Alien Invasion Movies

One of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's pre-Seventh Voyage of Sinbad efforts, 20 Million Miles to Earth borrows a few pages from King Kong. An American spaceship crashlands off the coast of Sicily. The rescue party discovers that the astronauts have inadvertently brought back a curious gelatinous mass from the planet Venus. This lump of goo rapidly evolves into be a living reptilian creature, which scientists label an "Ymir". While being subjected to laboratory experimentation, the Ymir begins growing by leaps and bounds, and before long the gigantic monstrosity has escaped and is wreaking havoc in Rome. After battling a zoo elephant and taking a swim in the Tiber, the gargantuan creature holes up in the Colosseum, where the film's pyrotechnic finale occurs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An teenage orphan and an intergalactic warrior join forces to prevent the world from being taken over by a ruthless race of aliens plotting to enslave mankind in this sci-fi action movie starring Mark Dacascos and Billy Zane. Rykker (Dacascos) is a benevolent alien who has become trapped on planet Earth. He's made it his mission to protect the human race from the evil Syndicate - an alien fifth column that is determined to claim Earth as their own. In the aftermath of a fierce highway battle between Rykker and a particularly troublesome gang of Syndicate agents, top Syndicate leader Saylon (Zane) arrives on Earth to construct the wormhole that will allow his warriors to launch a full-scale invasion. But in order to make that happen, ruthless Syndicate heavy Isis (Amelia Cook) must first gather the parts needed to assemble the portal. Upon hijacking a truck that is transporting the parts she needs, Isis makes the fatal mistake of murdering Julie (Emma Lahana)'s entire family. Now suddenly left alone in the world and determined to make Isis pay for her transgression, Julie teams with Rykker to take out the Syndicate at the highest level. But while Rykker doesn't believe that a human can help in the fight against such powerful otherworldly forces, Julie ultimately proves her worth by saving his life. Later, after a hair-raising cross country battle against Syndicate assassins, Rykker and Julie face off against Saylon and Isis in the volatile nuclear reactor where Saylon is constructing his interplanetary wormhole. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Los Angeles cowboys battle invading extraterrestrials after all Earth's major cities get wiped off the map. In the past, U.F.O. sightings were rare. But when mankind grew cynical, the aliens caught us off guard. Now, as flying saucers descend from the skies to launch a surprise attack, it begins to look as if humanity is doomed. Fortunately for all of mankind, a hard-charging group of urban cowboys have found a way to fight back -- and they won't stop until the invaders have retreated back to the stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Every elementary school distributes chores that students don't want, like cleaning up the coat room or monitoring the hallways, but Yuri Otani has a chore that gives her real cause for complaint: rounding up aliens. Put on the Anti-Alien Team of her sixth-grade class, Yuri has to wear a special alien on her head to protect her while she battles newly arriving aliens every day. With all of the added danger of being on the Anti-Alien Team, Yuri hopes she at least gets extra credit. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

A handful of cowboys and cowgirls fend off an interstellar attack in this sci-fi-Western hybrid. A platoon of space aliens land in a remote desert, and they set out to enslave the humans they encounter; however, a small band of beautiful women are determined to stop the space creatures with a little help from an old cowhand who has a way with the whip. Alien Outlaw features appearances from Western movie stalwarts Lash LaRue and Sunset Carson, as well as fitness trainer Kari Anderson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this sci-fi thriller, huge alien spaceships from another galaxy circle the earth as UFO expert Edgar Chambers (Hoke Howell) tries to figure out who these visitors are -- and what they might want. As Sheriff Nate Bridges (Charles Napier) and his deputies are transporting prisoners to another jail, the aliens begin their attack, and they happen upon Chambers as they search for a safe haven. The men take cover in a cave, only to learn that chance has guided them to the nerve center of the aliens' elaborate plan to take over the Earth. Alien Species also features Jodi Seronick, Ashley Semrick, and Kurt Paul. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Alien Uprising pays homage to the mother of all monster-in-outer-space sci-fi epics, Alien. Directed by Andre Bellware, the story opens with a group of marines sent to suppress a riot at a prison space-colony. When they get there, they find scenes of carnage caused not by rioting prisoners, but by a mutant creature that is still on board the ship -- and it's up to Lt. Louise Dunn (Rebecca Kush) to lead the marines and prison survivors to safety. ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi

The ships have landed and the extraterrestrials are on the rampage in this collection of the most terrifying sci-fi clips in Full Moon history. There's no place to hide from the violent onslaught of intergalactic horror, and as an army of evil aliens wreck havoc from Angel City to the desert wastelands, it's up to Jack Deth, Paul Dean, Zack Stone, and Bradbury to ensure the survival of the human race. With scenes directed by such Full Moon mainstays as Charles Band and Albert Band, and an all-star cast including Jeffrey Combs, Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Julie Newmar, Bill Moseley, and George Takei, sci-fi fanatics are in for an out-of-this-world treat. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Originally released under the title Midnight Movie Massacre, director Mark Stock's Attack From Mars pits a desperate band of moviegoers against a terrifying horde of space vampires from Mars. As a group of 1950 science fiction-loving teens munch on popcorn, a UFO descends, unleashing a fearsome plague of extraterrestrial bloodsuckers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This made-for-cable remake of the cult favorite 1957 film of the same name is updated with an even more feminist slant and has a more thoughtful (and clever) script. Nancy Archer (Darryl Hannah) is a rich but troubled young woman married to a cheating lowlife who only stays with her for her money. She is driving home by herself one night when an alien spaceship lands on the road. She is irradiated by the ship and over the next few days starts to grow taller and taller, until she reaches a height of 50 feet. She uses her newfound height (and power) to take revenge on those who have wronged her -- especially husband Harry (Daniel Baldwin) and the trashy, gold-digging bimbo (Christi Conaway) he has taken up with. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi

Extraterrestrial fast-food franchisers come to earth to pick up food supplies-in this case, human flesh. After wiping out a few small towns, the aliens must contend with a team of government assassins, headed by Pete O'Herne. As the plot rolls on, O'Herne's crew is decimated in as gory a manner as possible, and innocent bystander Craig Smith ends up being marinated (and a darned good job it is). Turns out that the space folks are running on a timetable; they've got to return to their home planet with their human-hash cargo before a rival franchise puts them out of business. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This big-budget science fiction adventure centers on a final battle between good and evil for control of the world. In the year 3000, Earth is ruled by the Psyclos, a vicious alien race of which Terl (John Travolta) is a member, that has laid waste to the planet, killed the majority of the population, and stripped Earth of its valuable resources. Pockets of resistance remain among the surviving humans; Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler (Barry Pepper) is one such rebel, living in hiding in the mountains near Boulder, CO. Eventually, Johnny begins organizing like-minded humans for a final stand against the Psyclos. The film is based on the novel by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction author also known as the founder of the Church of Scientology; it covers only the first half of the book, saving the remainder for a possible sequel. Battlefield Earth also stars Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, and Kelly Preston. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Heroic Ben breaks away from Kevin, Gwen, and Max, forging a new partnership with a mysterious outsider in an attempt to prevent a powerful alien swarm from taking over the planet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi