Although we're not positive the 'creature' in J.J. Abrams Super 8 is definitely an alien, after Cloverfield, we kind of think it is! This got us to thinking about all the other aliens we've known from the movies over the years.
By John Halecky and Chuck Walton
Neytiri is a true Na'vi from the planet Pandora in James Cameron's big-budget sci-fi feast for the eyes. Blue and cat-like, the Na'vi have their own culture, language and don't particularly like the humans invading their home planet. Zoe Saldana is Neytiri, with Sam Worthington as another blue Na'vi.
Steven Spielberg's 2001 sci-fi tale centered more on a small robot boy named David than aliens but the alien that David encounters at the end of A.I. looks like he/she could use a sandwich!? And maybe hit the gym to work out those arms a bit too!
Don't mind the suit and tie. 'Newcomer' Sam Francisco (!) is an easygoing fellow just trying to make a living as an L.A. cop in the early '90s. Despite his big head, this policeman alien is really a softie who likes to eat raw beaver, and gets drunk on spoiled milk.
We're not sure which would be worse. Being impaled by the thing's razor sharp, silicon-scaled talon; being bitten by his extra set of jaws that snap out of his mouth; being chomped on by his elongated, nasty-looking primary head; or being fried by his concentrated acid for blood. Ladies and gents, we introduce the one and only Alien/Aliens Xenomorph (and we'll pretend we've never heard of his relatives in the inferior sequels and spinoffs).
This PG-rated family film stars cute CGI aliens such as Sparks, a geeky, four-armed creature who helps the kids battle the baddie aliens and looks a lot like a cross between E.T. and one of the aliens from Galaxy Quest!
The most loveable alien in cinema history caused all sorts of commotion when he arrived on the scene in 1982. He and his buddy Elliot made a catch phrase of "phone home," adorned numerous cool, collectible Pizza Hut glasses, and caused stock in Reese's Pieces to skyrocket. Best of all, this little alien with the golden touch pushed Steven Spielberg to create his most personal film to date.
One of the most hilarious, genuinely affectionate spoofs of the sci-fi alien genre is Galaxy Quest, starring Tim Allen, Avatar's Sigourney Weaver and more as cast members of a fictional TV show who are mistaken by aliens for real space adventureres. We're somewhat dubious of extra-terrestrials who don't do their fact checking, but these Thermian aliens are too earnest to be ignored.
A peaceful alien planet faces destruction when it's invaded by a human colony...now introducing a sci-fi extravaganza called Ava..er, Battle for Terra. We're assuming the copyright holders on this one will be keeping a close eye on the upcoming blockbuster.
Pre-E.T., Steven Spielberg began his fascination with aliens with this 1977 hit where we got to (briefly) see this classic movie version of an alien that has influenced so many others that came after it.
Spielberg seemed to dig out his old alien creature from Close Encounters..., add an oblong (crystal) skull to it and call it 'new' for the 2008 release of Indy's latest adventure that some say 'Nuked the Fridge.'
While many people have recently been comparing the 2008 animated movie Delgo to Avatar, we think this original tale of an alien who tries to protect his world from conflict and keep the peace...oh, wait, nevermind...Battle for Terra and Delgo fans, unite!
Who's got the cocktail sauce?! The derogatory-termed 'Prawns' from Neill Blomkamp's 2009 sci-fi sleeper hit aren't that cute but they rival humans in their intelligence and biotechnology weaponry. Just don't mistakenly mix your DNA with theirs or the government will try to hunt you down!
He's one ugly alien. But by the time all's said and done, Louis Gosset Jr.'s "Jerry" Shigan is not only an extraterrestrial a human being can warm up to, he's a former enemey who inspires spaceman Dennis Quaid to overcome his interstellar racism and look after Jerry's son as if he were his own. Another neat trick: Jerry is able to become pregnant all by himself.
Han shot first! When we first meet him in the creature cantina confronting Han Solo, we know his days are numbered. And even though the new version of the movie has Greedo shooting first, we all know the truth -- you don't mess with Han!
While George Lucas is known for creating the Star Wars universe and helping to bring some of the most beloved alien creatures to life on film, he also was behind this gem of a movie! It's about a sarcastic, humanoid, cigar-smoking duck brought to earth and paired in an adventure with a singer played by Lea Thompson! And it takes place in Cleveland! -- Awesome!
Those crafty buggers from ID4 fly a mean alien space craft, and their beady eyes and oblong heads may be intimidating, but with the help of ace pilot Will Smith, President Bill Pullman, and a wise-cracking Harry Connick Jr., all should be well. Go Team Earth!
Basically a giant commercial for McDonald's and Coca-Cola, this 1988 flop was trying to capitalize on the success of E.T. just a few years before. About a Mysterious Alien Creature (MAC) who lands on earth and befriends a little boy - really?!
