Which ‘Alien’ Movies to Watch Before ‘Alien: Romulus’?

To the untrained eye, the Alien franchise might seem like a typical space story featuring a horrifying monster. However, each Alien movie holds a unique place in the series, embedding vital information amidst terrifying alien sequences and sometimes, screaming children. They are all indeed worth watching. If you haven’t seen any of them and need a debrief before Alien: Romulus, a bit of research might be necessary.

Alien: Romulus is technically a standalone film set in the Alien universe with an entirely new set of characters. So, even if you have no prior Alien experience, you can still enjoy the movie. Of course, this doesn’t mean there won’t be callbacks or easter eggs. You don’t need to marathon all previous six films in the franchise before heading to the theaters, unless you want to.

If you are completely new to the Alien franchise, starting with Alien is the best way to dive in. Besides giving you a good scare, it provides the right amount of context. Alien: Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens, meaning if you’ve only watched Alien, you’ll probably still enjoy Romulus. You can then head home and watch Aliens right after. To take it a step even further, you can check out the video game Alien: Isolation, which also takes place after the events of Alien.

For even more world-building, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant offer a rich backstory and mythology of the series. Both these films are set way before the Alien we know. For more action, you can check out the Alien vs. Predator series, though its existence is controversial among fans.

To recap: Alien is a must-watch before viewing Romulus, but beyond that, it’s up to you, depending on how much context you seek. While Aliens takes place after Romulus, it’s often considered the best in the series, so watching it before won’t detract from your experience. All you truly need to know is that these aliens are… not nice.