Aliens make great stories in books, short stories, poetry, movies, and most forms of media. Because nobody knows of any extraterrestrial life this has lead to a host of speculative fiction exploring many question.
What if Aliens came to Earth? Would they be friendly? Would they be hostile? Would they just be sight-seeing vacationers? Would they look like us? How would they be different? Would we have any similarities? Can they listen to Slim Whitman? Are they lizards disguised as humans? Are they unable to make contact with basic elements like, oh say, water?
In celebration of Aliens, here are my 10 favorite movies featuring Aliens visiting planet earth (and it really was tough whittling it down to only 10):
10) Mars Attacks - Put on this list due to its hilarity!! If you are looking for a laugh, you'll find it here.
9) Star Trek: First Contact - This was like zombies in space. A lot of action! You've got to love the ruthless borg. Resistance is futile!
9) Star Trek: First Contact - This was like zombies in space. A lot of action! You've got to love the ruthless borg. Resistance is futile!
8) Men in Black - Two words: Will Smith. I pretty much love any movie that he is in. Spoiler alert: see #3.
7) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - Well, I had a movie from TNG so I had to add one for TOS. I loved The Voyage Home when I was a kid. My favorite line: "He had a little bit too much LDS in the 60's."
6) V - I loved the original back in the 80's when Freddie Krueger is the alien that creates the hybrid baby. The relaunch was magnificent and could have been top-three material if they hadn't gone and got themselves cancelled.
5) Battlestar Galactica - I love this series. It is so epic with a lot of drama and action. My only fear is that putting it in this particular top 10 list might be a bit of a spoiler. One of the best story lines on television!
4) Close Encounters of the Third Kind - A little light on action, but big on story. This is one of the plausible ways I could see us having first contact. A Steven Spielberg masterpiece!
3) Independence Day - I love the beginning. Aliens show up and start blowing up earth. No explanation. No reservation. This is what I find to be most plausible if aliens decide to pay us a visit. Plus, Will Smith is so awesome in this movie.
2) Signs - So many people love this movie. So many people hate this movie. Personally, I love how everything comes together and wraps up well. A lot of action. A few scenes that had me jumping out of my seat. This and The Sixth Sense are the only two movies that justify having M. Night Shyamalan as a creditable director.
1) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - Another Spieldberg masterpiece. Probably his ultimate masterpiece. If you can't fall in love with the characters of E.T. then you have no heart. Don't debate it, that is a scientifically proven fact.
I promised a little-known fact with each letter. So how about this. Did you know that E.T. was originally going to be about a family that is terrorized by aliens. When Spielberg changed his mind the original idea was recycled and used in another movie. That movie? Poltergeist!
Hi James,
ReplyDeleteVery informative post. But then I always knew they walked among us.