Truly underrated in Tim Burton's canon of moviemaking is the gleefully warped Mars Attacks! Jack Nicholson as the oblivious President, Martin Short as his morally questionable press secretary, Tom Jones as Tom Jones - what's not to love? Plus, it features kooky Martians doing what kooky Martians do - attacking!
Although there are a lot of aliens to choose from Men in Black and its sequel, one of our favorites are the Worm Guys. They sit around, crack jokes and hang out at headquarters all day having fun. That's a nice alien life if you can get it!
Voiced by "The Office's" Rainn Wilson, the evil alien in Monsters vs. Aliens is after the mysterious element quantonium to conquer the world but is defeated by a rag-tag group of monsters led by a giant Reese Witherspoon. We've seen Legally Blonde - she is a monster!
If your loved ones are too little to handle the all-sensory engaging spectacle that is Avatar in IMAX 3D, a nice substitute is Planet 51, a charming little movie about some eye-pleasing green aliens on a peaceful planet whose only problem is a human astronaut named Chuck.
How bad@## is the Predator? Well, in the first movie alone, this dreadlock-sporting head hunter takes on Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, Carl 'Apollo Creed' Weathers, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and almost comes out on top. While no alien is going to outmuscle Ah-nuld in his '80s prime, we give points to this super cool alien for at least giving it the college try.
Sometimes cited as the worst feature film based on a Saturday Night Live sketch, (although, It's Pat: The Movie, Stuart Saves His Family and Superstar do give it a good run for its money), this 1993 contender was a bit past its' prime as the original sketch it was based on was popular over 10 years beforehand. That didn't stop Beldar and Prymatt from making it to the big screen.
A beautiful blonde female/alien hybrid lures you into a hottub and then turns into an alien and kills you if you're not the right mate for her -- reminds us of a certain dream we've had. The gorgeous Natasha Henstridge stars as the human form of Sil in this campy 1995 horror/sci-fi movie.
It's Paul 'Basic Instinct' Verhoeven in space, so you know right away that whatever the xenomorhph, he, she or it is going to be big, bad and extremely violent. So it is with the Kendathu bug alien, a species that lays waste to plenty of intergalactic jarheads, but hopefully not to our heroes Casper Van Dien and a young, fit Denise Richards.
Resistance is futile...but if you'd like to try, hey, we're always interested to see the Queen Borg take down one more terrestrial being in her pursuit of perfecting her species' interconnected collective. While the Star Trek: First Contact supreme alien is a bit icky and sticky, and we value individuality in our neck of the universe, we still find her oddly appealing and even a little bit sexy.
Who can forget the water-shifting N.T.I. (that's Non Terrestrial Intelligence) from James Cameron's The Abyss? Back when Avatar was still a figment yet configured in Cameron's imagination, the guy still came up with a technological innovation in the underwater N.T.I.'s, who could manipulate H20 to move here and there, and could even reflect back striking facsimilies of Ed Harris's and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio's facial features.
Eek! It's The Blob! Originally looking like a hot batch of melting tar in the Steve McQueen '50s cult classic, The Blobster made a return in the '80s cult classic starring Kevin Smith and Saw perennial Shawnee Smith. This time, he'd upgraded his look with a couple of new color tones.
The leader of the autobots, Optimus looks more like a robot than an alien although they are technically from outer space and 'alien' to our world. Being an alien that is able to transform into a big rig truck does have its' advantages; such as hauling goods and services over long distances, and honking your horn really loudly at passing motorists!
You never get a real clear shot of the alien tripods in War of the Worlds, but by the look of the eviscerating they exact on everything in their path, that's probably just as well. Due to the film's uncanny effects and that crazy zap sound on the soundtrack, plus the looks of godawful fear on Tom Cruise's and Dakota Fanning's faces, we find the tripods highly memorable.
Quite possibly the scariest aliens of all are the ones that would star in a movie with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson! Don't they know that he was in Walking Tall and Doom!
Which Movie Aliens do you like? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Get the 8-Film Tom Cruise Bundle for $20 when you buy a ticket to DIGGER!
Limited time offer. Log in to your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app and purchase, between 12:01am PT on 9/23/26 and 11:59pm PT on 10/12/26, at least one (1) movie ticket to ‘DIGGER’. You will receive a post-purchase email containing one (1) Fandango Stream Promotional Code (“Code”) that is good for the purchase (and not the rental) of the 8-Film Tom Cruise Bundle for $20 in My Offers in your account on http://stream.fandango.com and via participating Fandango Stream apps. You must have, and be logged into, your Fandango account to receive and redeem a Code. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. Code expires on (and must be used by) 10/15/26 at 11:59pm PT. Limit one (1) per transaction. You may have to pay taxes additionally. One-time use only. Void where prohibited. If lost or stolen, cannot be replaced. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value, except as required by law. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Offer valid in the U.S. only (excluding U.S. territories and where prohibited by law). Credit card may be required for transactions on stream.fandango.com. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer and redemption of the Code are subject to Fandango’s Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies.
