The 50 Best Best Alien Movies Ever, Ranked 2024

 We've assembled the mother lode of extraterrestrial cinema.

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Is there a film genre that prods the full range of human emotion like a great alien flick? Otherworldly as it sounds, the best alien movies tend to move us like no other tale on the silver screen. Why? Maybe because we need to get outside of ourselves (i.e. the human race) to really see ourselves? Please discuss amongst yourselves—and feast your eyes, ears, and pulses on our nominees for the 50 best alien movies of all time.

Need a good cry? Clearly, it's time to rewatch E.T. Wanna laugh? Galaxy Quest or Starship Troopers will get you there repeatedly. Yearning to be scared out of your wits and sleeping with the lights on for the next month? Start with Alien and slowly work your way up to those chilling sequels. If it’s just a great intergalactic thrill ride you’re up for, where do we even begin?

The best alien movies provide the setting for some of the most exciting, spine-tingling, and cathartic film experiences out there. Whether it’s an alien invasion on Earth, humanity taking the fight to creatures way out in space, or a bunch of geezers at a retirement facility discovering an interstellar route to immortality hiding in a pool, these movies will whisk you away while projecting some of the finest cinematic achievements in movie history. For your next out-of-this-world movie night, here are the best alien movies ever made. 

The Best Alien Movies of All Time

50. Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Sony

When aliens invade Earth and start their attack on major cities, the Marine Corps are called into action to defend Los Angeles, with a platoon led by Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart)—who was just about to retire. The aliens are plotting total destruction and appear to be too powerful to defeat. When the Marines realize the aliens are using radio transmissions to target the fighting forces, they go manual and figure out a way to strike back, saving LA in the process. 

49. Prey (2022)

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This prequel in the Predator series is mostly a standalone film, following a Comanche woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder) in the 1700s who witnesses one of the earliest visits from a Predator alien to Earth. Using all her strength and knowledge of the woods and the land she grew up on, Naru outwits and outsmarts the Predator, even though it has advanced technology, weapons, and the ability to go invisible. 

48. Starship Troopers (1997)

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Based on the novel of the same name, this movie is set in the 23rd century during an all-out war with an alien bug species. Earth has unified into one group, the United Citizen Federation, which sends its military to the deepest reaches of space to fight the Arachnids, who want to eradicate Earth and all the humans in the galaxy. With a streak of sharp satire, this film has earned cult status over subsequent decades and has some true comedic moments, most by way of Neil Patrick Harris’s character and his PSA on how to kill bugs.

47. The Faculty (1998)

Miramax

It’s a seemingly normal small town high school, except for one thing: The teachers are all secretly aliens. When a lonely student journalist (Elijah Wood) witnesses the school nurse getting killed, but later sees her alive like nothing happened, he unravels that an alien invasion is secretly happening—one teacher at a time. He teams up with a bunch of other students, including a football player (Shawn Hatsoy), a drug dealer (Josh Hartnett), and an outcast (Clea Duvall), to try and take down the queen alien, who is orchestrating the invasion because her home planet is dying out.

46. The World’s End (2013)

Focus Features

Following their work in Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007), actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again with director Edgar Wright for this apocalyptic comedy. The duo star as Gary and Andy, who participate in a town pub crawl only to discover that they're actually in the middle of an alien invasion by the Blanks. The group has been replacing unwilling humans with android versions of themselves as they prepare to take over and become part of a galactic community. The town comes together to fight back against the Blanks and “The Network” leader (Bill Nighy) before they take over. 

45. Under the Skin (2013)

A24

Directed by Jonathan Glazer, this thriller stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien creature that disguises itself as a human in Europe so that it can kidnap other people. The creature takes the humans into a black void, seemingly transporting them back to her people on a distant planet. The film is critically acclaimed for its tense vibe and grounded acting from Johannson, who shot some unscripted scenes with hidden cameras and non-actors who didn’t know it was a movie to give it more realism. 

44. A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place: Part II (2018, 2020)

Paramount

After an alien invasion by a race of creatures that can’t see but have incredible hearing and near-indestructible armor, Earth’s population has dwindled to small pockets of resistance. The Abbott family (John Krasinski and Emily Blunt) and their children have kept their farm isolated and quiet, but when tragedy strikes and the creatures descend on their home, they find a way to fight back, eventually learning the one weakness that makes the aliens open their armor. The second film picks up soon after the events of the first film, following the surviving Abbott family as they search for a new place to live and survive. They encounter an old friend from before the invasion (Cillian Murphy) and find a new community hiding on an island, away from the alien creatures.

