In excellent news for fans of the “Alien” franchise, all six previous films in the franchise are now streaming on Hulu, in preparation of this week’s release of “Alien: Romulus,” the nasty new entry directed by Fede Alvarez and starring Cailee Spaeny. But how should one watch or rewatch the movies in advance of the new installment (which serves as a stand-alone, so you don’t have to rewatch any of them at all)? Would it be by which ones are best? Chronologically? Roll of the dice? Here’s a quick guide to all things “Alien” and how best to prep with the new collection on Hulu. First things first, “Alien: Romulus” takes place in between “Alien” and “Aliens,” so if you want to pop on the first film, the classic, that’s all the prep you’ll need.
If you’ve never seen “Alien,” what are you doing? Run, don’t walk, to take in a rare perfect film, Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 horror-thriller, where in space, no one can hear you scream. It would help to familiarize yourself at least with the xenomorphs and their whole thing, and the cast of characters piloting a Weyland-Yutani ship that gets invaded by a pesky stowaway. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is also the template for every badass female heroine to come.
Plus, it features a very cute cat. Why not watch “Aliens” (1986) while you’re at it? This sequel, directed by a young upstart, James Cameron, takes the taut, tight and confined premise of “Alien” and blows it up into a swagg.