This is the definitive list of first contact films. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best movies that feature humans and aliens meeting for the first time.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best movies that feature
00:16humans and aliens meeting for the first time.
00:19We won't be including alien invasion movies, since those deserve their own list.
00:31Number 20, The Andromeda Strain.
00:45Based on a 1969 novel by Michael Crichton, this super high-tech sci-fi revolves around
00:51an alien organism that's accidentally brought to Earth by a man-made satellite.
00:55The green, crystal-like substance infects people like a virus, killing them almost instantly.
01:00A group of scientists must hurry to figure out what it is and how to stop it.
01:04The Andromeda Strain is more grounded and realistic than most alien movies.
01:09In fact, it was praised by the scientific community for how accurately it depicts the
01:13response to an unknown and extremely dangerous organism.
01:16Although much of it takes place inside a laboratory, it's still packed with drama and tension.
01:29Number 19, Europa Report.
01:40Like The Andromeda Strain, this found-footage movie is grounded in realism and actual scientific
01:45principles.
01:46It follows a group of astronauts searching for life on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
01:51Before they find what they're looking for, the mission starts to go disastrously wrong.
01:55The film does an incredible job of depicting just how vulnerable humans are once we leave
01:59the Earth's surface.
02:01The tension is punctuated by moments of heart-pounding action and intense terror.
02:05But there's no hungry xenomorph stalking the main characters, just the constant threat
02:10of asphyxiation, freezing, and all the other ways you can die in space.
02:23Number 18, The Last Starfighter.
02:35After Alex Rogan beats the high score on a space-shooter arcade game, he's recruited
02:40by real aliens to join their battle against an evil empire.
02:43The Last Starfighter was one of the first films to use CGI for extended sequences.
02:48And considering how old it is, it doesn't look half bad.
02:51The movie is mainly aimed at kids, but it has a ton of nostalgia value for anyone old
02:56enough to remember that era of arcade games.
02:59And the action and lovable characters mean people of any age can find something to enjoy
03:04in this 80s classic.
03:13Number 17, Galaxy Quest.
03:23In this brilliant parody of Star Trek, the cast of a fictional sci-fi TV show is contacted
03:28by actual aliens who don't understand that the show isn't real.
03:32The Thermians are under a threat from a reptilian overlord who wants to destroy them, and they
03:37seek out the help of the people who they believe to be the crew of an Earth starship.
03:41Galaxy Quest is more of an homage to classic Trek than a spoof, and it turned out to be
03:46a big hit with Trekkies.
03:49Even Star Trek actors like Patrick Stewart, Will Wheaton, and George Takei loved it.
03:54The film brilliantly captures the power and optimism of the franchise, as well as the
03:58absurdity of obsessive fandom.
04:11Number 16, Cocoon.
04:32Although it was a pretty big hit the year it was released, Cocoon didn't have the same
04:36staying power that other 80s sci-fi movies had.
04:39But this gorgeous film from director Ron Howard deserves to be rediscovered.
04:43When a group of retirees meet a friendly alien species, they discover that their old aches
04:48and pains mysteriously disappear.
04:51The aliens' healing abilities give the elderly folks a new lease on life, but they're also
04:55forced to make a difficult choice.
04:57The film is a celebration of life, love, and family.
05:01Just be sure to keep the tissues nearby when you watch it.
05:17Number 15, Super 8.
05:30After a train violently derails in a small Ohio town in 1979, strange things start happening.
05:36People begin disappearing, and mysterious government officials show up to quarantine
05:41the area.
05:42It's up to a group of teenagers to figure out what's going on.
05:45Super 8 was a bit of a surprise hit.
05:47In an age of sequels and franchises, this standalone film made a splash at the box office
05:52and with critics.
05:54It manages to be tense and scary, yet simultaneously heartwarming and nostalgic.
06:00With impressive performances from the young actors, excellent special effects, and a thrilling
06:04score from veteran composer Michael Giacchino, Super 8 is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
06:24Number 14, Annihilation.
06:43This movie isn't for the faint-hearted.
06:46When a meteor lands in a Florida wildlife refuge, it creates a mysterious shimmer that
06:50distorts everything around it, and those who go in never come out.
06:55The film follows a team of scientists who explore the bizarre phenomenon and find strange
06:59and unsettling things inside.
07:02The tension is off the charts throughout the entire movie, and it escalates as the characters
07:06start to lose their minds.
07:08It's juxtaposed with gorgeous visuals that make the shimmer as beautiful as it is terrifying.
