The alien invasion concept is an interesting subgenre of science fiction movies, as they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Whether it's an intentionally kitschy approach, a terrifying adaptation of decades-old material, or an absolute popcorn flick full of high-octane action, Redditors have their own ideas on what makes a great alien invasion romp.
Between films that are 66 six years old and one that was released just a couple of years ago, Reddit's knowledge of the genre is expansive and there's no age bias when it comes to their favorite invasion flicks. And some of them even advanced the movie landscape by years with their experiments in digital effects.
Though Independence Day had an underwhelming sequel, which was largely due to the absence of Will Smith, there's no denying how great the 1996 original is. Reddit u/Mylzb is particularly fond of the movie, and nostalgia plays a big part, as they explain that "the scenes of the massive ships blowing the crap out of American landmarks was amazing to me as a kid."
While he hasn't seen much success with the recently released Moonfall, director Roland Emmerich is the king of disaster movies. And when he combines that trademark with an alien invasion, it makes of one of the biggest high-concept successes of the '90s. The spectacle of the movie is on another level, and its scope of destruction is unrivaled even today.
While V isn't exactly a theatrically released movie, as it was direct-to-TV and released in two parts, the four-hour epic is a favorite of Reddit u/Todd56. And though it was the most popular program of the week when it was first released over 40 years ago (according to The New York Times), V doesn't get the recognition it deserves today. However, it did get a couple of sequels and a reboot, and the Reddit user explains that "the more recent TV show isn't bad either."
Because of its runtime, V is so immersive with its world-building, as it follows reptilian aliens who befriend humans and make them believe they come in peace. But, in reality, the aliens are really stealing Earth's water and freezing humans to take back to their home planet to use as food.
Tom Cruise rarely stars in movies outside of the Mission: Impossible series, and when he does, they're mostly pale imitations of those very movies. However, Edge of Tomorrow is a big exception, as it perfectly blends time travel, an alien invasion, and action together, and it features some of the most impressive CGI of the past 10 years.
But it isn't Cruise who is the spelling point of the movie for Reddit u/Tricky_Percentage502, as they claim that the 2014 release is "the best Emily Blunt movie." Blunt and Cruise make a great on-screen duo in the movie, especially when they're fighting off hoards of enemies in giant mechanic suits with their backs against each other.
Compared to other alien invasion movies, Attack the Block has a much lower budget, but it spreads its budget farther than most. The alien invasion subgenre has never been approached in such a unique way before, and while there have been sci-fi comedies in the past, Attack the Block is not just unapologetically British, but it's proudly South London too.
Attack the Block sees a teenage gang protect their council estate from aliens, and Reddit u/Cdaffron raises the fact that "there’s a sequel in development so now is the perfect time to see the original." But, unfortunately, just because a sequel is in development doesn't mean that it'll ever see the light of day, as movies have been stuck in development hell for decades.
Being another Tom Cruise-led alien invasion movie, it seems as if the actor and subgenre go hand in hand, as they're both at their best when together, and War of the Worlds is no different. It was also a huge hit at the box office too, as it's one of the highest-grossing alien invasion movies ever released, with Reddit u/GarysCanary stating that "it is at the top of [their] list of invasion movies."
Only Steven Spielberg could have made a PG-13 sci-fi horror this suspenseful, intense, and frightening. Between the probe exploring the basement and the tripods harvesting human blood and tissue, the 2005 movie is the best and scariest adaptation of H.G. Wells' source material.
Reddit u/Dizzy-Cat cites 2001's Evolution as one of the best alien invasion movies, even though it was critically scathed when it was first released and never exactly became a cult classic in the time since.
Evolution was very of its time, whether its because of its cast of actors (that came from popular teen comedies and successful TV dramas of the late-90s) or the goofy jokes and one-liners. But that's what makes the movie so much fun, and with its high concept of a meteorite that harbors extraterrestrial lifeforms hitting Earth, it's constantly amusing.
Tim Burton was a visionary in the late-80s and 1990s, and anything he directed was guaranteed to be an aesthetically pleasing, gothic comedy spectacle, and Mars Attacks! is the best example of that. As Reddit u/Mystro1983 is adamant about the 1996 release being the best alien invasion movie, as they state that "anybody saying anything other than Mars Attacks! is wrong."
The movie is about Martians visiting Earth in their flying saucers, and the aliens have such a fascinating design. The models were created completely out of CGI, and it was one of the earliest movies to use digital effects so extensively. While CGI was still in its infancy, it worked to the movie's advantage, as it looks almost intentionally kitschy.
A Quiet Place is one of the biggest Hollywood success stories in recent years, as it made an astounding $345 million off of a relatively microscopic budget of $17 million (via Box Mojo). It's one of the most talked-about horrors today, and while it could easily be mistaken for a monster movie due to the creatures' design, they are in fact extraterrestrial and from another world.
Although some think A Quiet Place is overhyped, some Reddit users, including Artsyecho, loves the movie, claiming that it's "a great horror that shows aliens as the ultimate predators. It also has the silent concept working for it." Audiences can't get enough of the movie's concept as it also started a franchise, with a video game even being made.
Director Denis Villeneuve has seemingly become an elder statesman when it comes to science fiction, as he directed Blade Runner 2049 and the universally loved Dune. But the filmmaker's first foray into the genre was Arrival, a movie about Louise Banks (Amy Adams), who is tasked with uncovering what's really going on when 12 UFOs land on Earth.
Kfraney94 said that the 2016 movie is the best alien invasion flick because it "breaks [their] brain every time." The Redditor has a point, as it's one of the most mind-bending sci-fi movies released in the past 10 years, and Adams should have won an Oscar for her performance too.
FleshlightExMortis points out Invasion of the Bodysnatchers as being one of the best alien invasion movies ever. The Redditor posits that in the movie, there are "no over the top special effects, and it's grounded and 'realistic.'"
The movie is about aliens who steal humans' bodies, but when humans finally figure out what's going on, it's way too late and nothing can be done. It leads to a shocking final act, and anybody who loves disturbing and sad endings will love the sci-fi flick. It's unclear whether the Redditor is talking about the original movie or the just as good 1978 remake, but either way, they both follow the same premise and still hold up today.
source https://screenrant.com/best-alien-invasion-movies-ever-reddit/
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