Top 80 Best Alien Movies To Watch [2024 Updated]

 

Aliens and Sci-Fi have always been a match made in ‘entertainment heaven’. We are merely celebrating a magnificent matrimony made in Outer Space. Extraterrestrial life, in general, has invariably fascinated people, especially scientists and fiction lovers. Ratings aside, our list contains some of the most wonderful, creepy, unforgettable, thrilling, and action-packed alien movies that have left a lasting impact in the world of cinema.

 

We’re only covering movies here, not shows/series; those deserve a list all to themselves. We’ll be covering individual productions, of course. With franchises, we’ve mostly covered all parts and sequels under one banner. But you have to admit that some franchise titles deserve their own individual spotlight (as you’ll see).

 

Hope this list inspires you to relive some old favourites and perhaps discover a few new ones.

 

 

 

1. Alien (1979)

 

 

 

This movie is the star that started the whole Alien sub-genre, and it has since become a cult classic. It features Sigourney Weaver as the iconic Ellen Ripley. She and her fellow crew members experience dark and deadly situations aboard their space vessel, the USCSS Nostromo.

 

Detecting a mysterious signal from the nearby moon Acheron, awake crew members shuttle over to check for survivors. Before long, everyone in cryo-sleep on board the Nostromo is forced to wake up. Apparently, the signal emanating from LV-426 was more a warning than an SOS, because an unwanted eighth passenger has now come aboard the Nostromo fully intent on leaving no survivors.

 

The alien in question was brilliantly performed (in costume, with practical effects in a few action sequences) by Bolaji Badejo.

 

 

 

2. Aliens (1986)

 

 

 

It has been fifty-seven years since Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) has had a close encounter of the fatal kind with an aggressively predatory alien species. Her experience then returns to haunt her now. It starts when a squad of Marines find her knowledge useful against facing up to a similar threat.

 

The Marines are sent to a space colony located on the moon LV-426. What they assumed would be an uninhabited place is now rife with aliens. The soldiers are determined to fight their way out, but they need Ripley to guide them, especially by pointing out the alien species’ weaknesses.

 

Ellen, on the other hand, soon finds herself protecting a young girl who happens to be the sole survivor of the space colony.

 

 

 

3. Prometheus (2012)

 

 

 

Acclaimed archaeologist Doctor Elizabeth Shaw (played by Noomi Rapace) tracks vague clues which lead her, a colleague named Charlie Holloway (played by Logan Marshall-Green), and seventeen other crew members on an ambitious expedition to Outer Space. Their scientific venture has them travelling in a revolutionary space exploration vessel called the USCSS Prometheus.

 

They arrive at their destination, a rocky exomoon called LV-223. The year is 2093, and they are tasked with investigating the possible existence of highly intelligent extra-terrestrial entities known simply as The Engineers. Inside a mysterious structure on LV-223 awaits a terrifying discovery.

 

The place’s underground tunnels seem to hold just as many secrets and enigmas. The very outcome of their space mission depends on what the group finds therein. The answers to all of human existence also lie in wait, along with alien dangers that the team never quite anticipated.

 

 

 

4. Alien: Covenant (2017)

 

 

 

The year is 2104, and it’s been a little more than a decade since the disaster on LV-223 (a distant exo-moon). There, the crew of the Prometheus had embarked on a mission which ended badly. Now the deep-space colonization vessel USCSS Covenant carries a new crew, but not to the same exo-moon.

 

They are off to Origae-6 carrying over two thousand colonists in cryogenic hibernation. Upon arrival, the crew aims to establish a new habitation for themselves. A rogue transmission, however, compels them to investigate a nearby Earth-like planet. The unsuspecting crewmembers end up encountering bio-entities that are not only beyond their comprehension but also beyond their wits.

 

What began as a colonization mission and later an exploratory jaunt has now become a deadly rescue operation. The new planet they went to investigate proves to be beyond their human capabilities to survive.

 

 

5. Alien: Resurrection (1997)

 

 

 

200 years before this movie’s timeline, Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) had vanquished the alien threat and paid a hefty price for it. Her sacrifice took down a greedy corpo intent on using the alien queen as some sort of bioweapon.

 

Plenty of forbidden experiments later, Ellen is resurrected on the USM Auriga using her own pre-stored blood samples from Fiorina 161. Apparently, DNA from the alien queen resides inside Ellen’s body and it has bestowed her with remarkable strength and reflexes.

 

The government (at the time) hires a troupe of smugglers to fulfil a risky task. But when they hijack a transport vessel and bring it over to the Auriga, aliens that the smugglers have been carrying also break loose. Things take a turn for the ominous when the Auriga finds itself on an auto-return route to Earth.

 

Ellen as well as the smugglers now have to team up to stop not only the Auriga from arriving on Earth but also the escaped aliens. The alien queen’s true agenda comes to light and it spells doom for the Blue Planet.

 

 

6. Alien 3 (1992)

 

 

 

After managing to survive the inhospitable exomoon of Acheron (in the 1986 franchise installment), Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) finds herself crash-landing on the maximum-security prison-planet called Fiorina “Fury” 161. She arrives weaponless and helpless. The penal colony houses tough criminals, all of them men.

 

The correctional facility is quite extensive. There’s enough room for an escaped Xenomorph alien to find shelter in the institution’s labyrinthine ventilation system. Before long, the creature starts picking off vulnerable inmates and generates mass hysteria in the prison-labor complex.

 

After a while, only a handful of survivors are left. They find what primitive weapons they can get their hands on and hope to outlive the alien. By this time, Ellen is quite the veteran when it comes to fighting Xenomorphs.

 

So she takes it upon herself to end the creature before it ends yet another person.

 

 

7. Alien vs Predator (2004)

 

 

 

A private satellite picks up an unidentified heat source in Antarctica, sparking off an investigation that reveals a buried pyramid. Qualified archaeologists are sent as part of the first search team, along with engineers, to learn more about this mysterious find.

 

Once there, the team gradually discovers that the location is home to a hitherto unknown alien species that isn’t in the mood to cooperate with their research. They begin hunting down the team members. Around this time, a squad of young Predators (another species of alien) arrives at the same location to hunt the aliens as a coming-of-age ritual and collect their skulls as trophies.

 

Caught between two extra-terrestrial threats that should never have been discovered to begin with, the human team strives to survive their unique ordeal in the frozen wilds of Antarctica.

 

 

8. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

 

 

 

The Xenomorphs have proven to be an extraordinarily aggressive alien species. Following the bloodshed in Antarctica (2004 installment), a broken Predator spaceship crash-lands in the thick forests of Gunnison, Colorado. From the wreckage escape not only ‘face hugger’ Stage-1 Xenomorphs but also a Predator-alien hybrid whose viciousness is second to none.

 

Any human who crosses their path is painfully killed. Earth once again becomes an extra-terrestrial battlefield for species supremacy, with humans stuck in the middle. Sheriff Eddie Morales (played by John Ortiz) and others have to fight the off-world threat to protect their city and, hopefully, the rest of humankind.

 

 

9. Predator (1987)

 

 

 

Dutch (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his commando squad are tasked with a major rescue from guerilla-occupied Central America. The mission turns sour when they eventually realize that something is hunting them in the jungle and it isn’t the guerilla fighters.

 

This thing can turn invisible using advanced tech and is claiming trophies off its victims’ bodies. The intelligent alien entity (physically performed by Kevin Peter Hall) soon comes face to face with the last surviving member of the commando squad, namely Dutch, whom it finds especially challenging to take down.

 

Dutch has learned to adapt and use the alien predator’s own strengths against it.

 

 

10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

 

 

 

A remake of a cult classic in the horror genre, this movie captures the essence of paranoid infiltration themes through the lens of an alien invasion. The setting is a small city in San Francisco where a man named Matthew Bennell (played by Donald Sutherland) gradually observes that his friends are making strange complaints about their own relatives who seem to be ‘acting funny’.

 

After a while, the very people who’d been pointing fingers later say everything is fine. Matthew does not buy any of it. In fact, he sees something dark at play with every known person who offers him a lame excuse that ‘all is well’.

 

Over time, the body snatchers increase in number to the point that they can’t hide what’s truly happening. Matthew personally witnesses an attempted “replacement”, which makes him a firm believer that something extra-terrestrial has come to San Fran. He wishes to gather any friends who are still ‘intact’ so they can escape the city.

 

But trust is in short supply as more and more humans find their bodies host to something out of this world.

