What's out there in the universe? Are we alone? Are there UFOs on this planet watching us right now? There are many huge questions out there, and I love when filmmakers tackle them.
That's why I am obsessed with alien movies. The best ones explore not only what could be on the other side of space but also how humans fit into the universe.
Today, I want to make a list of what I think are the best alien movies and take you through them.
Don't think of this as a ranking, more of a stream-on-consciousness list as they came to me.
Let's get into it.
1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The quintessential alien story about what it means to be a human; I dare you to watch this movie without crying.
2. Alien
The atmosphere in this movie is thick with tension. It has the ultimate midpoint, as it shifts from science fiction to horror when the xenomorph comes out.
3. Arrival
Language is what unites us as humans, and when we start speaking to aliens, what can we figure out about ourselves?
4. Aliens
One thing I admire about this movie is how it just switches genres for a sequel, I wish more people attempted that. It immediately adds a different kind of fear and action to the franchise.
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Music is one of those things we classify as only human, but what if it's something that unites the universe? I love how this movie takes us on an extremely personal journey.
6. Men in Black
Aliens don't have to be serious; they can be funny, too. This movie shows us how diverse using aliens can be in storytelling.
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey
This Kubrick classic is all about the unknown answers we have about existence. We never get to see the aliens, we just understand they see us.
8. Independence Day
There's an inherent joy in how much fun this movie can be. It's truly about uniting us against something more powerful, but showing how our strength comes from within.
This Jonathan Glazer movie takes us into Scotland for a totally unique experience of watching humans interact and get sucked into the web of an alien.
11. Edge of Tomorrow
Aliens are kind of the perfect existential threat. Imagine if you have to fight them over and over just to make yourself a better person?
12. Nope
Jordan Peele has such an uncanny knack for making us dive into a story and asking us the hard question: who is the predator, and who is the prey in this world? And how do we get them to stop eating us? We put it on camera.
13. A Quiet Place
One common thing on this list is that these movies reach a wide audience. This movie became part of the cultural lexicon. At its center is the story of a family in crisis learning to heal.
14. War of the Worlds
Spielberg is just the master of extracting human emotions. And nothing hits like the fear of 9-11 wrapped up in an alien movie. We see destruction and anger and helplessness...with a moral of having to be good people to change things.
15. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This classic remake asks us to look inside ourselves to see what makes us tick and look at others to see if they're like ourselves. It's a fun paranoid thriller.
16. Contact
What I love about Contact is that it takes on faith and science. and doesn't prove either of them wrong. It takes what makes us human seriously and adds facts into the mix.
17. Signs
Probably my favorite Shyamalan movie, this story places a large amount of pressure on a family that needs to heal and needs to believe. It also asks the audience to look into their own hearts.
18. Galaxy Quest
Genuinely one of the most underrated movies of all time, it takes what we think about aliens and then uses our media about them to tell a completely original story.
19. The Day The Earth Stood Still
The 1951 version of this movie is an all-time classic. We get to dig into humanity's wars with one another, and judgment is placed by the arrival of an alien dignitary, Klaatu. Do we deserve it? Yes, yes we do.
Summing Up the 19 Best Alien Movies of All Time
As I said up top, I love alien movies. They're so much fun and can teach us a lot about ourselves. I know I only named 19 movies on this list, but I bet you can come up with other ones that belong here.