07:14By the end, the audience is left with more questions than answers, but that's all part
07:19of Annihilation's appeal.
07:35Number 13, Flight of the Navigator.
07:42David Freeman is just barely in his double digits when he's plucked up by an alien spaceship.
07:47Picked up in 1978, David is offloaded in 1986, and finds, from his perspective anyway, that
07:54his 8-year-old brother has become 16 in the span of about four and a half hours.
07:59Crazier still, somewhere along the way, during his 1120 light-year round-trip to Phaelon,
08:06young David's brain has become jam-packed full of data and star maps.
08:10Max, the ship's robotic pilot, realizes he needs David's maps, and that he's plunked
08:15the lad in the wrong decade, but is unable to undo his mistake.
08:20But as adventure unfolds, Max does find a way, and it's a journey loved by so many
08:25that a remake has been discussed.
08:38Number 12, Starman.
08:49Directed by John Carpenter, and leading to a TV spinoff and an Oscar nom for lead Jeff
08:54Bridges, Starman is a love story disguised as a sci-fi.
08:58When an alien race mistakes humanity's invitation to visit Earth as sincere, they take us up
09:03on it, only to have their scout shot down over Wisconsin.
09:07As his people live as pure energy, Starman needs to take a physical form to try and salvage
09:13his vacay in the Midwest, and he becomes the spitting image of a widow's recently deceased
09:18husband.
09:19Through goodwill and proof of peaceful intentions, the widow agrees to help the alien meet up
09:24with his rescue party.
09:25Along the way, Starman takes part in the finest of earthly pleasures, driving a Ford Mustang,
09:32gambling in Vegas, and making sweet, sweet love.
09:49Number 11, The Man Who Fell to Earth.
10:02Few will deny that the late David Bowie was a genius, and an equal few would likely deny
10:07that he was a little... odd.
10:09All of this made him a perfect casting choice for Thomas Jerome Newton, a charming yet quirky
10:14alien who lands on Earth.
10:16On a mission to locate a source of water for his drought-plagued planet, Newton quickly
10:20learns to play the industrial game, and files patents for his off-world tech, raking in
10:26millions in the process.
10:28The thin white duke from another sun plans to use the money to build a ride back home,
10:33but then the government has to railroad his plans, as only the government can.
10:38Thanks to Bowie's performance and its striking imagery, the sci-fi drama has since earned
10:42itself a cult following.
10:49Number 10, The Iron Giant.
11:02We probably don't need to tell you why this movie is so great.
11:05If you've seen it, you already know.
11:07The Iron Giant is a massive robot of unknown origin that falls to Earth during the Cold
11:12War and befriends a young boy.
11:14Although the movie is family-friendly, it's definitely not just for kids.
11:18The film explores powerful themes revolving around grief, loss, and personal choice.
11:24Gorgeously animated, and featuring brilliant voice acting performances, especially from
11:28Vin Diesel as the Giant, it's not hard to see why many critics called this movie an
11:33instant classic.
11:39Number 9, The Abyss.
11:55Directed and written by James Cameron, The Abyss is a first-contact film unlike any other.
12:00Following a submarine accident, the U.S. government sends in a team of scientists and
12:04Navy SEALs.
12:06Soon the group discovers a society of aliens, dubbed NTIs or Non-Terrestrial Intelligence,
12:12living under the sea.
12:13Known as much for the horrid filming conditions – 40% of the film was shot underwater at
12:19an abandoned nuclear power plant – as it is for its game-changing effects, The Abyss
12:24mixes the wonders of off-world lifeforms with the highs and lows of the human condition,
12:29and sets it all against Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union.
12:39Number 8, Star Trek First Contact.
12:49In case you're not fluent in the deep lore of Trek, let us fill you in.
12:53According to Canon, Zephram Cochran successfully tested the first warp drive engine in 2063,
13:00which led to humanity's first contact with aliens, namely Vulcans.
13:04This film starts in the 24th century, and follows the crew of the Enterprise as they
13:09travel back in time to stop the Borg from changing the past and preventing first contact.
13:15It's the eighth movie in the franchise, and a major step up from the previous seven.
13:19With great action, drama, and a cast full of beloved next-generation characters, you
13:24don't have to be a Trekkie to enjoy this one.
13:37Number 7, Alien.
13:49Ridley Scott's Xenomorph has become one of the most iconic alien designs in cinema history.
13:54It's terrifying no matter what form it's in, and it's a great reminder that despite all
13:59our technological advancements, humans are still just part of the food chain.
