30 best alien movies

- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 98 minutes

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones lead this sci-fi action comedy, playing two agents of a secret organization called the Men in Black. Their job is to supervise the extraterrestrial creatures who live on Earth and conceal their existence from ordinary humans. However, things are thrown into chaos when they uncover an alien assassin's plot to kill two alien ambassadors living in New York City. "Men in Black" became a box office hit, leading to multiple sequels and an animated children's series.

- Director: Philip Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 115 minutes

This remake of Don Siegel's 1956 film of the same name takes place in San Francisco, where health inspector Matthew (Donald Sutherland) and his colleague, Elizabeth (Brooke Adams), discover that humans are being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates. Although this version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" received mixed reviews upon its release, it's now heralded as one of the greatest remakes and sci-fi horror movies ever made.

- Director: Jim Sharman
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 100 minutes

In this cult classic, naive newlyweds Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) seek help from the Transylvanian inhabitants of a creepy castle (led by Tim Curry as the seductive scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter) after their car breaks down. The castle's residents are revealed to be aliens from the planet Transexual, as a night of sexuality, cannibalism, and murder unfolds. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is one of the most popular "midnight movies" ever made, with many theaters across the U.S. hosting regular screenings that include audience participation.

- Director: Dean Parisot
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 102 minutes

"Galaxy Quest" serves as a parody of sci-fi franchises, especially "Star Trek" and its fans. Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman lead the film, playing actors who previously starred in a cult space opera TV series. However, they're drawn into a real outer space mission when actual aliens visit Earth and seek their help fighting a reptilian warlord, having mistaken their show for a documentary.

- Director: James Cameron
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 140 minutes

James Cameron's 1989 blockbuster "The Abyss" takes its alien action deep below the ocean. Originally intended as a modern remake of Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the story follows a civilian diving team tasked with searching for a missing nuclear submarine. They soon encounter danger after discovering an aquatic extraterrestrial species.

- Director: John Krasinski
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 90 minutes

Real-life partners John Krasinski and Emily Blunt star in "A Quiet Place" as a married couple struggling to keep their family alive after the world is invaded by blind aliens who hunt and kill anything that makes a sound. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama functioned as an allegory of the perils of parenthood.

- Director: Eliseo Subiela
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 105 minutes

In an Argentinian psychiatric hospital, Dr. Julio Denis (Lorenzo Quinteros) is surprised when his patient, Rantés (Hugo Soto), claims that he is actually an alien whose image was projected to Earth from light-years away. When Rantés begins to exhibit seemingly supernatural powers that support his claim, local authorities attempt to hide the man from public life and "fix" his behavior with electroshock therapy and excess medication—against Denis' better judgment.

- Director: Jonathan Frakes
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 111 minutes

The cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars in this film installment of the popular sci-fi series, as the crew of the USS Enterprise-E travels back in time to change the past and stop the evil cybernetic Borg from taking over Earth. "Star Trek: First Contact" is one of the best-reviewed "Star Trek" films—celebrated critic Roger Ebert considered it to be one of the best movies of the franchise at the time of its release.

- Director: Alex Proyas
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 100 minutes

When this sci-fi noir begins, protagonist John Murdoch wakes up in an unknown hotel to find that he has been found guilty of multiple murders, with no memory of whether he committed them or not. While attempting to piece together whether or not he is innocent, John discovers a sinister underground world run by a group of aliens known only as "the Strangers." Director Alex Proyas based the Strangers on Richard O'Brien's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" character, Riff Raff—and O'Brien himself has a role in "Dark City" as Mr. Hand.

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 138 minutes

Ordinary electric lineman Roy Neary's life gets turned upside down when he sees an unidentified flying object. Roy risks alienating his loved ones, home, and career when he dedicates his life to finding the "truth" about alien life, coming into contact with government researchers and other UFO enthusiasts as they prepare to meet extraterrestrial visitors in Wyoming. The film received eight Academy Award nominations and won Best Cinematography.

- Director: Luc Besson
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 52
- Runtime: 126 minutes

In the 23rd century, taxi cab driver and former special forces major Korben Dallas' (Bruce Willis) life is forever altered when a young woman named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) suddenly falls into his car. She reveals that she is linked to four mystical stones that are missing and crucial for defending Earth against an evil cosmic force's impending attack on the planet. They learn that the stones were put in place as safeguards by an alien race called the Mondoshawans and race to find them before it's too late.

