Top 10 Alien Races in Movies

It's no secret that I love the sci-fi genre, and over the years they've been a constant source for my top ten lists. I just find the concept of other worlds being inhabited by various life forms fascinating, even if the film industry likes to portray the inhabitants as bloodthirsty savages half the time. Here is a list of my ten most memorable aliens that created some great movie moments.

#10 The Blob (The Blob)

Not really an alien race exactly, more like a living blob thing that eats anything in its way, but over the years it's become the iconic centerpiece to a decent horror film. Whether there's any conscience activity in this alien species in unknown, but that doesn't really matter when your sole purpose in the film is to eat random people in suburban America. I honestly don't end up caring if it can feel pain as the film presents this creature as something bizarre and dangerous from outer space, and the mere thought of it even existing is terrifying enough for me to stop asking pointless existential questions. The original film from the 1950's was just a simple horror film, but the 1980's remake was one filled with political messages and themes to hide the fact that the antagonist was a simple blob that had now evolved to divide, rather than just expanding at a rapid yet predictable rate. It's a concept so simple yet still scary, using the unknown as an effective device that supersedes the poor visuals and basic acting. 'The Blob' is proof that when you have a strong concept the results make for an interesting film that portrays an alien race that's both terrifying and hilariously simple at the same time.


#9 E.T. (E.T. the Extra Terrestrial)

This one's slightly less intimidating than most of the aliens on this list, but there's no denying the impact this weird thing has had on the film industry. This Spielberg creation is not a bloodthirsty species, instead enjoying gardening, phoning home and having the ability to heal humans with a single touch. Yet despite all this 'E.T.' still has no place on planet Earth, which is a bit out of order considering he doesn't have the natural desire to murder everything. The original concept was designed by legendary alien creator Carlo Rambaldi, who decided to spend 1.5 million dollars to make the puppet, so it's a good job the guy knew what he was doing. Rambaldi created a unique alien species that for once the audience could actually empathise with. Admittedly 'E.T.' still looks pig ugly for 1.5 million, but the ugly charm of the thing certainly helped propel the film into the list that includes some of the all time greats. In fact 'E.T.' became the highest selling film in history at the time of release, so this brown skeleton must have done something to please global audiences.


#8 Zabrak (Star Wars)

'Darth Maul' is a Zabrak. 'Darth Maul' wields a double handed lightsaber. 'Darth Maul' has fucking awesome looking facepaint. What else do you need to know to justify including a species this brilliant on the list?


#7 Bugs (Starship Trooper)

Yeah I wouldn't want to get into a fight with one of these things. Whether they're called 'Bugs' or 'Arachnids' these bastards can easily take down an armored tank, or even a whole human invasion force for that matter. In fact these things are only susceptible to radiation, which when you think about it makes the thought of meeting one pretty damn frightening. However 'Arachnids' are not just content with murdering everything in their path as they will also fire spores into random planets in space to start a new population there. Not surprisingly this leads to a conflict with many humans on many different planets leading to many different deaths in many different places. I would say the film was about other things, but really it's a feeble excuse to show a lot of death.

The original novel on the other hand is one that doesn't just show these things mindlessly mowing down platoons of humans. Admittedly they do mow down a lot of humans, but this is overshadowed by a fascist undertone that never makes its way into the film. It's a shame really as the original book was one with a strong message, but only a relatively small amount of dark satire and political context ever crops up in the film. But hey, who doesn't love watching bugs as scary as these getting brutalised? Well not many critics actually, but that's not the fault of these social insects that remind me of a giant ant colony from hell. The thought of millions of these things charging at me is enough to make me soil myself, especially when the visual effects are properly good, allowing these simple bugs to become quite powerful antagonists.


#6 Prawns (District 9)

Not a sentient species that allows the film to explore different worlds, but actually a bunch of refugees on Earth who are used to showcase the failings of human society. These unnamed aliens are put into a shanty town by the bastards in South Africa after their ship lands on Earth. 'Prawns', as they are sometimes referred to, are named after a local species of cricket, and combine this with their ugly complexion and isolation from human society and they provide a perfect symbol for systematic human oppression. For once a film actually gave aliens with weird complexions a voice, and as a result 'District 9' became a cult hit with its strong messages on apartheid and poverty. The irony of the 'Prawns' is that they're the only race in the film to show any compassion, which is a drastically different attitude to most other aliens on this list, making them one of the more interesting constructs in the heavily populated world of sci-fi.


#5 Rancor (Star Wars)

If I could have anything in my house it would be a giant lever that connects to a trap door that would allow me to choose who gets to fight the 'Rancor' in my basement. It would be amazing how much less double glazing I would get sold on my doorstep if they had to face this beast each time. Let's face it, this alien is yet another awesome creation from the people at 'Star Wars'. The actual 'Rancor' in the films was a puppet, and that legendary and fearsome roar is just the recordings of an angry dog, yet despite these small shortcomings the 'Rancor' is the best pet a giant worm thing could ever have. Over they years it's become one of the most poignant characters of the mediocre sixth 'Star Wars' film, but then there's not much else about that film that gets me terribly excited.  


