I migliori film alieni di tutti i tempi

According to Neil Degrasse Tyson, for all we know, aliens have already tried to contact us and didn’t find any intelligent life on Earth. Well, clearly they missed our cinema on extraterrestrial life, for this genre is rife with intelligence, humor, and excitement. It makes perfect sense that our fascination with the cosmos correlates with remarkably creative films about alien life. In such a crowded genre, though, it’s nearly impossible to say what’s “best.” That won’t stop us from trying. These are our picks — across decades and tones — of the best alien movies of all time.

• Under the Skin (2014)
• Galaxy Quest (1999)
• The World's End (2013)
• Men in Black (1997)
• Alien (1979)
• Aliens (1986)
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
• Avatar (2009)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• Contact (1997)
• Arrival (2016)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
• Enemy Mine (1985)
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• Independence Day (1996)

Not into aliens specifically? How aboutthe best space movies of all time? Or maybe the best Mars movies?

Under the Skin (2014)

80 %

6.4/10

r 108m.

Genre Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama

Stars Scarlett Johansson, Kryštof Hádek, Paul Brannigan

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

watch on Showtime

watch on Showtime

We often see movies about full-scale alien invasions, but Under the Skin is much more subtle and, in that regard, terrifying. Scarlett Johansson stars as an extraterrestrial who arrives on Earth and disguises herself as an alluring human female. Under this guise, she traverses Scotland, luring men into her van to devour them whole. It’s a little on the nose sometimes, but there’s something horrifying about an ordinary alien carving out a life on a new planet by ingesting its population one by 1.

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Galaxy Quest (1999)

70%

7.3 / 10.

pg 101m

Genre Comedy, Family, Science Fiction, Adventure

Stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman

Directed by Dean Parisot

No one paid much attention to the sci-fi comedy adventure Galaxy Quest when it came out, but they should’ve. Premiering decades before Seth McFarlane’s The Orville, Galaxy Quest is a hilarious and brilliantly conceived love letter to Star Trek and its fandom. Tim Allen plays Jason Nesmith — an actor living off convention appearances and dealership openings as the lead in a beloved, long-defunct science-fiction show. He and his former costars go from appearance to appearance, bemoaning their lots in life, until Nesmith is “hired” by the Thermians who he believes are just fans. It turns out the Thermians are actual aliens who have seen all of the Nesmith’s shows and believe them to be “historical documents.” Soon, the entire TV show’s cast is on board an actual spaceship, forced to become the heroes so many fantasized they really were. Sigourney Weaver wonderfully plays against type, Alan Rickman is epic as the classically trained Shakespearean, and Sam Rockwell is perfect as the proverbial “redshirt” in one of his earliest appearances.

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The World's End (2013)

81 %

7.0/10

r 109m

Genre Comedy, Action, Science Fiction

Stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine

Directed by Edgar Wright

Director Edgar Wright began his Cornetto Trilogy with a send-up of the zombie genre (Shaun of the Dead ), continued it with an action parody ( Hot Fuzz ), and surprised everyone by finishing it off with The World’s End which, while certainly having a lot of fun with alien-invasion movies, doesn’t have quite as high a parody percentage as the earlier films. For a significant chunk of The World’s End, the film works as nothing more than a funny but poignant dramedy. Stuck in the “glory days” of his youth, Gary (Simon Pegg) recruits his four old friends to return to their hometown of Newton Haven in order to complete the Golden Mile — a visit to each of the town’s 12 pubs with at least one beer downed at each stop, concluding at The World’s End. All of Gary’s friends have moved on with their lives, especially Andy (Nick Frost), who went sober years before. Just as they’re all about to abandon Gary’s fool’s errand, a fight in a men’s room reveals almost all of Newton Haven’s residents have been replaced with aliens, and the movie turns into an entirely different animal. Just as brilliant and funny as Wright’s other films, The World’s End is mandatory viewing.

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Men in Black (1997)

71%

7.3 / 10.

pg-13 98m

Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction

Stars Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

The line that tells us exactly what’s at the heart of Men in Black is when Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) tells Jay (Will Smith), “Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe, 500 years ago everybody knew the Earth was flat, and 15 minutes ago, you knew people were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.” Men in Black was one of the most anticipated films of 1997, and with good reason. The movie turns the infamous villains of UFO conspiracy theories into heroes, plucked from the ranks of soldiers and cops who are not only good in combat but who know how to look at the world in unexpected ways. Jones and Smith have perfect chemistry, coupled with gorgeous special effects that still stand up today. Men in Black ‘s growing number of follow-ups gave fans not quite as much quality, but the first chapter is pretty much perfect.

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Alien (1979)

89 %

8.4 / 10.

pg-13 117m

Genre Horror, Science Fiction

Stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt

Directed by Ridley Scott

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” This list just wouldn’t be complete without the original Alien movie. This was the film that launched a franchise, but the alien Xenomorphs have never been more terrifying than in their first appearance. The doomed crew of the starship Nostromo encounters an alien vessel and unknowingly brings a deadly lifeform back with them. After the smoke clears, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley becomes a science fiction — and cinematic — icon.

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Aliens (1986)

84 %

8.3/10

r 137m.

Genre Action, Thriller, Science Fiction

Stars Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn

Directed by James Cameron

While Alien was a prerequisite for this list, there’s simply no excuse to exclude James Cameron’s excellent sequel, Aliens. This film amplified the action of the original flick by introducing numerous Xenomorphs, including the very intimidating Xenomorph Queen. Decades after the original film, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is awakened from stasis and recruited for a new mission in space. On the colony LV-426, Ripley and her new team find only a single human survivor: a young girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). Ripley’s desire to save Newt and avenge herself made Weaver into an action icon.