- Director: James Gunn
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 136 minutes

In this follow-up to James Gunn's popular Marvel sci-fi film, "Guardians of the Galaxy," Chris Pratt's Peter Quill meets his long-lost alien father (Kurt Russell)—but things aren't what they seem, leaving Peter and the other Guardians to save the universe from destruction. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" was praised for its blend of intergalactic humor and thoughtful explorations of found families and parental trauma.

- Director: René Laloux
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 72 minutes

The French animated film "Fantastic Planet" takes place on the fictional planet of Ygam, where large, blue-skinned aliens named Draags oppress and rule over small, humanoid creatures called Oms. The Oms soon rebel, making the species question whether they can ever coexist. René Laloux's movie contains a strong political allegory for the Soviets' control of Czechoslovakia after 1968's Warsaw Pact occupation and was awarded a special jury prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival.

- Director: Don Siegel
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 92
- Runtime: 80 minutes

An alien invasion begins in the fictional Californian town of Santa Mira after extraterrestrial spores fall from the sky and grow into huge seed pods, each of which produces a duplicate copy of a preexisting human. Little by little, local doctor Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) realizes that townspeople are being quietly replaced by the aliens, and rushes to prevent more of his neighbors from being switched. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was adapted from Jack Finney's 1954 sci-fi novel, "The Body Snatchers."

- Director: Nicholas Meyer
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 113 minutes

Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) enlists the help of the Enterprise crew to stop his longtime nemesis, the genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), from acquiring a dangerous terraforming device called Genesis. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is the second film in the original "Star Trek" movie series, and, according to Entertainment Weekly's Marc Bernardin, was "the film that, by most accounts, saved Star Trek as we know it" by renewing fan interest in the franchise.

- Directors: Daisuke Nishio, Hirotoshi Rissen, Leiji Matsumoto, Kazuhisa Takenouchi
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 68 minutes

"Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem" is a visual companion of Daft Punk's second studio album, "Discovery," and tells the story of a popular intergalactic band whose members are abducted and brought to Earth by a malevolent corporation, where they are turned into emotionless automatons only focused on getting their next big hit. However, the band members soon rebel against their new identities and hope to introduce humans to their unique extraterrestrial music. The movie's plot is a continuation of the ongoing story arc set up in multiple Daft Punk music videos: "One More Time," "Aerodynamic," "Digital Love," and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."

- Director: Robert Wise
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 92 minutes

Based on Harry Bates' short story "Farewell to the Master," this sci-fi classic opens as an extraterrestrial spacecraft suddenly lands near the White House. A humanoid alien named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) exits with his robot bodyguard, Gort (Lock Martin), and insists that he has an extremely important message to deliver to Earth's leaders. Although Klaatu is initially cast out by government leaders, he is taken in by a kindly woman and her son, who teach the world a moral fable about tolerance and unity. The film was directed by Robert Wise, who went on to direct iconic musical movies like "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music."

- Director: John McTiernan
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 47
- Runtime: 107 minutes

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in "Predator" as Alan "Dutch" Schaefer, the leader of a paramilitary rescue team tasked with saving hostages in a guerrilla-occupied Central American territory. During their mission, the team encounters a technologically advanced alien known only as "Predator," who begins picking them off one by one. Although the film initially received mixed reviews, it was hailed as a classic action film in retrospect.

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 91
- Runtime: 115 minutes

A lonely suburban boy (Henry Thomas) befriends a kind-hearted alien and decides to help the creature return to his home planet, all while government officials pursue him for their own means. Based on an imaginary friend that a young Steven Spielberg created to cope with his parents' divorce, the beloved family film became the highest-grossing film ever at the time (a record that it held for 11 years). "E.T." went on to garner nine Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), winning four.

- Director: J.J. Abrams
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 127 minutes

J.J. Abrams' reboot focuses on the main characters of the original "Star Trek" TV show, this time starring a new cast led by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Taking place in an alternate dimension so as not to discredit the franchise's previous installments, the movie follows James T. Kirk and Spock as they race to stop a Romulan alien named Nero (Eric Bana) from putting the United Federation of Planets in jeopardy. The 2009 "Star Trek" won an Oscar for Best Makeup, making it the only "Trek" film to ever win an Academy Award.

