When we talk about the best alien movies, it's clear that there's a certain fixation with films that feature outer-space lifeforms. Extraterrestrials offer us a reflection of our own mortality and evolution as they question humanity’s relevance in a wide-spanning universe.
Every generation has been defined by a cultural exploration of this phenomenon, such as E.T., Alien, and Men in Black. With so many alien films on record, we've broken down the 10 best alien movies to watch right now. Travel back to the Cold War in The Thing before venturing through time and space in 2001: Space Odyssey and relive a Groundhog Day experience like no other in The Edge of Tomorrow.
Experience visions, otherworldly invaders and musings of mortality in some of the best sci-fi movies that continue to endure and evolve throughout the generations, as seen with the recent release of Alien: Romulus. However, few films have had such a defining impact on a genre as our picks down below, so buckle up, as these are our 10 best alien movies of all time.
10. The Thing
Year: 1982
Director: John Carpenter
Compared to its contemporaries, E.T. and Aliens, The Thing didn't immediately find its audience, but appreciation has grown over time, and this film is now regarded as one of the best alien movies ever made.
Based on John W. Campbell Jr.'s novella, Who Goes There?, the film follows American pilot R.J. Macready (Kurt Russell) and his team of researchers in Antarctica who encounter a creature who can imitate any life form. Despite initially seeming human, this "Thing" evolves and absorbs some of the sled dogs, disturbing all of the base as they realize it can morph into any living thing - including one of them.
The team slowly turn on one another as they try to find the real "thing" that threatens them. Alongside Russell, the cast includes Nope's Keith David, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Richard Dysart and Charles Hallahan. It's a tense look at the threat of extraterrestrial life on humanity and the brutal lengths that someone could go to in order to survive.
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Year: 1978
Director: Philip Kaufman
Based on Jack Finney's 1955 novel The Body Snatchers, Kaufman's 1978 adaptation follows Elizabeth Driscoll, a San Francisco-based scientist who, in a horrifying turn of events, discovers that people—even her own boyfriend—are being replaced by emotionless alien clones.
Stripped of their humanity, a conflict begins to emerge between the duplicates and the humans as they fight for their identity and survival. The stellar cast features Brooke Adams as Elizabeth, alongside Donald Sutherland from The Hunger Games, Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park, Veronica Cartwright from Alien, and Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek.
With a cult following and a 93% fresh rating, it might not have won over critics at the time, but it holds a pivotal place in the genre’s history and is widely regarded as an outstanding science-fiction movie today.
8. Edge of Tomorrow
Year: 2014
Director: Doug Liman
One of the contemporary choices on this list is Edge of Tomorrow. The film follows Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, who is ordered to the frontline in France when the Mimics, an alien race, attack central Europe. Terrified, Cage lands in J-Squad and heads to the frontline, only to be killed by a larger Alpha Mimic after he explodes it with a mine.
Yet, this gruesome experience forces him into a time loop to relive the day he died until he stumbles across decorated war hero Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) and the trajectory of his day changes. The repetition is gripping to watch as Cage and Vrataski attempt to defeat the Mimics. The alien movie explores the agony of mortality and the brutality of war in outstanding action sequences. As an alternative alien invasion movie, it is one of the absolute best. Read our Edge of Tomorrow review for more details on this classic!
7. Men in Black
Year: 1997
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Based on the Marvel Comic of the same name, Men in Black sees Agent J and Agent K, members of a secret government agency, monitor and police all extraterrestrials that live on earth - and it turns out, there's a lot of them. Sifting through everyday criminals to intergalactic terrorists, the MIB have to diffuse tensions between other-worldly species who are plotting against each other and threatening human life.
Fronted by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, it opened to critical acclaim and kick-started a franchise of films based on this New York secret agency. The cast also features Linda Fiorentino, Daredevil's Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Tony Shalhoub. Nominated for three Academy Awards, Men in Black won Best Makeup and became one of the highest grossing films of the '90s for a good reason. It’s another staple for this list.
6. The Day The Earth Stood Still
Year: 1951
Director: Robert Wise
Another cult classic for our list of the best alien movies is The Day The Earth Stood Still. Based on the 1940 short story, Farewell to the Master, the film sees a spaceship arrive in Washington DC during the Cold War, with an extraterrestrial visitor in tow, a humanoid called Klaatu, who requests to speak to world leaders about the future of Earth’s survival.
