Static Media
On the highly unlikely but equally mind-blowing instance in which aliens really do come down to our shiny blue planet to see what’s what, perhaps it might not be wise for world leaders to be the first to chit-chat with them. Instead, might the smart approach be to send forward Hollywood A-listers to converse with our new visitors? Particularly ones that have already dabbled in interplanetary relations in the past?
With that in mind, we’ve ranked some of our favorite all-star alien invasion movies that still hold up. The kind that have seen audiences flock in droves to tales of close encounters that don’t always go right, but we’ve enjoyed them all the same because of the big stars involved in first contact. Admittedly, they’ve not always gone well. A wrong word here, a warning shot there, and our presumed-to-be-peaceful visitors have switched up pretty quickly, turning popular world landmarks into kindling.
After that, well, there’s nothing left but for some hotshot pilot, or a clever scientist, to reach for a last resort and save the day, probably while the American flag is billowing in the wind in the background somewhere because that’s the only place where aliens seem to get into a scuffle in most movies. Then again, if American firepower doesn’t work, there’s one alternative. That’s right — it’s the godly rasp of Welsh singer Tom Jones.
Mars Attacks
Warner Bros. Pictures
It might have been jam-packed with A-listers, but Tim Burton’s bonkers take on 1950s alien invasion remains something of a cult classic. A monumental misfire for the director financially (which was then followed up by the painfully bad “Planet of Apes”), “Mars Attacks” saw locals from the red planet touch down on Earth in the hopes of world domination. These massive-headed horrors, which sound like angry clown horns, were, for their time, a CGI-made marvel and certainly befitting a Tim Burton sci-fi movie that often paid hilarious homage to yesteryear. The biggest draw for the movie, however, was the A-listers often caught in the sightlines of the villains’ retro-looking ray guns.
Calling in some favors from former Burton familiars, “Mars Attacks!” housed talents like Danny DeVito and Jack Nicholson, who, in this case, was pulling double-duty as the U.S. President and a Las Vegas casino owner. Joining them were Glenn Close, Annette Bening and Pierce Brosnan, whose career had just been shaken and stirred up thanks to “Goldeneye” the previous year. Supporting stars also included Sarah Jessica Parker, who gets turned into a Frankenchihuahua, Michael J. . and Tom Jones just because. The film also marked early appearances by Natalie Portman as the President’s daughter and Jack Black, who is among the first to get zapped in the fight against the aliens. While the star power didn’t really help the film initially, it became a box-office blunder after it was met with mixed reception; “Mars Attacks!” remains one of the alien invasion movies that time forgot.
Men In Black
Sony Pictures Releasing
A bit of an alternative pick here given that the alien invasion in this movie is well underway. Nevertheless, “Men in Black” stands as one of the best sci-fi alien-invasion movies, featuring two massive Hollywood heroes who exemplify the best version of “chalk and cheese.” Adapted from a comic book series, the movie saw Will Smith, who was going through his blockbuster-domination phase, get enlisted in a top-secret organization by the cement-faced MIB agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). From there, the old dog teaches the new one some tricks and truths about the universe and how often aliens visit Earth, all while an unrecognizable Vincent D’Onofrio does a massively underrated performance as a giant cockroach in a farmer suit.
The all-star cast might not be a massive one in the case of “Men in Black,” even with the supporting talent of Rip Torn as Zed, Tony Shalhoub as a sleazy alien, and Linda Fiorentino as an agent who gets caught up in the mix. Even so, Smith and Jones bounce off one another like a rubber ball against a cement slab and did so in such a fashion that the film’s massive success warranted two more movies and Josh Brolin doing a brilliant Tommy Lee Jones impression. Also, “Men in Black” deserves extra props because it’s the only movie on this list with its own Will Smith earworm of a song.
Signs
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Three years after M. Night Shyamalan stepped onto the scene with a kid that could see ghosts, all eyes were on where he was going to take us next. After “Unbreakable,” the twist-making master dropped us in a farmhouse with Mel Gibson as a widowed former priest whose faith gets tested with the possibility of alien visits. Joining him in the impending dread are Joaquin Phoenix as his younger brother alongside Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin as his kids who are a little more susceptible to the signs presenting themselves both on his land and around the world.
In hindsight, “Signs” might stumble in its final act thanks to the highly incompetent villains that don’t consider landing on a planet that’s covered in more than half of the stuff they’re allergic to. Even so, seeing Gibson and Phoenix get wide-eyed with every eerie sight that crosses their path still lands (yes, the birthday news footage is still the stuff of nightmares). Unlike the majority of movies on this list, “Signs” is a sneaky, creepy alien invasion movie that isn’t even that violent but still turns up the tension brilliantly until its final big swing that sends the aliens packing. Not only is “Signs” well-deserving of being in the conversation as one of the great alien invasion movies, but it rightfully also sits as one of Shyamalan’s best works and has stayed in that slot ever since.
A Quiet Place
Paramount
“A Quiet Place” is composed of another small but still undeniably stellar star cast that works as well as it does, if only because the lead couple is married in real life. John Krasinski’s directorial debut sees the former star of “The Office” struggling to keep him and his family quiet and avoid being ripped to pieces by aliens that hunt by sound. Joining him in the decibel-focused dread is Emily Blunt as on-screen wife Evelyn, who, besides dealing with an alien invasion, is also having to handle pregnancy, which collide brilliantly in the film’s final act. The rest of the movie is a heart-pounding watch that serves as a wonderful demonstration of Krasinski’s capabilities as a director and a great introduction to the young talents of Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds.
Unlike many other movies on this list, “A Quiet Place” deserves its place because of the clever, creative spin it puts on a classic sci-fi trope. The tension of an alien invasion is inevitable, but having to handle all this in a world where sound is a killer ramps things up so much more. It’s why we got not only a sequel with the added talent of Cillian Murphy, but an impressive spin-off with “A Quiet Place: Day One.” Perhaps when the direct third installment comes around with the extra support of “Sinners” and “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” talent, Jack O’Connell, Krasinski’s introductory chapter might get knocked for a franchise that has only gathered more Hollywood high-level names as it’s progressed.
Independence Day
20th Century Studios
It’s not really up for debate, is it? “Independence Day,” even after 30 years and a horrific sequel, remains the biggest alien invasion with a whopping all-star cast uniting to save the planet. Once again, seeing the United States at the center of the universe (and every other country present having a stereotypical accent), Bill Pullman’s American president leads humanity’s charge against tentacled terrors that blow up the White House and every other famous monument that looks good with pyrotechnics. Backing him up are Will Smith as cigar-chewing, Earth-welcoming Air Force pilot Steve Hiller, who finds himself on the frontline of the planet’s defense with only Jeff Goldblum’s jittery MIT tech expert keeping him company. All the while, Randy Quaid plays a mad crop duster whose claims of an alien abduction still get ignored right up until his successful mission to destroy an alien spaceship.
A blockbuster for the ages, Roland Emmerich’s massive world-wrecking movie would be one that he’d try to replicate in the years that followed with the likes of “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012.” Unfortunately, none of them quite captured the epic scale of The Fresh Prince and The Fly saving us from little green men with serious attitude problems. A close encounter that nothing else comes close to even now.
