The Top 10 Best Alien Invasion Movies
5. Edge of Tomorrow
Tom Cruise stars in this flick that turns alien invasion movies on their heads. In it, he plays Major William Cage, a soldier who gains the power to relive the same day over and over again when he dies. Under the tutelage of one of the biggest female badasses to ever appear on the big screen (aptly named The Full Metal Bitch), Cage learns to be the ultimate soldier thanks to his time-traveling ability. Things don’t always go well for Cage, but each day he manages to make it a little further in the epic battle he’s been thrown into. Edge of Tomorrow also features some of the more unique aliens I’ve seen on the big screen in recent memory and despite its absurd sounding premise, it’s actually a damn good movie and well worth the watch if you haven’t seen it.
4. A Quiet Place
One of the more pleasant surprises of 2018 was John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place which put a unique twist on alien invasion movies. The film takes place after the initial invasion of the planet by near indestructible, killer aliens with super hearing. As a result, one family is forced to live in total silence in order to avoid being slaughtered like lambs. The film featured a lot of ASL which went a long way in creating an authentic feeling to the characters trying to survive in this dystopian world. It’s hard to tell if the aliens actually intended to invade the planet or not, but I’m still going to include it on this list since it was one of the best movies of last year. With a rumored sequel in the works, let’s how Krasinski can deliver a worthy follow up to his break out directorial debut.
3. Attack the Block
Before John Boyega took on aliens in a galaxy far, far away, he fought them off in South London. Attack the Block features a group of rebellious young teens (affectionately referred to Chavs in England) who find themselves smack dab in the middle of an alien invasion. Trapped in their apartment building and with no second amendment in sight, the teens are forced to get creative fighting off creatures that and only be described as alien gorillas with teeth. As funny as the movie is what really makes it stand out is the heroes journey that all the characters go through. Over the course of the movie the teens go from menaces to society to full on heroes fighting to save their friends and neighbors from the extraterrestrial beasts.
2. Independence Day
As a 90’s kid, few films hold as special a place in my heart as the original Independence Day. Luckily, it just so happens to be one of the best alien invasion movies out there. The film features an incredible force of aliens invading the Earth in order to suck it dry of all its minerals and resources. Of course, humanity isn’t going to take that laying down, so thanks to the heroic efforts of one of the best movie pilots, best movie Presidents, and Jeff Goldblum the world stands a fighting chance against their technologically superior foes. The film is a total popcorn flick in the best possible way with plenty of explosions, scary looking aliens, and one of the finest speeches in movie history.
1. War of the Worlds (2005)
Of course one of the best alien movies of all time was going to make an appearance on this list of alien invasion movies. The 2005 film had a lot riding on it, but thanks to a stellar cast and one of the best directors in the history of Hollywood, it managed to live up to the high expectations that critics and fans alike had for it. So many other films on this list feature mankind fighting back against the evil invaders, but War of the Worlds shows just how hopelessly outmatched we would be against them at this point. Still, not all hope is lost for humanity and this tale features one of the greatest sci-fi endings of all time (full credit to the original 1898 original for coming up with it). When it comes to alien invasion movies War of the Worlds is definitely one of the best of the best.
Honorable Mention: Pacific Rim
I came so close to including Pacific Rim among the other films above, but since the threat is interdimensional and not extraterrestrial, I just couldn’t justify it. Even if it didn’t earn a spot on this list there is no better mecha movie out there and it’s still one of my favorite movies of all time.
In all honesty, this was one of the harder top 10 lists I’ve put together recently for Stars & Popcorn. That being said, I’d love to get your feedback on the movies that made the cut. So, leave a comment below about what you liked and didn’t like about my picks and I’ll be sure to update these rankings as new alien invasion movies hit theaters.