25 Best Movies About Alien Invasions, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

Movies about disasters – natural or human-made – have been produced since the earliest days of film. As early as 1916, a disaster with an extraterrestrial cause was touted in The End of the World, a Danish film about a passing comet causing chaos and terror on Earth. But most stories about disasters being visited upon our planet from outer space involve aliens, not comets.

A comet has no agency, no malignant intent… on the other hand, alien invaders want to conquer humans, enslave the world, and consume humanity’s precious resources before laying waste to the entire surface of the planet. What follows are the top alien invasion movies that manage to capture this horror, ranked according to their scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

25 ‘Independence Day’ (1996)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%

Most likely the first film that comes to mind whenever fans mention alien invasion, Independence Day revolves around a massive alien invasion on Earth, where humanity must unite to combat a technologically advanced and formidable extraterrestrial force.

With an A-list cast including Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman, the film beautifully combines thrilling aerial warfare, high-stakes action, and heroic moments, giving fans a treat for the eyes. Also, the White House being demolished by an alien spacecraft is still remembered for its famous image.

24 ‘Earth vs. the Flying Saucers’ (1956)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

Most definitely a film of its time, 1956’s Earth vs. the Flying Saucers made the most of the 1950s obsession with alien spacecraft and helped launch a bevy of similar films all revolving – in a manner of speaking – around flying saucers. In this film, at least, the aliens at first have no intention of invading, but after being met with violence when they first land, retaliate ruthlessly.

Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen created the flying saucers with stop-motion animation that was very effective for its time, one reason why this is still regarded as a seminal and ground-breaking alien invasion film. Even now, there’s still some value in watching this sci-fi classic, if only to see the iconic imagery.

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23 ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

The beloved sci-fi action film, War of the Worlds, is Steven Spielberg‘s 2005 version of H. G. Wells‘ classic story. It seems entirely fitting that a director with Spielberg’s ability to make the epic personal should craft a film where the concerns of a single man, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), should focus the attention of the audience while the world around him succumbs to one of the most horrifying and cinematically glorious alien invasions ever put on the big screen.

Although Ferrier’s family life can sometimes seem overly melodramatic, it all makes sense in those scenes where his children are threatened. The escape from the Hudson River ferry, for example, when the giant striding Martian machines wreak havoc and slaughter, must have had even the most jaded sci-fi critic looking for a bigger box of popcorn to hide behind.

22 ‘Quatermass 2’ (1957)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

With a screenplay by Nigel Kneale based on his television series of the same name, 1957’s Quatermass 2 was one of the earliest sci-fi films produced by Britain’s Hammer studios. The film has a straightforward narrative about aliens taking over humans, in this instance to help build and keep secret a giant base to house and protect the invaders.

What makes Quatermass 2 special is the way it uses suspicion and paranoia to propel the narrative along, helping to paper over some gaping holes in the story’s logic and scientific plausibility. All in all, it’s a great deal of fun with several scenes of real horror and growing dread.

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21 ‘Cloverfield’ (2008)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

Cloverfield is a found footage-style monster thriller film that follows a group of friends in New York City who are documenting a farewell party when a massive monster suddenly attacks the city. The film captures their attempt to survive and navigate the chaos as they make their way through the devastated streets, battling not only the monster but also other terrifying creatures that have been released.

Cloverfield stands out in its genre for its distinctive use of discovered material, compelling plot, and tense setting. Additionally, the film generates a realistic sense of anxiety for viewers by concentrating on the views of common people caught up in a tragic occurrence. The film’s cryptic marketing materials and viral marketing strategy also increased its appeal and generated interest.

20 ‘Predator’ (1987)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Predator, which was directed by John McTiernan and serves as the first installment in the same-name franchise, follows a group of elite commandos, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger as Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer, who find themselves being hunted in the dense jungles of Central America by an invisible and technologically advanced alien creature.

The movie became a new benchmark for the sci-fi action genre as well as the alien invasion subgenre thanks to its tight action scenes, catchy one-liners, and the intimidating presence of the Predator. People were hooked on the fascinating premise that they’ve been able to draw even more stories from over the years.

