Prometheus might be one of the more divisive entries in the franchise, but it is still the best modern film in the Alien series. Starting with Ridley Scott's brilliant sci-fi horror film in 1979, Alien has continued to be a beloved pop culture phenomenon that has branched out from movies into all forms of media. The horrific xenomorph is an iconic cinematic creation, and ranks highly among the scariest aliens ever dreamed up in fiction. Besides the small details, the Alien franchise works so well because of its strong world-building and combination of conventional horror with dystopian sci-fi.

After a quartet of movies throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s, the Alien franchise got a hard reset with the release of Prometheus in 2012. Ridley Scott returned to the franchise for the first time since 1979, and the movie went backwards in the timeline, exploring a point before the events of the original movie. The film was met with a cool response from critics and fans, and was derided by some for its confusing plot and general shift away from the tone of the original movies. Two more Alien movies have since followed, but lacked the originality of Prometheus.

Prometheus Is Flawed But It Adds New Ideas To The Franchise

Ridley Scott's Vision Goes Beyond The Xenomorph

There's no arguing that Prometheus isn't a perfect film, and many of the reasons that audiences didn't like the prequel are perfectly valid. The plot is obtuse to the point that it can be alienating for the casual viewer, and the screenplay certainly could have used another draft. However, the film doesn't deserve to be hated, and is still the strongest modern Alien movie because it tries to do something original, even if it stumbled along the way. Ridley Scott's vision for the franchise clearly stretched beyond the xenomorph, and never was that more clear than in Prometheus.

The prequel is a thinly-veiled musing about the mysteries of humanity's origins

In the decades between Alien and Prometheus, Ridley Scott grew as a filmmaker and storyteller, and he has often explored the nature of humanity in his works. The prequel is a thinly-veiled musing about the mysteries of humanity's origins, and that's a headier idea than ever before explored in any other Alien film. It doesn't really matter that the message is somewhat muddled, because that question can never really be answered satisfactorily. Prometheus is so engaging because it poses such a complex question, but leaves the audience in the same position as the characters when it comes to answers.

Besides its headier aspects, Prometheus is also a beautiful film to look at, and leaves behind the dank and claustrophobic confines of a spaceship in favor of an alien world. All four previous movies had similar environs, though only two knew how to effectively use their spaces for the greatest impact. Prometheus is a lot like Alien and Aliens in that it takes something that already existed and shines a new light on the subject. Alien changed sci-fi, and Aliens added an action element. Finally, Prometheus added distinct visuals and a new philosophical approach to the fictional universe.

Other Modern Alien Movies Try Too Hard To Copy The Classic Films

Nostalgia Has Kept The Alien Franchise From Truly Blossoming

Because reboots, remakes, and legacy sequels are all the rage in Hollywood today, franchises like Alien have been stuck in a rut. The two additions to the franchise that have come since the prequel's release have been more conventional than their predecessor, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. 2017's Alien: Covenant is essentially a bridge between the events of Prometheus and the larger Alien franchise, but it bridged the gap by borrowing established elements and offering nothing new. Ridley Scott returned to direct, but Covenant isn't nearly as fresh as Prometheus.

The modern Alien movies include:

The proto-xenomorph is a more conventional antagonist, and the prequel sequel quickly devolves into the same monster movie clichés that doomed Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. However, Covenant at least tried to continue what was set forth in Prometheus, and didn't completely abandon the visual aesthetic. The same can't be said for 2024's Alien: Romulus, which falls back entirely on the style of the first two Alien films, and even returns to a more familiar spot in the franchise's timeline. There's almost nothing new or original about Romulus, and it is an exercise in nostalgia.

Fede Álvarez directed Alien: Romulus.

When characters aren't spouting quotes from Aliens, the movie does dazzle with impressive visual effects and has a few chills. Unfortunately, it's all in service of a plot that is trying too hard to copy key moments from the classic films, and the main character feels like a cardboard cutout of Ripley. Prometheus may have overextended itself and missed the mark, but it's still an original concept that owes nothing to its predecessors. Unfortunately, the success of Alien: Romulus has only vindicated the idea that recycling the same movie over and over is what the franchise needs.