With the upcoming release of Steven Spielberg's latest film, "Disclosure Day" (in theaters June 12th, 2026), I decided it might be a good time to take a look back at some of the best Alien / UFO movies ever made!
Honorable Mentions
Just like with my Top 25 Time Travel movies, there are A TON of honorable mentions here. Too many to list, in fact, but full disclosure (pun intended), this list is ultimately my personal favorites. Still I'm curious to hear about some of your favorites in the comments!
I'm focusing specifically on movies, so shows like "3 Body Problem" (Netflix), the "V" mini-series, and "Dark Skies" don't count. Movies or franchises where aliens aren't necessarily the focus of the story also didn't make the cut. That means "Star Wars", "Stargate", "Starship Troopers", "The Last Starfighter", "The Fifth Element", Stephen King's "IT", and James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies.
Basically if you could remove that element and still have a story, I'm not counting it.
Some other movies that deserve an honorable mention but didn't quite make the Top 25 include: "Signs", "District 9", "Star Man", "A Quiet Place", "Skyline", "Fire in the Sky", "Flight of the Navigator", "10 Cloverfield Lane", "Life" (2017), and "Bugonia".
The only reason I didn't include Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" or Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is because the 'aliens' are only ever hinted at as a mysterious higher-dimensional lifeform, and they aren't really the focus of the narrative in either case. And lastly, as a bonus, I'll include some of my favorite UFO documentaries at the end...
25. Mars Attacks! (1996)
Weirdly, "Mars Attacks!" feels like a parody of "Independence Day" but was actually in production at the same time and even came out the same year! It's a ridiculous movie, but it's also a loving throwback to the B-movie UFO craze of the 1950's (movies like "Earth vs the Flying Saucers" and "It Came from Outer Space!"). It's got a star-studded cast with the likes of Jack Nicholson (randomly playing two characters?!), Danny DeVito, Pierce Brosnan, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox, and even Jack Black! The Martians themselves are, of course, the real stars of the show - gleefully destroying each and every notable monument on the planet (just for the lolz). The invaders are ultimately defeated in one of the goofiest ways possible - by playing the yodeling tunes of Slim Whitman's "Indian Love Call." While this might not be one of Tim Burton's best movies, I would be remiss to not at least include it on the list...
24. The Blob (1988)
There are a lot of fun horror movies with aliens, from "Critters" to "Species", but for my money, the 80's remake of "The Blob" is one of the best. And while the (unintentionally hilarious) Steve McQueen original is worth a shout out, this is one of those rare remakes that outshines the original. Sure, it's cheesy, but this movie scared the crap out of me as a kid, and just the idea of an unknown creature from space consuming everything in sight is existentially terrifying on a visceral level...
23. E.T. (1982)
This one almost feels obligatory, but honestly it's a really solid 'feel good' movie, and those creature effects are undeniably magic, even 44 years later. Not only is this a must-see Spielberg classic, but it's also one of Drew Barrymore's first movies (following her brief appearance in "Altered States") at just six years old!
There's also a pretty great reference to "Star Wars" in one scene where a kid is dressed as Yoda for Halloween, and ET recognizes him! As far as family flicks go, it doesn't get much better than this, between the iconic look of "E.T." himself, and that famous catch phrase "E.T. phone home!" At its core, this is a movie about empathy - something the world could use a lot more of.
22. Enemy Mine (1985)
"Enemy Mine" is another 80's sci-fi classic with some spectacular creature effects, starring Dennis Quaid. While it's a bit on the campy side at times, the story itself is a profound one. Sci-fi at its best is often a great tool for metaphor - it might take place on a distant planet in the future, but it's really, at its core, a very human story about overcoming cultural differences and seeing the "humanity" in our fellow "man". It honestly feels like a great episode of TNG!
21. The Vast of Night (2019)
This is a fantastic indie film with a really clever premise that feels like it's straight out of a classic "Twilight Zone" one-off. Set in the early 1950's, in a small town in New Mexico, we follow a young radio DJ who comes across a strange frequency over the airwaves as a mystery unravels, eventually leading to an otherworldly reveal...