See it in RealD 3D and get $5 off a ticket with code MAKEMEMORIES.
*Limited time offer. While supplies last. There is a limited quantity of Code redemptions allowed in this promotion. Log in to your Fandango account on Fandango.com or via the Fandango app between 9/8/26 and 10/11/26, purchase at least one (1) RealD 3D ticket to see ‘Forgotten Island’, and enter the Fandango promotional code MAKEMEMORIES (“Code”) to get up to $5 off your purchase. Code expires, and can no longer be used, if not redeemed by 10/11/26, or when the limit of Code redemptions is reached, or when ‘Forgotten Island’ is no longer available in RealD 3D theaters, whichever comes first. Code must be entered at checkout. Only valid for purchase of movie tickets made at Fandango.com or via the Fandango app and cannot be redeemed directly at any theater box office. You must have, and be logged into, a Fandango account to redeem the Code on Fandango. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. If cost of movie ticket and associated fees and charges is more than Code’s maximum discount, then you must pay the difference. Any price difference between total transaction price and Code’s maximum discount will not be refunded. Void where prohibited. Non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value, except as required by law. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Offer valid in the U.S. only (excluding U.S. territories and where prohibited by law). You may have to pay taxes additionally. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer and redemption of the Code are subject to Fandango's Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies.
Buy a ticket to Heart of the Beast, get one free (equal or lesser price, up to $15 total ticket price and fees) with code HEARTBOGO
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Share the fun of seeing WWE Money In The Bank on the big screen!
Limited time offer. Purchase $50.00 or more worth of Fandango gift card(s) in a single transaction on Fandango.com between 12:01am PT on 9/10/2026 and 11:59pm PT on 9/30/2026. At checkout, enter the promo code SEPT26 (“Code”) to receive 10% off your purchase. Code must be entered at checkout to receive discount. Maximum $50.00 discount off a single transaction. No cash value, except as required by law. Non-transferable. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Void where prohibited. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer and the redemption of the Code are subject to Fandango’s Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at www.fandango.com/Terms-and-Policies.
Get the Whalebucket Bundle and receive one movie ticket to Whalefall, a Whale Popcorn Bucket, plus the first chapter of the bestselling book Whalefall!
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Get 1 free ticket instantly when you join FanClub with your Other Mommy ticket order.
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Buy a ticket to Beware Boiúna, get the Creature Feature 25-Film Collection for $15
Limited time offer. Log in to your Fandango account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app and purchase, between 6am PT on 9/23/26 and 11:59pm PT on 11/2/26, at least one (1) movie ticket to ‘Beware Boiúna’. Purchaser will receive a post-purchase email containing one (1) Fandango Stream Promotional Code (“Code”) that is good for the purchase (and not the rental) of the Creature Feature 25-Film Collection for $15 in My Offers in your account on http://stream.fandango.com and via participating Fandango Stream apps. You must have, and be logged into, your Fandango account to receive and redeem a Code. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. Code expires on (and must be used by) 11/5/26 at 11:59pm PT. Limit one (1) per transaction. You may have to pay taxes additionally. One-time use only. Void where prohibited. If lost or stolen, cannot be replaced. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value, except as required by law. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Offer valid in the U.S. only (excluding U.S. territories and where prohibited by law). Credit card may be required for transactions on stream.fandango.com. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer and redemption of the Code are subject to Fandango’s Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies.
The story doesn’t have to end when the credits roll. Get two months of Audible free when you buy a ticket to Verity.
Limited time offer. While supplies last. Log in to your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app between 9:00am PT on 9/4/26 and 11:59pm PT on 10/23/26 and purchase at least one (1) ticket to see ‘Verity’ at a participating Fandango theater. Purchaser will receive a post-purchase email containing one (1) Audible Promotional Link (“Link”) that is good for a 2-month Audible free trial with sign-up for a paid Audible subscription. Link expires, and must be redeemed by, 11:59pm PT on 10/24/27. This offer is not available to existing Audible members, those who cancelled their Audible membership less than 6 months ago, or those already participating in an Audible free trial. You will receive a 2-month Audible free trial that allows you to select one (1) audiobook each month from our entire collection as part of the Audible Standard Membership plan. You may listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you maintain an Audible Standard membership. At the end of your free trial, your membership will continue until cancelled at the then current full price (currently, $8.99/mo. + applicable tax) with your designated credit card or another available card on file. Cancel anytime by visiting your Account Details page on Audible. Unused monthly selections do not roll over to the next month. Audible reserves the right to modify or cancel the offer at any time. If you violate any of these terms, the offer will be invalid. Link is one time use only. Limit one Link redemption per Audible account. You must have, and be logged into, your Fandango account to receive a Link. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer is subject to Fandango's terms and policies, at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies. Redemption of the Link and the Audible subscription are subject to Audible's conditions of use at https://www.audible.com/legal/conditions-of-use.