43. The Watch (2012)

20th Century Fox

When the security guard of the Costco he manages is murdered and no one seems to care, Evan (Ben Stiller) creates a neighborhood watch group to investigate and keep the area safe. He’s only able to round up three neighbors (Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) and the group seems to be a joke until they discover an alien plot to invade Earth and they fight back.

42. Galaxy Quest (1999)

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Taking inspiration from Star Trek and many other science fiction television shows and movies over the years, the movie follows the stars of the series Galaxy Quest (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell), who are drawn into a real-life galactic conflict in space despite only being actors who played the roles on TV. After attending yet another fan convention for the show, a group of Thermian aliens asks the actors for help, as they have seen the transmissions of the show and think that the group actually are members of starship NSEA Protector and can shield them from the villainous warlord Sarris.

41. Coneheads (1993)

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Based on the Saturday Night Live sketches, the film follows a family of aliens stranded on Earth after they were initially tasked with taking over the planet. Beldar (Dan Ackroyd) and his family are forced to blend in as regular people after they find out their rescue ship will not be back for many years. They stand out due to their large heads, odd teeth, and voices, but eventually settle into the suburbs of New Jersey to try and live life like a normal family. They have to juggle being investigated by the INS, their daughter falling in love with a local mechanic (Chris Farley), and orders from their home planet to eventually finish the mission they were sent to do.

40. Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water (2009, 2022)

20th Century Fox

Never doubt James Cameron. Bringing the epic vision that suited him in Titanic and Terminator 2, Cameron created a brand new franchise with Avatar, following the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his mission on the planet moon Pandora. In the mid-22nd century, Earth’s natural resources have all been spent, leading humanity to try and colonize Pandora, which has valuable unobtanium that they can use back home. Sully interacts with the Na'vi by way of the “Avatar Program,” which allows him to live amongst the natives. In the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, Sully and his family are threatened by the military they fought in the first film, and they’re forced to flee to live with the Metkayina clan, a group of Na’vi that live on the water. With the second film, Cameron landed both Avatar movies alongside Titanic into the top five highest-grossing of all time.

39. Cocoon (1985)

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This heartwarming tale follows a group of elderly retirees who after spending time in a pool that’s hiding ancient alien cocoons, are given a “life force” that makes them feel young and strong again. The cocoons originally were left behind thousands of years ago by peaceful aliens from the planet Antarea, and when the group returns to bring the cocoons back, they allow residents Art (Don Ameche), Ben (Wilford Brimley), and Joe (Hume Cronyn) to keep using the pool as long as they keep it a secret. Naturally, word gets out and causes plenty of complications for both the aliens and the residents. Ameche took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the film won Best Visual Effects, eventually spawning a sequel, Cocoon: The Return.

38. Alien 3 (1992)

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While it did not receive the critical acclaim of the first two films in the franchise, as the years have gone on, the third installment of the Alien trilogy has gained its own rightful fandom. It was director David Fincher’s first feature behind the camera, with aliens facing off against prisoners marooned on a planet following Ellen Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) crash-landing as the only survivor from the events of Aliens. It’s tense, thrilling, and Fincher shows off some shots that prove why he has become one of Hollywood’s most talented directors. 

37. The Tomorrow War (2021)

Amazon Studios

Chris Pratt goes to war against aliens in the future in this adventure flick, which mixes time travel, comedy, and some massive action set pieces. After a group of soldiers from 2051 travel back in time to 2022, everyday people from the past are drafted into the Army to fight a future war against an alien race of “White Spikes.” The deadly creatures attacked Earth three years before in 2048, and humanity is on its way to losing. Their only chance at survival is bringing people from the past to fight. Pratt’s former Green Beret Dan Forester ends up being enlisted alongside his grown-up daughter in the future. 

36. Attack the Block (2011)

Optimum Releasing

This film helped launch the career of John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) into the mainstream and follows a teenage gang that encounters aliens after a meteorite crashes near their council estate apartments in London. The glowing alien creatures come on the attack and the teens are forced to arm themselves to try and defend their “block” from the vicious creatures. On top of fighting the aliens, the teens have to deal with complications from drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) and his boss, gang leader Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter), and the rest of the residents of the complex. 