20. The War of the Worlds (1953 / 2005)
H.G. Wells first wrote "The War of the Worlds" way back in 1898, half a century ahead of its time. Set in Victorian England, this classic sci-fi / horror novel featured a Martian invasion with creatures piloting mechanical "tripods" and wielding "heat rays" that (despite their technological superiority) are ultimately outdone by terrestrial germs! The book inspired the now-infamous 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles, which allegedly caused a minor panic among listeners because of its deadpan delivery.
There have been a number of movie adaptations over the years, but both the original 1953 classic AND the post-911 Spielberg remake (starring Tom Cruise) are equally worth noting here. Both films update the story to their respective eras, with the original taking place in Southern California, and the early 2000's edition starts out in New Jersey.
While there's plenty of liberties taken in each adaptation, the basic premise is more or less the same. While the original book reflected the Age of Imperialism and the Industrial Revolution, the '53 film was a reaction to the (then recent) World Wars, and the latest movie was an analogy for the September 11th terrorist attacks, focusing in on the fear and uncertainty that Americans felt in the aftermath...
19. The Abyss (1989)
Decades before "Avatar", after giving us 1984's "The Terminator" and "Aliens" (1986), James Cameron once again gave us another groundbreaking special effects tour de force - this time with a more subtle and thought-provoking work, starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an oil rig crew assists a team of Navy SEALs in the recovery of a sunken nuclear submarine, they encounter mysterious non-human intelligence.
Looking back from 2026, this one might end up being the closest to the truth, with several US Navy whistleblowers coming forward and testifying over the last several years about encountering dozens of UAP over the Pacific Ocean and numerous cases of USOs deep underwater...
18. Forbidden Planet (1956)
If you're looking for an old school, cheesy sci-fi movie that's actually good, look no further than "Forbidden Planet"! Loosely based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest", this is a movie set in the future on a distant planet, Altair IV, where a crew aboard a flying saucer comes across a lost science outpost. The only survivors are Dr. Morbius, his daughter Altair, and "Robby the Robot"! The film revolves around a mystery involving an invisible monster that's later revealed to be a psychic manifestation enhanced by a form of highly advanced technology from a long extinct ancient alien civilization beneath the surface! This one didn't just leave it's mark on the genre; it was one of the key inspirations for Gene Roddenberry's original 1966 "Star Trek" series!
17. X-Files: Fight the Future (1998)
The "X-Files" TV series was a pop culture juggernaut in the 90's with fans wondering whether or not FBI Agents Scully and Mulder would ever hook up, while trying to make sense of all the strange (episodic) phenomena they kept happening upon with everything from Bigfoot to vampires. Created by Chris Carter, starring Gillian Anderson (as Agent Scully) and David Duchovny (as Agent Mulder). While the show wasn't *always* about aliens, it was still an ongoing plot thread that the series kept coming back to - with Scully as the hard-lined skeptic and Mulder the ever-enthusiastic believer in the paranormal. The two had an incredible dynamic that made even the worst episodes incredibly watchable, even if the overall storyline was a bit convoluted at times.
The first movie came out between Seasons 5 and 6, right at the height of the show's popularity, and really brought the whole alien storyline full circle in an interesting way, involving the discovery of a crashed ship (that apparently crashed into Texas during the last Ice Age), and a secret cabal of shadowy figures running things behind the scenes. Unfortunately, following the movie, the show itself never quite recaptured the magic of those early seasons, but the movie itself absolutely holds up, if you're a fan.
Now we'll just have to wait and see how the reboot by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Sinners, Creed) turns out...
16. Predator / Prey (1987 / 2022)
This one's a toss-up for me. The original "Predator" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is without a doubt an absolute 80's action movie classic, but 2022's "Prey" (starring Amber Midthunder) is maybe my favorite film from the franchise! Both films have a very similar premise, but set in two different time periods with two very different protagonists. Each movie, however, deals with a fight for survival against an invisible foe, hunting humans for sport!
