The Best Alien Invasion Movies Of The 21st Century
Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day marks the return of an amazing director tackling a topic he’s practically pioneered for the modern audience. Alien invasion movies are a staple of cinema and offer unique films year after year.
That said, Disclosure Day calls back to a specific type of invasion film. This list will explore the more unique alien invasion movies that are a perfect pair to watch before Disclosure Day hits theaters on June 12th. Find them on Prime Video, JustWatch TV, and more!
M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs terrorized a generation with its alien footage, and that often overshadowed just how well this alien invasion movie was paced. Mounting mystery and terror that compound until the invasion actually happens makes this movie a must-watch alone.
Everything about Disclosure Day calls back to what Signs introduced, and with that in mind, it’s a must-see movie. It’s scary, thought-provoking, and just the right amount of strange to leave you stunned.
Where most alien invasion films focus solely on the average person, Battle: Los Angeles sees how the military fight advanced aliens on their home turf. What results is a heavily technical film that highlights a section of the genre that isn’t explored enough.
If you love Disclosure Day for how it details an alien event from an angle we haven’t seen, Battle: Los Angeles is the perfect movie for you. From its heavy focus on the military to its themes of perseverance, there will never be another alien invasion movie like it.
Based on the book by James VanderMeer, Annihilation is a cerebral sci-fi film where the invader is an alien rock that lands in Florida and produces a hazy dome that alters the DNA of anything within it.
It’s a slow-burn invasion flick where the people tasked with going inside to understand and stop the alien threat begin to change and lose their grip on reality. Annihilation is the perfect alien invasion/cosmic horror mashup that Disclosure Day fans would never expect to be so interesting.
Another Steven Spielberg alien invasion film, War of the Worlds (2005) tackles H.G. Wells’ iconic story for a modern age. The film follows a family trying to survive massive alien ships as well as the humans who will kill to survive.
Where Disclosure Day seems to capture the nuances of an alien invasion, War of the Worlds is all about the terror and brutality. Nevertheless, this is a great movie to watch to understand Spielberg’s approach to the genre.
Also starring Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place is a sci-fi horror where humans must remain quiet after a race of aliens with advanced hearing begin hunting people down. It’s a suspenseful film that never lets the audience know what could happen next.
A Quiet Place is a small-scale alien invasion film that works best when exploring the franchise, but as one film, it’s a great way to remind viewers of the terror of animalistic aliens. It’s a far cry from Disclosure Day but still exciting.
Starring John Boyega before he appeared in The Force Awakens, Attack the Block is about a group of teenagers in London who have to fight off an alien invasion in their apartment complex. It’s a simple film that explores the invasion trope through a new lens.
Disclosure Day may take things to a more mature level, but Attack the Block shares a similar DNA in how unique it is. With that in mind, this is a great film to watch for something a little different.
District 9 may be the grossest and most emotional alien invasion movie on this list. The premise follows a race of aliens that landed on Earth and were immediately cordoned off into districts where humanity treated them terribly. One man enters the district and, after an accident, begins to change into one of the aliens.
District 9 explores unique themes on the treatment of aliens that may look scary but are kind and how some invasions aren’t always hostile. Its overarching mystery and uniqueness make it a perfect Disclosure Day companion.