 

 

11. The Suicide Squad (2021)

 

 

 

Drawn by the allure of reduced prison sentences, a new batch of ‘Suicide Squad’ inmates are tasked with investigating and stopping an alien threat. Amanda Waller’s (played by Viola Davis) command is not easy to follow, but the threat of death keeps the team going.

 

The squad includes Colonel Rick Flag (played by Joel Kinnaman), Peacemaker (played by John Cena), King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), Polka-Dot Man (played by David Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher 2 (played by Daniela Melchior), Bloodsport (played by Idris Elba), and Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie).

 

Together, this rag-team team of mutants and freaks head into the deadly South American island-nation of Corto Maltese to track down the Thinker (played by Peter Capaldi) who is busy being quite the evil scientist. For years, the Thinker has been in charge of the dark and dangerous ‘Project Starfish’.

 

The Starfish in question is an ancient alien entity whose ‘sleep’ was disturbed and is now bent on catastrophic world-ending destruction. The creature’s inadvertent escape leads to a potential human extinction event.

 

 

12. The Hidden (1987)

 

 

 

An alien entity proves capable of adeptly possessing human bodies. Once it starts, it doesn’t stop. It even goes on a violent crime spree that brings Los Angeles to a halt. The sudden spectrum of murders and robberies are too much for local police to handle, let alone understand.

 

An FBI agent is called in to pursue the perpetrator. He teams up with a local officer to stop the rash violence. As the two of them gradually corner the possessed person, they realize that LA is facing something much worse than a human deviant.

 

The alien body-snatching parasite has a dark agenda, one that the FBI agent has no choice but to shut down before it’s too late.

 

 

13. Under The Skin (2013)

 

 

An alien taking over a human body to prey on other humans may seem like a cliché, but this film made it interesting. The hapless woman whom the alien takes over is played by Scarlett Johansson. She seduces various male victims, isolates them, and ferries them into an otherworldly dimension where the alien controlling her devours them.

 

Spending too much time inside the mind and form of a person gradually transforms the alien in strange ways. It sparks an existential crisis that leads to terrifying and tragic consequences.

 

 

14. E.T. (1982)

 

 

After being abandoned by his own kind, a harmless little extra-terrestrial entity finds itself stranded on Earth. The unknown surroundings make the alien grow fearful until he finds a lonely 10-year-old named Elliott (played by Henry Thomas). The two strike an instant connection and become fast friends.

 

Elliott calls his new off-world buddy ‘E. T.’ (voiced by Pat Welsh) and tries to help him find a way to get back to his true home. However, government agents like Keys (played by Peter Coyote) are out prowling for the little alien.

 

They finally track him down and hope to reclaim him. They are after the baby alien because they know it has special powers like levitation, telekinesis, healing, and more that they wish to study and exploit. But Elliott along with his siblings and friends – Gertie (played by Drew Barrymore), Michael (played by Robert MacNaughton), Greg (played by K.C. Martel), Tyler (played by C. Thomas Howell), and others – join hands to help get ET back home where he belongs.

 

 

15. Pacific Rim (2013)

 

 

 

When humongous entities called Kaiju rise up from the sea after millennia spent dormant, a war soon breaks out. It forces the human race to embrace advanced technology as the only way to survive the primal assault. Though the Kaiju are technically not extra-terrestrial entities, they’re still alien in every way to humankind.

 

Special mega-robot weapons called Jaegers are soon engineered. Each mecha is controlled by a pair of human pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But the relentless Kaiju are proving to be more than a challenge. They’re gradually pushing humans into a defenceless corner.

 

Two unlikely heroes – washed-up ex-pilot Raleigh Becket (played by Charlie Hunnam) and inexperienced trainee Mako Mori (played by Rinko Kikuchi) – are found optimum for a particularly rare neural bridge. They soon become the only pair capable of piloting a legendary Jaeger from the past that alone can effectively counter the rising Kaiju menace.

 

 

16. Independence Day (1996)

 

 

 

One fateful July 2nd, multiple satellite stations experience massive system interference from an unknown source. Both the military and scientists think it’s caused by meteors, but they later learn that the problem is coming from the Moon where a large alien spacecraft is coordinating a systematic takeover of Earth.

 

It starts by positioning various alien vessels over cities like Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Houston, and Moscow. World governments and citizens alike are unsure about what to do with the ‘quiet’ alien threat. On July 4th, the off-worlders begin a radical assault-style invasion.

 

A scientist named David Levinson (played by Jeff Goldblum) predicted this, but few gave his warnings credit. He even reported his fears to the POTUS Thomas J. Whitmore (played by Bill Pullman). Despite having relatively inferior technology, the human race slowly but surely unites against the powerful alien threat.

 

They strategize a way to get ace jet pilot Captain Steven Hiller (played by Will Smith) to ferry a virus to the alien mothership. Downloading the virus into the aliens’ supreme tech framework becomes the only way to halt their communications, which is the main reason they’re taking over so quickly.

 

 

17. Annihilation (2018)

 

 

 

Twelve months have come and gone since Kane’s (played by Oscar Isaac) last military excursion. He is still MIA, presumed dead. His wife, renowned biology professor Lena (played by Natalie Portman), is still trying to find him. Her mission demands that she first study an unprecedented phenomenon in Florida’s swamplands.

 

Along with an all-woman team, Lena makes progress studying an ever-expanding iridescent membrane that seems to be gradually swallowing the area. No hard facts come to light, though. She soon encounters frightful biological transmutations with direct evolutionary connections to the kaleidoscope membrane.

 

Before long, she discovers links that could be the cause of Kane’s disappearance and learns of serious alien involvement in the ongoing mystery.

 

 

18. Galaxy Quest (1999)

 

 

 

One of the most enduring Sci-Fi Comedy movies ever made, this one captures the inter-galactic adventures of a crew travelling aboard the spaceship NSEA Protector. The movie sees artists Jason Nesmith (played by Tim llen), Gwen DeMarco (played by Sigourney Weaver), Alexander Dane (played by Alan Rickman), Tommy Webber (played by Daryl Mitchell), Fred Kwan (played by Tony Shalhoub), and Guy Fleegman (played by Sam Rockwell) making routine appearances at electronic store openings and sci-fi conventions eighteen years after their TV show was cancelled.

 

Suffice to say the cast despairs at good times gone past, and they’re often at each other’s throats. Along comes an alien race called the Thermians who have seen the same TV series but mistook it as authentic. The race has apparently modelled their entire extra-terrestrial culture around the show and its characters!

 

The Thermians soon whisk the original cast off-world to help them save their race from genocidal alien warlord General Sarris (played by Robin Sachs).

 

 

19. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

 

 

 

When Roy Neary (played by Richard Dreyfuss) becomes one of multiple people to experience a close encounter of the first kind, he believes the UFO he saw in the night sky is real and that extra-terrestrial life exists. Before long, a mountain image haunts his thoughts and he gradually becomes obsessed with figuring out what it means.

 

He only ends up stressing his marriage to breaking point. Around this time, government agents all over the world are experiencing close encounters of the second kind, namely the discovery of physical evidence of alien life. The agents note military vehicles that went missing decades ago have abruptly reappeared in inexplicable places.

 

Roy finds a way to team up with some of these agents and follow clues that will lead them to a close encounter of the third kind, namely direct alien contact.

 

 

20. The Thing from Another World (1951)

 

 

 

The year is 1949. Pilot Captain Patrick “Pat” Hendry (played by Kenneth Tobey) is summoned by Brigadier General Fogarty (played by David McMahon) to leave his Officers Club in Anchorage, Alaska, and fly over to an isolated outpost. He is tasked with investigating a strange object that has crash-landed on Earth from Outer Space.

 

Patrick makes his way to the spot along with his crew. Upon arrival, he meets Dr. Arthur Carrington (played by Robert Cornthwaite) and other scientists. A while into the investigation, both teams confirm they have an alien spaceship on their hands.

 

It’s still buried in the ice, though, prompting Patrick to use thermite bombs to free it. But the attempt ends up destroying the vessel, leaving only one frozen life-form behind. The teams ferry the alien entity back to their research station.

 

When the creature finally thaws, it attacks the team’s dogs, losing one of its limbs in the process. Dr. Carrington studies the creature and realizes it is more vegetable than animal. Patrick, however, believes the alien to be an invader and therefore highly dangerous.

 

He aims to end the creature once and for all. The chief scientist, however, prioritizes discovery. So he goes out of his way to safeguard the entity, even putting its life above that of others on the team.

