By Stephen Milek
In early July of 1947 there was a report of a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico and to commemorate that anniversary World UFO Day was created. To celebrate the occasion I decided to make a list of my favorite alien invasion movies. These are movies where aliens come to earth and they don’t come in peace so E.T. does not qualify for this list. Also movies where humans go and fight aliens on their planet doesn’t qualify either so movies like Avatar and Starship Troopers didn’t make the list either. Needless to say these movies are usually action packed with lots of special effects.
1. Independence Day – When you say alien invasion movie this is the first movie that usually comes to mind. There a so many iconic scenes in this movie with everything blowing up from the White House to all of New York. The action is fun and the cast delivers everything we expect from humor to a great presidential speech at the end.
2. The Thing – Sometimes alien invasion movies can be scary and The Thing brings the horror element to the genre. John Carpenter’s update of The Thing from Another World is one of the best remakes of all time and will make you afraid of space invaders.
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still – One of the few movies on here that doesn’t have a lot of death and destruction. A story of an alien that comes to earth to warn man of a coming invasion if they don’t change their ways. The movie came out in the 50’s and has a very anti-nuclear message but it still holds up today.
4. Edge of Tomorrow (or Live.Die.Repeat if you prefer) – The most recent movie on the list and one that for unknown reasons didn’t do very well at the box office. In fact it did so poorly that when it was released on home video it got a sort of name change to Live.Die.Repeat. But for anyone that saw it knows it is a great sci-fi action film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The aliens in this movie can control time and when Tom Cruise’s character is able to repeat the same day over and over he must figure out the secret to beating them. And if you aren’t a fan of Tom Cruise get satisfaction from watching him die a lot.
5. Predator – 80’s action movies mixed with an evil alien gave us this gem of a movie. Predator takes Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime doing what he does best. Saying one liners and blowing things up.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Another 1950’s alien invasion movie about aliens growing “pods” with people in it then killing the real people. Along with The Day the Earth Stood Still they are some of the most influential sci-fi movies of the 50’s.
7. Sings- A slightly controversial choice as there are many that don’t like Signs. But I see it as the last great M. Night Shyamalan movie. Shyamalan is now considered a hack and I feel this movie gets unfairly maligned for some of his recent failings. But I remember watching Sings in the theater and being on the edge of my seat. While the invasion happens on a world scale we are focused on how it affects a family in rural Pennsylvania. I can see how the ending can be a bit hooky but it works for me.
8. The Avengers – The fun of this movie is less about the alien invasion and more about watching your favorite superheroes learn to be a team. And this movie is fun. Loki makes a great villain and his alien force at the end gives our heroes a chance to show off their super powers.
9. The Faculty – If you ever wondered what The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers would look like this is your answer. You have your stereotypical high school characters but this time they must learn to trust each other or be turned into aliens. It lacks a certain flair that other Robert Rodriquez movies had but the constraint pays off. Kevin Williamson who wrote the slasher revitalizing Scream wrote this one also and while it didn't have the cultural impact that Scream had it was a great horror movie that references other classic movies. It also gave us Jon Stewart in a beard having a pen stuck through his eye and of course any chance to see a sexy Salma Hayek is worth it.
10. Evolution - A choice that might not make many lists and the only comedy on this list. There is something so ridiculous about this movie that I laugh every time I watch it and had to include it on the list. From the David Duchovny’s seriousness to Julianne Moore’s slapstick the movie works for me. The chemistry between Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Sean William Scott make the movie work. Also helps when you have the legendary director of Ghostbusters Ivan Reitman at the helm. Just an enjoyable movie all around.
I am sure there are others you feel I missed. Let me know what you think should have been on the list.
1. Independence Day – When you say alien invasion movie this is the first movie that usually comes to mind. There a so many iconic scenes in this movie with everything blowing up from the White House to all of New York. The action is fun and the cast delivers everything we expect from humor to a great presidential speech at the end.
2. The Thing – Sometimes alien invasion movies can be scary and The Thing brings the horror element to the genre. John Carpenter’s update of The Thing from Another World is one of the best remakes of all time and will make you afraid of space invaders.
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still – One of the few movies on here that doesn’t have a lot of death and destruction. A story of an alien that comes to earth to warn man of a coming invasion if they don’t change their ways. The movie came out in the 50’s and has a very anti-nuclear message but it still holds up today.
4. Edge of Tomorrow (or Live.Die.Repeat if you prefer) – The most recent movie on the list and one that for unknown reasons didn’t do very well at the box office. In fact it did so poorly that when it was released on home video it got a sort of name change to Live.Die.Repeat. But for anyone that saw it knows it is a great sci-fi action film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The aliens in this movie can control time and when Tom Cruise’s character is able to repeat the same day over and over he must figure out the secret to beating them. And if you aren’t a fan of Tom Cruise get satisfaction from watching him die a lot.
5. Predator – 80’s action movies mixed with an evil alien gave us this gem of a movie. Predator takes Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime doing what he does best. Saying one liners and blowing things up.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Another 1950’s alien invasion movie about aliens growing “pods” with people in it then killing the real people. Along with The Day the Earth Stood Still they are some of the most influential sci-fi movies of the 50’s.
7. Sings- A slightly controversial choice as there are many that don’t like Signs. But I see it as the last great M. Night Shyamalan movie. Shyamalan is now considered a hack and I feel this movie gets unfairly maligned for some of his recent failings. But I remember watching Sings in the theater and being on the edge of my seat. While the invasion happens on a world scale we are focused on how it affects a family in rural Pennsylvania. I can see how the ending can be a bit hooky but it works for me.
8. The Avengers – The fun of this movie is less about the alien invasion and more about watching your favorite superheroes learn to be a team. And this movie is fun. Loki makes a great villain and his alien force at the end gives our heroes a chance to show off their super powers.
9. The Faculty – If you ever wondered what The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers would look like this is your answer. You have your stereotypical high school characters but this time they must learn to trust each other or be turned into aliens. It lacks a certain flair that other Robert Rodriquez movies had but the constraint pays off. Kevin Williamson who wrote the slasher revitalizing Scream wrote this one also and while it didn't have the cultural impact that Scream had it was a great horror movie that references other classic movies. It also gave us Jon Stewart in a beard having a pen stuck through his eye and of course any chance to see a sexy Salma Hayek is worth it.
10. Evolution - A choice that might not make many lists and the only comedy on this list. There is something so ridiculous about this movie that I laugh every time I watch it and had to include it on the list. From the David Duchovny’s seriousness to Julianne Moore’s slapstick the movie works for me. The chemistry between Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Sean William Scott make the movie work. Also helps when you have the legendary director of Ghostbusters Ivan Reitman at the helm. Just an enjoyable movie all around.
I am sure there are others you feel I missed. Let me know what you think should have been on the list.