Today we will recommend five alien encounter films and look at what their use of extraterrestrial characters mean.

A Trip To The Moon

Georges Méliès early silent short sees a group of scientists venturing to the moon in a rocket. Where they encounter a not-so-friendly race of moon people. While its aliens have simple designs and lack emotional depth as one of the earliest science fiction films this short showcased that films were capable of presenting other worlds as well as showing our own. It represented progress for cinematic imagination and inspired filmmakers to start dreaming of what extraterrestrial life could look like.

2001: A Space Odyssey

This sci-fi masterpiece charts the human race as it evolves and pursues travel to the stars. Each major event in our history (the development of tools, colonisation of the moon and interstellar travel) is marked by the appearance of a monolith that seems to communicate something. Eventually, when one astronaut finds another monolith beyond Jupiter something happens to him. Is it the birth of a new alien being? A way of communicating with beings beyond our understanding? Or something else? 2001 presents a visually arresting but grounded view of humanity’s technological progress. Additionally, it asks us to consider if our first encounter with alien intelligence will be terrifying, liberating or even conventionally understandable.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

Cinema’s ultimate friendly alien. When E.T. gets left on earth he is taken in by the young Elliot. Eliott tries to keep E.T. safe from the government and eventually, with help from his family and brother’s friends, gets him home. A classic tale of bonding that through its fantastic direction, score, performances, and effects shows us the wonder of the world from a child’s perspective. But it also promotes the value of kindness by showing how the bonds of friendship and family are common. Even across the stars. It’s a film that by the end makes you want to be a better person.

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter’s The Thing took the cinema staple of the hostile alien encounter to its most gruesome conclusion. A dog carrying an alien life form reaches an antarctic research station. After grotesquely transforming its host’s body the research team discovers that the alien can infect people through contact and absorb and imitate other life forms. Was anyone else infected by the alien and worse how can the team tell who is still human? The Thing is a great allegory for how viruses affect the body and human nature. But it also gave us perhaps cinema’s scariest alien. A creature that can hide anywhere and transform life into twisted parodies of itself. The Thing is the pinnacle of cosmic horror films and practical effects work.

District 9

If E.T. uses alien encounters to show humanity at its best District 9 uses them to comment on the worst of humanity. After a ship of aliens lands on Earth they are placed into an apartheid system where they are discriminated against and forced into separate houses and systems to humans. From there we follow Wikus van de Merwe, an agent of the company MNU, who through being exposed to something slowly begins turning into one of the aliens. Similar to E.T. District 9 uses aliens to comment on how we view others but this film focuses more on the at-once banal and other times violent nature of systemic oppression and the ramifications it can have on oppressed people. With some fantastic effects work, a compelling story, and poignant thematic underpinnings District 9 is a hard but rewarding watch.

We could honestly recommend many more alien contact movies. These films have been a staple for years because they represent cinema’s greatest qualities. The ability to visualise new worlds and people while reflecting the most human of experiences. If you have any favourites you want to recommend then please do so.

Also Read: Trains of Events: Great Movies About Trains

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Spielberg’s Bio

Steven Allan Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 18th December 1946. From a young age, Spielberg loved to make home movies with his father’s camera and go to the cinema. After several relocations and his parent’s divorce Spielberg began studying English at California State University. Having been rejected from Southern California’s film school.

While studying, he produced Amblin’. This short impressed Universal’s vice-president Sidney Sheinberg and he offered Spielberg a TV directing job. After directing several TV projects he directed the TV movie Duel. Which attained cinema distribution overseas and widespread critical acclaim. Spielberg then made his feature debut with Sugarland Express. Which marked his first collaboration with composer John Williams. His next film, Jaws, was the first film to gross over $100 million, was the highest-grossing film ever at the time and was Spielberg’s first film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Close Encounters of the Third Kind followed and earned Spielberg his first Best Director nomination.

In the 80s Spielberg continued directing hit movies. He also founded Amblin Entertainment with Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy in 1981. The company produced many of Spielberg’s movies as well as many other classic films. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Spielberg also began making adult-focused stories. Such as The Colour Purple, Schindler’s List (which won the best picture oscar) and Saving Private Ryan, among others. The prior two won him Best Director Oscars. Additionally, in 1993 his film Jurassic Park revolutionised CGI implementation in movies. And he created DreamWorks Pictures in 1994 with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

2001 saw Spielberg release A.I. Artificial Intelligence in tribute to his friend Stanley Kubrick. And, at the time of writing, since 2002 he has directed 14 critically acclaimed films in varying genres. All this work has made him the most financially successful director of all time.

 Spielberg’s Style

Several recurring themes and cinematic techniques have become trademarks of Spielberg’s filmography. His stories often showcase ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And often focuses on how parents, affect their children and sometimes themselves. These elements make his films feel more grounded and relatable.