35. Evolution (2001)

Columbia

Harking back to his Ghostbusters-style roots, director Ivan Reitman’s comedy follows what happens when a meteor crash-lands in Arizona, causing alien life-forms to start to evolve into some wild creatures. David Duchovny plays a college professor and retired Army scientist who works to figure out just what these life-forms are and how to stop them once they start attacking the surrounding areas. The alien entities have the ability to develop millions of years of evolution in a short amount of time and eventually the group finds out the one thing to stop them: Head & Shoulders shampoo. We promise it makes sense in the movie.

34. The Fifth Element (1997)

Disney

In an advanced 23rd-century future Earth, Bruce Willis stars as Korben Dallas, a former Special Forces soldier and now-taxi driver who finds himself pulled into a galactic fight that involves the “Fifth Element,” embodied by Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), the only weapon that can stop a great evil that emerges every 5,000 years. With the government and the villainous Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) chasing him and Leeloo, Dallas has to battle his way through aliens, criminals, and Zorg’s henchmen to help eradicate the evil entity before it consumes Earth.

33. Transformers (2007)

Paramount

Michael Bay brings bombast and explosions for the first live-action Transformers film, which has spawned a multi-billion-dollar movie franchise. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox star as two humans who get thrust into the middle of an intergalactic conflict between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. The CGI still holds up ridiculously well and the action sequences are some of Bay’s best work, showing Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and many of your other favorite Transformers from childhood in battle.

32. The Last Starfighter (1984)

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When teenager Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) earns the highest score ever in his favorite video game Starfighter, he gets pulled into something he never dreamt of: an alien interstellar war. He soon learns that the video game is not what it seems; it actually is a war recruiting game to find those who can become real Starfighters in a war between the Rylan Star League and the Ko-Dan Empire. Alex fights in the war to try and save Rylos and the Rylan people, proving that humans can become Starfighters, something that the Star League thought they could not do. This is a milestone film in that it was one of the first to use CGI special effects to create the starships and battle scenes.

31. They Live (1988)

Universal

While not a major financial success when it was released, this has become a cult classic among '80s films and is one of the most original alien movies out there. The story follows a random drifter who discovers the biggest secret on Earth: The ruling class of humanity are actually aliens disguised as humans and are manipulating everyone to conform to their ideas through subliminal messages sent via TV signals and advertisements. The only way to see the aliens is with a pair of special sunglasses, which reveals who is hiding in human form.

30. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

20th Century Fox

An adaptation of the classic 1951 movie of the same name, this modern version follows an alien Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), who is sent to Earth to try and convince humans to change their ways to avoid future destruction. This adaptation updates the story from the Cold War with the impacts of humans on the environment. If humankind doesn’t change its ways, it will be destined for destruction by way of alien nanobots, which will destroy all man-made objects on Earth. The government sees the visit from Klaatu and his race as a major threat and tries to stop him—but before that, he connects with a woman and her stepson (Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith), who teach him that humanity is worth saving. 

29. Man of Steel (2013)

Warner Bros.

Superman might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to “alien” movies, but technically he's the ultimate alien—having been sent away from Krypton as a baby amid its destruction before crash-landing on Earth. Director Zack Snyder’s modern take on the hero follows Kal-El as he is discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Kansas, becoming Clark Kent and a reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis alongside Lois Lane. But when General Zod and his other villainous Kryptonian aliens track Kal-El to Earth and try to destroy the planet and take it for themselves, Clark becomes “Superman” and saves the planet from annihilation. 

28. Mars Attacks! (1996)

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Based on the 1960s trading card game of the same name, this invasion film takes a darkly comedic tone to the idea of aliens coming to Earth. These big-brained, green aliens descend on Earth in your classic-looking flying saucers to destroy humankind, using shrink rays and other wild weapons, putting the U.S. President (Jack Nicholson) and First Lady (Glenn Close) right in their crosshairs. An ensemble cast that includes Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Michael J. Fox, Pam Grier, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Lukas Haas, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Danny DeVito, and Martin Short try and survive the attack, eventually winning over the Martians when they realize the song "Indian Love Call" is their weakness.

