The Top 10 Best Alien Invasion Movies
The End is Nigh According to these Alien Invasion Movies.
Hollywood is no stranger to apocalypse flicks, but one of my favorite subgenres has to be alien invasion movies. Those films where the little green men don’t come in peace and humanity either rallies together to fend off the invaders or suffers demise at technologically advanced extraterrestrials. Turns out there are a ton of awesome alien invasion movies out there, but that didn’t stop me from putting together yet another top 10 list for you all. There were only a few simple rules I put in place for films to qualify 1) The films have to feature an actual invasion force (so no Predator or The Thing since one alien doesn’t qualify as a “force”) 2) The film has to feature the planet Earth (so no Aliens) 3) The film has to feature aliens that don’t “come in peace” (so no Close Encounters of the Third Kind or The Day the Earth Stood Still). Even with those restrictions, I had a tough time narrowing down the entries for this list. So, be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on my picks below!
10. Mars Attacks!
I’ve been told they don’t make movies like they used to, and I think Tim Burton’s satire of classic alien invasion movies pretty much sums up why (a lot of old movies were actually pretty dumb). The film features an all-star cast featuring the likes of Jack Nicholson, Michael J. Fox, and Glenn Close squaring off against some of the most terrifying little green men to ever grace the silver screen. It’s a masterfully done cheesy mess of a movie which shows just how helpless mankind would be against invaders from Mars. As a kid, I remember the aliens haunting my dreams with their skull-like faces and horrible “ack-ack-acking.” It’s only as an adult that I’m able to embrace the absurdity that Mars Attacks! brings to the alien invasion movies catalog.
9. District 9
District 9 is probably one of the strangest entries to make this list of alien invasion movies because it’s about a failed invasion of the planet Earth. The so-called “prawns” in the film are sequestered to a slum in South Africa where they barely manage to survive on their own despite their incredible technology. What makes this one of the best alien invasion movies of all time is that it shines a light on the shameful xenophobia that runs rampant among the humans. Rather than welcoming the visitors from another world with open arms they’re treated like garbage and forced to live in inhumane conditions just because they come from somewhere else. Unfortunately, this film is more relevant than ever these days, which really sucks.
8. The Avengers
The MCU is no stranger to alien invasions movies. Just recently Captain Marvel featured an attempted one and, of course, Infinity War had quite an invasion force that attacked Wakanda. However, of all the movies with evil alien swarms attacking the planet, the best is definitely the first Avengers movie. Of course, the Chitauri didn’t show up until the third act, but that doesn’t make this flick any less deserving of being on this list. When a rift opened in the sky above New York, it was up to Earth’s mightiest heroes to put aside their squabbling and save the city from the extraterrestrial horde. Don’t be fooled, because Marvel doesn’t have a stranglehold on alien invasion movies featuring superheroes. DC also featured them in Man of Steel and Justice League.
7. They Live
Featuring one of the most memorable wrestlers turned actor of all time, They Live is an iconic alien invasion movies to come out of the 80s. From a master of horror (and weird action flicks) John Carpenter, the film is a cult classic that reveals what if an alien invasion had already taken place and the human race didn’t even know. Roddy Piper plays a blue-collar worker who discovers a special pair of sunglasses that allows him to see the aliens among us and the subliminal messaging they’ve been bombarding humans with since their arrival. So, he does what any American would do, gets into a fistfight with his friend, and then sets off to take down the evil invaders.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
One of the better remakes out there is Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a chilling film that poses the idea that maybe aliens won’t invade but will instead slowly replace humanity. The film features pod people that make emotionless replicas of specific humans and links them to a hive mind that controls them like a swarm of ants. Might not sound so scary at first, but this alien species doesn’t waste any time and within a few days it’s hard to tell who’s human and who isn’t. Soon it becomes apparent that humanity is vastly outnumbered and the only way to survive is to hide. If you haven’t seen these movies, head straight for the 1978 version. It’s by far and away the best of Body Snatcher films out there.