15. Contact (1997)
"Contact" is an essential entry on this list. Starring Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and Jena Malone (as a young Jodie Foster in one of her earliest roles!), directed by Robert Zemeckis (of "Back to the Future" fame), and based on the novel by Carl Sagan, inspired by the real life "Wow Signal" incident from 1977. The film follows a SETI scientist who uncovers an extraterrestrial signal from deep space with an encoded message that could change everything. What's amazing though, is that the movie cleverly builds a narrative about an atheist who is forced to grapple with faith after experiencing the unexplainable...
14. The Thing (1982)
Considered by many to be one of the best sci-fi horror films ever made. Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, "The Thing" is a gritty remake of the cheesy 50's movie "The Thing From Another World". This one takes place at a scientific research lab in Antarctica where a shape-shifting creature infiltrates their camp, leading to a paranoid frenzy as they try and figure out who is human and who isn't - before it's too late...
13. Super 8 (2011)
Set in 1979, in a small Ohio town (near Wright Patterson Airbase), this is a sci-fi thriller involving an escaped creature and a plucky group of kids trying to make a low-budget movie on an old Super 8 camera. Directed by JJ Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, this was a fun homage to a number of 80's sci-fi family movies (and Stephen King books like "IT") years before "Stranger Things" did something similar.
Also, be sure to stay for the credits!
12. Paul (2011)
Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - most famous for their appearances as a British comedic duo in Edgar Wright's movies: "Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz", and "The World's End". This cult-classic follows two sci-fi geeks on an RV trip through the American Southwest when they come across a gray alien named "Paul" (voiced by Seth Rogen) who crash-landed in 1947, escaped from Area 51 after 60 years of captivity, and is now on the run from the US government!
11. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Another British sci-fi comedy that absolutely deserves a shout out - the 2005 adaptation of Douglas Adams's hilarious books / radio serials / BBC mini-series: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - starring: Martin Freeman (as Arthur Dent), Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy, John Malkovich, Stephen Fry, and Alan Rickman as a depressed robot named Marvin. The story follows Arthur Dent on a journey of self-discovery through the cosmos after Earth is destroyed by a bureaucratic alien species called the Vogons. It's equal parts absurd, random, and deeply profound.
10. NOPE (2022)
After giving us two incredibly hard-hitting existential horror movies back to back with "Get Out" and "Us" - Jordan Peele's third film once again managed to push the envelope and defy audience expectations. This is easily one of the most "art house" entries on this list, from a director with a keen eye for detail and symbolism, and I can't get enough of it. "NOPE" sports a fantastic cast with the likes of Daniel Kaluuya (Black Panther, Get Out), Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun (Invincible, The Walking Dead), and even freaking Keith David!
I also absolutely adore the use of Frye's Electronics, a quirky retail staple of the Southwest in the 90's which was lovingly recreated for this movie, UFO theme and all! I don't really want to give away the big twist, because half of what makes this movie so good is in how the mystery slowly unravels, but it's both unsettling and unexpected...
9. Alien / Aliens (1979 / 1986)
Like the first two Terminator movies, Ridley Scott's "Alien" and James Cameron's "Aliens" make a perfect duology - with the first one being a sci-fi horror flick, and the sequel leaning more into the sci-fi action genre. Sigourney Weaver completely embodies Ripley - arguably one of the best female action heroes on the silver screen - first as the lone survivor of the Nostromo and then taking on an entire facility crawling with Xenomorphs in order to save a young girl.
In addition to Ripley's riveting character arc, we're also given a glimpse into a dystopian interstellar future where corporations like Weyland-Yutani own everything - which is such a great social commentary that has only aged like fine wine. But the real star of the show is, of course, the Xenomorphs themselves - a primal apex predator of the cosmos, completely devoid of empathy, with a sole mission of relentlessly killing, feeding, and reproducing.
Originally designed by H.R. Giger, these creatures are nightmare fuel in every stage of their life, from the unsettling face huggers to the imposing alien queen. It's all extremely creative and truly terrifying on a visceral level...
8. Men in Black (1997)
Based on a comic book inspired by countless urban legends, "Men In Black" is a fantastic blend of action, comedy, and sci-fi shenanigans with a loving embrace of the wildest and weirdest conspiracy theories of the 20th Century. And while the movie never takes itself too seriously, it weirdly handles the alien elements as if they're just a normal unseen part of our world.