#4 The Thing (The Thing)

Well there's absolutely zero chance that watching this alien appear for the first time didn't make me shit myself at all. Yes, okay I may have given myself brown pants on multiple occasions when seeing this classic horror creation, but I can't be the only one to have been given nightmares by this thing that can quite literally takeover bodies after brutally murdering them. The results are like the picture above, and if that isn't horrifying then you're a much braver person than I ever will be. It almost doesn't matter that the idea of this creation ever existing isn't plausible in any way, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't suspicious of any random organism being controlled by 'The Thing' for years after first watching the film. That's what makes the concept so terrifying, it just doesn't matter that the whole idea is ridiculous because when you have a garish beast inhabiting an Antarctic base mutilating everything it sees then the result is a horror classic. Fair play to director and makeup artists involved; they are the ones that made this monster look as nightmarish as possible. 'The Thing' is like watching 'Alien' with a lot more gore, but we'll get to that later on. 


#3 Wookiee (Star Wars)

Of all the amazing races in 'Star Wars', and there's a lot to choose from, the 'Wookiee' was the one I just had to let win. George Lucas' now iconic creation helped lift the original 'Star Wars' film to such wide acclaim, breathing life into a now legendary universe with their central role in the narrative. The design may well just be a giant hairy carpet, but nobody cares about the simple design when you have a character as awesome as 'Chewbacca'. Nowadays 'Wookiees' can be found littered throughout the 'Star Wars' franchise, but it was that original representation as Han Solo's trusty sidekick that forced everyone to love this alien race. It was that on and off relationship with Han Solo that fueled not just tonnes of slash fiction for nerds everywhere, but also the start of one of the biggest selling franchises of all time.


#2 Predator (Predator)

A species so deadly that only someone as awesome as Arnold Schwarzenegger could ever have a chance at taking one down. Admittedly they do look a lot cooler with their masks on, as without them they look like a Rastafarian scrotum, but that weird look has certainly not hindered this thing's fearsome status in the sci-fi community. Originally the role of 'Predator' was supposed to be specifically designed for Jean Claude Van Damme, although that was later adapted for the seven foot 2 inch tall Peter Hall, who's size definitely makes this iconic role all the more intimidating. It also makes this monster even more terrifying when you realise something seven feet tall can swing through trees and outmuscle any human; even Arnold Schwarzenegger.

However that's not enough for these super-evolved killing machines as they also posses thermal imaging sensors, shoulder mounted laser guns, active camouflage and a fucking massive bomb that goes off when they die. What a pleasant creation these things are. They are at the pinnacle of evolution for mutilating humans and stripping down their corpses to collect their skulls. Just the thought of these monsters being trophy hunters is one of the most disturbing thoughts imaginable, but that's what made the original film so successful.


#1 Xenomorph (Alien)

It's no secret that I love the 'Alien' franchise, and central to this love is the awesome antagonists that terrified cinemagoers like myself in the first two installments. Just a single 'Xenomorph' was enough scares for a great horror film, so when you saw countless more in the sequel, including a fucking monstrous queen, then you have enough action to give me an orgasm. I don't know who the guy responsible for the design of these things was, which is a bit of a lie considering it was quite famously Swiss artist H.R. Giger, but fair play to you mate; you did a fucking great job. Every little detail from their massive foreheads to that carnivorous tongue and acidic blood is just designed to perfection. Nothing interesting ever comes out of Switzerland often, but these are one of the most interesting and menacing things to come out of anywhere. Just a shame we have to kill every single one of them when they look so fucking cool.

However this is just the adult stage of the complex 'Xenomorph' lifestyle. Not content with some fucking cool aliens, the creators behind the 'Alien' franchise decided that to make these things even more horrifying they needed to start out in life as parasites. The method; hugging people's faces. For me the thought of a 'Xenomorph' latching onto my face and laying eggs inside me whilst I'm still alive is the stuff of nightmares. It's not as if you can just peel them off either as they have a stranglehold so tight that it will rip your face off, and cutting it loose will just spill that highly acidic blood everywhere. Just the sight of their nests with all those eggs being laid was one of the biggest 'nope' moments I've ever experienced in cinema, yet alone when the fucking parasite decided to quite literally burst it's way out of the human's chest. If all that wasn't enough then James Cameron thought a fifteen foot queen was enough to steal the show in 'Aliens', quite rightfully giving these aliens a legendary status in film history. A deserved status when the inclusion of these things made the original such a disturbing and unforgettable experience.