TheAlienmovies amount to one ofthe most popular sci-fi franchises of all time, and they have several recurring themes and occurrences in every installment. Starting with Ridley Scott’s classic 1979 film, theAlienfranchise has also been helmed by iconic directors like James Cameron and David Fincher, who added to the series lore while leaning into the aspects that made the original such an all-time favorite. Withthe terrifying Xenomorphas an unstoppable Lovecraftian antagonist, viewers have come to recognize some repeated tropes that recur throughout each entry.
With a rich mythology that brings together action, horror, and sci-fi genres,theAlienmovies were far from predictable, although they still had some tenets that tied them all together. From the feminist heroism of protagonists like Ellen Ripley to the terrifying reproduction processes of the Xenomorph, theAlienfranchise has carved out an important place in popular culture. As a series that has continued to boast a loyal following right through to modern times, part of the appeal of theAlienfranchise was its recurring themes and motifs that address the endless, unknowable horror of space and the universe.
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Alien vs. Predator (2004)
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8Ignoring Safety Protocol
Characters consistently act foolishly in Alien movies
The dark potential of the Xenomorph species is often hinted at right from the beginning of any movie in theAlienfranchise. While the space crews on board ships like Nostromo have strict safety protocols they must adhere to to avoid any potential harm, the characters are quick to step outside of the rules and make hasty and improper decisions. This can be seen in the very firstAlienmovie as Kane (John Hurt) discovers mysterious alien eggs, which he immediately closely examines, only for spider-like creatures to emerge and attack, kickstarting all the horror that’s to come.
Fromunderestimating the threat of Xenomorphsand rushing into attack without proper protection to even ignoring rules of ethics and safety in the pursuit of researching the creatures, it seems everyAlienmovie features somebody who’s determined to risk their lives needlessly. This even extends to Ridley Scott’s prequel movies, such as inAlien: Covenantwhen the crew explores Planet 4 without following biohazard protocols. While it’s likely the Xenomorph still would have found a way to attack, these basic missteps helped pave the way for countless character deaths in theAlienfranchise.
7Untrustworthy Authority
There’s always an undercurrent of corporate greed in Alien movies
While the scientists at the heart of theAlienfranchise often endeavor to explore the universe and uncover the mysteries that have plagued mankind for millennia, there are often untrustworthy authority figures carefully sowing the seeds of discontent behind the scenes. This is primarily seen throughthe Weyland-Yutani Corporation, whose desires don’t always align with the needs of the ship’s crew. InAlien, this is seen through the actions of Ash (Ian Holm), an android character who is ordered to preserve the Xenomorph at all costs, even if this means the entire loss of all human life on board the Nostromo.
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Untrustworthy authority is a recurring theme throughout the entire series; this can clearly be seen in Aliens, as Carl Burke prioritizes the corporate needs of smuggling Xenomorph eggs to Earth over the lives of the crew.Alien 3even saw Ripley surrounded by shady authority figures as she crash-landed on the high-security prison planet Fiorina 161. The dire consequences of untrustworthy authority figures carrying out their darkest desires reached their pinnacle inAlien Resurrectionwhen Ripley was cloned as scientists sought to study the Alien queen as a bioweapon.
6A Powerful Woman Takes the Lead
This franchise has consistently featured strong and powerful women
TheAlienfranchise has consistently blended elements of action, horror, and sci-fi movies and, in the process, subverted traditional notions of heroism. With Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as the series' most consistent protagonist, her characterization challenged the stereotypical depiction of gender roles in movies as she proved a strong, powerful woman has what it takes to save the day. Weaver’s incredible performance helped theAlienfranchise stand out among so many other male-dominated Hollywood series.
Weaver’s incredible performance helped the Alien franchise stand out among so many other male-dominated Hollywood series.
The role of women in theAlienfranchise was all the more effective with the knowledge that Ripley was originally written to be a man (viaVanity Fair), but director Ridley Scott opted to turn them into a heroine. WhileRipley led the franchise for its first four installments, when Scott returned for his prequel,Prometheus, Noomi Rapace was brought in as the determined archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw. This theme of strong women has continued into Fede Álvarez’sAlien: Romulus, which was led by Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine.
5The Facehugger Attack
This early version of the Xenomorph’s lifecycle continually attacks in the Alien movies
Alienattacks have been a hallmark of this sci-fi franchise since the very beginning, as chestburster scenes and Facehugger assaults are a calling card of the Xenomorph’s undeniable power. As the perfect representation of the unknowable terror and sudden impulses of alien life, the Facehugger attack was first seen afterKane found hundreds of Xenomorph eggs in the originalAlienand has since become a recognizable forebearer to the even more intense horror that always followed it. Facehuggers were the parasitic lifeforms that hatched from Xenomorph eggs and served as the second stage in the alien’s life cycle.