19 ‘Avatar’ (2009)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

Not only has James Cameron‘s 2009 blockbuster become the highest-grossing film of all time, but its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water is already the 4th highest-grossing film of all time. And make no mistake, this is one of cinema’s alien invasion films par excellence, it’s just that in this case, the aliens are humans who are bent on conquest and exploitation.

If the story is sometimes a tad predictable, it’s no mean trick to shift an audience’s perceptions so they end up rooting for the blue-skinned Na’vi instead of the equivalent of the colonial marines. Cameron, who wrote as well as directed Avatar, pulls it off in a film where the special effects truly and literally made the world.

18 ‘The Thing’ (1982)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

A loose adaptation of John W. Campbell Jr.’s novella Who Goes There?, The Thing, directed by John Carpenter, tells the harrowing story of a group of scientists in an isolated Antarctic research station who discover a shape-shifting alien organism that can imitate any life form it encounters.

With its visceral and hideous creature effects, The Thing has aged amazingly well and continues to enthrall viewers, setting a new standard for practical special effects in movies. In addition, the movie continues to be a provocative and disturbing analysis of human nature under severe circumstances, confirming its place in the pantheon of horror movies as it examines the collapse of trust within a group of people facing an unknowable opponent.

17 ‘Invaders from Mars’ (1953)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

For decades, Mars has been a favorite movie setting and origin for alien invasions. H. G. Wells undoubtedly had a lot to do with that, but Hollywood played its part with films like 1953’s Invaders from Mars. Director William Cameron Menzies was first and foremost a production and art designer, and the film’s low budget benefits from his skillful use of color and lighting.

The story, about a Martian vanguard taking over the minds of townsfolk to prepare for a later invasion, played on American Cold War fears of communist infiltrators as much as the flying saucer scare that was reaching its peak about the same time.

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16 ‘Annihilation’ (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

In 2018’s female-led survival thriller Annihilation, it’s all of nature and evolution itself that’s being taken over. It’s not an alien invasion with any malevolent intent as such; even though never fully explained, the story seems to suggest that what arrived on Earth is a life form that – like a virus or bacteria – infects other life forms, reproduces, mutates, evolves, and spreads.

Many of the mutated creatures inside its sphere of influence, called ‘The Shimmer’, are extraordinarily beautiful and sometimes just downright lethal. Once started, Annihilation takes its audience on a wondrous and terrifying journey with a satisfyingly ambiguous ending. This may be the alien invasion film for modern cinema.

15 ‘The Abyss’ (1989)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

The Abyss, directed by James Cameron, follows a team of underwater oil drillers who find themselves caught up in a high-stakes operation to rescue a nuclear submarine that has been attacked and submerged in some of the most enigmatic and profound ocean depths, shrouded in mystery.

The leading actors, Ed Harris, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio give strong and outstanding performances. Moreover, the film is renowned for its innovative visual effects, which brought breathtaking underwater sequences to life and pioneered the use of computer-generated imagery in a major Hollywood production. It’s worth noting that The Abyss served as Cameron’s starting point for his entire career.

14 ‘The War of the Worlds’ (1953)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Surprisingly, it took over fifty years for The War of the Worlds to be made into a film. In the end, the long wait was worth it as the production’s special effects (which won the Academy Award for Visual Effects in 1953) helped make this one of the great sci-fi films from the 1950s. Does it hold up well? Not really. Is it a ton of fun to watch? Definitely!

Audiences were spellbound by the sight of Martian killing machines floating above the landscape, destroying everything in their path with their heat rays. Produced by George Pal and directed by Byron Haskin, this film set a very high bar for every alien invasion film that followed.

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13 ‘The World’s End’ (2013)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

The World’s End follows Gary King (Simon Pegg), a middle-aged man desperate to reclaim his youth by reuniting with his high school friends to complete a legendary pub crawl in their hometown. However, their plans are disrupted when they discover that the town has been taken over by alien robots.

The World’s End poses difficult topics, such as what is the true meaning of friendship and how being too dependent on technology can humans be, while utilizing the alien invasion genre as a front. Additionally, even though it’s a comedy, the alien part is pretty frightful, and the show is rife with English humor and pop culture references, giving the audience the time of their lives.

