It’s wild to imagine that the Alien franchise is now part of Disney’s world, but let’s indulge ourselves: would the House of Mouse ever incorporate a Nostromo ride into their theme parks? Will we ever get to see Mickey and Goofy battling a chestburster, or the Alien Queen crowned as a new Disney princess?
Every film in the Alien series can be seen on Disney+, including the modern-day prequels that keep springing up every few years or so. For those who aren’t subscribers, each film in the franchise can be individually bought or rented on demand via Google Play or Apple TV.
Made by Ridley Scott in 1979, the original Alien film still stands as the perfect synthesis of sci-fi and horror, with H.R. Giger’s biologically-inspired production design still looming large in the world of creature creation. It introduced us to the Xenomorph, and the mockery it makes of humanity: how we eat, breed, try to survive.
Sigourney Weaver’s all-timer action hero Ellen Ripley got away, only for her greedy bosses at Weyland Yutani (never trust the company!) to send her off with a bunch of marines to a Xenomorph-infested colony. Directed by James Cameron with more Vietnam-inspired action than the original’s chilling atmosphere, Aliens is in fact preferable to the first film in the minds of some fans.
It’s wild that Alien 3 was the directorial debut of David Fincher—and that, despite its dark storytelling and tomblike settings, it got the franchise’s first real negative reviews. Another auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet took over for Alien: Resurrection, where we got a creepy version of Ripley infused with the alien queen’s DNA: although generally considered an improvement, it ended the core franchise of Alien sequels.
Since then, we’ve had the forgettable Alien Vs. Predator popcorn action movies, and Prometheus and Alien; Covenant, both from returning director and creator Ridley Scott. Bringing back the murky worldbuilding and suspense of that first film, Scott’s latest Alien stories are also available on Disney+, making the House of Mouse a gooier and more terrifying place than Uncle Walt ever intended.