Spielberg also loves moving his camera. Whether it’s a smooth dolly shot, shaky cam or sweeping long takes Spielberg’s films use active cameras to make the audience feel more involved. Spielberg also uses the camera to express a character’s perspective. Either directly, through POV shots, or through perspective shots designed to elicit a feeling in the audience similar to what the characters are feeling. His films also often have reflections as a thematic/dramatic element and feature bright colours and light to draw the audience’s attention to a specific point and emphasise something mysterious.

Spielberg’s Best

So what are Spielberg’s best films?

Duel

A tight thriller with effective simple characterisation and masterfully tense direction.

Jaws

A horror masterpiece elevated by John Williams’ terrifying score, brilliant camerawork, and Roy Scheider’s, Richard Dreyfuss’ and Robert Shaw’s fantastic performances.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Harrison Ford is a perfect hero, the plot is fun, the score iconic and it features some of cinema’s best moments.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

A touching story, great child performances, brilliant effects and a beautiful score. E.T. is cinematic magic.

Catch Me If You Can

A brilliant character study and the perfect amalgamation of escapist fantasy and grounded adult storytelling.

Also Read: Quentin Tarantino Directing A Star Trek Film? Here’s What It Would’ve Been Like

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Gamera copied Godzilla

Of course, rip-off/copy movies aren’t a new phenomenon, as this entry proves. Gamera was Daiei Studio’s answer to Godzilla and both movies have similar plots. Both are about giant monsters, awakened by atomic devices, attacking Japan while the government tries to find a solution to get rid of the monster. Gamera’s initial outing failed in comparison to Godzilla’s (Gamera (1965) has a critical rating of 20% and an audience score of 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. But Godzilla (1954) has a 93% critical rating and an 89% audience rating). Nonetheless, the giant fire breathing turtle has since found cult success with his own franchise.

Battle Beyond The Stars copied Star Wars and Seven Samurai

Produced by the low-budget film kingpin Roger Corman and written by future Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Sayles, Battle Beyond the Stars has a simple premise. Remake Seven Samurai with Star Wars’ sci-fi fantasy aesthetic. Despite BBTS’ cult following the general impression it left wasn’t favourable (Critics: 45% Audience: 41%) especially compared to the gargantuan success of Star Wars (Critics: 92% Audience: 96%) and Seven Samurai (Critics: 100% Audience: 97%).

Contamination copied Alien

But copies and rip-offs are hardly exclusive to the American and Japanese market. The 1980s Italian film industry produced many films to capitalise on international hits. Contamination was one of several releases produced to capitalise on Ridley Scott’s Alien. Mostly through its use of alien eggs which wreak havoc on the human body.  Needless to say, Contamination was unfavourably received compared to Alien (Contamination- Critics: 40% Audience: 29%. Alien- Critics: 98% Audience: 94%). But Contamination attained its own legacy when it became part of the infamous video nasties list.

Ator: The Fighting Eagle copied Conan the Barbarian

Speaking of Italian copies. Conan The Barbarian (1982) inspired many sword and sorcery films in the 80s and Ator: The Fighting Eagle is incredibly close to Conan in terms of story elements. Focusing on a musclebound sword-wielding hero’s quest for revenge against an animal-themed cult leader who killed his parents and kidnapped a young woman. Although Ator couldn’t copy Conan’s success with audiences (Conan has a 74% audience rating, Ator has 14%), Ator acquired 3 sequels. A lot more than the Conan series.  

Mac and Me copied E.T.

Now we get to one of the weirdest rip-offs on our list. This movie focuses on an alien that comes to Earth and befriends a child while a shadowy organisation pursues him (sound familiar?). What makes this title weird is that it was created to promote McDonald’s and its charities. Predictably this knock-off suffered poorly (Critics: 0% Audience: 38%) in the shadow of the classic movie it copied (Critics: 98% Audience: 72%).

Snakes on a Train copied Snakes on a Plane

Snakes on a Train is very emblematic of most of The Asylum film studio’s output. Their titles are made to lure people in by being as close as they can to other films. Both this and Snakes on a Plane concern snakes coming after people in confined spaces. Snakes on a Plane didn’t receive rave reviews (49% Audience Score on RT). Even so, Snakes on a Train was hated (18% Audience Score).

Ratatoing copied Ratatouille

Video Brinquedo was one of the most shameless modern mockbuster companies. Released to bank off the success of Pixar’s Ratatouille, both movies deal with a rodent obsessed with making food. However, Ratatouille won an Oscar and is loved by audiences (87%) and critics (96%). While everyone dislikes Ratatoing’s ugly style and cheap animation (27% on RT).

Thank you for joining me on this excursion into the land of copies and rip-offs. What rip-offs do you hate? Have you ever mistakenly bought any copycat titles? Conversely, are there any copycats that are better than their inspiration? Please let us know.

Also Read: Online Film Festivals Are Here To Stay

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