 

 

21. Slither (2006)

 

 

 

A meteorite from Outer Space crash-lands in the woods adjoining the sleepy little town of Wheelsy (South Carolina). A parasitic alien resides within the scorched rock. It breaks free of its meteorite prison and begins a quiet alien invasion, starting with the people nearby.

 

The town’s local businessman Grant (played by Michael Rooker) is first to fall prey to the alien worm. Gradually, Grant is transformed from the inside out (starting with his brain, which the worm targets first) into an unnerving monstrosity. His wife Starla (played by Elizabeth Banks) was already suspicious that something was wrong with her husband.

 

Grant’s transformation is far from over. The local sheriff Bill Pardy (played by Nathan Fillion) suddenly has to face up against more threats than he ever thought possible.

 

 

22. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

 

 

 

Earth is assaulted by a ruthless race of aliens that prove to be unbeatable. No military in the world has what it takes to kill these beasts. Major William Cage (played by Tom Cruise) hasn’t been in any real combat situation.

 

He finds himself being unceremoniously appended to a suicide mission that gets him killed in a matter of minutes. William soon learns that he’s been brought back to life using advanced time-loop technology. The military has been using it to send soldiers back in time to fight the aliens until they learn of potential weaknesses through trial and error.

 

William keeps perishing time and again, in some of the most brutal ways, while learning to engage the enemy on more skilful terms. He fights alongside Special Forces military hero Rita Vrataski (played by Blunt) who proved instrumental in figuring out some of the aliens’ shortcomings early in the war.

 

One battle after the next, William and Rita gain ground toward discovering a decisive loophole that will help the human race defeat the extra-terrestrial invaders once and for all.

 

 

23. Evolution (2001)

 

 

 

In present-day Arizona, Wayne (played by Seann William Scott) is practicing for his upcoming firefighter exam. He’s alone in the desert when he witnesses a meteorite impact. The following day, biology teacher Dr. Ira Kane (played by David Duchovny) and geology teacher Harry Block (played by Orlando Jones) – both with tenures at Glen Canyon Community College – manage to find the meteorite at the bottom of a cave.

 

Before long, Ira observes numerous single-cell life forms exiting the stone and evolving at such a frightfully rapid rate, enough to spell danger for the human species. Ira’s dreams of earning a Nobel Prize go down the drain when the town experiences a full-fledged alien invasion.

 

Caught in the chaos is another scientist, Allison (played by Julianne Moore). The extra-terrestrials are adapting too swiftly for comfort and they seem intent on taking over more than just Arizona. The military is called in. Soon it all boils down to Darwin’s theory of evolution – survival of the fittest.

 

 

24. Event Horizon (1997)

 

 

 

The year is 2047, and the space-faring vessel Event Horizon has made a comeback after disappearing for seven years. It was once part of experiments dealing with ‘faster than light’ travel. A rescue team is sent to check on the returnee vessel after picking up its transmission.

 

The signal contains a barely legible human voice. The longer the rescue team spends on the lost-and-found spaceship, they realize someone or something is toying with them, and it may not be human at all.

 

 

25. Signs (2002)

 

 

 

After a car accident claimed his wife’s life, Episcopal priest Graham Hess (played by Mel Gibson) loses his faith and retreats to his corn farm in an isolated stretch of Pennsylvania. He aims to find peace along with his two young children Bo (played by Abigail Breslin) and Morgan (played by Rory Culkin), and his own younger brother Merill (played by Joaquin Phoenix).

 

In under six months, strange events start to unravel in and around the farm, starting with mysterious crop circles and ending in a full-fledged alien invasion of the premises. Paranoia blends with horror as the Hess family realize the aliens are far from peaceful and are intent on abducting them for nefarious purposes.

 

That the aliens won’t stop with only their farm adds to the family’s uncertainties about the future.

 

 

26. They Live (1988)

 

 

 

John Nada (played by Roddy Piper) is unemployed and seeking work in a large American city. He eventually earns a place in which to shelter during the night, and a day job to keep him going. One day, a terrible happenstance turns his life upside down.

 

John comes across a pair of sunglasses that lets him see the true faces of people around him. While at first no alarm bells ring, John soon spots aliens masquerading as humans and justifiably freaks out. His learns the aliens are no hoax and that they hail from the Andromeda star system.

 

He’s even more shocked to realize just how many such aliens occupy positions of power in human society. Keeping people ignorant while ruling over them does not sit well with John. He seeks out others who might also know of the aliens living among them, starting with the people who made the ‘all seeing’ sunglasses in the first place.

 

 

27. Starman (1984)

 

 

 

The year is 1977, and the Voyager 2 shuttle is heading into Space carrying messages of peace and greetings from Earth. A small alien ship soon decides to make contact but when it arrives on Earth military planes end up shooting it down.

 

After crashing in Chequamegon Bay (Wisconsin) the alien finds shelter in the house of a young widow named Jenny Hayden (played by Karen Allen). Using genes sourced from a hair on her husband Scott (played by Jeff Bridges), it takes his form and attempts to contact its mothership.

 

It has to be present inside a crater in Arizona within two days or be left behind. Starman, as the creature is referenced in the movie, forces Jenny to drive him to Arizona. Jenny has since come to know that Starman is an alien being, and a peaceful one at that.

 

She eventually chooses to help him. But the army seems to have other plans. Ruthless NSA chief George Fox (played by Richard Jaeckel) wants to hunt Starman down. SETI scientist Mark Shermin (played by Charles Martin Smith), on the other hand, wants to help Starman return home.

 

Perspectives and agendas collide in this memorable alien movie.

 

 

28. Starship Troopers (1997)

 

 

 

Set in the distant future, Johnny Rico (played by Casper Van Dien) is preparing to date a girl he likes. Carmen Ibanez (played by Denise Richards) is eager to join the military because that is the only way anyone is offered a citizenship.

 

By serving her country in the fight against an alien threat sourcing from Outer Space, she hopes to make a good life for herself. Following her into the fray is Johnny who also decides to join the military. However, when an asteroid orbiting Planet Klendathu crash-lands in his home town of Buenos Aires and kills his entire family, Johnny is hell-bent on visiting vengeance on the ‘space bugs’.

 

Along with a large squadron of Starship Troopers, Johnny eventually makes landfall on the alien home planet to fight for family, love, and Earth. The movie captures ‘ahead of its time’ themes and sentiments, making it a genuine cult classic.

 

 

29. Pitch Black (2000)

 

 

 

A transport vessel encounters a meteor shower, prompting its pilot Carolyn Fry (played by Radha Mitchell) to awaken from cryo-sleep to course-correct. Forty passengers are on board, all in cryogenic sleep, and it falls to Carolyn to keep them safe.

 

She is left with little choice but to release one of the modules to save the others. The survivors include bounty hunter William J. Johns (played by Cole Hauser), man of religion Abu “Imam” al-Walid (played by Keith David), dealer Paris P. Ogilvie (played by Lewis Fitz-Gerald), Sharon “Shazza” Montgomery (played by Claudia Black), runaway teen Jack (played by Rhiana Griffith), John “Zeke” Ezekiel (played by John Moore), Suleiman (played by Les Chantery, Hassan (played by Sam Sari), Ali (played by Firass Dirani), and dangerous criminal Richard B.Riddick (played by Vin Diesel). Politics and powerplays ensue once the lot of them wake up.

 

The ship crash lands, forcing them to take sides. But the location in which they land is a desert-planet host to three suns and alien creatures that hunt at night. Water and supplies are in short order, and a total eclipse is about to happen. Riddick has skills that will keep them all safe, so fresh alliances are forged. But how long can humans survive on a strange planet where deadly aliens have evolved over hundreds of years to survive?

 

 

30. The Thing (1982)

 

 

 

It is early winter in 1982. An American research station in Antarctica receives a distress signal from a nearby Norwegian research station. A dog has apparently escaped from the base and has to be killed for reasons unknown. The chopper on base has been destroyed, so the U.S. station sends immediate aid.

 

When the rescue team arrives they find everyone dead. Additionally, they spot a deceased creature that looks nothing like anything they’ve seen on Earth. The Norwegians apparently attempted to burn it. The American rescue team takes the remains back to their own base only to realize that the alien life-form is very much still alive.

 

It starts picking the team off one by one, using their panic and confusion to deadly advantage. The team soon realizes that that creature can take multiple forms, including human. Believing that it could be any one of them sows more confusion among the crew.

