What to Watch Before ‘Alien: Romulus’

Fans of the Alien franchise have loved it since Ridley Scott’s first outing in 1979. Now, Alien: Romulus is hitting theaters and fans want to go in as prepared as possible. So what do you need to watch before going to the cinemas?

Well, you don’t need to do too much prep work to figure out exactly what happened in this franchise prior to Romulus. According to the official timeline for the franchise, Alien: Romulus falls between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). So you might be thinking, “Oh so I just need to watch Alien!” and sure, you can do that—and you should. Romulus does a good job of setting its stage so you could go in with no knowledge of the franchise, but it’ll be a better, more meaningful experience if you’ve seen at least Alien.

But beyond that first movie, there are a few movies that make it a better viewing experience that take place prior to Alien and therefore prior to Romulus.

So let’s talk about each movie you might want to watch prior to seeing Romulus if you want to be completely caught up.

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

There are few franchises in the world that fans wanted to collab together more than Alien and Predator. I’d argue that outside of Freddy vs. Jason, this was the movie people were longing to see. Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) funds an expedition to Antarctica and their guide Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) takes them to a pyramid where the much-feared xenomorphs are lurking. Don’t worry, Predator shows up to hunt the aliens which just means a really bad time for any humans around.

Timeline-wise, this is technically first. However, I don’t think you understand the importance of this movie without watching the rest of the franchise (and Predator) first. So it is complicated but if you’ve already seen the films and you’re just looking for a chronological refresher, start here.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

That last movie was so good they decided to do it again. This time, in Colorado. A cast of humans (played by Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, and John Ortiz) are caught in the crossfires of yet another battle between Predator and the xenomorphs. Again, it is what people wanted. We had two huge franchises about aliens happening in the late ’70s and ’80s so of course people wanted them to meet.

As with the first AvP, this movie doesn’t offer anything in the way of a lead-in to Romulus, but they’re fun additions to the world and take place earlier in the Alien timeline, so you may as well give ’em a watch.

Prometheus (2012)

The first of the franchise that I think you really need to see before Romulus is Prometheus. The movie proved divisive but I love it. David (Michael Fassbender) is an android in charge of keeping a team of humans alive as they embark on a journey to the darkness of the universe searching for answers to save humanity.

Shaw (Noomi Rapace) is searching for answers about religion while Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) is trying to prove the opposite but what they find is terrifying. They find the xenomorphs. It’s an Alien movie, it isn’t that hard to kind of figure out where things are heading. The movie is a fun watch and I do think watching it will help you appreciate Romulus more.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Did you miss Shaw and David? Don’t worry, they’re back for Alien: Covenant. This time, we are embarking on a journey with the crew of Covenant, including Katherine Waterston as Daniels. Prometheus and Covenant are two movies that do tie together and if people were divided on their feelings towards Prometheus, they are even more divided when it comes to Covenant.

Still, both of these movies help to fill out the world so when you get to movies like Romulus, you understand little nods to the larger franchise.

Alien (1979)

I mean, come on. If you were going to watch any movie before Romulus, it is Alien. The new movie takes place between Alien and Aliens so plot-wise, the first film is pretty important in setting that scene. It’s also the most horror-esque of the franchise. (Until Romulus, that is!)

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and a crew of scientists are on a ship together when the xenomorphs come a-knocking. Is anyone okay after seeing a little alien busting out of John Hurt’s chest? It’s terrifying, weird, and kicked this whole franchise off!

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And then you’re prepared for Romulus! Go and enjoy!