Do you need to watch any Alien movies before Alien: Romulus?

IsAlien: Romulusa sequel, prequel, reboot, or something in between? The movie is in theaters on Friday, Aug. 16, and moviegoers are wondering if they should freshen up on theirAlienmovie series knowledge before catchingRomuluson opening weekend. Or what if you don’t know anything about the franchise, isRomulusa good place to start? Here’s what we know!

New to theAlienworld or have lost count of how many movies about it have been released? The upcoming sci-fi horrorAlien: Romulusis the ninth installment in the franchise (we’re including the spin-offs). Needless to say, watching eight movies before the opening weekend forRomulusis quite the challenge! Luckily, you may not even need to watch any.

Directed by Fede Alvarez,Alien: Romulusfollows a group of young and curious space colonists who get more than what they bargained for when they discover a new life form. The synopsis shared bythe studiois as follows:

"The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe."

I’m a huge fan of theAlienfranchise. These movies are what theaters were made for, there’s nothing like the big-screen experience to take this sci-fi horror adventure in. I definitely recommend going to the theater to watchRomulus,and the sooner, the better. Fede Alvarez, who didn’t only direct the film, but also co-wrote it along with Rodo Sayagues, is known for 2013’sEvil Deadand 2016’sDon’t Breathe, so when it comes to horror, we’re in good hands!

You should watch the original Alien (1979) before Alien: Romulus

There is a lot of confusion about whether or notAlien: Romulusis a standalone movie. After doing some research, we believe that the movie does work fine as a standalone feature, so you don’t need to watch any of the previous films to be able to enjoy it and follow along. However, according to an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,the story takes place betweenAlien(1979) andAliens(1986). That said, I do recommend you at least watch 1979’sAliensif you have the time. If not, that’s totally fine! Alvarez shared with the source that:

"If you haven’t seen any of them [the Alien movies]...you’ll have an incredible experience. You’ll have a blast. Now, if you’ve seen the others, then it’s a completely different experience in a way, because you’ll see and you’ll find those connections with the other movies. "

Have time to watchAlien(1979)? Great! You'll find the movie available to stream on Hulu for free as part of your subscription.

Alien: Romulusstars Cailee Spaeny, David Johnson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. The movie is rated R for language and violent, bloody content. It has a runtime of approximately one hour and 59 minutes. Catch it in theaters this Friday, Aug. 16 (select theaters have showings playing as early the evening of Thursday, Aug. 15).

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