 

Tensions escalate, and it falls to MacReady (played by Kurt Russell) to find a solution before it is too late.

 

 

31. The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

 

 

 

A bold story for the 80s, it features an African-American playing an escaped slave. The Brother (played by Joe Morton) is actually an alien slave who escapes to Earth and attempts to hide among humans. After he crash-lands on Ellis Island, he shape-shifts to look like an ordinary young black man.

 

He starts making friends in Harlem, particularly a bar-owner and his regular patrons. Brother has a secret alien power: he can fix any mechanical device simply by touching it. He soon finds a way to capitalize on that ability, while keeping it hidden from others.

 

Being mute adds to his advantages as an ‘alien in hiding’. He can also perform exceptional healing simply through touch. His life seems set until a pair of extra-terrestrial bounty hunters discover his whereabouts and attempt to reclaim him.

 

 

32. Contact (1997)

 

 

 

Dr. Ellie Arroway (played by Jodie Foster) is a brilliant scientist given to skepticism, particularly in matters related to extra-terrestrial life. David Drumlin (played by Tom Skerritt) shuts down her project in Puerto Rico, prompting Ellie to seek private funding.

 

Before long, she lands a rich sponsor – an anonymous millionaire – and resumes her research in New Mexico. It will be four years before Ellie’s entire worldview crashes around her. She is contacted by alien entities purportedly hailing from the Vega star system.

 

The coded message is beyond doubt non-human and highly intelligent in design. The secret millionaire funder S. R. Hadden (played by Sir John Hurt) takes it upon himself to convince a sceptical Ellie to decipher the message with other teams.

 

He introduces Ellie to a mysterious new machine that can transport her to the Vega star system. Her beliefs break down bit by bit as Ellie finds herself attempting to convince a coterie of high-ranking people – military, politicians, scientists, and religious leaders – that she is the one who has to make contact with the Vega aliens.

 

 

33. Venom (2018)

 

 

 

Eddie Brock (played by Tom Hardy) performed enough investigative journalism to earn him a reputation both inside the business and out. He infiltrates the Life Foundation to verify certain allegations made against the establishment. His career spirals following that failed exposé.

 

A few months later, a leading scientist within the Foundation summons Eddie and reveals how the company has been experimenting on an alien life-form known as the ‘Symbiote’. Later dubbing itself Venom, this creature initially sees in Eddie a suitable host and promptly assimilates with him.

 

It protects him from various harms, with or without Eddie’s permission. Before long, Venom becomes a type of invasive ‘has a mind of its own’ entity that forces Eddie to do certain things, and threatens him if he refuses. The head of Life Foundation Carlton Drake (played by Riz Ahmed) learns of Eddie’s conundrum.

 

He aims to extract Venom and reclaim it again for his company’s nefarious purposes. Eddie soon realizes that he has to work with Venom and take Carlton down or risk a deadly weaponization of the Symbiote.

 

 

34. District 9 (2009)

 

 

 

The year is 1982. A gigantic space vessel arrives on Earth carrying what looks like a peaceful race of aliens called ‘The Prawns’, owing to their appearance. Twenty-eight years after their appearance in Johannesburg, South Africa, humans no longer seem inclined to bid them welcome.

 

The Prawns are relocated to an alien refugee zone called District 9, which soon degrades into a militarized ghetto where the aliens are forcefully confined and exploited. The Prawns live in squalor and have no one to turn to for help.

 

When the year 2010 rolls along, munitions corporation Multi-National United signs a contract to forcibly evict the entire Prawn population. Wikus van der Merwe (played by Sharlto Copley) is the operating officer in charge of this nightmarish project. Before long, Wikus finds himself being exposed to a bizarre alien chemical.

 

He needs the help of his two new friends – both of whom are Prawn aliens – to survive the ordeal.

 

 

35. Life (2017)

 

 

 

Set in the near future, a team of international scientist-astronauts – including Miranda North (played by Rebecca Ferguson), David Jordan (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), Rory Adams (played by Ryan Reynolds), Sho Murakami (played by Hiroyuki Sanada), and others – are off to explore Mars via the International Space Station (ISS).

 

A sleeping alien cell comes aboard their space vessel through a Martian soil sample they bring back with them. The cell starts to grow bigger every day, alarming the crew as to its purpose. An experiment results in an assault from the creature, which then escapes the sealed lab through an internal air vent.

 

The scientists are justifiably horrified and they are left with little choice but to survive the creature, which now seems intent on killing them. They also have to kill the creature before their craft makes a landing.

 

 

36. Attack the Block (2011)

 

 

A South London gang of teenagers rob a nurse heading home after dark. It was Guy Fawkes Day and she was returning from a late shift. The teens take her ring and purse and make a run for it. At that same time, a projectile pierces a vehicle.

 

Chaos unravels all over town. The destroyed car encourages the gang leader to go hunting for easier loot. He ends up encountering a bizarre ape-like creature, which scratches him only to end up angering the teen who starts to chase it with the intention of ending its life.

 

He succeeds in that endeavor after which his gang helps him ferry the alien’s corpse back to their apartment block. Along the way, they are beset by huge black creatures with glowing blue fangs. The teen gang knows a deadly threat when they see it and run for their lives.

 

Before long, they are left defending their entire residential block from a provoked alien attack led by blind off-world wolf-ape entities. They learn of the pheromone contamination whilst hiding in a UV-lit room. Moses (played by John Boyega), the gang leader, is the one most intensely coated.

 

He starts to devise a plan to attract the aliens to their location and kill the entire squad for good.

 

 

37. Super 8 (2011)

 

 

 

The year is 1979. Six buddies are busy making an amateur zombie film using an 8mm camera. Joe Lamb (played by Joel Courtney) handles make-up. He finds a lingering attraction to Alice Dainard (played by Elle Fanning), the group’s newest member.

 

The team heads to a local railway depot to film a scene when they spot one of their teachers Dr. Woodward (played by Glynn Turman) intentionally vrooming his car onto one of the tracks and driving straight into an oncoming train.

 

Mysteries abound, more so when the kids realize that the train Woodward just derailed contains an alien entity, which is now on the loose.

 

 

38. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

 

 

 

A gleaming UFO zooms into Earth’s upper atmosphere at mind-boggling speeds. Landing in Cold-War-Washington (D. C.), the alien spacecraft finds itself surrounded by human military forces. Intergalactic ambassador Klaatu (played by Michael Rennie) comes in peace and soon convinces the humans of the same.

 

He us accompanied by a silent but deadly robot Gort (played by Lock Martin) whose power could be vast and dangerous. As a sophisticated humanoid, Klaatu earns the humans’ hospitality. But he comes bearing ill news. He demands that the local people assemble a specialized group to hear his important warning, which comes with an ultimatum.

 

Klaatu fulfils the role of a messenger of doom. Now, will humans continue to see him as a peaceful emissary or a direct threat to Earth?

 

 

39. Paul (2011)

 

 

 

When Sci-Fi geeks Graeme Willy (played by Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (played by Nick Frost) embark on a pilgrimage to America’s UFO heartland, they didn’t expect to encounter an actual alien. The extra-terrestrial takes them on quite the road trip, one that completely changes their lives.

 

They learn that the chameleon-alien is called Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), and that he’s been spending time in a top-secret military base these past sixty years. Only much later did Paul even realize he was imprisoned there, after which he sought ways to escape.

 

He stowed away in a rented RV, which happened to contain Graeme and Clive. They end up accidentally kidnapping a young woman – Tara (played by Mia Stallard) – along the way whose father is now on their tail, not to forget an entire horde of federal agents.

 

Hatching weird escape plans becomes their go-to as Clive, Graeme, and Paul find ways to survive the strange ordeal.

 

 

40. Men In Black (1997)

 

 

 

Based on the popular comic books, this movie explores the workings of a secret government agency that’s been regulating any and all alien activity on Earth while keeping the truth hidden from normal society. Called the ‘Men In Black’, the agency has successfully been fulfilling its aim as an extra-terrestrial surveillance corporation for decades.

 

One of their best agents nicknamed ‘K’ (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is on the hunt for a new recruit. He eventually settles for James Edwards (played by Will Smith) who has served adequately in the NYPD. One fateful day, a flying saucer crash-lands on Earth, releasing a ‘Bug’ alien intent on nothing good.

