Disaster movie A Quiet Place: Day One, which has recently been released in Ukraine and worldwide, perfectly combines silent intimacy and suspense with the scale of an action movie about an alien invasion, a personal tragedy and a universal tragedy. If, like us, you wanted to watch other alien invasion fantasies against the backdrop of the new film, here is a small selection of such films. Among them are both high-profile action movies and quiet but frightening films from different years. Attention: a lot of classics.

 

A Quiet Place

Year of release 2018
IMDB rating 7,5/10
Director John Krasinski

We just couldn’t leave out the original A Quiet Place in this selection. People don’t often think about how much noise they generate every minute. But what if you imagine that your life, the lives of your loved ones, and the lives of your species as a whole depend on maintaining silence? This is the situation in which the main and secondary characters of A Quiet Place find themselves. Aggressive aliens have arrived on Earth, they are blind, but they hear very well and react to sound instantly, so humanity has to learn to live in complete silence.

The movie centers on the Abbott family as they try to survive in this new, deadly world. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt play the parents who are desperate to protect their children, including their eldest daughter, who is hard of hearing. Sound, and the lack of it, are also important characters in the movie.

The film was highly praised by critics and audiences, grossing over $340 million on a budget of only $17 million. The success of the film led to the creation of the sequel A Quiet Place 2: Part II (2021), and the already mentioned prequel A Quiet Place. Day One” / A Quiet Place: Day One (2024).

 

Cloverfield

Year of release 2008
IMDB rating 7,0/10
Director Matt Reeves

In fact, this movie is called Cloverfield and it opens the trilogy of the Cloverfield Universe. However, the films are rather loosely connected to each other, and they are filmed in very different ways. Now we are talking about Cloverfield (2008) by Matt Reeves.

So, we are looking at New York City at the time of filming. A guy, a resident of this metropolis, gets a new job in Japan. This joyful event is overshadowed by the fact that he is forced to part ways with the girl with whom he has just started a relationship for a long time. Just before leaving, the guy’s friends decide to organize a farewell party for him, which is interrupted by strange ominous sounds of an uninvited guest from other worlds. Panic, destruction, fighting, and survival ensue.

The film was shot in the “found footage” format, which adds atmosphere and realism to the events. “Monstero does not focus on military operations or scientists researching aliens. The invasion is shown here through the eyes of ordinary people caught up in the disaster.

The film was a significant commercial success, grossing over $170 million on a budget of only $25 million.
“Monster spawned two indirect sequels: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), which expanded the film’s universe by adding elements of science fiction and alternate realities.

 

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Year of release 2008
IMDB rating 5,5/10
Director Scott Derrickson

The Earth is visited by aliens whose goal is the complete extermination of humanity, and they justify this by the irresponsible attitude of people to the planet and its resources. However, at the last moment, the environmentally-minded aliens decide to give humanity one more chance, and Klaatu, played by Keanu Reeves, arrives on Earth with the destructive robot Gort. The messenger must convey to people the idea that they need to change their attitude to the planet and to each other in order to avoid destruction. Despite the gravity of the situation, some people are trying to use Klaatu and his technology for their own benefit. So Klaatu will have to deal with humanity’s distrust and hostility, trying to convince them of the importance of change before it’s too late.

The movie is a modernized remake of the classic 1951 science fiction film. The new version focuses on environmental issues and the threat of global warming, while the original film reflected the Cold War and the paranoid attitude towards foreigners inherent in many residents of the United States at the time. By the way, if you like classic Hollywood movies, we recommend watching the classic version. It may seem even more interesting from the point of view of cinematography, which is to some extent confirmed by its high IMDB rating (7.7/10).

 

The Mist

Year of release 2007
IMDB rating 7,1/10
Director Frank Darabont

A small town is enveloped in a mysterious haze inhabited by terrifying creatures. The protagonist, David Drayton, along with his son and neighbors, and other townspeople are forced to hide in a supermarket, but it’s far from peaceful. While deadly creatures lurk outside, panic and conflicts among people are growing inside, which only increases the threat. The conditions for survival are becoming more and more difficult, and David has to fight not only the monsters outside, but also the irrational fears and aggression of those around him.

The Mist is not just a horror movie about aliens or monsters, but also a psychological drama that raises the themes of human nature, mass hysteria, religious fanaticism, and moral choices in extreme situations. The ending of the film is ambiguous and, by the way, differs significantly from the ending of the original story by Stephen King.