27. Cloverfield (2008)

Paramount

This found-footage film came out of nowhere to stun audiences in the summer of 2008, depicting the rampage of an extraterrestrial monster on New York City. Directed by Matt Reeves, who went on to do the critically acclaimed Planet of the Apes series and the Robert Pattinson reboot of Batman, the story is told through the camera of a group of friends who gather for a farewell party. After a sudden blackout and earthquake, the group takes to the streets and has to fight its way through small parasite creatures and a massive, Godzilla-like alien monster. The film has spawned a franchise that includes two sequels. More might be on the way.

26. Star Wars, The Sequel Trilogy (2015-2019)

Lucasfilm

A decade later, a new chapter in the series debuted with The Force Awakens, taking place 30 years after the original trilogy and finding the galaxy in battle once again. This time, it’s the evil First Order gaining power and working to destroy the New Republic. The Rebel Alliance has become the Resistance, led by Leia (Carrie Fisher), who is now a general. Her son Ben has become the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), while a new group of heroes in Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) joins the fight against the new Empire.

25. Star Wars, The Prequel Trilogy (1999-2005)

Lucasfilm

It took nearly two decades before George Lucas brought back the Star Wars series for another trilogy of films, this time exploring what happened before Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance fought against the Empire. The Phantom Menace finds two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), pulled into a galactic conflict that eventually leads them to discovering Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd/Hayden Christensen) on Tatooine and realizing he has the potential to be the most powerful Jedi of them all. The Clone War alluded to in the original trilogy is sparked here and fought in Attack of the Clones, before the epic conclusion in Revenge of the Sith and a shadow between Obi Wan and Anakin, master and apprentice, leading to the events of A New Hope.

24. Super 8 (2011)

Paramount

Taking its name from the type of film camera he used to make films as a young director, J.J. Abrams creates a tale of a train crash in a small town in the '70s that unleashes a mysterious alien monster. A group of kids are making their own Super 8 film at the time of the crash. When they start to investigate, they discover the government has captured an alien and has been experimenting on it for years. As the Air Force team tries to preserve the secret, the kids work to expose the plot and free the alien, who they find out is less of a monster than just a creature that has fallen far from home.

23. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Disney

Based on the science fiction series of the same name, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes a comedic look at what happens when a regular guy, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), is pulled into outer space by his friend, who unbeknownst to him is an alien and has just saved Earth from being destroyed from a construction crew making a galactic highway. Dent ends up a “hitchhiker” across the galaxy, meeting all types of aliens on different planets, including the President of the Galaxy (Sam Rockwell).

22. Star Trek, Reboot Film Series (2009-2016)

Paramount

Bridging the past and present once again, the 2009 reboot of Star Trek brings in a new cast and uses a time-travel plot to connect back to the original series. The first film follows Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the crew of the USS Enterprise as they battle against the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana), eventually crossing paths with the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and learning they are in an alternate timeline. In the sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, the crew encounters the classic villain Khan once again, this time played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

21. Star Trek, The Next Generation Films (1994-2002)

Paramount

In the same way the original cast moved to the big screen, the characters of The Next Generation series like Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Date (Brent Spiner), and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) got their chance to do the same with a new series of films. Star Trek Generations was meant as a handoff film from the original cast to the new one, with William Shatner (Kirk), James Doohan (Scott), and Walter Koenig (Chekov) reprising their roles. In Star Trek: First Contact (1996), the team fights against the evil alien Borg, and in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), we get an early career look at Tom Hardy, who plays a clone of Picard created by the Romulans to cause disarray in the federation.

20. Guardians of the Galaxy Films (2014, 2017, 2023)

Marvel

When Guardians of the Galaxy first debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they weren’t considered a top-tier team in the comic book world. Now fans can’t imagine the MCU without them. Led by Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and comprised of original members Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), the team finds themselves in battle with Kree alien warrior Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who is fighting on behalf of Thanos (Josh Brolin). Over the course of three movies, the team hops planets, fights and befriends aliens of all kinds, and adds a few new members, including Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff).

19. Star Trek, The Original Series Films (1979-1991)

Paramount

The entire Star Trek series is filled with alien races and creatures from planets across the galaxy. Following the original TV show run, the cast transitioned into the movie series. The high point of the series came with the release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, two of the most well-received Star Trek movies. Starring William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, these films are Star Trek at its most campy and classic, as the crew of the USS Enterprise goes up against the villainous Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán), tries to revive Spock when he dies (Star Trek III), and travels back in time to 1986 San Francisco (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) to help save Earth in the future.

