Moviegoers are suckers foralien invasion flicks, this writer included. They’re the ultimate mashup of genres. They’re sci-fi because of the whole creatures from outer space aspect, they’re horror because those creatures are so creepy looking and unknowable, and they’re also great thrillers because they like to blow shit up so much. The latest alien versus humans matchup that has everyone talking isBrian Duffield’s fantasticNo One Will Save You. Spoiler alert: the aliens there aren’t so nice, butwithout giving it away, they do have a kinder moment at the end. So why are they always wanting to kill us? Are we really all that bad? Our self-esteem could really use more movies where aliens come to Earth and like us for once.
Why Do Aliens in Movies Always Want To Kill Us & Take Over Our Planet?
Just like a coming-of-age film, a rom-com, a sports movie, or a slasher, alien invasion flicks follow the same simple formula. We first meet our heroes, made both of commoners and the military and/or politicians, weird sightings and incidents occur, and then, blammo, the next thing you know spaceships are blowing up the White House. That, of course, is fromRoland Emmerich’sIndependence Day. Turns out they want to kill us all and take our stuff. Not cool. For the first time ever all humans across the globe unite to vanquish our enemy.
Bad guy aliens are always wanting to take our stuff. If not, it’s the land itself they want. In every version ofWar of the Worlds, the aliens want Earth for their own, but we attack them with the best weapon we’ve got: our germs. Our disgustingness is no match for them, and they quickly die off when they attempt to exist in our air. Take that! Then there’sSigns, fromM. Night Shyamalan. These little green dudes come to Earth and attack us, only to find out that they’re allergic to water. You think they would’ve known that before invading a planet that’s three-quarters liquid. Perhaps thefunniest alien invasion movie,Tim Burton’sMars Attacks!, might be filled with laughs, but its creepy little Martians aren’t so good either. They seem to come in peace, but then they’re set off by a bird of all things, before blowing it and scores humans to smithereens. Even when aliens had the potential to be nice, they still couldn’t help themselves.
We don’t even have to be invaded for aliens to be bad. The wholeAlienfranchise is about nosy humans going to another planet. Each time we get attacked by some giant bug-like xenomorphs who want to make babies with us (and not in a fun way), but still we never learn our lesson. Just because we call those nasty spider things face huggers doesn’t mean those “hugs” are good.
Having the Aliens Be Nice in Movies Does Take Away From the Conflict
So why does almost everyalien invasion moviehave them being the villains? It’s because of what they represent. Aliens are the unknown. We can’t understand them, so we naturally fear them. An alien invasion is like an infection. Even if the aliens mean no harm, would you want some stranger just walking into your house to say hi?
Perhaps we don’t get more nice alien movies simply because it’s so unrealistic. There is an often-used quote about the possibility of extra-terrestrial life that goes something like, “The greatest proof that there is intelligent life out there is the fact that they haven’t visited Earth.” That saying admits that we’re a bit of a mess and wouldn’t react so kindly. We have a bit of a bad rap. Earthlings are just a little paranoid and like to shoot first and ask questions later. You know that if aliens truly did visit Earth, whichever country they landed in would certainly start pumping the spaceships full of every weaponry at hand before the aliens ever let their intentions be known.
The biggest reason nice alien movies rarely work is simply because of the lack of conflict. If they’re nice, where is the story? It’s easy to find drama and tension in a man vs. alien story. It writes itself. Ugly aliens come down, they attack, we defend, we win, the end. What is there to do when an alien comes in peace?
This Movie Holds the Box Office Record for Most Weeks at #1
One film, more than any other, spent half a year in theaters capturing our imagination.
When Have Aliens Been Good in Movies?
That doesn’t mean movies with nice aliens can’t be done. The most obvious example is the coming-of-age masterpiece about a boy and his little alien called, say it with me now…Mac and Me! Okay, maybe it’s not the best example, but still, it is one. In this film, a small group of aliens are on their planet minding their own business when they’re accidentally brought to Earth. The rest of the plot involves a boy and his family trying to save them from meddling humans. Of course, this is a hilariously bad rip-off ofSteven Spielberg’sE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. There, our hero alien is part of a group of aliens who land on Earth, only for him to accidentally be left behind. Yet again, another young boy and his family have to save him from the humans who mean him harm. The conflict is found not in the aliens, but in ourselves. Man is the enemy.
Man is the enemy inPaulas well, withSeth Rogenvoicing the titular spaceman. It might be a more comedic parody, but still, it involves good humans saving alien Paul from the bad ones, while he also gets really high. Not all nice alien films follow the same “rescue an alien from the bad humans” plot. Some go for a deeper message. Both versions ofThe Day the Earth Stood Stillhad the aliens not minding their own business by coming down to warn us that we’re on a path to doom. Yeah, we already know that, but thanks. Thealiens fromNeil Blomkamp’sDistrict 9are a source of pity and social awareness, as they’re discovered as sickly creatures needing help. We put them into camps and treat them like so many human refugees are treated. The aliens inArrivalcome looking for help too. They want to help us now because they can see a future where they will need help as well.
We will always have alien movies with creepy little buggers invading Earth and trying to wipe us all out. Those shouldn’t go away. Even the most mediocre of them are fun. Still, we could use some equal representation for the nicer aliens.No One Will Save Youhinted at that. Perhaps it will lead to a wave of nice alien movies. Let’s start withMac and Me Part 2!