- Director: Neill Blomkamp
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 112 minutes

In an alternate reality in 1982, sick and insectoid aliens are found in Johannesburg, South Africa, and forced into an internment camp called District 9. Years later, a human government agent's (Sharlto Copley) DNA begins to mutate after he's exposed to the alien weaponry, causing him to seek refuge in District 9 as tensions between the two species escalate. The film's premise was inspired by events that took place in Cape Town during the apartheid era, and it went on to receive four Oscar nominations (including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects).

- Director: Doug Liman
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 113 minutes

Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's 2004 Japanese novel "All You Need is Kill," "Edge of Tomorrow" sees rookie soldier William Cage (Tom Cruise) and celebrated super soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) face off against Mimics, aliens who have conquered most of continental Europe by 2020. Cage becomes caught in a time loop where he's repeatedly killed on the battlefield, but with each loop, he becomes a more skilled soldier. Cage and Rita—who has her own experience in the loop—team up and devise a plan to stop the Mimics' attack.

- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 116 minutes

Amy Adams stars as linguistics professor Louise, who heads a team of investigators responsible for making contact with aliens when 12 giant spaceships arrive at various locations around the world. As her interactions with the creatures begin to mess with her sense of time, Louise scrambles to make interspecies communication before mounting tensions lead to war. Based on Ted Chiang's short story, "Story of Your Life," the film received eight Oscar nominations and was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 movies of the year.

- Director: James Gunn
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 121 minutes

Brazen space rogue Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) runs into trouble after he steals an orb wanted by villainous alien Ronan, who threatens to destroy the entire universe. In order to stop him, Quill is forced to team up with a ragtag band of intergalactic criminals who come to be known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Marvel film has a standout soundtrack full of popular songs from the 1960s and 1970s and was followed up with a sequel in 2017.

- Director: Joss Whedon
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 143 minutes

Six films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the all-star superhero team of the Avengers finally came together to stop Loki (Tom Hiddleston)—the brother of Asgardian prince Thor (Chris Hemsworth)—from conquering Earth with the help of his alien army. Marvel later introduced more intergalactic characters, notably through the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise's central band of antiheroes.

- Director: John Carpenter
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 109 minutes

The lives of a research team in Antarctica are threatened when they are hunted by a parasitic, shape-shifting alien with the ability to take on its victims' appearance. Although "The Thing" received negative reviews upon its release (and had the misfortune of premiering during the same summer as "E.T.," a more lighthearted alien story), it developed a cult following and was later reappraised as one of the best sci-fi horror movies ever made.

- Director: James Cameron
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 137 minutes

After floating adrift in space for over half a century, Ellen Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) spaceship is discovered and she is thrust into a new world. However, Ripley soon encounters the species of a hostile alien creature that killed her original crew when she joins a rescue mission to save the sole survivor of a space colony—a girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). James Cameron's action-packed sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 classic garnered seven Oscar nominations (including a Best Actress nod for Weaver) and introduced several future stars like Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. In 2019, Empire magazine voted "Aliens" as the greatest film sequel of all time.

- Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 149 minutes

More Marvel Cinematic Universe characters came together than ever before when "Avengers: Infinity War" came to theaters. Over the course of the film, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy race to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones and gaining enough power to effectively kill half of the universe. The Hollywood Reporter critic Josh Spiegel emphasized its somber ending, writing that "Infinity War" takes "a cue from the ending of 'The Empire Strikes Back' in its super-sized finale; this is the equivalent of Han Solo frozen in carbonite, on steroids."

- Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 181 minutes

The culmination of a story built over more than 20 Marvel films, "Avengers: Endgame" finds the remaining Avengers and their allies fighting to bring back the millions of people snapped out of existence by alien titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) at the end of "Avengers: Infinity War." In doing so, the characters travel back in time and revisit many iconic scenes from earlier Marvel films. The Russo brothers movie was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 2020 Academy Awards and became the highest-grossing film of all time upon its release.

- Director: Ridley Scott
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 117 minutes

In this sci-fi horror staple, the crew of a commercial space tug's journey back to Earth is interrupted when they are required to intercept a distress call coming from a nearby moon. One crew member is attacked by a mysterious alien life form, who grows rapidly and begins picking off the characters one by one throughout the ship. Often hailed as one of the greatest and most influential sci-fi movies ever made, "Alien" won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and made an iconic "final girl" out of its heroine, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The film's success led to a media franchise with three sequels, multiple Alien vs. Predator movies, a prequel film series, and more.