 

Edge of Tomorrow

Year of release 2014
IMDB rating 7,9/10
Director Doug Lyman

The plot centers on a “cubicle”, not very courageous officer, Major William Cage, played by Tom Cruise. The film is set in the near future, where the Earth has been invaded by relentless aliens known as “mimics.”

Cage has never been in combat, he’s just a local PR guy, but “orders are orders,” so he has to go to the war zone. He finds himself in the middle of an important military operation against the invaders, and, not surprisingly, dies during the first battle. However, death turns out to be only the beginning. Cage finds himself in a time loop, reliving the same fateful day of battle over and over again. We have a kind of Groundhog Day set against the backdrop of an alien apocalypse, with corresponding thoughts about free will and the human capacity for internal change.

The film received critical acclaim for its original plot, acting by Cruise and Blunt, and visual effects. With a budget of $178 million, the film grossed more than $370 million at the global box office, making it a commercial success.

Edge of Tomorrow is an adaptation of the Japanese ranobe (light novel) All You Need Is Kill. The Japanese original is much more violent and, in our opinion, more interesting than the American film.

 

Annihilation

Year of release 2018
IMDB rating 6,8/10
Director Alex Garland

This sci-fi psychological thriller was directed by Alex Garland and based on the novel of the same name by Jeff Vandermeer, which, in turn, seems to have been inspired by Picnic by the Roadside by the Strugatsky brothers. The film’s path to the audience was not easy: Hollywood producers decided that it was too clever and complex. So we might never have seen this project if it weren’t for Netflix, which bought and released Annihilation on its platform outside the US. And that’s great: the movie turned out to be not only interesting in terms of plot, but also extremely beautiful visually. But Vandermeer’s novel is still deeper and more multifaceted, and it has several sequels.

The story centers on biologist Lina (Natalie Portman), who travels to a mysterious anomaly zone known as The Shining. This area, enveloped by an iridescent barrier resembling a huge soap bubble, was created after a meteorite crash and is constantly expanding. Lina is part of an expedition of five female scientists who are trying to investigate a phenomenon that has already claimed the lives of previous researchers, including the protagonist’s husband. Inside The Shining, the team encounters unexplained mutations of flora and fauna, as well as their own fears and inner demons, which to some extent resonates with Tarkovsky’s Stalker.

Despite its limited release, Annihilation received favorable reviews from audiences and critics for its visual aesthetics, atmosphere, and intellectual depth.

 

War of the Worlds

Year of release 2005
IMDB rating 6,5/10
Director Steven Spielberg

War of the Worlds is a sci-fi thriller directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel of the same name by H.G. Wells (oddly enough, this is only the second full-length adaptation of the 1898 novel). The film stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a divorced dockworker and father of two.

Humanity is mired in everyday problems, so no one immediately notices that an alien threat is approaching the Earth. A huge black cloud appears in the sky over New Jersey, sending lightning through the city, causing a blackout. At the same time, strange marks appear on the surfaces. After a while, fissures appear in the place of these marks, from which three-legged machines emerge, capable of incinerating everything around them. Ray and his children are watching all this. The family miraculously survived and is now trying to get to Boston.

The film turned out to be atmospheric and, as almost always with Spielberg, large-scale. And it is much more interesting than the subsequent adaptations “based on” it. I am pleased that the film focuses not only on universal battles, but also on human drama, in particular on Ray’s relationship with his children in an extreme situation.

By the way, there is a good TV adaptation of The War of the Worlds by the BBC, which was released in 2019 and is much closer to the original novel by H.G. Wells.

 

Independence Day

Year of release 1996
IMDB rating 7,0/10
Director Roland Emmerich

Independence Day can be loved or despised, or even despised and loved at the same time. However, it is a true classic of the genre. This 1996 film received a large number of awards and even more nominations. It also grossed $800 million on a budget of $75 million.

According to the story, in early July, on the eve of the American Independence Day, a huge spacecraft with a diameter of 550 kilometers approaches the Earth, with several dozen smaller craft separating from it… After some simple calculations, it turns out that the area of the main “saucer” is about 237,500 square kilometers, so it can cover, for example, almost the entire United Kingdom or 40 percent of the territory of Ukraine. The weight of the ship is about a quarter of the Moon. And this movie is like that. It’s large-scale and somewhat pretentious. But it is also exciting at the same time.

