A filmmaker could go in so many different directions with an alien movie. I think it’s one of the main reasons the alien movie subgenre is among my favorite subgenres. No two alien movies are alike. And although we have many classics that serve as the pillars to this topic, there’s a vast and deep array of movies over the last 50+ years that deserve recognition in this space.
And while this alien movie ranking will consolidate the subgenre into a list of 10 noteworthy releases, they all spawn separate topics of discussion for what aliens represent in our culture. For decades, aliens have been at the forefront of conspiracy theories and public fear. No two opinions/hypotheses are alike in the same way that no two alien movies are alike. They’re a reflection point for each of us, and the results on camera display a specific person’s own interests or fears about the unidentified creatures.
Take the titular franchise that oversees this entire genre. The Alien universe has gone through the hands of Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, and now, Fede Álvarez. And each passing film is vastly different. There’s an endless set of ideas you can take an alien movie, which makes each and every one of them interesting at the very least.
It’s hard not to talk about this subgenre without mentioning a few of the greats. John Carpenter carried the torch alongside the Alien franchise in the latter half of the twentieth century. Steven Spielberg made two separate alien movies five years apart during that time as well. These directors have worked with various tones and scales, using aliens to tell intimate stories about fractured families, as well as big, cosmic tales about our own societal infrastructure and how easily it could fall apart.
I tried to stick to the classic alien movie framework when making this list so many classic science fiction movies didn’t qualify. There’s no Star Wars or Star Trek or Marvel to speak of. The humans become the foreign visitors in many of these stories. They don’t feel as though they’re trying to scratch that same itch. In each of the 10 movies below, the aliens convene/disrupt the way we humans live.
A couple that just missed the list: Edge of Tomorrow, Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Annihilation, A Quiet Place
Now ranking the 10 best alien movies of all time:
10. The Vast of Night (2020)
Simple but precise, The Vast of Night proves that low budgets and COVID times aren’t real excuses for making lackluster movies. What is essentially three to four long sequences transforms into a story that continues to build and build the stakes until it’s emotionally explosive finale. The Vast of Night review
9. Aliens (1986)
8. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
6. They Live (1988)
5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
4. Alien (1979)
3. Signs (2002)
M. Night Shyamalan made many great genre movies to launch his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but none are as quirky, silly, and downright wholesome as Signs, which brings a family together under extraordinary circumstances. Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix lead a small cast of great performers reckoning with alien lifeforms reaching Earth. Signs review
2. Arrival (2016)
Arrival is a beautifully presented, excellently edited piece of work that stands as a testament to Denis Villeneuve’s directorial ability and taste. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner costar in one of the 2010s best science fiction movies. Arrival review
1. The Thing (1982)
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