18. Pacific Rim (2013)

Warner Bros.

In the near-future, when massive Kaiju creatures are awakened and attack Earth from a dimensional crack in the bottom of the ocean, mankind fights back by creating monsters of their own. The giant “Jaeger” mech suits are powered by two pilots, who are joined together by a mind link. Only these massive weapons give humankind a chance. Charlie Hunnam plays a veteran pilot who comes in for one last job to try and end the war. The film also stars Idris Elba, whose character has one of the best names in modern movie history in Marshal Stacker Pentecost—offering an absolutely rousing climactic speech that will make you want to sign up for the huge, final battle.

17. Signs (2002)

Disney

Following his first two major feature films The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, director M. Night Shyamalan kept his successful streak going with this science fiction thriller. When mysterious crop circles start to appear on Graham Hess’s (Mel Gibson) farm and around the world, the people of Earth start to realize an alien invasion is coming. Graham and his family take shelter on their family farm in an attempt to survive, fending off an alien that takes one of his children hostage. This movie plays more like a horror film than an invasion film, but it has a standout performance from Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Graham’s younger brother and a former baseball player whose swinging skills come in handy during the tense climax.

16. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Warner Bros.

Live, die, repeat. That’s what happens throughout this movie to Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Tom Cruise), a military officer who defies orders and is thrust into battle against alien “Mimics” that are taking over all of Europe. Humanity thinks it has the aliens defeated after a major battle win, but once they try and invade, the Mimics predict their every move, defeating them. In the process, Cage is covered in alien blood and gains the ability to “loop,” or relive the day once he is killed. Using the knowledge he gains from going through hundreds of loops, Cage teams up with the absolutely badass Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to find a way to end the alien war.

15. Annihilation (2018)

Paramount

After you finish watching this movie, you might be wondering what you just watched—in a good way. This intellectual thriller follows a group of scientists who venture into an infected area that’s being overtaken by an unknown entity following a meteor crash three years earlier. The mysterious “Shimmer” surrounds Blackwater National Park in Florida. When the group enters, they encounter mutated animal creatures, doppelgängers, and other strange beings as they try and find out what happened to a previous expedition that disappeared into the terrain. 

14. The Avengers (2012)

Marvel

It’s one of the biggest superhero movies ever, but it’s also an alien invasion movie. Phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe led up to this superhero team-up event, with the titular group taking on Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his army of extraterrestrial Chitauri as they attack New York City. It’s the first time fans got to see Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) together. After the Avengers take on the alien army, the true villain of the Infinity Saga is revealed as yet another alien, the powerful Thanos (Josh Brolin). 

13. Space Jam (1996)

Warner Bros.

When a group of aliens steal the basketball skills from some of the best players in the NBA—including Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues—to help win an important game against the Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and friends turn to retired Bulls star Michael Jordan to help save them. Jordan is pulled into the cartoon world to lead the group against the Monstars and save them from being an exhibit in alien amusement park Moron Mountain.

12. Men in Black (1997)

Sony

When NYPD officer James Darrell Edwards III (Will Smith) encounters a seemingly normal criminal exhibiting some oddly acrobatic speed and strength, he learns that it actually was an alien and that there is a secret organization that deals with extraterrestrials on the planet. He’s brought into the group by veteran MIB operative “K” (Tommy Lee Jones), who teaches him the ways of extraterrestrials, before he takes on the moniker “J.” He soon learns that Earth is just one of many planets with many different life forms—and that plenty of aliens use Earth as a way station, home, and recreational place to visit. The duo investigates a nefarious plot by an alien bug that wants to take over Earth for his own people.

11. Arrival (2016)

Paramount

As far as alien movies go, this is one of the most acclaimed out there. This film was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Sound Editing, which it won. Denis Villeneuve is one of the foremost sci-fi directors working today, with Dune and Blade Runner 2049 under his belt, but before those blockbusters, he put together Arrival, which follows a team of scientists, Army officials, and a talented linguist (Amy Adams), which tries to communicate with an alien race before war breaks out on Earth.

