Our culture is certifiably obsessed with aliens. This obsession has lent itself to dozens of fictional depictions of what extraterrestrial creatures might look like, act like and fly in. From the ferocious alien in “Alien” to the kindhearted E.T. in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” we have let our imaginations run a little wild.
We don’t really know if a UFO landing on earth would wreak havoc or carry an unexpectedly friendly extraterrestrial visitor, but we have portrayed nearly every possible scenario in movies.
Last week, a U.S. House committee held a congressional hearing to get to the bottom of recent claims that the government is in possession of “intact and partially intact craft of non-human origin,” per The Debrief.
As UFO documents come closer to getting declassified, it’s hard not to wonder — is there a hint of reality in our favorite alien movie?
Hard to say, but I will leave the tough questions to the government. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at 12 of the best alien and UFO movies ever made.
A dozen of the best Alien movies ever made
Best Alien: ‘Alien’ (1979)
If you want a scary alien, this is the movie for you.
This extraterrestrial is a cross between a “Stranger Things” demogorgon and Venom. And it’s even freakier than it sounds, because this alien is “unclouded by conscience, remorse and delusions of morality” (as explained in “Alien”).
“In space, no one can hear you scream,” the film’s tagline taunts — and this extraordinarily violent, crafty and well-equipped alien knows it.
While traveling in deep space, a crew of scientists stops to investigate a distress signal from an alien spacecraft. What ensues is a complete nightmare. Stuck on a commercial space tug with limited resources, this crew must try and outsmart an extraterrestrial monster.
Rating: R, for sci-fi violence and language.
Where to watch: Hulu.
Best alien invasion (tie): ‘Independence Day’ (1996)
The aliens in “Independence Day” aren’t messing around. They intend to obliterate every human on earth and use the planet for their own needs. After a ridiculously explosive entry, the alien mothership continues to carry out its invasion — destroying one major city at a time.
“Independence Day” is everything an alien blockbuster should be: melodramatic, easy-to-follow, jam-packed with destruction and completely predictable. It’s the kind of movie you catch your dad sucked into on a Sunday afternoon.
Cliche? Maybe. But that is precisely what makes “Independence Day” so enjoyable.
Rating: PG-13, for sci-fi violence and destruction.
Where to watch: Starz, Hulu, YouTube TV.
Best alien invasion (tie): ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005)
Tom Cruise has flair for the action-drama. “War of the Worlds” is no exception. If a war against aliens really did go down, I would want one of Tom Cruise’s characters protecting me.
When highly intelligent extraterrestrials grow envious of human’s dominion on earth, they devise a plan to invade and take over. As aliens attempt to exterminate the planet and harvest human blood for alien vegetation, Ray (Tom Cruise) collects his children and fights to survive the invasion.
“War of the Worlds” is the nightmarish takeover I expect to see if evil aliens ever do try to invade our planet. Cities get destroyed, basically everything explodes, people get abducted and utter chaos ensues. It’s a little bit terrifying and dramatic enough to be entertaining.
Rating: PG-13, for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images.
Where to watch: Max.
Best humans vs. aliens war: ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014)
Here is another one starring Tom Cruise. Except, this time, he’s leading the U.S. military into war against threatening extraterrestrials.
If aliens waged war against humans it might look something like this.
Wildly entertaining, adventurous, thrilling and strategically funny, “Edge of Tomorrow” is everything a blockbuster about an alien vs. human war is expected to be.
Rating: PG-13, for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and some language.
Where to watch: Max.
Most suspenseful: ‘Signs’ (2002)
Unlike typical alien movies — where an explosive invasion happens within the first 15 minutes of the movie — “Signs” keeps you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath as suspense builds.
Former Episcopal priest Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his younger brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) know something unusual is going on when massive crop circles appear on their Pennsylvania farm. More bizarre signs of alien invasion follow.
“A beautifully crafted, white-knuckle, roller-coaster ride of old-school filmmaking,” wrote the New York Post in a 2002 review.
“Signs” taunts viewers with chilling signals that aliens are coming. Tension is masterfully built as viewers wait for the ball to drop — and when it does, the wait proves well worth it.
Rating: PG-13, for some frightening moments.
Where to watch: Max.
Best alien takeover: ‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)
Years after an alien invasion, a family struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic America inhabited by especially violent extraterrestrials with an acute sense of hearing. Make the wrong move (anything that generates sound) and the aliens will come for you.
“A Quiet Place” offers a fresh perspective on alien invasion — what if aliens took over, killed the majority of the population, and we were forced to share the plant with them? The blend of alien invasion with dystopia makes for a spine-chilling thriller free from extraterrestrial cliche.
