Half of the American population believes in the existence of aliens. Of that group, 20% believe in abductions and UFOs.
A lot of the people on our team count themselves among believers and for them, there’s nothing quite as spooky as the prospect of an invasion.
Spaceships destroying the white house, blowing up our friends, abducting our pets… The thought of that is downright spooky.
What’s even scarier is that “invasions” don’t necessarily have to come from outer space. They can come from the earth in the way of giant insects or from the sky in the way of thousands of angry birds.
Don’t believe us?
Check out this list of invasion movies and see for yourself just how vulnerable humanity is!
Contents
1. 10 Cloverfield Lane
Invasion movies had been in a rut for years… Then 10 Cloverfield Lane came along.
This film (which features a terrific performance by John Goodman) follows a young girl who wakes up in a fallout shelter. The owner of the shelter claims that he brought her there to save her from an alien invasion that’s underway.
The girl isn’t so convinced.
Throughout the movie, she does her best to break out of the shelter to learn what’s really going on outside.
2. Mars Attacks
This is one of the more corny invasion movies out there but despite its loose premise, we love it for the awesome sensibilities Tim Burton brings to the project.
Mars attacks features a lot of great laughs and some classic Burton imagery which is ultimately what makes this movie one to remember.
PS: You can’t unsee the image of that lady whose head gets spliced onto the body of a Chihuahua…
3. Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow is based on a comic book and features all-star performances from Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.
The movie is one of the more high-concept invasion movies you can watch and does an incredible job of getting the most out of its unique premise.
In the film, Tom Cruise is fighting alongside the world’s army as they work to fend off a seemingly unbeatable alien race. During one of his first fights, Tom is killed but swallows a special kind of alien blood in the process which makes it so whenever he dies, he wakes back up where he started the day.
He eventually uses this unique gift to discover the alien’s weaknesses.
4. Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is an awesome invasion movie that features giant, scary bugs instead of traditional aliens.
In the film, 3 friends find themselves graduating high school and exercising their expertise in different ways to help earth’s efforts in quelling an invasion. The film’s CGI was well ahead of its time and this hit film from the ’90s holds up well today.
While the idea of bugs taking over earth is definitely a scary prospect, on the bright side, if the events in Starship Troopers were to ever come to pass there would be no shortage of insect control business opportunities.
Here’s to looking on the bright side of things!
5. The Birds
Birds creep most of the people on our team out. Movies about them invading humanity and violently tearing people to pieces definitely doesn’t do much to help their image.
Enter Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic, The Birds.
The Birds follows a socialite from San Fransisco who moves to a nearby town with a lover. There, they’re exposed to bizarre and deadly behaviors from the local avian population.
It’s been said that some actors on set were actually pecked and injured during the filming of this project.
6. The Wasp Woman
Whenever something happens in invasion movies, usually the government is to blame. That’s not the case in The Wasp Woman.
In this invasion flick, a lady tries out a new cosmetic brand that turns her into a giant, man-eating wasp that invades cities to… well… eat men.
We love this movie because it perfectly embodies that cheesy, 1950’s horror-feel so many of us love. We think you’ll love it too!
7. Signs
M. Night Shyamalan is at peak form with the 2002 film signs. The movie stars Mel Gibson and follows him as he deals with the death of his wife and an impending alien invasion.
Signs really shines through when its twist ending comes to pass (which we won’t spoil). All we’ll say is that everything happens for a reason in the film and serves to assist the main characters in the movie’s climax.
8. War Of The Worlds (2005)
If you can get past a rather annoying performance from Dakota Fanning, Steven Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation of H.G. Well’s “War of the World’s” is something to behold.
Outstanding effects, impressive performances, and Spielberg’s confident hand all work to create a world in the film of every day, working-class people who are reeling from the confusion and fear of their impending doom.
Chances are you’ve already seen this invasion movies mainstream hit. If you haven’t for whatever reason, stop what you’re doing and go watch it.
Wrapping Up Invasion Movies That Will Change the Way You Look at Things
From killer bugs to vicious aliens to angry birds, the invasion movies above are sure to change the way you look at seemingly harmless things and the universe around you.
We’re confident that any one of the movies on our list will make for a fantastic Saturday night viewing party. So, grab some friends and have a blast!
If you’re looking for more awesome content on everything film-related, you’re going to want to check out more of our write-ups on Funny Action Movies today.
Your ability to hold down a decent movie conversation depends on it!