 

He takes over a farmer’s body – Edgar (played by Vincent D’Onofrio) – and begins seeking a supreme energy source known as “The Galaxy”, which he learns is currently in New York. Agents J and K team up to halt this creature before it claims the energy source and takes it back to its native planet, which could spell the start of an unstoppable alien invasion involving advanced and voracious Bug entities.

 

 

41. War of The Worlds (2005)

 

 

 

Hard working, but disillusioned, New Jersey dockworker Ray Ferrier (played by Tom Cruise) is at a point in his life when he’s failed as both a father and a husband. His troubled teenage son Robbie (played by Justin Chatwin) and daughter Rachel (played by Dakota Fanning) are both estranged and living with their mother.

 

His ex-wife Mary Ann (played by Miranda Otto) brings them over for the weekend. His miserable life is turned upside down when Ray notices mysterious electromagnetic pulses accompanied by violent lightning flashes sowing chaos and confusion in New Jersey. A highly advanced race of aliens reveal their no-nonsense takeover plan and begin a global invasion.

 

An unprepared Earth is rendered defenceless. Ray, meanwhile, attempts to reunite with his kids and keep them safe before finding their mother. Legions of ruthless intergalactic invaders stand in their way, and the future looks bleak in every sense of the word.

 

 

42. Flight of The Navigator (1986)

 

 

 

When 12-year-old David Freeman (played by Joey Cramer) goes missing one day in 1978 only to reappear in 1986 looking much the same as when he’d left, his parents Bill and Helen (played by Cliff De Young and Veronica Cartwright, respectively) are justifiably confused about the whole thing.

 

It’s been eight years, after all, since their little David suddenly dropped off the map. Around the time David returns, a UFO is found entangled in power lines. NASA soon steps into the picture. Before long, David finds himself connecting in strange ways with the spaceship NASA has in its secret hangar.

 

He proves to be a surprising navigator of alien technology, and that’s only the start of what David can do.

 

 

43. A Quiet Place (2018)

 

 

 

Invincible camouflage-capable predators have claimed Earth, which now stands devastated. The Abbotts – Evelyn (played by Emily Blunt), Lee (played by John Krasinski), Regan (played by Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (played by Noah Jupe), and Beau (played by Cade Woodward) – are one of the few people struggling to survive by staying hidden from the alien creatures.

 

A new era of stark silence reigns, because the aliens are drawn to even the softest sounds indicative of human presence. A year has passed since the creatures were first sighted. The Abbotts seem to be the sole survivors in their area.

 

In this dystopia, new survival rules apply. The family has managed to keep going through the silent madness. However, Evelyn is pregnant and about to give birth any day. An otherwise joyous event prompts fear and anxiety because she has to ensure an utterly silent birth.

 

Things go downhill, forcing the family to make a run toward a distant, almost mythical, place rumoured to host other survivors. It purportedly has an effective defense against the aliens.

 

 

44. The Abyss (1989)

 

 

 

It is the height of the Cold War, and an American nuclear ballistic submarine named USS Montana experiences mysterious circumstances that cause it to sink. The US Navy rushes to see if its deadly cargo is intact and if any survivors are still down there.

 

The main objective is to recover the nuclear missiles on board before the Russians succeed in doing so. A diver team, with help from a submersible, head on down to the wreck. They manage to use an off-shore drilling platform to reach the crash site as soon as possible.

 

Freak weather conditions hold sway, damaging the platform and severing communication with the surface world. Tensions rise among the divers and the deployed SEAL team. Both squads realize they are not quite alone in the dark and mysterious sub-surface world.

 

 

45. The Vast of Night (2019)

 

 

 

Sometime during the 1950s in New Mexico, a radio DJ and switchboard operator both discover a bizarre audio frequency, which prompts them to investigate. What they learn is so shocking that they can’t help but be dragged into the madness of it all.

 

Aliens are apparently attempting to make contact with the human race. Whether or not they come in peace, however, is still up for debate.

 

 

46. Gandahar (1987)

 

 

A utopian world filled with peace and beauty, Gandahar was not always like that. Extensive genetic experiments and mutations led to its creation. The peace that Gandahar enjoys is broken when a dark and evil force invades the land. Using petrification rays, it turns several Gandahar denizens into stone.

 

The Council of Women hold an emergency meeting and decide to dispatch the son of Queen Ambisextra (voiced by Glenn Close) on a mission to end the enemy. Sylvain (played by Pierre-Marie Escourrou) teams up with the lovely adventure-seeking Airelle (played by Catherine Chevallier).

 

Together they learn that the enemy is none other than a failed mutation from Gandahar’s own bygone scientific experiments. The giant brain-entity calls itself Metamorphis (voiced by Christopher Plummer). It has been busy creating an invincible army of metal men to help it annihilate Gandahar.

 

Sylvain realizes that the only hope he has to defeat Metamorphis is a thousand years in the future.

 

 

47. From Beyond (1986)

 

 

 

Dr. Edward Pretorius (played by Ted Sorel) and his physician assistant Crawford Tillinghast (played by Jeffrey Combs) have created a machine they call the ‘Resonator’. It apparently stimulates the sixth sense through the brain’s pineal gland. When Crawford activates the device, he sees flying alien creatures.

 

He’s prompted to call Edward to come help him bring the machine under control, but the doctor refuses to turn it off. The neighbour, meanwhile, calls the police who arrive only to see Crawford attempting to escape after beheading Edward.

 

They successfully nab Crawford and have him interred in an asylum under the supervision of the sadistic Dr. Bloch (played by Carolyn Purdy-Gordon). When renowned psychiatrist Dr. Katherine McMichaels (played by Barbara Crampton) requests custody of Crawford, she finds numerous obstacles in her way.

 

The investigating detective Bubba Brownlee (played by Ken Foree) agrees to keep an eye on Crawford while he’s under Katherine’s custody. Katherine wishes to understand the Resonator device, but the only way to do that is to turn it on with help from one of its co-creators.

 

She ends up unwittingly summoning a mutated Dr. Edward who does not hesitate to attack. Strange alien life-forms also manifest, adding to Katherine and Bubba’s woes.

 

 

48. Extinction (2018)

 

 

 

Dark dreams of despair and loss instigated by terrorist attacks plague family man Peter (played by Michael Peña). Before long, he realizes that his nightmares are actually prophetic. A full-fledged alien invasion unravels on Earth. His wife Alice (played by Lizzy Caplan) and he desperately scramble to get their children to safety.

 

During the melee, Peter learns that he’s in possession of a mysterious power that can help him turn the tide in the fight against the alien invaders.

 

 

49. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

 

 

 

It is the 24th century. The Federation has tasked the crew aboard the U. S. S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone. The aim includes avoiding any battle-related interference as the Federation goes up against the cruel Borg race.

 

When the situation turns grim, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) orders his crew to join in the melee to help the Federation forces. The Borg, meanwhile, are planning to ‘jump’ back in time to the 21st century. They are intent on halting humans from making ‘first contact’ with the Vulcans.

 

Picard and crew follow the Borg through the portal. They want to ensure that the Borg alien-queen is stopped and that Zefram Cochrane (played by James Cromwell) succeeds in making his ‘faster than light’ travel to the distant stars. ”Star Trek” is a veritable franchise worth exploring, starting with the original 1966 TV series.

 

 

50. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

 

 

 

A ‘close encounter of the fourth kind’ took place on Earth three decades ago. Today, intergalactic outlaw Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt), is hunting a precious artefact called The Orb. He is determined to sell it on the black market and strike a sizeable profit.

 

Peter has made quite the name for himself as a notorious scavenger. He finds himself forming uneasy alliances with Thanos’ adopted daughter Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), former criminal Drax the Destroyer (played by Dave Bautista), a genetically enhanced creature called Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and a plant-tree creature called Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).

 

He is tasked with putting a stop to the radical Kree warlord Ronan the Accuser’s (played by Lee Pace) dark plans. Thwarting his campaign for the galaxy won’t come easy, especially with so many alien races involved and Peter having to rely on fellow misfits to try and achieve the seemingly impossible.

 

 

51. Proximity (2020)

 

 

 

Isaac Cypress (played by Ryan Masson) is a mathematician/scientist working for NASA’s JPL lab. His counsellor encourages him to maintain a self-journaling video project. Around this time, a UFO makes itself known, taking Isaac by complete surprise. He is pulled into the sky and returns three days later.

 

His footage is still intact, so he uploads it online. Few believe his story, so Isaac seeks hard evidence to back up his claims. He encounters others online who’ve had similar experiences. This is how Sara (played by Highdee Kuan) enters his life – she claims a similar abduction followed by a three-day memory loss.