Rating: PG-13, for terror and some bloody images.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
Best UFO sighting: ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)
If an enormous UFO flew through your neighborhood, what would ensue? “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” focuses on how a UFO sighting changes one man’s life.
When Rory Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), witnesses an alien spaceship pass by, the evidence is all over him. Bright lights from the UFO leave Rory severely sunburnt. He refuses to accept a lame explanation for what he knows he saw and continues to pursue the truth about UFOs visiting earth.
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is unique because it does not focus on aliens; rather, how an ordinary man’s life changes after a close encounter with a UFO and his fight for truth.
Rating: PG, for some language and frightening scenes.
Where to watch: Rent from Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, Apple TV.
Best alien abduction: ‘Fire in the Sky’ (1993)
During his commute home, Travis Walton (D.B. Sweeney) gets out of his car to investigate a mysterious light. He is sucked up by a flying saucer. The friends he was traveling home with were questioned after Travis’ strange disappearance and even accused of murdering him.
Five days later, a traumatized Travis returns home and describes his horrific abduction by aliens. His story is met with major skepticism.
“Fire in the Sky” is equal parts terrifying and intriguing, especially because the film is technically a biopic based on a man’s real experience — which makes the movie particularly eerie.
“On the way home from work with six other men, we encountered a large glowing object near the road. I got out, approached it, and wound up being injured by some sort of energy discharge from the craft and taken aboard,” Walton recalled of his alleged experience, per AZ Central.
“I was returned five days and six hours later, and meanwhile, my coworkers were accused of murdering me and making up the most preposterous cover story for the disappearance.”
Travis Walton recounts his bizarre story in his book, “The Walton Experience.” His alleged abduction is also portrayed in two documentaries: “Alien Abduction: Travis Walton” and “Travis: The True Story of Travis Walton.” This extra material pairs well with the movie if you get really into it.
Rating: PG-13, for sci-fi violence.
Where to watch: YouTube TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime.
Most depth: ‘Arrival’ (2016)
There are no alien movies like “Arrival.”
“[‘Arrival’] doesn’t pack the punch you’d expect from an alien invasion movie; it aims higher, and in the end, it cuts deeper,” praised The Detroit News in a 2016 review.
Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is called upon to lead a group of investigators when massive spaceships arrive at 12 different locations on earth. Banks must discover a way to communicate with these extraterrestrials — and figure out if they came in peace.
Devoid of nearly all alien cliché, “Arrival” simply uses extraterrestrials to teach audiences about how language shapes reality and what makes us human. It’s a think-movie you will feel eager to discuss with your friends.
Rating: PG-13, for brief strong language.
Where to watch: Pluto TV.
Most fun: ‘Men in Black’ (1997)
“Men in Black” is a lighthearted take on alien invasion. Its got creepy undertones, but you will spend significantly more time cracking up than shrieking as you watch.
The Men in Black are part of a top-secret government agency that keeps all things alien under wraps. But when the agents uncover a sneaky intergalactic terrorist plotting to kill two ambassadors living in New York City, a wild, hilarious ride begins.
With imaginative alien-fighting tools, funky-looking extraterrestrials, impressive special effects and a wildly entertaining duo in Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, “Men in Black” is a lot of fun.
Rating: PG-13, for language and sci-fi violence.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime.
Most kid-friendly: ‘Lilo and Stich’ (2002)
Despite his idiosyncrasies, destructive tendencies and being the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial, Stitch makes a wonderful friend — and fills the gaping hole in Lilo’s heart.
After escaping from an alien planet in a stolen red spaceship and crash-landing in Hawaii, Stitch is adopted by Lilo as her new “puppy.” Stitch wreaks havoc on everything he touches, but he secures a place in Lilo’s heart and becomes a member of her broken family.
“Lilo and Stitch” is a heartwarming, kid-friendly alien movie because it isn’t really about aliens. It’s an emotional tale about what is means to be family.
Rating: PG, for mild sci-fi action.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Best Overall: ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982)
I like to believe all aliens are as good-natured as E.T.
Unless the aliens can produce healing power through a glowing fingertip or use telekinesis to lift my bicycle in the air, I don’t want them.
“‘E.T., the Extra Terrestrial’ may be the best Disney film Disney never made,” lauded Variety in 1982. “Captivating, endearingly optimistic and magical at times, Steven Spielberg’s fantasy about a stranded alien from outer space protected by three kids until it can arrange for passage home is certain to capture the imagination of the world’s youth.”
Rating: PG, for language and mild thematic elements.
Where to watch: Rent from Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, Apple TV.