No philosophy, just a solid heroic action movie, Will Smith as a charismatic pilot, Jeff Goldblum as a brilliant scientist, and Bill Pullman as the US president who personally takes part in the battle against the aliens. And a bunch of large-scale scenes of destruction and epic air battles in a rich patriotic sauce.

Despite a certain naivety of the plot and excessive pathos, the audience really loved this movie. Faith in humanity and dynamic scenes are a great combination in the right hands.

Sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) is weaker, but it features many of the actors from the original film.

 

They Live

Year of release 1988
IMDB rating 7,2/10
Director John Carpenter

Have you ever thought that while we’re waiting for flying saucers, our thoughts, our desires, ourselves have long been captured by aliens and we’re under their constant influence?

John Carpenter’s cult film is a sci-fi action movie that, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a rather sharp satire that ridicules consumer society and social inequality.

The main character, an unemployed construction worker Nada, accidentally finds special glasses that allow him to see the world as it really is. Thanks to the glasses, he discovers that a large part of society’s elite are aliens who control humanity through hidden messages in advertising, media, and even money.

Interesting and serious thoughts here are diluted by somewhat clumsy special effects and one of the longest and most absurd fights in the history of cinema.

 

Signs

Year of release 2002
IMDB rating 6,8/10
Director M. Night Shyamalan

The plot of this mysterious film, like all of Knight Shyamalan’s works, revolves around the appearance of strange circles in the cornfield of the Hess farm. The head of the family, a former priest and now a farmer (Mel Gibson), thinks it’s a prank by local hooligans, but it soon becomes clear that these mystical signs are part of a global phenomenon related to the possible arrival of aliens. Everyone expects a catastrophe, but they are not sure of it, so the tension and intrigue lasts throughout the film.

However, Signs is not just a movie about an alien invasion. At the center of the story is the personal drama of Graham Hess, who lost his faith after the death of his wife.

The film received positive reviews for its atmosphere, acting (especially Mel Gibson and young Rory Culkin) and original approach to the topic of alien invasion. It also has Shyamalan’s trademark unexpected ending, but some critics found it a bit far-fetched.

 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Year of release 1978
IMDB rating 7,4/10
Director Philip Kaufman

The second film adaptation of Jack Finney’s classic novel The Body Snatchers (1954) is interesting primarily for its cast. The lead role is played by the impressive Donald Sutherland, who passed away two weeks ago, and the film also features Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy.

In the novel and movie, people on Earth are gradually being replaced by duplicates created by an alien parasite. They cannot feel emotions and quickly take over the entire Earth.

Jack Finney’s novel has been filmed three times. In 1956 – Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in 1978 and in 2007 – The Invasion. The latter, by the way, also has a good cast, with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig playing the main roles. Although the IMDb rating of the new movie is much lower than that of the 1978 film – only 5.9/10.

In addition, The Body Snatchers influenced such films as The Faculty (1998) and Assimilate (2019).

 

What else to remember about the invasion

We can’t always be scared and think about the worst. To ease the tension a bit, let’s recall a few movies about alien invasions that can make you laugh and relax.

The World’s End (2013)

The friends return to their hometown to repeat the epic pub crawl they failed to complete twenty years ago. However, during this drunken adventure, they discover that the city has been taken over by aliens. The heroes will not only have to complete their pub crawl, but also fight for the survival of humanity.

The Faculty (1998)

Robert Rodriguez’s cult and tongue-in-cheek young adult film about a mysterious alien invasion of a high school in an Ohio town. Against the invaders, a very original weapon is used here, which works perfectly, thanks to science and illegal substances.

Attack the Block (2011)

A group of teenagers from South London must defend their neighborhood from an alien invasion. They team up to fight back against the aggressive creatures.

Mars Attacks! (1996)

A satirical science fiction comedy. When Martians arrive on Earth on an ostensibly peaceful mission, humanity quickly realizes that the aliens have completely different intentions. The President of the United States and other world leaders try to cope with the chaotic invasion.

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)

It is very famous in narrow circles as the “worst movie in the world”. It was made back in 1957 and is so careless and strange that it’s beautiful. The threat of aliens is hanging by a thread over the Hollywood Hills, and zombies come out of the graves, revived by special chips. No, really, it’s a lot of fun, although it wasn’t intended that way.