 

Both Sara and Isaac have sore spots on their right arms. A man soon approaches Isaac and wishes to give him some much-needed credibility. The supportive stranger is, in truth, a black-ops agent, Graves (played by Shaw Jones), who is determined to learn more about the aliens on behalf of his government.

 

Several ups and downs later, Isaac is interred and then escapes a holding facility in Costa Rica. Sara and he flee British Columbia, unsure about their future.

 

 

52. Save the Green Planet! (2003)

 

 

Believing they’re dangerous aliens from the reptilian race, a traumatized Lee Byeong-gu (played by Shin Ha-kyun) starts abducting Korean leaders. He understands that the reptilian aliens are in the middle of launching a silent takeover of Earth. Law enforcement agents are befuddled about what to do with him.

 

They hire a disgraced private detective to look into the matter. Lee, meanwhile, is busy building a basement command chamber, which doubles as all sorts of things. He is desperate to force the truth from his abductees, who include businesspeople and politicians.

 

Lee’s devoted girlfriend helps him however she can. But she quietly doubts whether his sad upbringing had anything to do with Lee’s current mindset.

 

 

53. Icarus XB 1 (1963)

 

 

The year is 2163. A long journey awaits Starship Ikaria XB 1 as it journeys across the universe to search for life on sundry planets in the Alpha Centauri system. The spaceship also carries colonists to establish a society in any life-sustaining planets they may find.

 

They run into serious trouble when they come across an abandoned alien craft along the way. Malfunctioning onboard computers add to the crew’s woes. Tension rises among the passengers and crew as one thing after another starts going wrong.

 

 

54. Cloverfield (2008)

 

 

 

Celebrating Rob Hawkins’s (played by Michael Stahl-David) big promotion, his lover Beth McIntyre (played by Odette Annable) gathers his friends to help her throw a surprise farewell party for Rob, who is off to work in Japan. A major explosion occurs, revealing the existence of a gigantic alien creature.

 

All hell breaks loose in NYC as people lose every shred of belief in normalcy. The reptilian giant levels Manhattan and decapitates the Statue of Liberty, to name just some of the chaos it unleashes. Rob gathers some of his buddies to go rescue Beth, who was waiting for him in another part of town.

 

They record what they can through a handheld camcorder. Nobody knows where the monster came from or what its motives are. There seems to be little hope of surviving its onslaught, though.

 

 

55. The 5th Wave (2016)

 

 

 

Aliens target Earth using sequential invasion waves rife with murderous chaos. They not only target entire populations but also create natural disasters and diseases galore. A while before this, Cassie Sullivan (played by Chloë Grace Moretz) moved with her family to the countryside.

 

Her mother perishes during the alien assault, and her father Oliver (played by Ron Livingston) decides to seek shelter in a refugee camp with Cassie and her younger brother Sam (played by Zackary Arthur). The Army appears on the scene and shifts everyone to a military base.

 

Somewhere along the way, Cassie is separated from her family. Before long, she learns of an upcoming 5th wave in the ongoing alien invasion. It comprises aliens in human form, deceiving people with fake guises and killing whoever remains. The military proves to be a group of such aliens.

 

Cassie flees after watching the brutal execution of her father. She is desperate to find Sam. Several teens and kids are being trained to counter the alien assault. It soon becomes unclear who really is the enemy in all this.

 

 

56. Treasure Planet (2002)

 

 

 

The only full-fledged animated feature film on this list, this production deserves to be here because of how memorably it blends action, adventure, extra-terrestrial experiences, futurism, and human emotions in one compact package. Essentially a futuristic twist on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel “Treasure Island”, this film tracks the adventures of a restless teen named Jim Hawkins (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who ends up journeying across the universe as a cabin boy on a singularly majestic space galleon.

 

The ship’s charismatic cyborg chef John Silver (voiced by Brian Murray) is not the good guy he pretends to be. Add galactic black holes and alien dangers galore, and this story enters dangerous territories in space. Scheming pirates, mutinies, treasure hunts (the legendary loot of Captain Nathaniel Flint, voiced by Peter Cullen), multi-species alien life-forms and off-world hybrids, and music that will stay with you for all time have made this a must-watch ‘alien-themed’ movie.

 

 

57. Star Trek (2009)

 

 

 

On James T. Kirk’s (played by Chris Pine) birthday, his father dies during the last stand against a Romulan mining vessel. His ship is heavily damaged on its trip to find Ambassador Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), who has become a Vulcan by this time.

 

His half-human heritage was part of the reason behind his choice. It will be twenty-five years before James grows into a trouble-making adult. He’s challenged by Christopher Pike (played by Bruce Greenwood) to join Starfleet and be the man he was always meant to be.

 

Academy instructors like Commander Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) are ever at odds with James’s attitude. Before long, the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise is tasked with responding to an emergency on Vulcan. Talented cadets like Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana), Sulu (played by John Cho), Chekov (played by Anton Yelchin), and James Kirk (with some cunning medical manipulation by Leonard McCoy) are set to crew the space mission.

 

They’re off to the final frontier, Space, where they will learn more than they ever thought possible. ”Star Trek” is a veritable franchise worth exploring, starting with the original 1966 TV series.

 

 

58. Skylines (2020)

 

 

 

A virus threatens Earth with the dire prospect of transforming a friendly race of alien hybrids secretly living here into deadly unstoppable threats. The human race is not prepared to counter their strategic aggression. Captain Rose Corley (played by Lindsey Morgan) is tasked with leading a team of elite mercenaries on an end-all mission aimed at reaching the alien world and finding a way to save the human race.

 

 

59. Dark City (1998)

 

 

When John Murdoch (played by Rufus Sewell) wakes up alone in an unfamiliar hotel, he gradually realizes that he’s lost his memory and is now a fugitive from the police. Apparently, he is wanted for a slew of strange and brutal murders.

 

Attempting to piece together his past, he ends up stumbling into a ruthless underworld managed by a squad of elite entities called The Strangers. These individuals possess the ability to force sleep upon anyone. They have irreversible control over the city and its denizens.

 

Murdoch has little choice but to go up against these mysterious entities. It’s the only way he can take back control of his life. The Strangers, however, are more intent on taking over Murdoch’s mind and ensuring his utter compliance, if not worse.

 

 

60. The Fifth Element (1997)

 

 

 

Former Special Forces Commando Korben Dallas (played by Bruce Willis) is now an NYC cab driver. It is the mid-23rd century, and much has changed in the world. People and aliens attempt to co-exist, but with all the chaos that entails the going is tough.

 

Korben one day finds himself entangled in a war that’s been ongoing for eons. It begins when a ‘pure being’ named Leelo (played by Milla Jovovich) escapes her potential captors and encounters his cab. She’s considered to be the perfect weapon, one that can save humanity from dark forces.

 

Leelo seems to be the key to Earth’s salvation. One thing leads to another and Korben decides to help Leelo, starting with getting her to Vito Cornelius (played by Ian Holm). She is the mysterious ‘fifth element’, one whom scheming industrialist Zorg (played by Gary Oldman) wants to exploit.

 

 

61. The Mist (2007)

 

 

 

A military experiment known simply as ‘Project Arrowhead’ has gone awry and cracked open an inter-dimensional rift. Bizarre alien creatures are now loose in the town of Maine. Local Hollywood artist David Drayton (played by Thomas Jane) and his son Billy (played by Nathan Gamble) are joined by their neighbour for a supply run into town.

 

Everyone is alerted to a military presence as convoys and emergency vehicles roll through. A thick mist soon engulfs the town and proves supernatural in origin. David and the others are soon barricaded inside the supermarket. Days go by and there’s no hope in sight.

 

Terrified shoppers give in to selfish deeds. Deadly creatures later make themselves known, apparently sourcing from the mist. This movie was based on one of Stephen King’s novels, and is every bit as twist-ridden and frightening as fans have come to expect.

 

 

62. Arrival (2016)

 

 

 

Twelve distinct locations have become ground-zero for multiple alien landings. Linguistics professor Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams) is tasked with working alongside the US Army and learn what the aliens want. They are apparently creating strange symbols in an attempt to communicate with humans.

 

Louise is investigating ‘the arrival’ in Montana. Before long, she figures out a basic syntax for the language the aliens form on the barrier wall connecting their ships. Little is known about the extra-terrestrials, especially if they are peaceful or fatalistic.

