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10 Best Alien Movie Recommendations You Must Watch!

At least once in a lifetime, you should watch the following 10 Best Alien Movie Recommendations. What are these movies?

Recommended 10 Best Alien Movie You Should Watch! Movies about alien creatures are interesting to watch. Usually, the story revolves around creatures that come from outside Earth to take its resources. However, there are also other scenarios in movies about alien creatures.

They often hunt humans and create fear on Earth. There are many movies about alien creatures, and in this article, we will discuss some Alien movies that you need to watch. What are these movies? Let’s take a look!

10 Best Alien Movie Recommendations

Heptapods
Heptapods

10. War of the Worlds (2005)

War of the Worlds is the best Alien movie released in 2005, directed by Steven Spielberg who adapted the classic novel of the same name by H.G. Wells. The movie’s storyline follows the journey of Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced working man, when aliens from outer space suddenly invade his world.

When alien beings appeared on the planet, humans called them “Tripods”, they began destroying everything around them with technology far more advanced than humans.

Ray, along with his daughter Rachel and teenage son Robbie, are trying to survive and save themselves from the deadly attack of the alien creatures. They engage in a perilous journey to find sanctuary, as their world crumbles around them.

The scene when the aliens land in this movie is one of the most memorable moments. Spielberg managed to create a very strong feeling of tension and fear when the aliens appeared using special technology.

The movie even won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Although the setting is an alien invasion, the core story of War of the Worlds is about family and the difficult decisions Ray Ferrier must face to protect his children in the midst of a catastrophic situation.

TypeDetails
TitleWar of the Worlds
DirectorSteven Spielberg
GenreAction, Adventure, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating6,5/10

9. Midnight Special (2016)

The next best Alien movie recommendation is Midnight Special. This movie features several famous actors such as Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Jaeden Martell, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver.

The movie is inspired by classic sci-fi films, especially Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The story revolves around a boy named Alton Meyer, who has mysterious special powers.

Alton has been kidnapped by his father, Roy Tomlin, and his friend, Lucas, from an extreme religious group that believes Alton is a messiah. Alton has the ability to receive radio signals and information from other dimensions, which makes him the target of pursuit by governments who consider him a threat to national security.

While Alton and his group of kidnappers were trying to escape to protect him, the government and fanatical members of the religious group continued to hunt them down.

Alton has powers that can change the world around him, and his journey becomes an interesting story that we should follow. This movie was released in 2016 and was directed by Jeff Nichols. The movie first screened at the Cannes Film Festival before finally being released to general audiences.

TypeDetails
TitleMidnight Special
DirectorJeff Nichols
GenreDrama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating6,6/10

8. A Quiet Place (2018)

The next best Alien movie is A Quiet Place. It would be incomplete if we didn’t include A Quiet Place in this list. Initially, the idea to make the movie A Quiet Place came from Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, two screenwriters who developed a concept about a family who had to live in silence to avoid dangerous creatures.

Later, John Krasinski developed the story, which eventually resulted in the movie A Quiet Place. The story in this movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that is then full of terror by aliens who hunt prey using their hearing.

The Abbott family, consisting of Lee, Evelyn, and their children, must live a life of silence in order to survive. The creatures around them are very sensitive to sound, so the Abbotts must communicate through signs, avoid loud noises, and always be aware of their every move.

The family faces increasingly difficult obstacles as Evelyn is pregnant, and they attempt to protect their children from deadly alien dangers while figuring out how to survive the increasingly difficult situation.

To prepare for their roles, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt studied sign language and visited deaf communities in order to understand the sign language the family always used.

Type Details
TitleA Quiet Place
DirectorJohn Kransinski
GenreDrama, Horror, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating7,5/10

7. Cloverfield (2008)

Next up is Cloverfield, the best Alien movie by Matt Reeves. The movie was released in 2008 and uses a found footage style throughout the movie. The story follows a group of friends trying to save themselves when a mysterious creature attacks New York City and destroys everything. The focus of the story is on the main character, Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David), who is preparing to move to Japan.

As his friends organize a farewell party for him, a massive attack suddenly shakes the city. They experience a series of terrifying events, where giant creatures run amok and destroy everything around them.

As they try to survive and find a way out of a New York in turmoil, they also have to deal with the big puzzle of the creatures’ origins.

Before the release, the first trailer didn’t give much information about the movie and only showed confusing scenes, creating curiosity and interest in the audience.

Also, most of the leads are not very famous, which adds to the realistic effect and makes the audience connect more with the characters.

TypeDetails
TitleCloverfield
DirectorMatt Reeves
GenreThriller, Horror, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating7,0/10

6. Arrival (2016)

The next best Alien movie recommendation is Arrival. Arrival is a film directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapts a short story entitled “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang.

The film follows the journey of a linguist named Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) who is recruited by the military after the appearance of twelve space ships in various locations around the world.

Louise joins forces with a physics scientist named Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to try to understand the language of the extraterrestrials they call Heptapods. They work with a team of military and scientists from various countries to try to understand the purpose of the Heptapods’ arrival, especially the complex messages they convey through their unusual language.

On this journey, Louise has a unique experience that links her future with the arrival of beings from outer space and enhances her understanding of life, time and decisions.

Arrival was praised by critics and audiences, and received several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. In addition, the movie also received Oscar nominations in many categories.