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

75 %

7.4 / 10.

pg 116m

Genre Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction

Stars Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum

Directed by Philip Kaufman

The 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of the most unnerving alien invasion stories ever told. Instead of taking humanity out by force, the aliens strike while people are sleeping and replace them with seemingly perfect duplicates whose only defect is that they cannot fake human emotions. Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) is among the few who realize the truth far too late to stop the aliens. Regardless, Matthew and his friends do their best to survive. The film’s ending is legendary for its final twist, and horrifying for its implications.

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Avatar (2009)

83%

7.8/10

pg-13 162m

Genre Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver

Directed by James Cameron

Guarda su Disney +

Guarda su Disney +

James Cameron’s Avatar flips the switch on alien movies by making humans the invaders of a world that is not their own. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, a former Marine recruited to pilot an artificial body (or avatar) to better interact with the natives of the planet Pandora, the Na’vi, in order to gain their trust. But after Jake falls for Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and comes to appreciate both her people and their world, he ultimately turns against his commanding officer, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and fights alongside his new tribe.

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

90 %

7.6/10

pg 137m

Genre Science Fiction, Drama

Stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr

Directed by Steven Spielberg

For its time, Close Encounters of the Third Kind had a groundbreaking approach to aliens. Steven Spielberg infused the story with realistic touches, while maintaining the otherworldly aspects of the visitors from another world. Richard Dreyfuss portrays Roy Neary, a man whose life is profoundly changed when he witnesses a UFO in the sky. Roy becomes so obsessed with learning more about them that he drives his family away. Regardless, Roy and others like him soon gather to meet the aliens, and get the chance for the experience of a lifetime.

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

84 %

8.3/10

g 149m

Genre Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure

Stars Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Guarda su HBO Max

Guarda su HBO Max

Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey largely keeps its aliens off-screen. However, their influence is felt throughout the film, as the alien monoliths shape the course of human evolution in the past and the present. Dr. Dave Bowman’s (Keir Dullea) mind-bending experience upon reaching Jupiter and the story’s deliberately ambiguous ending still have fans sharing theories decades after 2001 ’s release.

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Contact (1997)

62 %

7.5/10

pg 150m

Genre Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery

Stars Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Carl Sagan’s classic sci-fi novel, Contact, was adapted for the screen by director Robert Zemeckis. In the film, Jodie Foster plays Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Ann Arroway, a woman whose lifelong quest to discover alien life apparently pays off when she detects a signal coming from outer space. After decoding complex instructions on how to build a personal transport to create a first contact experience, Ellie’s hopes are dashed by petty emotions and deadly zealotry. Thankfully, Ellie gets one last chance to achieve her dreams, but not in the way that she expects.

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Arrival (2016)

81 %

7.9/10

pg-13 116m

Genre Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery

Stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

watch on Amazon

watch on Amazon

Few movies depict interplanetary visitors as something truly alien. Arrival pulls this off with creatures whose language is so complex that linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) are called upon to help translate the message. The aliens’ presence sparks a worldwide emergency, as other nations aren’t quick to accept their stated intentions to help humanity. However, Banks is the first to realize that the aliens’ language is both a curse and a blessing, as well as the key to their shared future.

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The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

7.7 / 10.

g 92m

Genre Drama, Science Fiction

Stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Billy Gray

Directed by Robert Wise

The alien movies of the 1950s tended to be schlocky and repetitive invasion stories. However, The Day the Earth Stood Still offered a different take on the genre. The arrival of an alien, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), and his robot, Gort (Lock Martin), sends the world into a panic. So much so that no one seems to be willing to listen to Klaatu’s message of peace. While evading the authorities, Klaatu befriends a widow named Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), and her son, Bobby (Billy Gray). With Helen’s help, Klaatu ultimately shares his warning and his welcome for humanity.

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Enemy Mine (1985)

59%

6.9/10

pg-13 108m

Genre Drama, Science Fiction

Stars Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., Brion James

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

watch on Starz

watch on Starz

During an interstellar war between humanity and the alien Dracs, two pilots from each side come together in Enemy Mine. Willis E. Davidge (Dennis Quaid) and his Drac counterpart, Jeriba Shigan (Louis Gossett Jr.), are initially at each other’s throats while stranded on a desolate planet. But over time, a true bond of friendship is formed between them. So much so that Willis takes it upon himself to raise Jeriba’s son, Zammis (Bumper Robinson), even in the face of overwhelming adversity.

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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

91 %

7.8/10

pg 115m

Genre Science Fiction, Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton

Directed by Steven Spielberg

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most beloved films of all time and another winner from director Steven Spielberg. When an alien is accidentally left behind on Earth by his own people, he befriends a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore). The children teach the alien enough language that he dubs himself E.T. and asks for their help so he can return home. However, E.T.’s empathic bond with Elliott complicates things when his body begins to shut down, and leaves both the child and the alien on the brink of death as government agents close in.

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Independence Day (1996)

59%

7.0/10

pg-13 145m

Genere Azione, avventura, fantascienza

Stars Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman

Directed by Roland Emmerich

I film di invasione alieno sono piuttosto comuni, ma pochi sono come rossi come independence day. È simultaneamente un film di disaster e un film di fantascinazione, come un'ondata spietata delle navi aliene decima il globo il 3 luglio ma il 4 luglio, i resti della fase dell'umanità uno sciopero disperato per riprendere il loro mondo e liberarsi dagli alieni . Il discorso dato prima della battaglia finale del presidente Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) ci dà ancora brividi. Questo era anche il film che ha aiutato a fare Smith una stella del cinema. Leggi meno Leggi di più