The Ten Best Alien Films: "Game over, man! GAME OVER!!!" Mar 16 '01 (Updated Mar 23 '01)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Movies 1776 From $8 Alias - The Complete Fifth Season From $20 The Bottom Line "What's that?! It's...it's...it's... not human! No, wait! NO! PLEASE! DON'T! Aaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!" As soon as I saw this category, I knew I had to submit something. I am a HUGE Science Fiction fan (bold and caps still don’t emphasize enough). Since I was a kid, I’ve been glued to the tube on Saturday afternoons and late nights watching science fiction movies and shows. My head swims with images from movies and programs such as Plan 9 from Outer Space, Blade Runner, Dr. Who, The Twilight Zone, Red Dwarf and a whole lot of other stuff that most of you probably never even heard of. Anyway, I had to put some serious thought into this. Alien movies are plentiful, but only a few are truly excellent. I excluded all Star Trek and Star Wars movies, because they’re pretty much their own genre. So here’s my list without further ado: 10) Cocoon - Normally anything starring Steve Gutenberg is questionable, but he does a terrific job in this. Some retirees decide to take a dip in a neighbor’s pool, not caring about the strange cocoons resting at the bottom. After their swim, they start to feel rejuvenated and youthful. This is a very heartwarming story with romantic subplots and a little bit of action. Don Ameche, Jack Gilford, and Wilford Brimley give excellent performances. 9) War of the Worlds - This movie is a classic. This is the film adaptation of the mass-hysteria producing radio broadcast by Orson Welles in 1938. Aliens invade Earth and cause mass destruction for absolutely no reason at all. Earth’s military defenses are powerless to stop them. Scientists’ efforts to study the creatures and their technology in vain. The human race is doomed! 8) The Abyss - Ed Harris stars in this story of an underwater drilling platform and its efforts to retrieve a sunken U.S. Navy submarine. Along the way, the scientists discover evidence of an alien civilization that exists on the ocean floor.The Abyss is directed by Mr. Sinking Boat himself, James Cameron. 7) Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Actor Richard Dreyfuss shows his terrific acting ability in this one. He plays a man who thinks he has been abducted by aliens. The experience seriously affects his ability to function normally. The actual aliens don’t even appear until the ending, but when they do, you will be impressed. 6) Contact - Jodi Foster stars in this exceptional piece written by Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sagan (“Cosmos”). The movie deals less with the actual aliens themselves, and more with humans and the effort involved with trying to interpret the message the aliens sent. This movie has an all-star cast that includes John Hurt, Matthew McConaughey, Angela Basset, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, and Rob Lowe. 5) E.T. - Stephen Spielburg’s emotional tale of an alien who gets stranded on Earth. A Reese’s Pieces-toting boy named Elliot, who helps him “phone home”, befriends him. The story is beautiful and magical. When I went to see it in the theatres, almost everybody was crying openly at the ending. Not me, though (sniff). 4) The Day the Earth Stood Still - Another classic movie. If you haven’t seen this, stop reading and go rent it. An alien visits Earth on a mission of peace and, as usual, our human frailties screw everything up. Unfortunately for us, the alien has a kick-butt robot with an intergalactic chip on his shoulder. Clatoo. Verada. Nicto. 3) Independence Day - The aliens do us a favor and blow up the White House. Unfortunately, they go too far and try to exterminate the human race. Will Smith and his Air Force compatriots take to the skies to try to eliminate the alien threat, while Jeff Goldblum and some scientists employ the scientific method (without that annoying part dealing with logic) to aid the effort. Special effects turn a potential “B+” movie into a visual masterpiece. 2) Alien - I remember when this first came out, there was a whole lot of discussion and hype about the “chest burster” scene. When I was finally old enough to see it, I realized that all the hype didn’t even do it a lick of justice. Sigourney Weaver plays Lt. Ripley, a researcher employed by the ambiguous entity known as “The Corporation”. After responding to an automated distress call, one of the crew is attacked by something that is now lovingly known as a “face hugger.” When they bring the crewmember back to the ship for medical attention, the fun begins. 1) Aliens - One of the rare times you will actually see the sequel exceed its predecessor. Ripley wakes from cryo-sleep to discover she’s been rescued by Marines en route to “rescue” colonists under siege from the same species of Alien. The soldiers quickly find themselves trapped and outnumbered. Bill Paxton has the best lines in this! “Game over, man! GAME OVER!!! So there’s my list of the Ten Best Alien Films. I’m sure there are some other great ones I missed, but most of these will be at the top of any Sci-fi fan’s list.

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