TypeDetails
TitleArrival
DirectorDenis Villeneuve
GenreDrama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating7,9/10

5. District 9 (2009)

District 9 was originally proposed as a feature-length film after director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson worked together on a short film called “Alive in Joburg,” which became the basis for the film’s concept.

This best Alien movie released in 2009, directed by Neil Blomkamp. It tells the story of an alien plane that is forced to land above the city of Johannesburg, South Africa.

When the humans opened the door of the airship, they found a stranded and starving alien creature known as “Prawns.” The aliens were then moved to a refugee camp called District 9.

Over time, the place turned into a slum and created tensions between humans and the aliens. A private company called Multi-National United (MNU) is responsible for managing the situation in District 9.

The story focuses on Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an MNU employee who is tasked with moving the alien population from District 9 to a more remote location. However, when Wikus is accidentally exposed to alien genetic material, his life takes a major turn. He becomes a fugitive from the MNU and is forced to ally with an alien named Christopher Johnson to find a way to overcome his genetic changes.

TypeDetails
TitleDistrict 9
DirectorNeill Blokamp
GenreAction, Sci-Fi, Thriller
IMDb Rating7,9/10

4. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

The next Alien movie recommendation is Edge of Tomorrow, the best Alien movie released in 2014. This movie is directed by Doug Liman and features stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

The story takes place in the future when Earth is invaded by alien creatures known as Mimics. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), an officer with no combat experience, is suddenly placed in a combat unit and forced to get involved in a massive offensive against the Mimics.

Cage dies in battle, but wakes up the morning before the attack. He realizes that he is trapped in a time cycle where he experiences the same day over and over again. Cage meets Rita Vrataski, a soldier who has also experienced a similar phenomenon before.

They work together to find a way to defeat the Mimics and stop the invasion. Edge of Tomorrow is an adaptation of the Japanese novel “All You Need Is Kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Originally, the movie was released under the title Edge of Tomorrow, but later the name was changed to “Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow” upon release on streaming services.

TypeDetails
TitleEdge of Tomorrow
DirectorDoug Liman
GenreAction, Sci-Fi, Adventure
IMDb Rating7,9/10

3. Solaris (1972)

The next best Alien movie recommendation is a classic film called Solaris. Solaris is a movie released in 1972 by director Andrei Tarkovsky.

The movie is an adaptation of Stanisław Lem’s novel of the same name. The story centers on a psychologist named Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis), who is sent to a research station in space around the planet Solaris.

Upon arriving, he found that the station crew was having strange and disturbing experiences due to the mysterious appearance of physical beings. These beings seemed to be coming from their own minds.

After some time on the station, Kris began to experience strange flashbacks and experiences, especially those related to his personal life. He realized that the planet Solaris had the ability to create physical beings that embodied a person’s thoughts and memories.

Kris faces the presence of an entity resembling his dead wife, Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk), and tries to understand the phenomena happening around the planet Solaris. The duration of the movie is quite long, almost 3 hours, and is often considered a movie that requires high concentration from the audience.

TypeDetails
TitleSolaris
DirectorAndrei Tarkovsky
GenreDrama, Sci-Fi, Mystery
IMDb Rating8,0/10

2. Alien (1979)

The following recommendations for the best Alien movies can be said to be the best of all time. Maybe you are familiar with this one movie, which is the beginning of the famous Alien franchise.

The first movie, Alien, was released in 1979 by director Ridley Scott. The story follows the crew of the spaceship Nostromo who receive a mysterious signal from a deserted planet. Upon landing on the planet, crew members discover the wreckage of an alien spacecraft and a mysterious number of eggs.

An egg hatches and a dangerous alien creature attaches itself to the face of a crew member named Kane (John Hurt). After successfully detaching itself from Kane’s face, the creature grows into a terrifying organism called a “Xenomorph”. Throughout the rest of the movie, the Nostromo crew members try to survive and face unexpected horrors.

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as their leader, realizes that they are facing not only this extremely dangerous creature, but also a corporation that has a hidden agenda about the creature. The Xenomorph creature and the landscape inside the spaceship were designed by a Swiss artist named H.R. Giger.

TypeDetails
TitleAlien
DirectorRidley Scott
GenreHorror, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating8,5/10

1. The Thing (1982)

The best Alien movie recommendation that comes first on this list is The Thing. In 1982, The Thing received positive praise from critics and audiences upon its release. The movie is actually a new version of The Thing from Another World (1951).

Director John Carpenter’s movie takes place on a research station in Antarctica, where a group of scientists must deal with a terrifying threat from alien creatures that can mimic the appearance and cells of living organisms.

As helicopters try to chase down a dog infected with the virus, the scientists on station realize they are in grave danger. The creature, which becomes known as “The Thing,” has the ability to absorb and mimic the shape and characteristics of other organisms, making it difficult to recognize.

Scientists at the station are struggling to understand and fight this threat, while trying to figure out how the creature works and how best to destroy it.

Distrust and tension mount between them as everyone could be “The Thing”. The music in this movie was composed by Ennio Morricone, a movie music legend.

The musical score provides an intense and eerie feel that reinforces the horror and suspense elements in the story. Interestingly, in 2011, we were also given a prequel to the movie with the same title.

TypeDetails
TitleThe Thing
DirectorJohn Carpenter
GenreHorror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
IMDb Rating8,2/10

Those are the 10 best Alien movie recommendations that you can watch on several selected streaming platforms. Which movie are you interested in watching?

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