About Alien Movie Reviews
I get asked all the time, “Why Alien Movies?”
Although I enjoy all kinds of science fiction, I have been fascinated by space and the Fermi Paradox producing questions around whether there is someone else out there since I was 8 years old. Contact was the first adult book I read and Ender’s Game followed soon thereafter.
There are three reasons why I have grown to love Alien Movies more than any other genre.
Uniting Humanity
If first contact ever does happen, it will be a unique moment in human history where we are all unitied, across race, gender, country, culture, or religion. It’s easy to joke about the Independence Day speech, but there is truth to it. Similarly compare the movie Arrival and the short story it was based on, Stories of Your Life. Or Pacific Rim. Or Contact. Virus and Zombie movies may share an apocalyptic theme, but Alien movies stand alone in their ability to unite us as a species.
Many Possibilities
Every good story needs conflict and the most significant moment in human history has unlimited potential for new stories to be told, giving their characters meaning in a completely new way. Similarly, who the Aliens are is up to our imagination. Why are they here? What do they want? Who are they? Where did they come from? Some movies try to answer all of these, while others just focus on one or two.
An Awful Waste of Space
I’m not a religious person and and I sometimes look at the stars and question how the universe can be so beautiful and endless, yet for us on Earth to be the only intelligent life (see Carl Sagan quote 👆). I don’t believe in any of the theistic or dogmatic religions, but if first contact does happen, it will be reshape everything.
Rating System
Although I could review every movie with non-human characters or humans on a non-earth planet, I have decided to focus in on movies in which there is an Earth component, for instance no Star Wars. Just having humans interacting with an alien race doesn’t necessarily mean that any of the three reasons above hold true.
Great Movies — #NoNeedToBelieve
These movies are just simply great movies. You don’t need to be a science fiction fan even, movies you can watch with your in-laws or anyone really.
Decent Movies — #DecentContact
At this stage at least having an interest in science fiction can be helpful. Sometimes these movies are more just action films than anything else, but if you’re into the Alien Movie genre at all, these are still worth a watch.
Average Movies — #TakeMeToYourDealer
Ok, getting to the bottom of the barrel here. Sometimes I like to have a nice strong cocktail at the end of the week and put on a movie that might not be the greatest movie ever, but is still entertaining.
Horrible Movies — #WeComeInBoredom
Don’t watch these movies, there’s got to be something else you can be doing with your time. I’ll never understand how movies this bad get made.
Full Ordered List
An IMDB list of Alien Movies ranked from best to worst. What’s the best Alien Movie of all time? What’s the worst? Is Predator better than Independence Day? This answer those questions, or at least is a great starting point point for banter at the pub.
Editor
Alien Movie Reviews Senior Editor and creator is Jason Purdy.