12 ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

10 Cloverfield Lane follows a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who wakes up after a car accident to find herself in an underground bunker owned by a man named Howard (John Goodman). Howard claims that an apocalyptic event has occurred outside and that they are now safe underground. Suspicion and fear arise as Michelle tries to determine the truth about Howard’s claims and what is really happening outside the bunker.

The movie deftly weaves in the fear of an oncoming extraterrestrial invasion that isn’t revealed in the movie until the conclusion, but it doesn’t stop viewers from feeling afraid. It also combines themes of mystery, psychological thriller, and survival that distinguish itself from its predecessor.

11 ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score: 90%

Steven Spielberg’s superior alien invasion film, as well as one of his best sci-fi movies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long epic where an Indiana electric lineman finds his quiet life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO. That sends him on an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes love the film, praising it for its surprisingly human story focused on themes of male obsession. The music and visual effects have aged like fine wine, and critics are still impressed by how much heart Spielberg was able to pack into a sci-fi film, considering the genre often feels all-too cold and distant. Alien invasion films rarely get more wonderful than this. — Diego Pineda Pacheco

10 ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score: 91%

Best known for his comedic acting work, The Office alum John Krasinski surprised Hollywood with his impressive directing abilities with the modern horror gem A Quiet Place. It was definitely not a one-time thing, since Krasinski also directed Part II, and it was just as good as its predecessor. In it, the Abbott family face new terrors when they’re forced to venture into the unknown outside world, where the alien creatures hunting them aren’t the only threat.

Like many of the best alien invasion movies, A Quiet Place: Part II constantly keeps its invaders as mysterious, terrifying forces that neither the characters nor the audience know much about. This ensured that critics fell in love with the sequel, commending its ability to massively expand upon the relatively limited world of the original while retaining the same amount of emotion and nail-biting thrills. — Diego Pineda Pacheco

9 ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Based on the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Edge of Tomorrow follows Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) who finds himself trapped in a time loop during a battle against extraterrestrial beings known as Mimics. Each time Cage dies, he wakes up again at the start of the same day. With the help of skilled soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), Cage must learn from his repeated experiences and find a way to turn the tide in humanity’s favor.

Edge of Tomorrow stands out for its distinct interpretation of the idea, integrating time-looping, complex storytelling and showing Cruise in a lesser-hero role. Additionally, rather than emphasizing the extraterrestrial, the movie concentrates on the human during the conflict as well as how it impacts everyone involved’s mental health, evident in Cruise and Blunt’s outstanding performance.

8 ‘The Avengers’ (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Still considered one of the best MCU movies to date, 2012’s The Avengers is, at its core, an alien invasion story where everything from script to acting to direction to production design is so loud it’s like being shouted at through a megaphone. And it’s wonderful.

The first Avengers film is also the most light-hearted in the series. It is an almost continuous romp that barely hints at the darker future only finally resolved with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. But even these hints evaporate during the climax when a virtual conga line of Chitauri invaders are beaten off by Earth’s superheroes and extraordinarily colorful defenders.

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score: 93%

The alien invasion movie Star Trek: First Contact, the eighth movie in the franchise and only the second Next Generation film, is one of the best in the whole Star Trek series. In it, the Borg travel back in time in an effort to prevent Earth’s first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew must then ensure that this meeting takes place before the Borg are able to stop it.

The characters of Next Generation are among the franchise’s most compelling and fun, so it’s no surprise that a film that takes full advantage of each of them works as well as this one does. It’s not just that, though. The story, pacing, and visuals are all incredibly entertaining even for Star Trek novices, which critics were sure to note in their reviews featured on Rotten Tomatoes. — Diego Pineda Pacheco

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6 ‘Village of the Damned’ (1960)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

This 1960 film is in many ways the perfect conclusion to the wave of sci-fi films made in the 1950s. Cinema helped give sci-fi mainstream attention, if not always a lot of mainstream credibility, but when good stories were turned into good scripts supported by good directors and producers, films like Village of the Damned became possible, earning respect for the genre and paving the way for other well-written sci-fi films to follow.

The story’s alien invasion is one of the most insidious in the genre. The fact that it involves using humans and their paternal instincts to protect and nurture children who are not remotely human themselves gives the story a special and lasting horror.

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