watching.
2.
Aliens
Director: James Cameron
Pour: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Horror
Evaluation: R
Duration: 2 hrs 17 mins
Rotten tomatoes: 94% (critics), 94% (audience)
James Cameron’s Aliens is the direct sequel to Ridley Scott’s previous film, which took everything that made the original great to the extreme. The first film was definitely more horror-oriented and focused mainly on scares, while Aliens ramps up the action and introduces more characters to root for or enjoy seeing destroyed by the Xenomorphs. Oh, and those pesky Xenos? There was only one in the last film, so how about a whole swarm of them this time? (Any fear yet?) Aliens is one of those rare cases where the sequel shines in many ways just as much as the original, if not more so. Sigourney Weaver is back as Ellen Ripley, delivering a supremely badass performance as someone who has been through Xenomorph hell to become our only hope of ever eliminating these terrifying killers. This time, she’s joined by a ragtag team of Marines who pose a greater threat, but are ultimately mere cannon fodder. But whatever, because aren’t we all here for the violence?
1.
Foreigner
Director: Ridley Scott
Pour: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton
Genre: Science fiction, horror
Evaluation: R
Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Rotten tomatoes: 93% (critics), 94% (audience)
The film that started it all. Our introduction to Ellen Ripley and the Xenomorph was a turning point in the horror genre. In an era where killers in hockey masks, striped sweaters and butcher’s aprons ruled, Foreigner took us into the cold, uninhabitable darkness of space. The legendary HR Giger presented us with an incredibly terrifying monster that inspired awe and fear in the audience. The film is set in the confines of a spaceship, so in addition to the unease emanating from the film, there is also a deep claustrophobia. This alien being was something audiences had never experienced before: it had no clear motive for killing, it bled acid, it reproduced by implanting deadly eggs in its victims, and it could crawl through ventilation shafts, blending into the ship’s machinery. There was no part of the film where audiences felt safe, and that is what makes it so effective. Foreigner is a must for any horror or film fan in general and a great start to the Foreigner Franchise Marathon.
