Page 37 - 2011 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - March 2011
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Top 15 Alien Invasion Movies Top 15 Alien Invasion Movies Continued from Page 36 4. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott’s iconic tale about aliens invading a spacecraft, starring the unplugged Sigourney Weaver. So the aliens didn’t invade earth, but the horror they caused when breaching this ship is considered cinematic legend. Not much else needs to be said except if one hasn’t seen this, grab it! Scene of alien awesomeness: Duh, the alien coming out of a human’s stomach! 3.Aliens (1986) Yep, we feel the Oscar-nominated sequel in a variety of categories, trumps the first installment. Having said that, these two spots are interchangeable. James Cameron took the helm on the sequel, as the Ripley character (Weaver) is asked to lead a team of commandos back to the planet where she barely escaped from. That planet is now inhabited by humans, but communication has been lost. Guess who survived? Scene of alien awesomeness: It just happens to be one of the featured clips on the IMDb.com page for this title. The taskforce is trying to outrun the aliens via an armored car, but the creature is intensely persistent and ravages a few victims. 2. Independence Day (1996) It’s rare when an alien invasion movie can find the perfect balance to please all audiences. This flick may have not received enough critical love (but I wasn’t reviewing yet haha) to warrant such a high ranking. What does validate its position on this list, is the replay value this story has. The special-effects were Oscar-esque. The performances effortlessly paced this flick nicely. Keeping the audience engaged the entire duration is no easy task in this genre, yet they managed to do it. This spectacle is modern alien blockbuster blueprint many have tried to emulate. Scene of alien awesomeness: The city- sized craft hovers over the white house and the laser beam disintegrates history. (And for the record, I expect to get heat from this one on the comment boards) 1. Close Encounters of a Third Kind (1977) An alien invasion flick like no other. You know how some people say that a boxer is “pound-for-pound” the best in the world. Well at the time this flick was made, this deserved a similar labeling. This is not your typical war- like script as featured in the majority of the other ranked films. It is more existential piece, seeing how one would react when aliens invade (enter the Earth’s atmosphere in this case). Some say this is Steven Spielberg’s best work. Intelligently shot and scripted, this is one of the most provocative alien flicks in the history of cinema. Scene of alien awesomeness: Two words…Flying saucers. And mashed potatoes. Rent... Watch... Enjoy! []