The basic premise is that free-spirited rookie Will Smith (Agent J) gets recruited into the MIB by his no-nonsense veteran mentor, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) as they track down a malicious bug in a human suit played to perfection by Vincent D'Onofrio (The Kingpin from "Daredevil" in the MCU). It quickly became a pop culture staple and still holds up extremely well today. While the sequels were solid, with the third one being a pretty clever time travel romp, the first one remains a 'must-see' popcorn flick.
Perhaps the best moment of the film is when Will Smith asks, "Why the big secret? People are smart. They can handle it." - Agent K responds with one of the all-time great monologues: "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow..."
7. Star Trek VI / Star Trek: First Contact (1991 / 1996)
"Star Trek" (as a franchise) has always been about exploring "strange new worlds", seeking out "new life and new civilizations", etc - across 13 series and 14 different movies ever since the first episode aired in 1966 - but since we're specifically talking about *movies* about 'aliens' there's two specific Trek movies that I want to highlight for this list...
"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), directed by Nicholas Meyer, is final entry in the original series (or at least the last one featuring the full cast from TOS - William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, etc), and at its core, this is a movie that really showcases what makes the franchise so good. It's ultimately about the Federation making peace with the Klingon Empire - a long-standing alien antagonist throughout the 23rd Century - as a clever (not so subtle) analogy for the end of the Cold War. Most notably, Kirk himself has to overcome his own prejudice after his son was killed by the Klingons three movies earlier...
"Star Trek: First Contact" (1996), directed by Johnathan Frakes, is often considered to be the best of the TNG movies (Star Trek: The Next Generation - featuring Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf, Brent Spiner as Data, etc), and features the origin story of the Star Trek franchise (through some time travel shenanigans). The 24th Century crew of the Enterprise-E have to travel back in time to prevent The Borg (a race of cybernetic zombies) from altering Earth's history. In 2063, following a third World War, Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) invents warp drive and makes *first contact* with the Vulcans - the first alien species that humanity becomes acquainted with...
For more Trek content, check out my article on Every Star Trek Movie Ever… So Far!
6. Arrival (2016)
I mentioned this one on my Top 25 Time Travel movies list, but it's also one of the best alien movies ever made. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (DUNE, Blade Runner 2049) with a completely stacked cast including Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker.
"Arrival" isn't just a gorgeous and thought-provoking movie about first contact with an extraterrestrial species, it's also a profound meditation on grief, love, and loss. One of the most interesting things about this film is the focus on attempts at communication with a species that is so profoundly different from anything on our planet.
5. No One Will Save You (2023)
Unlike a lot of the movies on this list, here's one that actually leans into the modern mythology of "the grays" (from numerous abduction story accounts) as a horror movie entity. Directed by Brian Duffield, "No One Will Save You" follows a somewhat reclusive young woman named Brynn, played by Kaitlyn Dever (The Last of Us) in a heart-pounding fight for survival against alien invaders.
The movie has virtually no spoken dialogue (outside of music lyrics and written words), with some of the best sound design and creature effects in recent memory. And while the head-scratching ending is somewhat left up to interpretation, there's a whole lot of deep psychological symbolism throughout regarding trauma and ostracization.
4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Steven Spielberg's first foray into the sci-fi genre (after the phenomenal success of 1975's "Jaws") was of course "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"!
Released the same year as George Lucas's space opera "Star Wars", Spielberg took a far more grounded approach by diving into the numerous real-life stories over the years of people's encounters with the unknown and strung together a moving and very human narrative. Still considered by many to be the high-water mark of alien movies, partly because of the insane amount of research and detail that went into creating it, but also because it's just such a cinematic spectacle.
I guess we'll have to wait and see if his latest film, "Disclosure Day" is able to top it...
3. Independence Day (1996)
When it comes to "alien invasion" narratives, it really doesn't get more iconic than 1996's "Independence Day" - directed by disaster movie master, Roland Emmerich (Stargate, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow), with a star-studded cast including: Will Smith (Men in Black, I, Robot, I Am Legend), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, The Fly), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), Brett Spiner (Data on TNG), Randy Quaid (the Vacation movies), Adam Baldwin (Firefly), and of course Bill Pullman as the President of the United States.
