Alien Contact Sci-Fi backdrop

Alien Contact Sci-Fi movies

First contact and communication: meeting non-human intelligence, misunderstanding, coexistence tension, and discovery.

Overview

After a construction project begins digging in their neighbourhood, best friends Tuck, Munch and Alex inexplicably begin to receive strange, encoded messages on their cell phones. Convinced something bigger is going on, they go to their parents and the authorities. The three embark on a secret adventure to crack the code and follow it to its source, and discover a mysterious being from another world who desperately needs their help. The journey that follows will change all their lives forever.

Themes

Neighborhood displacement, Child leadership emergence, Agency deception, Secret investigation, Alien technology ethics, Peer loyalty under threat

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Signal

2. The Signal

Thriller Science Fiction Alien Contact Sci-Fi Mind Game Thriller
6.0
20141h 37min

Overview

On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness – only to find himself in a waking nightmare.

Themes

Privacy vs intrusion, Body augmentation ethics, Trust under manipulation, Human vs alien technology

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Under the Skin

3. Under the Skin

Thriller Science Fiction Drama Erotic Thriller Alien Contact Sci-Fi
6.3
20141h 48min

Overview

A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.

Themes

Power and vulnerability, Urban isolation, Alien intrusion, Deception and control, Predatory pursuit, Body transformation, Self image and gaze

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.

Themes

Dystopian survival, Resistance and solidarity, Coexistence under invasion, Memory access and control, Interspecies bond and trust, Autonomy under occupation

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Escape from Planet Earth

5. Escape from Planet Earth

Animation Comedy Adventure Family Science Fiction
5.8
20131h 29min

Overview

Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Duty vs family, Deception in leadership, Resilience under threat, Cross-species cooperation, Alien tech exploitation

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Themes

Survival under pressure, Origins of life, Artificial life and consequences, Corporate ambition vs ethics, Hubris and creation, Unknown threats in space

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Thing

7. The Thing

Horror Science Fiction Mystery Alien Horror Alien Contact Sci-Fi
6.2
20111h 43min

Overview

When paleontologist Kate Lloyd travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.

Themes

Paranoia under isolation, Survival versus trust, Contamination anxiety, Quarantine dynamics within a group, Fear of the unfamiliar, Deception and uncertainty

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Cowboys & Aliens

8. Cowboys & Aliens

Action Science Fiction Thriller Western Epic Action
6.0
20111h 59min

Overview

A stranger stumbles into the desert town of Absolution with no memory of his past and a futuristic shackle around his wrist. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella and the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde, he finds himself leading an unlikely posse of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors against a common enemy from beyond this world in an epic showdown for survival.

Themes

Frontier violence and law, Outsider loyalty and belonging, Resource extraction and resistance, Memory and identity formation, Alliance against shared threat, Indigenous agency and sovereignty

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. Soon after, their quiet town is gripped by unexplained disappearances, strange phenomena, and a growing sense of fear, as they uncover that something terrifying has been set loose.

Themes

Group solidarity under threat, Government secrecy and power, Youthful collaboration under pressure, Scientific curiosity vs risk, Unexplained phenomena and resilience, Trust across rival loyalties

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Paul

10. Paul

Adventure Comedy Science Fiction Alien Contact Sci-Fi Parody
6.9
20111h 44min

Overview

For the past 60 years, a space-traveling smart-ass named Paul has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his kind. But when he worries he’s outlived his usefulness and the dissection table is drawing uncomfortably close, Paul escapes on the first RV that passes by his compound in Area 51. Fortunately, it contains the two earthlings who are most likely to rescue and harbor an alien on the run.

Themes

Authenticity vs performance, Unlikely alliances, Resilience under pressure, Government manipulation, Otherness and belonging, Belief vs evidence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.