 

A race against time ensues as other nations hosting their own landings are busy seeing the aliens as threats, and planning apt retaliations. A war with these strange and highly advanced species is, in Louise’s opinion, the last thing humankind needs.

 

 

63. Man Facing Southeast (1986)

 

 

When a new patient appears in a psychiatric ward under mysterious conditions, the doctors are not unusually perturbed. Until they hear his claims. The man says he hails from another planet, and that he’s here to study humans and their behaviour.

 

Although gentle, the alleged alien is quite critical of the way people live, particularly in regards to how badly they treat one another. The psychiatrist assigned to this patient is not a happy man in life. He is soon dragged into the new patient’s worldview.

 

His professional demand to treat the patient using institutional procedures wars with his need to believe in what the so-called man-alien has to say.

 

 

64. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

 

 

 

One rainy November outside Ohio, young couple Brad Majors (played by Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (played by Susan Sarandon) find themselves stranded on an empty stretch of road. They’re on their way to pay an ex-tutor a visit when the couple unwittingly end up encountering a strange cross-dressing individual named Dr.

 

Frank-N-Furter (played by Tim Curry) who promptly ferries them to his den of sinful delights. Oddities and spooks galore pervade this place where the mad scientist is gearing up to make the grand unveiling of his latest creation. He’s created the so-called ‘ultimate male’, a perfect sex symbol who has donned the avatar of a flaxen-haired entity called ‘Rocky Horror’ (played by Peter Hinwood).

 

The ordinary couple are dragged deeper into Frank-N-Furter’s madness and start to embrace his alien shade of seduction. None can quite tell whether Frank-N-Furter is genuinely an extra-terrestrial in human form. He seems to be capable of an almost telepathic level of intelligence, one given to delectable thoughts and dark deeds.

 

 

65. The Avengers (2012)

 

 

 

An entire franchise hinges on what was established in this first film featuring Thor (the God of Thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth) and his danger-prone brother Loki (the God of Mischief, played by Tom Hiddleston). Loki teams up with the Chitauri Army and aims to use the power of the Tesseract to travel from Asgard to Midgard to fulfill an Earth-wide invasion campaign.

 

Afterwards, he plans to crown himself king of Midgard, aka Earth. S. H. I. E. L. D. director Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is not having any of it. He gathers a team of superheroes who will later become known as The Avengers.

 

Nick’s team includes Tony Stark (aka Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (aka Captain America, played by Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson), Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner), and Thor.

 

They are tasked with stopping Loki and saving the world from a cross-dimensional alien invasion involving Ice Giants. Other films in this unforgettable franchise include “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).

 

 

66. Eternals (2021)

 

 

Going back in the MCU timeline to 5000 BC Babylon, humans are routinely assaulted by a bestial race of aliens called The Deviants. The de facto gods and goddesses, aka the Eternals, who originally helped the early humans and taught them ways to progress their civilization, finally awaken in their off-world space vessel.

 

These entities are Sersi (played by  Gemma Chan), Ikaris (played by Richard Madden), Thena (played by Angelina Jolie), Ajak (played by Salma Hayek), Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (played by Lia McHugh), Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry), Makkari (played by Lauren Ridloff), Druig (played by Barry Keoghan), and Gilgamesh (played by Ma Dong-seok).

 

The one who made the Eternals, namely Arishem (voiced by  David Kaye), entrusts them with helping humanity again. He plans it in such a way that each Eternal resides in hiding on Earth, awaiting the moment when they will be ‘allowed’ to intervene in human affairs.

 

Before long, the Deviants up their invasion tactics, prompting the Eternals to counter them with force. The creatures are led by a deadly general named Kro (played by Bill Skarsgård). The fate of humanity rests in the balance, despite some among the Eternals having changed for the worse over the centuries.

 

 

67. Battleship (2012)

 

 

 

After successfully making contact with a technologically advanced alien life-form, humans get ready to welcome five alien space vessels to Earth. The off-worlders end up interrupting the 2012 RIMPAC exercise. Having brought a veritable armada, the aliens soon prove themselves invasive, not peaceful.

 

A brave crew working on a guided-missile destroyer, the USS John Paul Jones, is humanity’s last hope in fighting back. Led by young commanding officer Lieutenant Alex Hopper (played by Taylor Kitsch), Commander Stone Hopper (played by Alexander Skarsgård), Sam (played by Brooklyn Decker), Admiral Shane (played by Liam Neeson), Petty Officer Cora Raikes (played by Rihanna), and others face up against the extra-terrestrial threat.

 

The counter-attack unravels off the Hawaiian coast where a decisive battle ensues, one that will decide the fate of humankind.

 

 

68. Transformers (2007)

 

 

 

Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LaBeouf) is finally ready to buy his first car. He’s ecstatic about it, despite the vehicle being an old Camaro. One thing leads to another and Sam discovers that the car can transform into a sentient robot.

 

Calling itself Autobot Bumblebee (voiced by Mark Ryan), the robot informs Sam that it has to protect him at whatever cost. Sam’s confusion is partially resolved when a U. S. military base in Qatar is assaulted by the Autobots’ arch-enemies, the Decepticons.

 

Data is stolen and used to initiate the beginning phase of an Earth-wide invasion. Both the Autobots and the Decepticons are highly advanced alien races that have been biding their time on Earth, awaiting the moment when the ‘world creator’ Allspark power is discovered.

 

Sam’s great great grandfather seems to have known enough about the Decepticons and their dark plans. Clues and lucky finds inspire Sam, his girlfriend Mikaela (played by Megan Fox), and Bumblebee to embark on an urgent quest to stop the Decepticons and safeguard the Allspark before Earth, humans, and the entire galaxy is threatened with annihilation.

 

This movie is first in a franchise spanning seven (so far) films: “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen” (2009), “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” (2009), “Transformers: Age Of Extinction” (2014), “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017), Bumblebee (2018), and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023).

 

 

69. Fantastic Planet (1973)

 

 

Aside from their dedication to meditation, the large blue humanoids known as Draags are Planet Ygam’s dominant species. They live in an elevated state of existence and are incredibly intellectual. However, owing to their lofty natures, they are an oppressive species known for keeping the ‘lesser’ human race of Oms under rigid control.

 

They’ve even gone so far as to domesticate humans and use them as either pets or slaves. An orphaned Om named Terr (young version voiced by Eric Baugin, and older version voiced by Barry Bostwick) gives in to a rebellious streak.

 

Terr sows chaos after escaping Dragg captivity. Worse, he’s stolen a key piece of his master’s knowledge. The social equilibrium on Ygam is threatened as feral Om colonies sense imminent freedom and begin a revolt. War soon breaks out, and a series of remorseless exterminations ensue that threaten the future of both Draags and humans alike.

 

Whether or not both races will learn to co-exist remains to be seen.

 

 

70. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

 

 

 

Superman’s (played by Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice shook the world. Not desiring to let the Man of Steel’s death be in vain, Bruce Wayne (aka Batman, played by Ben Affleck) joins forces with Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot) to recruit select meta-humans to help shield the world from a coming alien catastrophe.

 

The task proves enormously challenging, because each of Bruce’s potential recruits have their own demons to conquer. They will each need to let go of the past if they are ever to come together and save the future. Eventually, Batman and Wonder Woman succeed in convincing Aquaman (played by Jason Momoa), Cyborg (played by Ray Fisher), and The Flash (played by Ezra Miller) to join the ‘Justice League’.

 

Just in the nick of time too, because Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciarán Hinds) and DeSaad (voiced by Peter Guinness) have triggered Darkseid’s (voiced by Ray Porter) grand plan to take over this side of the galaxy.

 

 

71. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017)

 

 

 

It is the 28th century. Space Station Alpha is a veritable city that hosts aliens and humans from various star-systems who go there to exchange knowledge and culture. Humans keep the peace, thanks in large part to the efforts of individuals like Major Valerian (played by Dane DeHaan) and his partner Sergeant Laureline (played by Cara Delevingne).

 

One day, the Defence Minister (played by Herbie Hancock) tasks Valerian and Laureline to retrieve a last-of-its-kind converter. The mission sends them into a dangerous galactic sector fraught with cosmic consequences. After successfully fulfilling the mission, they realize that dark deeds have been set in motion.

 

Mysterious humanoid aliens soon abduct Commander Arun Filitt (played by Clive Owen) and demand the converter in exchange for the man. Valerian and Laureline head to a fatalistic infected planet where they come across more than their fair share of dark secrets and sinister plans.

