You really can’t go wrong with an alien movie. Give me anything involving alien invasions, strange objects appearing in the sky, or pure horror revolving around otherworldly creatures and I’ll be happy. The fact that “Alien” is my favorite movie ever probably says enough about my love for the genre, and with the recent release of Spielberg’s sci-fi blockbuster “Disclosure Day,” there’s likely an even bigger appetite for it right now.
Netflix, one of the biggest streaming services, has a library packed with sci-fi films. While many of them focus on big robots on futuristic planets, time travel, or space, there are also a handful of picks specifically centered around alien life. So if you’re needing your alien fix this week, here are the five best alien movies worth adding to your Netflix watchlist.
‘Extinction’ (2018)
![Extinction | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-ePDPGXkvlw/maxresdefault.jpg)
It only makes sense to start off this list with an actual alien invasion flick. “Extinction” is an interesting one because it’s essentially a hybrid of intense disaster survival, home invasion horror, and existential psychological drama.
“Extinction” is about a man named Peter who keeps having intense, recurring nightmares of an alien invasion where his family dies. His visions start affecting his relationship with his wife, Alice (Lizzy Caplan), and children, and he begins to believe something real is coming. When an actual alien attack hits Earth, Peter and his family are forced to fight for survival as the city is destroyed around them. They join other survivors and try to reach safety at a protected facility while being hunted by the invading forces.
What separates this sci-fi movie from the massive sea of generic alien invasion thrillers is its structure, as the film operates entirely on two distinct planes. Just as the survival sequence begins to peak, the story drops a massive mid-movie twist. This turns the film on its head, meaning you’ll re-evaluate the entire journey of the first hour.
Stream it on Netflix
‘A Quiet Place 2’ (2020)
It’s only right to include “A Quiet Place 2,” considering it’s one of Emily Blunt’s best performances, especially given her presence in Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day.” But I have to say, I do prefer this horror sequel, not just because I’m a horror fan in general, but because it does such a great job of using silence to induce pure anxiety. While the first film plays out like a claustrophobic domestic drama centered on an isolated family farm, Part 2 expands the scale of the world and the aliens that now reside there.
“A Quiet Place 2” follows the Abbott family immediately after the events of the first film as they are forced to leave their destroyed home and venture into the outside world. With deadly creatures that hunt using sound still dominating the planet, Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) leads her children Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), along with her newborn baby, across dangerous terrain in search of safety. Along the way, they encounter Emmett (Cillian Murphy), a hardened survivor living in isolation, who reluctantly agrees to help them.
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‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
![STARSHIP TROOPERS [1997]– Official Trailer (HD) | Get the 25th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD SteelBook Now - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zPYuV_jGk7M/maxresdefault.jpg)
“Starship Troopers” is a proper dad movie, and my dad will probably be proud I’ve included it in this list. It’s a loud, ultra-violent, and fiercely entertaining sci-fi action epic that has since become a cult classic in the genre. On one level, it’s an action-packed B-movie about space marines battling giant alien bugs (yes, really). On another, it’s a deeply cynical satire that skewers the very genre it belongs to. Produced on a massive budget of roughly $105 million, nearly half of which went into its visual effects, and the film still holds up remarkably well today.
Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), a high school athlete from Buenos Aires, enlists in the Mobile Infantry after graduation alongside his friends Carmen (Denise Richards) and Carl (Neil Patrick Harris). He undergoes brutal military training before being deployed into an interstellar war against a hostile insectoid species known as the Arachnids. As Rico rises through the ranks, he is stationed on multiple fronts, witnessing devastating battles. Carmen becomes a starship pilot while Carl joins military intelligence, each advancing separately as the war escalates into a large-scale invasion of the Arachnids’ home planet.
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‘Nope’ (2022)
So far this roundup has revolved around humans fighting against aliens, but “Nope” takes a different approach, showing how people would react to a phenomenon taking over the sky. Directed by Jordan Peele, “Nope” is a dark sci-fi thriller that looks at how people chase, document, and try to control the unexplainable, often without considering the consequences. The film proved to be a box office hit, grossing over $170 million globally, while also earning strong praise from critics. That reception feels well earned, as this movie offers a real sense of dread.
After a mysterious object appears in the skies above their California horse ranch, siblings OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) begin noticing strange and dangerous events affecting their animals and property. Determined to understand what is happening, they attempt to capture evidence of the phenomenon on camera. They recruit help from a tech store worker and a famous documentary filmmaker, while also competing with a nearby theme park owner, Ricky (Steven Yeun), who wants to profit from the same discovery.
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‘Rim of the World’ (2019)
![Rim of the World | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xkvBpKHL99k/maxresdefault.jpg)
Lastly, we have a super fun alien movie for those who need something a little easier to digest. “Rim of the World” is a Netflix original that serves as a throwback to the classic “kids on bikes” genre of the 1980s, so it’s perfect for anyone missing “Stranger Things.” Naturally, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table (and uses every alien trope in the genre playbook), but it does its job as a popcorn-heavy piece of streaming escapism tailored for audiences looking for a loud, nostalgic sci-fi romp. Sometimes you just wanna have fun, right?
Four misfit teenagers — Alex (Jack Gore), Zhen Zhen (Miya Cech), Dariush (Benjamin Flores Jr.), and Gabriel (Alessio Scalzotto) — are attending a summer camp called Rim of the World in Southern California when an alien invasion suddenly begins. When chaos takes over and adults disappear, the group finds themselves stranded with only a mysterious key that may hold the secret to stopping the attack. Forced to work together despite their differences, they travel across a deserted and dangerous landscape toward NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Stream it on Netflix
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