Aliens In Movies
Aliens have come in peace and in search of war. Some we love, some we hate. Whatever your feelings towards them, they are hard to ignore and aren’t easy to forget.
Aliens
have come in peace and in search of war. Some we love, some we hate. Whatever
your feelings towards them, they are hard to ignore and aren’t easy to forget. So
while John Carter is prancing around
on Mars and Matthijs
van Heijningen Jr.’s remake of The Thing is released on DVD this week, Filmjuice takes a trip to
all corners of the universe to unveil the best movie Aliens to ever grace the
big screen.
The idea of
Aliens has existed since the early 1900s and, despite knowing little about
them, in film they have come to resemble all shapes and forms – but that is the
beauty of Science Fiction, the possibilities are endless.
Superman
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its
one of the greatest cultural icons ever. Although Superman may not be the first
thing you think of when you think of an alien (because of his human like
appearance and devotion to Earth), you can’t deny that he is one powerful dude.
Whether it be in comic books or on film, Clark Kent is an alien constantly
striving for justice whilst trying to maintain an ordinary life. From grandiose
to humble beginnings Kal-El has had many different incarnations and portrayers.
For many though Christopher Reeve still is the one true iconic Superman.
The first time he pulled on those red pants solidified him in movie history and
sold a million t-shirts.
Draags/Oms,
Fantastic Planet
Rene Laloux’s
Fantastic Planet is one of the most bat-crazy animated films ever made.
Released in 1973, this Sci-Fi film about a distant planet, where giant aliens,
the Draags, live amongst the miniature human-like Oms. The planet known as
Ygam, is home to two types of Oms; domesticated and savage. Those that have
been domesticated are treated as pets by the Draags and are forced to perform
for the Draags entertainment. However, the Savage Oms are feared by Draags as
the prospect of war between the two species grows ever more likely. Many
believe that the film is a metaphor for the Soviet occupation of
Czechoslovakia, or even the cold war in general. Whatever it means, it’s one
weird film. The psychedelic soundtrack by Alain
Goraguer earned it a fanbase amongst certain substance takers. Plus the
countless amounts of bombastic and wonderful creatures that appear throughout
make Fantastic Planet a very original and must see film.
Pizza
Planet Aliens, Toy Story
‘OOOOOOOOH’ Yes, probably the funniest
Aliens on the list come straight from Pizza Planet. After oblivious beginnings
where they worshipped ‘The Claw’ to their affection towards the Potato Head
family, The Aliens are one of the most enjoyable supporting characters from the
Toy Story trilogy. Their crowning moment came in Toy Story 3, when it looked
like the end was near for Woody and co, the aliens along with their trusty
former mechanical master, managed to save the day to the delight of everyone
whose ever seen the film.
Martians,
Mars Attacks
Easily the most explicitly violent
Aliens in the top 10, the Martians from Mars wreaked havoc on Earth in 1996 and
it was never so much fun. Tim Burton’s Sci-fi comedy may have gotten
mixed receptions from the critics but fans of the B-movies that it paid homage
to lapped it up. As for the Aliens, their distaste for peace and weakness to
country music make them memorable extra-terrestrials. While they ruined the
world and killed millions let’s not forget the good that they did; like turning
Sarah Jessica Parker into a dog!
Klaatu,
The Day the Earth Stood Still
No this isn’t Keanu Reeves, but Michael
Rennie’s brilliant performance as Kalaatu in the original 1951 classic. The
Day the Earth Stood Still is widely regarded as one of the first Sci-fi films
with a strong morale and for many remains one of the great Sci-fi films. Along
with his giant robot, Gort, Klaatu visits Earth to warn us of our impending
doom at our own hands. Our penchant for war and atomic power has caused us not
to only be a harm to ourselves but also other planets. If we do not relinquish
our weapons Klaatu will be forced to unleash the indestructible Gort upon us.
Although his tactics might be questionable, Klaatu’s moral compass cannot be
doubted.
Monoliths,
2001 A Space Odyssey
For a film that explores the vastness
and the unknown quantities of space, you’d think it would have some little
green men in running around there somewhere. Except that’s exactly what Stanley
Kubrick didn’t want with 2001. His vision of a complex and super-intelligent
race that had ascended beyond a biological state, manifested itself into the
ominous Monoliths. These large, black, featureless slabs are capable of taking
and creating life at whatever rate they please. Their appearance is the
realisation that knowledge needs no emotions and is perfect for a film where
awe and wonder take centre stage. Nothing has ever been seen like them since.
The
Borg, Star Trek: First Contact
The Borg are an alien race that go a
bit beyond your stereotypical ‘aliens hungry for space’ domination. These
organic cyborgs are the scariest and most bad-ass things to ever come out of
the Star Trek universe. Their depiction, in arguably the best Star Trek film, First
Contact, is of a fearless and superior race whose way of life is far greater
than anything that has come before. Their unemotional exterior can intimidate
any member of the Starship Enterprise and their mission of absolute
assimilation is at times unstoppable. Try and stand up to the Borg and they
will easily brush you aside. After all ‘Resistance is futile’.
The
Thing, The Thing
John Carpenter’s The
Thing is by no means an original film. It was a remake of the 1951 film The
Thing from Another World and was actually an adaptation of the John W.
Campbell Jr novel Who Goes There? Yet the most memorable feature of The
Thing was what John Carpenter instigated. The spectacular visual effects and
make up are both exhilarating and horrific. As The Thing infests itself into
its unsuspecting victims it becomes a chaotic, shape shifting, surreal monster
that destroys anything in its path. Every time The Thing reappears it is
completely different to when you last saw it, making the tension ever more
nerve shredding.
Xenomorphs,
Aliens
Originally imagined by artist H.R
Giger, The Alien or Xenomorph has come to resemble the defining evil and
terrifying other worldly being. Over six films they have been represented in
many different ways. From it being a horror antagonist (Alien), unrelenting
army (Aliens) or downright ridiculous (Alien vs. Predator) the Xenomorphs
remain a beloved Sci-fi icon. Their crowning moment is still from their first
outing when they first encounter their human nemesis, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley.
They will always work best as a lone stalker, hunting its prey in the shadows.
Or better still as a miniature chest buster. Fingers crossed that they turn up
in the much-anticipated Prometheus.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
E.T is the quintessential on screen
alien. Whilst we like to remember the evil, murderous beings, E.T is probably
the closest to what we will ever understand an alien to be like. They don’t
have to come from a galaxy far, far away or be invisible predators, they could
just be as clueless and curious as anyone. They might be able to make us laugh
and go for a few pints or occasionally just amaze us. E.T does all of those
things and appeals to everyone no matter how cynical or detached they are. He’s
loved by generation after generation of geeks and families worldwide. And let’s
not forget the wonders it probably did for telephone companies. Steven
Spielberg’s best film still holds up today despite 2012 marking its 30th
birthday. It still raises a smile and plucks at those heart strings. Never sold
out or over produced, E.T has to be the best movie alien because no one has
even come close to surpassing his legacy. And while he is from a world that we
will never know or understand he, like all of us at times, just wants to go
home.