10. Predator (1985)

20th Century Fox

The Predator has launched a whole franchise of media, from sequels to comic books and video games, but the original movie is one of the best action films of the 1980s. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch, the leader of an elite military unit, the story follows the team as they head into the jungles of Guatemala to save a group of hostages. What they don’t know is that an alien “Predator” has also landed and it happens to be fitted with advanced technology and is hunting them down. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Fun fact: Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally set to play the titular Predator. 

9. Prometheus (2012)

20th Century Fox

Director Ridley Scott returned to his classic Alien franchise with this prequel, which digs into the origins of how these terrifying creatures first came to be. When a group of scientists discover a star map that seemingly connects different ancient cultures, they follow the path and travel to a distant moon, encountering a large alien “Engineer” and a disbanded military outpost. What they don't know is that this outpost previously was used to develop a biological weapon—something that will lead to the creation of a deadly new alien species. The action is just as tense as the original Alien.

8. War of the Worlds (2005)

Paramount

After doing alien movies with somewhat benevolent creatures coming to Earth, it was only a matter of time before director Steven Spielberg went the hostile invasion route. In this adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel, Spielberg updates things to modern-day 2005 from the late 1800s, with Tom Cruise starring as a divorced dad looking to protect his family when aliens arrive. The creepy tripod design of the aliens gives the movie a unique feel. One of Spielberg’s most tense scenes comes when Cruise and family take shelter with Tim Robbins’s paranoid character when escaping an alien attack.

7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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Before E.T., Steven Spielberg made another iconic movie involving aliens, government scientists, and everyday people making first contact with a new species. When a number of strange occurrences start happening around the world involving UFOs, a group of disparate people who all have interactions with the object are drawn to Devils Tower in Wyoming. The alien encounter in this movie is more of the benevolent kind, with this species looking to just make contact, not war, with the humans on Earth. 

6. District 9 (2009)

Sony

One of the rare alien movies that scored an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, director Neill Blomkamp's thriller brings some deep ideas to the genre. The story follows what happens when a group of refugee aliens appears in 1980s Johannesburg, South Africa. Not knowing what to do with the ship and its inhabitants, the government sets up a camp, “District 9,” for them to live. Fast-forward 20 years, when the government tries to relocate the camp, the aliens rebel, and government bureaucrat Wikus (Sharlto Copley) is caught in the middle of it, eventually becoming very sympathetic to the aliens and helping them get home.

5. Star Wars, The Original Trilogy (1977-1983)

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It’s the series that started it all, “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," following the saga of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his fight against the evil Galactic Empire. The young hero is pulled on his path of destiny by Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), an old friend of Luke’s father, the powerful Darth Vader. After destroying the Death Star and saving the galaxy, the heroes suffer a blow in Empire Strikes Back (1980), with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) being captured, before Luke and the Rebel Alliance prepare for a final battle in Return of the Jedi (1983).

4. Independence Day (1996)

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From blowing up the White House and destroying New York City to Will Smith as a hero, here's blockbuster filmmaking at its biggest. When an alien species plans a takeover of Earth by positioning massive ships over the world’s biggest cities, humans join together to fight back. Bill Pullman as President of the United States gives an epic rallying speech, on Independence Day of course, to lead forces against the aliens.

3. Alien (1979)

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This film kicked off the scary, icky franchise. Director Ridley Scott created a horror movie in space, introducing moviegoers to an alien creature unlike anything anyone had ever seen on the big screen. The star-making performance from Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley is the beating heart of the movie, as a terrifying alien picks off a space crew one by one. Don’t watch this one with the lights off. Seriously. 

2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

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When it comes to iconic alien movies, it’s hard not to put this one at the top. It’s one of director Steven Spielberg’s most memorable films, telling the story of an alien accidentally left behind on Earth and separated from his people. E.T. meets and bonds with Elliot (Henry Thomas), who fights to protect his new friend from the government and scientists who want to experiment on him. Even if you’ve never seen the movie, you likely know the line “E.T., phone home.” The popcorn flick went on to become one of the most successful movies of all time, making nearly $800 million at the box office on a budget of just $10 million.

1. Aliens (1986)

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It’s one of the best alien movies ever, but it’s also one of the best sequels of all time. Director James Cameron expands the Alien universe by sending Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley and a team of ragtag soldiers to an outpost planet that’s filled with terrifying Xenomorph aliens. Cameron brings his signature action style to the franchise after Ridley Scott’s original horror thriller, leading to an ultimate showdown with the queen alien.