As I mentioned earlier, it's weird that "Mars Attacks!" wasn't a parody of this movie, because this absolutely feels like a serious take on the same exact premise (a global-wide alien invasion bent on the eradication of all life on the planet), but with some of the best practical effects in movie history! This one has some of the best alien designs - both in the creature effects department and some "out of this world" model work on the intricately detailed spaceships. This really is style over substance in the best way.
And then of course there's that iconic 'pump-up' speech from Bill Pullman where he turns a patriotic monologue into a rallying cry for the whole human race: "We're fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, we will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our independence day!"
Seriously, if you haven't seen this one, do yourself a favor; it holds up incredibly well (unlike its blatant cash grab of a sequel).
2. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
One of the earliest movies about an extraterrestrial visitor just so happens to be a classic that has managed to stand the test of time! 1951's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" debuted to a world that was in the midst of a rash of "Flying Saucer" sightings, coming off the heels of the (alleged) Roswell Incident of 1947, just as the Cold War was heating up between the US and Soviet Union. And this movie really manages to speak to not only the existential fears of the time, but also a broader message about the human condition, and how our self-destructive tendencies might very well spell doom and destruction for our planet if we don't manage to grow out of our tribal mindsets.
It's all summed up nicely in a monologue from the human-looking alien, Klaatu: "The universe grows smaller every day, and the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all or no one is secure. Now, this does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly."
There's also a very solid 2008 remake starring Keanu Reeves, but for my money, the original black and white film is where it's at...
1. Project Hail Mary (2026)
2026 is shaping up to be a big year for sci-fi, because two of the absolute biggest movies of the year happen to be about some very similar subject matter!
Based on the excellent book from Andy Weir (author of "The Martian" - also a great movie), "Project Hail Mary" is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (the hilarious duo behind "The Lego Movie", "Into the Spider-verse", and "21 Jump Street"), and starring Ryan Gosling as a science teacher turned astronaut (Ryland Grace) on a dire interstellar mission to save the planet from an unknown phenomena called 'Astro-phage'.
The real heart of the movie, however, is 'Rocky,' a rock-like silicon-based lifeform that Ryland encounters on his journey, and with whom, despite a vast ocean of differences between the two (from biology to language), quickly forms a powerful bond amidst the loneliness of space.
Every aspect of this movie is top-notch, from the script and acting to the stellar visuals and amazing practical effects. I can't recommend this one enough...
Where will "Disclosure Day" (2026) rank?
Like I mentioned at the top, Steven Spielberg's newest movie "Disclosure Day" drops in theaters this week, starring: Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Josh O'Connor, and Colin Firth with a soundtrack composed by the legendary John Williams. According to Spielberg, the film is directly inspired by recent real-world events with several high-ranking whistleblowers going before congress about an alleged 80-year cover-up regarding the existence of non-human entities, and he says it's a spiritual successor to 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
I suppose we'll have to wait and see how it stacks up on June 12th, 2026...
Recommended Watching: UFO Documentaries
Lastly, I wanted to give a quick shout out to some excellent UFO documentaries worth checking out, including:
- "The Age of Disclosure" (2025) - which features 34 senior US officials
- the 2023 National Geographic documentary mini-series "UFOs: Investigating the Unknown," one of the most comprehensive documentaries on the most credible UAP cases
- the 2023 Netflix series "Encounters" - produced by Steven Spielberg
- the James Fox documentary "Moment of Contact" (2022) - a deep dive into the Varginha, Brazil Incident
- the 2024 George Knapp Netflix series, "Investigation Alien"
- and the 2021 JJ Abrams-produced documentary, "UFO".
If you haven't already, be sure to check out my Top 25 Time Travel movies - I also wrote 8 Mysterious UFO / UAP Encounters from History (218 BCE – 1947) and 12 More Unexplained UAP / UFO Incidents from History (1947-2004) for my history blog! Feel free to follow me on BlueSky @ErikSlader, check out my podcasts at ProbablyWork.com, and you can support me by buying my books - "2299" and "Tempus Machina" on Amazon and Audible!