The 10 Best Alien Movies

Aliens are the ultimate immigrants, and — like actual immigrants around the world today — cinematic aliens have alternately been portrayed as a source of fear or as a boon to civilization. Sometimes visitors from another world are here to help us, while other times they look to humans like a pest to be eliminated (or devoured). More often than not, they’re used as a springboard to shine a light on how we as a society react to the unknown, which is why they continue to be a cornerstone of the sci-fi genre.

With Roland Emmerich‘s long-awaited alien invasion sequel Independence Day: Resurgence arriving on Earth June 24, we thought we’d take the opportunity to run through what we consider to be (in our humble opinion) The 10 Best Alien Movies. Of course, as in the immigration process, there were many worthy to enter the list but only a few slots to fill. Some were chosen because they are accepted classics that no list can do without, while others were picked to shine a light on some underappreciated gems. All ten are by different filmmakers (sorry, only one film each from Spielberg and Carpenter!), and we encourage readers to post what they think are the best alien movies in the comments below!

Also, for those looking for other recommendations within the genre — any of which could have easily made the list themselves — check out these other great extraterrestrial masterpieces: The Man from Planet X, The War of the Worlds (1953), The Mysterians, The Blob (1958), Forbidden Planet, Planet of the Vampires, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Battle Beyond the Stars, E.T. The Extraterrestrial, The Thing (1982), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, The Brother From Another Planet, Starman, Aliens, Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Night of the Creeps, Predator, The Abyss, Independence Day, Star Trek: First Contact, Men in Black, Starship Troopers, The Iron Giant, Pitch Black, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Slither, Avatar, Super 8, Paul, The Avengers, Pacific Rim and Guardians of the Galaxy.

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