The Best Alien Movies Ever Made

Alien movies can take several forms. What are the best Alien movies? Many films about extraterrestrials or visitors from other planets turn them into traditional horror villains. These "alien war" movies tend to follow a simple pattern - UFOs arrive at Earth, a misunderstanding or outright evil intent sparks a war between aliens and humanity, often with massively destructive and terrifying results. (Think the recent "Battle: LA," Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" or even Tim Burton's parody of the genre, "Mars Attacks.") However, there are also films in which aliens are not an interstellar threat but a boon to humanity, or at least well-intentioned explorers. "E.T." is the classic example of the "friendly alien" genre, but there are numerous other examples, including J.J. Abrams' nostalgic summer 2011 hit, "Super 8." So, what are the best Alien films of all time? Often in these films, the aliens are tragically misunderstood, and it's the primal nature of human beings that spark conflict. Finally, there are numerous films about aliens which attempt to "realistically" depict what might happen if humans and extraterrestrials interacted. These include "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (another Spielberg film!), "District 9" and even abduction films purportedly based on 'true stories,' such as "Fire in the Sky."

While this may not be all alien movies, it is a list of the best alien films, that will try to answer, what are the greatest Alien movies of all time.