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Facehuggers gained their notorious name for the way they latch onto their victims' faces as they implant embryos in other living beings to act as intermediates into their next live stage. While the first Facehugger victim was Kane, they reappeared inAliens,Alien 3,Alien Resurrection, and other spin-off media. With horrific intensity, one of the scariest things about a Facehugger attack was that it was just the first step in the creature’s complex journey toward reaching its full, awe-inspiringly destructive potential.
4Disposable Characters Are Killed
Very few make it out alive in the Alien movies
Since the very first installment, theAlienfranchise has always been like the equivalent of a slasher movie in space. With this in mind, this sci-fi franchise follows many of the tenets of classic horror movies as supporting characters get slowly killed off one by one, leaving just the protagonists to fend off the terrifying Xenomorph creatures by themselves. This was best encapsulated by Ellen Ripley inAlien, whose role as an action hero final girl both subverted and leaned into horror movie stereotypes at the same time.
Ellen Ripley was the sole survivor in the originalAlienmovie, showcasing this as a ruthless series where nobody was safe.
The deaths of Kane, Brett, Dallas, Lambert, and Parker inAlienwere just the beginning of thebloodshed in theAlienfranchise, as each subsequent installment saw many unsuspecting space crew members and scientists pay dearly after an encounter with a Xenomorph. While death was always an inevitability inAlien, there’s always somebody with the wherewithal to make it out alive. This was often Ripley, but other major characters like Elizabeth Shaw or eventhe morally dubious android Davidin the prequels have managed to survive past the end credits ofAlienmovies.
3Stuck In a Claustrophobic Setting
Space crews are often stuck in enclosed spaces in the Alien movies
One thing that sets theAlienfranchise apart from other sci-fi stories is the claustrophobic settings of each installment. With the firstAlienmovie essentially being a haunted house story set in space, the inescapable nature of an alien-infested spacecraft has always made these stories feel particularly tense and unnerving. In eachAlienmovie, characters are trapped in enclosed spaces with a Xenomorph, meaning there’s nowhere to run, and the only choice left is to kill or be killed.
While the Nostromo ship fromAlienis the classic example of this in practice, this has been repeated through the labyrinthine corridors of Hadley’s Hope colony inAliens, the dark, oppressive tunnels and confined spaces that trapped prisoners inAlien 3, and the cramped interiors of the USM Auriga inAlien Resurrection. By trapping characters in enclosed spaces with nowhere to run or hide,theAlienfranchise saw many crew members meet their end in distressingly hopeless situations.
2The Monster Reveal
The Xenomorph is slowly revealed to viewers in the Alien movies
Whilesci-fi lovers will immediately recognize the iconic outline of a Xenomorpheven if it is cast behind shadows, theAlienfranchise has been careful not to show all its cards at once. In everyAlienmovie, there’s a slow build-up toward its eventual reveal, as by restricting the audience’s exposure to the creature in the beginning, the impact is all the more effective when it is revealed in all its terrifying glory in the closing act.
The art of themonster revealis something that horror movies have been perfecting since the dawn of cinema and can be seen in everything fromFrankensteintoJaws. However, theAlienmovies have always been particularly good at ensuring they got the most out of their eventual monster reveals. While the chestburster scene fromAlienis perhaps the most famous example, the hordes of Xenomorphs inAliensor the terrifying Proto-Xenomorph known as the Deacon inPrometheuswere some of the franchise’s greatest monster reveals.
1A Showdown With a Xenomorph
A final confrontation is a given in the Alien movies
While all the movies in theAlienfranchise have added something new and interesting to the mythology of this series, there’s one thing that’s always a given, and that’sa final showdown with a Xenomorph or Xenomorphs. As each film focuses on the mistrust between crew members, the misjudged desires of authority, or the innate desire to study these alien creatures, the inevitable consequences of these grave errors were alien creatures running wild and a shocking battle of life and death between the alien and the hopeful survivors.
The Xenomorph has been the most consistent factor across all theAlienmovies, as different varieties of this terrifying species were revealed with each subsequent installment. As an extraterrestrial race that wants to propagate its own survival at all costs, the conflict between humans and Xenomorphs relates to its destruction mode of reproduction. As the parasitic creature leaches onto others to go through its life cycle, a deadly confrontation with a Xenomorph is always an inevitability.
Source:Vanity Fair
Alien
The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity’s encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.