After being seized by the army, Klaatu escapes and befriends a widowed woman, Helen Benson and her son to try to understand the human race and ultimately save them from themselves. The film contemplates what humanity could learn from extraterrestrial life and the danger of developing nuclear weapons. In 1995, the United States National Film Registry declared it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and said it would be preserved for its impact on cinema.
5. Aliens
Year: 1986
Director: James Cameron
Are there two Alien franchise films on this list? Why, yes, there are. Blame Sigourney Weaver for delivering two of the best alien movies in modern history. The 1986 sequel follows Weaver as Ellen Ripley, who is the only survivor after aliens attack her spaceship. When she hears that another human colony has lost communication in a similar location, she heads back to investigate, but this time with a team of marines in tow.
The star-studded cast features The Terminator star Michael Biehn, Stranger Things' Paul Reiser and Apollo 13's Bill Paxton. Though there was some apprehension about the action-packed sci-fi ahead of its release, it's undoubtedly one of the greatest sequels and best action movies of the '80s that sparked backstories for future iterations, too. If you want to know about the Alien timeline, check out our guide on how to watch all the Alien movies in order as well.
4. Arrival
Year: 2016
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Before Dune, Denis Villeneuve demonstrated his vision for epics in Arrival. Led by Amy Adams, the film follows Louise Banks, a linguist, who is brought in by the US Army to communicate with extraterrestrials who hover above the earth in spacecrafts. Banks, with the help of Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), works to decipher the alien's language to discover the meaning of their arrival and to prevent war.
It's a fascinating examination of the structure of time, love, our relationship with extraterrestrial intelligence and the nuances of language. It opened to widespread critical acclaim and received eight Academy Award nominations, taking home Best Sound Editing. On all fronts, it's an emotional, tense tale that will keep you gripped until the very end. In fact, Arrival may be one of the best thriller movies as well.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Year: 1968
Director: Stanley Kubrick
2001: A Space Odyssey is another genre-defining entry on this list. Inspired by sci-fi legend Arthur C. Clarke's 1951 short story, The Sentinel, the film follows a team of astronauts led by Dr Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea), who along with their ship's supercomputer are sent to Jupiter to investigate a mysterious alien monolith.
A Space Odyssey was ahead of its time on many fronts - its special effects, accurate representation of space flight, exploring themes of artificial intelligence, and the imposing threat of digital intelligence upon human life. As we mentioned in our five-star 2001: A Space Odyssey review, the film offers a nail-biting journey through space and time that remains unparalleled as a cinematic spectacle.
Though it opened to mixed critical response, the film received four Academy Award nominations and won Best Visual Effects. It remains one of the most influential alien movies of all time and a must watch.
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Year: 1982
Director: Steven Spielberg
This 1982 smash hit tells the heartwarming story of an extraterrestrial (affectionately known as ET) abandoned on Earth who befriends a young human boy, Elliott. Valiantly, Elliot enlists the help of his friends to try and get E.T. back home again.
The film stars The Haunting of Hill House's Henry Thomas as ten-year-old Elliott, Drew Barrymore as his sister, Gerty, and Robert MacNaughton as his brother Michael. Dee Wallace stars as their mother, May, amongst a cast that also includes Peter Coyote, C. Thomas Howell, and Sean Frye.
After its staggering reception on its release, it became the highest-grossing film of all time until Spielberg surpassed his own record in 1993 with Jurassic Park. E.T., for its sentimentality, storyline, and visual effects, continues to hold a cult place in science-fiction history. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning five, including Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score.
1. Alien
Year: 1979
Director: Ridley Scott
Based on a story by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, Alien follows the crew of the Nostromo spacecraft as they encounter a derelict ship on an uncharted planetoid. Yet, this supposedly abandoned vessel is far from harmless, as it harbours a dangerous extraterrestrial that enters their ship and brings lethal consequences.
It laid the groundwork for one of the enduring franchises of this genre that spawned three direct sequels and five additional films. Featuring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Veronica Cartwright and Yaphet Kotto, it is considered to be one of the best horror movies and most influential sci-fis of all time and even bagged an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It’s top of our list for a reason!
If you are looking for new flicks, check out our list of all the upcoming movies to watch out for. Or, if you are preparing for the new Alien movie, read our handy guide to all the movies and shows to watch before Alien: Romulus.
