What to stream: Collating the data to binge ‘Alien’ franchise

In excellent news for fans of the “Alien” franchise, all six previous films in the franchise are now streaming on Hulu, in preparation of this week’s release of “Alien: Romulus,” the nasty new entry directed by Fede Alvarez and starring Cailee Spaeny.

But how should one watch or rewatch the movies in advance of the new installment (which serves as a stand-alone, so you don’t have to rewatch any of them at all)? Would it be by which ones are best? Chronologically? Roll of the dice? Here’s a quick guide to all things “Alien” and how best to prep with the new collection on Hulu.

First things first, “Alien: Romulus” takes place in between “Alien” and “Aliens,” so if you want to pop on the first film, the classic, that’s all the prep you’ll need. If you’ve never seen “Alien,” what are you doing? Run, don’t walk, to take in a rare perfect film, Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 horror-thriller, where in space, no one can hear you scream. It would help to familiarize yourself at least with the xenomorphs and their whole thing, and the cast of characters piloting a Weyland-Yutani ship that gets invaded by a pesky stowaway. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is also the template for every badass female heroine to come. Plus, it features a very cute cat.

Why not watch “Aliens” (1986) while you’re at at? This sequel, directed by a young upstart, James Cameron, takes the taut, tight and confined premise of “Alien” and blows it up into a swaggering, flame-throwing, robot-suit stomping bit of macho action cinema, when a hard-charging military wing decide to check out this xenomorph situation for themselves. A sequel that’s just as thrilling as the first, in different ways.

One of the great things about the franchise is that it has allowed many directors to take a swing with their own personal themes and style. A young David Fincher made his directorial debut with the fantastically styled “Alien 3” (1992) set on a prison planet where Ripley turns up after the events of “Aliens.” Due to studio meddling, the theatrical cut of the film is not what Fincher wanted, and he has disavowed his debut (unfairly, one might argue). The Assembly Cut is the fuller, richer film, and can be found on DVD and Blu-ray, but the theatrical cut is still quite fun, rich with industrial Soviet aesthetics and fantastic performances.

Then came “Alien Resurrection” (1997), from whimsical Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jeunet. This is definitely the wackiest of the bunch, and will likely rank low on many lists, but if you’re open to it, it’s so weird and fun and definitely comes from the unique mind of the man behind “Amélie,” “Delicatessen” and “The City of Lost Children.” Ripley playing basketball! Underwater chase sequences! Winona Ryder! This one is somewhat of an outlier but fun nevertheless.

Then there’s “Prometheus” (2012), Scott’s return to the franchise, with this heady prequel set in 2093. (If chronological is your preferred watch order, start with “Prometheus,” then move on to “Alien: Covenant,” then dig into “Alien.”) With a script by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, the film follows a crew of humans exploring a star map that leads them to a mysterious structure. Michael Fassbender plays the not quite trustworthy android David; Noomi Rapace the steely female leader. “Prometheus” is a fascinating chunk of heavy-duty mythology and origin story in the “Alien” franchise, and it leads right into its sequel, “Alien: Covenant.”

Also directed by Scott, “Alien: Covenant” fuses the mythical musings of “Prometheus” with the slasher movie origins of “Alien,” this time with Katherine Waterston sporting the gamine haircut and big gun. Scott continues to wrestle with themes about the creation and destruction of life in this enjoyably bloody genre piece.

And if you must, “Alien vs. Predator” (2004) and “Alien vs. Predator: Requiem” (2007) are also streaming on Hulu, and if you’re watching chronologically, they take place before “Prometheus.”

Katie Walsh is the Tribune News Service film critic and co-host of the “Miami Nice” podcast.