14:04But this sci-fi horror masterpiece is more than just a good monster movie.
14:08It also deals with heavy themes, like corporate greed and human expendability, and it introduced
14:14us to one of the great sci-fi heroes of the 20th century, Ellen Ripley.
14:19It's also really scary and fun to watch.
14:22No wonder it spawned an ultra-successful franchise that's still going strong.
14:38Number 6, Contact.
14:46Based on a novel by Carl Sagan, Contact is the story of a really good day for the SETI.
14:51While the government works towards defunding and even ending the program, Dr. Eleanor Arroway
14:56picks up a series of prime numbers, a definite sign of intelligent alien life.
15:02Arriving with the numbers, and a repeat of Hitler's 1936 Olympic address, is 60,000 pages
15:08of data, all of which researchers determined came from the Vegas system 26 light-years
15:13away.
15:14When Arroway is elected to make contact with the alien people, it raises questions of the
15:19merit of religion and faith in the face of scientific discovery, and how far either side
15:24will go to defend its position.
15:42Number 5, The Day the Earth Stood Still.
15:49Although remade in 2008 with Keanu Reeves in the lead role, it's the 1950s original
15:55that has stood the test of time.
15:57Directed by Robert Wise, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi by which all others
16:02are judged.
16:03Based on the 1940 short story Farewell to the Master, the film sees an alien craft land
16:09in Washington, D.C.
16:11Its occupants, an alien named Klaatu and his robot guard, Gort, have brought an important
16:16message for all of Earth's leaders, play nice or be destroyed.
16:21When Klaatu goes native as Mr. Carpenter, the Jesus allegories stack up, but the film's
16:26main thread of Earth's need to toe the line remains clear.
16:38Number 4, E.T.
16:40The Extraterrestrial.
16:50Developed from Steven Spielberg's stalled sci-fi horror project Night Skies, the more
16:55kid-friendly E.T. would become one of the biggest and highest-grossing films of the
17:00decade.
17:01Essentially the story of an alien botanist stranded on Earth, E.T. shows himself to be
17:06able to restore life, but he also has seemingly Jedi-like powers, including telekinesis and
17:12a psychic bond with Elliot, the young boy who helps and looks after him.
17:17Its uplifting story of friendship and family, as well as its elements of sci-fi fantasy,
17:22have earned it critical acclaim, multiple awards, and a spot in millions of hearts.
17:36Number 3, Arrival.
17:51Based on a short story by Ted Chiang, Arrival tackles a question that most alien movies
17:55gloss over, if extraterrestrials make contact with humans, how will we talk to them?
18:01The film follows a linguist and a physicist as they struggle to decode the strange being's
18:06language before the rest of humanity launches an attack.
18:10It's an intensely cerebral film that's beautifully shot and brilliantly acted.
18:15Arrival wrestles with plenty of big ideas, and the plot gets complex, but the movie stays
18:20grounded by keeping the focus on the central characters.
18:23You have to watch it at least twice to fully appreciate its twists, turns, and nuances.
18:42Number 2, 2001 A Space Odyssey.
18:54It's hard for anyone to say exactly what this 1968 Stanley Kubrick classic is actually
19:00about, but let's try anyway.
19:02Although it's easy to be distracted by the film's signature dish, the sentient computer
19:06HAL 9000, 2001 is at its core about first contact.
19:11In the form of the ominous black monoliths that repeatedly change the course of the film.
19:16Kubrick did in fact consider putting aliens on screen, but was advised against using humanoids
19:22by astronomer Carl Sagan, who consulted on the film, as well as by limitations of budget
19:27and special effects technology.
19:29The result instead is the mysterious and ambiguous monoliths that accelerate humankind's knowledge
19:35and natural evolution with each encounter.
20:04Number 1, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
20:13When lineman Roy Neary experiences a UFO flyby, it opens up a whole new world to him.
20:20Eventually uncovering government cooperation with extraterrestrials, Roy discovers not
20:25only a UFO landing zone, but also witnesses an organized offloading of people from decades
20:32Finding the aliens to be peaceful explorers rather than hostile invaders, Roy ultimately
20:37decides to join them.
20:39Aliens aside, the critically and commercially successful Close Encounters has been forever
20:44etched into pop culture, from its distinct five-note musical motif, to the iconic image
20:49of an obsessed Roy sculpting Devil's Tower in mashed potatoes.
21:03Which movie aliens would you like to meet?
21:06Let us know in the comments below!
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