 

 

72. John Carter (2012)

 

 

 

The year is 1868. Civil War veteran John Carter (played by Taylor Kitsch) attempts a shot at a normal life, which is why he refuses to join the Army when they try to recruit him. Accused of treason, he’s locked away only to later become a fugitive on the run.

 

An encounter with Native Americans followed by a gunfight leads John to seek refuge in a nearby cave. A stranger inside the cave holds a mysterious medallion that, as soon as Carter touches it, teleports him to a life-sustaining region of Mars.

 

In this place, he finds himself able to perform incredible physical feats. He also meets entities that are clearly alien in nature. A woman there helps him learn more about his new circumstances. John is soon entangled in Martian unrests that could end up either defining the man or ending him.

 

 

73. Oblivion (2013)

 

 

 

The year is 2077. Jack Harper (played by Tom Cruise) works with Victoria (played by Andrea Riseborough) on Tech 49, a surveillance station. Jack is proficient at drone repair. Sometime in the past, his memory was wiped as part of a security clause – this is precisely what even allowed him to live and work on Earth.

 

Following six decades of war with invading aliens known as The Scavs, Earth stands dangerously depleted of resources. Even the Moon is no more, a casualty of nuclear warfare, one that destroyed the alien race as well. It is Jack’s responsibility to safeguard the power stations that tap into oceanic currents to function.

 

These stations supply energy to Titan where reside other human survivors. This energy also helps Jack fix drones. But Jack is prone to recalling hidden memories featuring a strange woman atop the Empire State Building, back when Earth was habitable.

 

Before long, Sally (played by Melissa Leo) gives Jack and Victoria a task that could drag them into events best left forgotten.

 

 

74. The Invasion (2007)

 

 

 

Psychiatrist Dr. Carol Bennell (played by Nicole Kidman) spots disturbing signs in a patient who’s been seeing her for four years. The patient’s husband is apparently not her husband at all. Despite prescribing antipsychotics, Carol soon learns that her patient was right to think what she did.

 

Carol soon observes something unrecognizable in her own ex-husband. As she continues observing, Carol sees that more and more people in her circle are not behaving like themselves. Aside from a cold and emotional streak, they also seem rather inhuman.

 

Carol’s ongoing romance with research scientist Ben Driscoll (played by Daniel Craig) seems to be the only thing going right in her life. She ropes him into her findings and asks that he study a strange substance she found in her neighbour’s Halloween candy.

 

What she assumed to be a thin slice of flesh proves to possess alien properties. The findings soon become key to Carol establishing why people are behaving odd and untoward. She soon learns of a silent extra-terrestrial invasion, which Ben and she might be too late to stop.

 

 

75.  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

 

 

 

Sometime in Earth’s past, an unknown cause led to human evolution as we know it. It apparently involved an alien race and a strange monolith, which they planted somewhere on Earth. Other monoliths also exist in life-sustaining hotspots all over the galaxy.

 

Humankind assumes as much when our civilization grows advanced enough to go to the moon, where we find another such monolith. It seems to be an ‘evolutionary milestone signalling device’ of some sort, updating whatever alien race created it about the evolutionary status of all kinds of races, humans included.

 

Computers like HAL 9000 (voiced by Douglas Rain) and people like Dr. Dave Bowman (played by Keri Dullea) are busy attempting to reach assorted monoliths in what becomes a race to prove superiority. The winner is set to earn the next step in their evolution.

 

But it looks like humans have to compete with computers to attain that lofty honour.

 

 

76. The Host (2013)

 

 

 

A body-snatching alien takes over Melanie Stryder (played by Saoirse Ronan). She refuses to let it assimilate her mind, which grants her some measure of freedom over her actions. By this time, most of the human race has been ‘body-snatched’ by mysterious aliens.

 

Melanie counts herself among the few ‘wild’ humans, who still retain mental control. She is possessed by a spirit alien, one of the Wanderers. This creature has already been warned of certain difficulties when it comes to claiming a human host.

 

Before long, the Wanderer grows deeply affected by Melanie’s memories and dreams. As the young woman tries to keep control of her mind, the Wanderer grows into a sympathetic alien entity that supports her needs. Events soon connect Melanie and the alien inside her with deep human compassion and love.

 

 

77. Doom (2005)

 

 

 

This movie is based on the super-popular video game franchise of the same name. In this adapted screenplay, fans and sundry get an action-packed movie featuring a distant future where humans have successfully colonized Mars. Scientists are busy performing dangerous experiments involving people and certain natural substances when things start to roll downhill.

 

Before long, a group of Marines – including John Grimm (played by Karl Urban) and Sarge (played by Dwayne Johnson) – along with scientist Samantha Grimm (played by Rosamund Pike) teleport from Earth to Mars via the ‘Ark’. They are tasked with resolving the fast-unraveling situation on the Red Planet.

 

They arrive only to discover the colony has been taken over by gruesome demon-alien humanoids that only have death and destruction on their broken and twisted minds.

 

 

78. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

 

 

 

Arthur Dent (played by Martin Freeman) is having quite a bad day. Adding fuel to the fire, he learns that one of his dear friends, Ford Prefect (played by Yasiin Bey), is in truth an alien. His advanced knowledge foretells an imminent Earth-wide disaster, courtesy of the extra-terrestrial race of Vogons.

 

In this comedy movie, the Vogons have planned to create a hyperspace motorway but Earth is in the way. Arthur is whisked off-world moments before it is destroyed. Ford continues his research on a bizarre electronic encyclopedia titled ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.

 

In his inter-galactic journey, Arthur encounters the two-headed former President of the galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox (played by Sam Rockwell), a clever human woman named Trillian (played by Zooey Deschanel), and a depressed android called Marvin (played by Warwick Davis). They travel across the galaxy on board a stolen spaceship called ‘Heart of Gold’.

 

They are off to Earth II where many a truth awaits them. Arthur’s newfound search for the meaning of life adds to the fun and sentiment value contained in this alien adventure movie that’s sure to stir madness and appreciation in equal measure.

 

 

79. Mars Attacks! (1996)

 

 

 

When POTUS James Dale (played by Jack Nicholson) and his right-hand man, Press Secretary Jerry Ross (played by Martin Short), learn of a potential Martian invasion force hovering around Earth, they start planning a last-minute defence. Meanwhile, Texan alcohol dealer Art Land (also played by Jack Nicholson) and cunning reporter Jason Stone (played by Michael J. Fox) aim to profit from the coming chaos.

 

On the other hand, television hostess Nathalie Lake (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), Land’s spiritualist wife Barbara (played by Annette Bening), and the Southern-ish family of Richie Norris (played by Lukas Haas) are simply excited about it all.

 

Dale’s wife Marsha (played by Glenn Close) and daughter Taffy (played by Natalie Portman) are not in the least bit bothered. Though intelligent, Richie’s insane grandmother (played by Sylvia Sidney) is the only one who genuinely respects him, as opposed to his older brother Billy (played by Jack Black) who joined the Army.

 

Battle plans are drawn and General Decker (played by Rod Steiger) aims to take the fight to the Martians in lieu of waiting for them to make the first move. In this regard, he is countered by the more optimistic General Casey (played by Paul Winfield).

 

What at first seems like a ‘we come in peace’ encounter turns deadly. The Martians use their technologically advanced weaponry to wipe out humans and buildings left, right, and centre. Among others, former heavyweight champion Byron Williams (played by Jim Brown) finds his visit to Las Vegas thwarted as a full-scale Martian invasion unfolds. The proverbial brown stuff hits the fan in this uber-crazy fun-funny entertainment movie featuring aliens at their classic best.

 

 

80. The “Star Wars” Saga

 

 

When George Lucas first created the “Star Wars” movies, he didn’t quite foresee it turning into the pop-culture phenomenon and beloved franchise it is today. One cannot speak of cross-world habitations, intergalactic warfare, and aliens of all shapes and sizes without referencing (in the least) one or more of the “Star Wars” films.

 

Apart from various TV series (animated and otherwise), here are the core movies comprising this rich and detailed ‘universe’… ”A New Hope” (1977), “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), “Return Of The Jedi” (1983), “The Phantom Menace” (1999), “Attack Of The Clones” (2002), “Revenge Of The Sith” (2005), “The Force Awakens” (2015), “The Last Jedi” (2017), and “The Rise Of Skywalker” (2019).