Why we love alien movies...

We love alien movies because:

- We are curious. We can't help it. Curiosity is encoded in our genes. :)

- They try to answer the questions we are most curious about:

• What do aliens and their worlds look like?
• What kind of technology do they use?
• How different are they from us?
• How do they communicate?

.....and to quote Michael Swanwick ("Ginungagap", 1980):

"Do they know of love?
Do they appreciate beauty?
Do they believe in God, hey?
Do they want to eat us?"

Watching films about aliens, we join the Earth's finest explorers and travel light years in an hour and a half. We visit other planets and meet intelligent alien species.

We can do all that sitting in our comfy chair and never be late for dinner. :) What an adventure!

- There is always an element of fear, I guess. We are afraid of the unknown. What if they decide to step off the ship and pay a visit to us?

What if they are hostile? Or worse, what if they go after us? In that case, brace yourself and enjoy a good alien-invasion movie. :)

- Movies about aliens can be used for the exploration of humanity. It may sound like a contradiction, but science fiction films often show how extra-terrestrials would see us or how they would react in some human-like situations.

In these kinds of science fiction movies extra-terrestrials live among us and learn about our world, culture and people. An alien's viewpoint is an easy way to make a poignant comment on our values and beliefs, or simply underscore how fundamentally weird human beings are.

- These movies teach us how to accept creatures totally different from us. In this way, we test ourselves on how tolerant we are of those who do not share our language, customs, worldview. Unfortunately, xenophobia is still one of the most prevalent of social trends.

Alien movies about bug-eyed little green men poised on making the first contact can be an antidote to that. On condition, they are friendly, of course.

Cartoons by Andertoons

But even if they are not, these movies teach you how to deal with the bizarre and strange. You begin to accept it as something perfectly normal. Something you can live with. Even the most horrid and dangerous creature loses some of its luster if you watch it long enough.

- Alien movies make us fantasize about the far-flung mysterious places of the universe and help us develop our imagination. Kids ought to watch them as part of curriculum.

We could go on like this forever but...

...there is yet another reason most important of all.

We just LOVE alien movies!

Articles

• Alien Children - Offspring from Outer Space
• Ancient Visitors
  • Part One - Earthlings meet mighty Ancient Astronauts
  • Part Two - Give me back my planet, dude!
• Lethal Alien Species in Science Fiction Movies - or the Aliens that Beat Us at Our Favorite Game
• Parasitic and Parasitoid Alien Species in Science Fiction Movies
• Reptilian Aliens in Science Fiction Movies
• Sex with Aliens in Science Fiction Movies

Index of Aliens

• Xenomorph from movies Alien, Aliens, Alien3 and Alien: Resurrection

  - Alien Egg
  - Facehugger
  - Chestburster
  - The Queen

• The Strangers from the movie Dark City
• Drac from the movie Enemy Mine
• The Alien Intruder from the movie The Faculty
• Reptilian Humanoid from the movie Galaxy Quest
• Parasitic Alien Creature from the movie The Hidden
• Grig from the movie The Last Starfighter
• Moorwen from the movie Outlander
• Bioraptors from the movie Pitch Black
• Reptilian Humanoid from the movie Predator
• Parasitic Alien Invaders from the movie The Puppet Masters
• Reptilian Humanoids from the movie The Signs
• Alien Life Form from the movie Slither
• Parasitoid Alien from the movie Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Beam Me from the Alien Movies to Explore Science Fiction Movies Homepage