In light of the fast-approaching release of Alien: Covenant, it’s time to get real about the purpose this movie has as the newest addition to the Alien series.

To do this, let’s kick it all the way back to 1979 when the original Alien film shocked the world with its extraterrestrial monsters of horror, and infamously gruesome “chest-burster” scene (commemorated by an action figure released by FunKo in 2013). The movie, directed by Ridley Scott, received critical acclaim and earned massive success at the box office. 

The triumph of Alien led to the release of a sequel, Aliens, seven years later–the story taking place 57 years after the events of the original movie. Luckily for Sigourney Weaver, they were 57 years spent in hypersleep.

The continued success of the series led to Alien 3 (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997). After underperformance in the box office and mixed reviews on the films, the Alien series disappeared from the big screen for fifteen years. Thanks to the popularity of the franchise, fifteen years was far from enough to weaken the following of the series. Action figures released by NECA and other items as quirky as Alien themed chopsticks only increased in popularity as the comeback of the series approached.

In summer of 2012, the series returned with Alien‘s original director, Ridley Scott, to tell the story before the story: PrometheusTaking place 30 years before the events of the original film, Prometheus explores the origin of the horrific Alien that resides on the same planet the Alien crew is doomed to visit. Grossing over $403 million worldwide, Prometheus was a thriving reboot of the franchise.

           

Six years later, enter Alien: Convenant, the sequel to the prequel and 6th installment to the overall series. The film is expected to focus on the aftermath of the Prometheus mission disaster, and the team set out to discover what happened to the missing crew.

       

Now that we’re caught up, it’s time to swag yourself out in preparation for the newest addition to the series. Check out our list of 5 toys from the original Alien movie that started it all:

https://www.completeset.com/stories/5-alien-toys-from-the-1979-movie