This week a trailer for the upcoming buddy comedy Paul hit the net. It disappointed me to say the least. So immediately to make myself feel better I decided to look back and find some really good movies that center around aliens. Here’re my TOP TEN ALIEN MOVIES:

10. Monsters (2010) (dir. Gareth Edwards)

In a future where Aliens from above have taken over the southern part of America and the North of Mexico we watch the journey that Samantha and Andrew have to make across the infected zone to get Sam back home safe. The film doesn’t just throw alien after alien at you but rather alters our reality into this new one where our world has been reshaped to this alternate version of itself. This movie didn’t do enough to hit my top ten of the year but it definitely did make an impression and is a fantastic work of art in the world of setting.

9. Cloverfield (2008) (dir. Matt Reeves)

You’re in New York enjoying your party and then without warning there’s an explosion that rocks the city and something is tearing it to pieces. The film takes us on the journey of this small group of friends running frantically across the city trying to survive and document the event as it happens. It’s the alien movie that made everyone fall in love with the shaky cam tactic implored in horror movies before it, and to think that they spent the entire runtime not showing us the alien until the actual final shot was impressive.

8. District 9 (2009) (dir. Neill Blomkamp)

The mothership stopped over South Africa over two decades ago and the aliens are now hosted by South Africa as refugees in a camp that would be better described as a ghetto. The film tries to discuss apartheid while at the same time being an action filled movie where the aliens are going against the MNU agents, who’re basically a militarized police meant for the policing of the residents of District 9. The film is something special and definitely cements itself as a great science-fiction film that will be talked about for years to come.

7. The Thing (1982) (dir. John Carpenter)

I don’t know why but everytime I watch this movie I see something more I love about it. It’s the movie that took us the middle of the snow with a few people left in a scientific research lab and asked us to believe that they were infected with some alien being and it copied them. For a long time while watching it I thought that the movie would never actually let them transform and comment on some form of dementia, but it still became the great movie that it is.

6. Predator (1987) (dir. John McTiernan)

When Arnie leads a team of commandos into Central America to extract some politician they find themselves being hunted down by one of the best hunters of the universe. However, the predator will find that this game is a little more difficult than the ones before. It’s kick ass ridiculous jungle warfare when we pin Arnold Schwarzenagger against “one ugly mutherfucker” and it’s all I ever want out of cinema sometimes.

5. Mars Attacks! (1996) (dir. Tim Burton)

It’s a throw back to those crazy alien movies from the 50s that I’ve never seen but it’s funny. When you have Jack Nicholson playing the President of the USA you know you’ve won me. Even though to this day I can’t get how they come to that ending I still love it every time I watch it.

4. The Fifth Element (1997) (dir. Luc Besson)

If you were to ask me what the best action space movie of all time was this would be the first movie I would have to mention. Bruce Willis takes his usual shoot first ask later character across the galaxy to save Earth from the purest evil by getting some stones and a woman to believe he loves her. This is all going on while the most annoying Chris Tucker is on the radio being a character that only he can play. It’s the movie to watch.

3. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) (dir. Robert Wise)

It’s TOP 3 time so it’s time to get serious. Of all the random 50s science-fiction this is one of the few that I’ve seen. They remade it recently and that movie sucked, but the original is so character-wise brilliant that you can’t imagine. An alien comes to earth to tell us that we’re horrible people and need to stop the fighting. It’s very preachy but at the same time it has the human sensibility to bring it’s point around naturally.

2. Star Wars IV – VI (1977-83) (dir. George Lucas, Irvin Kershner & Richard Marquand)

It’s without a doubt the greatest trilogy to ever go into space. The franchise has been run into the ground so much that I don’t mind it being made fun of. I just can’t wait for the original theatrical cuts to be remastered and released on bluray for me to enjoy forever.

1. Alien (1979) (dir. Ridley Scott)

If there was an award for being obvious I believe at this point I’d be getting a nomination. However, there’s no doubting the brilliance and overall effect that this movie has had on not only space films, but horror movies in general. It’s one of the best science fiction movies ever made and definitely one of the best movies about aliens ever made.

What’s your favourite ALIEN movie ever made?