A man literally waives a white flag as if the Martians would understand what this meant. The first thing the government does in The War of the Worlds after the Martians land and don’t respond is send in a welcoming party.
#Alien invasion movie 1990s movie#
Even in films where the life forms invading Earth may not have technology, such as Pacific Rim and The Invasion, they are still doing so on behalf of what is assumed to be a technologically advanced species.Įxceptions: Cloverfield, The Blob, Attack the BlockĪlien Invasion Movie Cliché #5 – We Try For Peace, It Doesn’t Go Well Indeed, alien invasion films nearly all feature beings of enhanced intellect, and thus having access to advanced technology. If aliens are able to travel through the vast distances of space, it is assumed that the only way to do this would be with advanced technology. and other relevant production studios and distributors.
The Flying SaucersĮxceptions: Men in Black, The Arrival, They LiveĪlien Invasion Movie Cliché #4 – The Aliens Have Vastly Superior Technology Copyright 20th Century Fox. Alien invasion movies tend to also have many missed opportunities for humanity in the early stages of invasion….Įxamples: Signs, The Watch, Earth vs. The novel starts with an observation of lights on Mars, and then the narrator gets a first-hand look at the Martians when they first land and are weakened by our air and gravity. Yet humanity did nothing preemptively to avoid this war, despite having opportunities to do so. By that time, they have adapted to Earth and soon begin their attack. When a welcoming party is sent to investigate the first landing of Martians in War of the Worlds, we suddenly realize their hostility. Earth isn’t particularly noteworthy to these alien species because of its beauty, or its manpower, or its habitability – they just want to drain our Oceans and strip mine the crap out of it.Įxamples: Independence Day, Battle: Los Angeles, OblivionĮxceptions: Cloverfield, Skyline, The World’s EndĪlien Invasion Movie Cliché #3 – We Don’t Realize The Invasion Is Happening Until It Is Too Late Copyright Buna Vista Pictures. Many other alien invasion movies follow suit. While we don’t actually get a chance to talk with the Martians and find out their motivation in War of the Worlds, the narrator explains how it is believed that Mars is running out of resources, and that is the reason for the invasion of Earth.
Įxamples: Independence Day, The 5th Wave, A Quiet PlaceĮxceptions: The Day the Earth Stood Still, Arrival, District 9Īlien Invasion Movie Cliché #2 – The Aliens Want Our Resources Copyright Universal Pictures. They are just sneakier than what we saw in War of the Worlds. Even in films such as The Arrival or They Live, where the aliens are not actually killing people right off the bat, they are nonetheless hostile in their intentions. I mean, an alien invasion would not be much fun to watch if the aliens were not openly hostile. Nearly all other alien invasion movies follow suit. The government even tries sending in a welcoming party and they are killed as soon as they approach. In War of the Worlds, the Martians basically show up and start shooting once they get acclimated to Earth. But for every film that has an exception in one area, it seems to work as a good example in another…Īlien Invasion Movie Cliché #1 – The Aliens Are Hostile
For each I give examples of films which have followed by example, and those which have made some exceptions. Below I have outlined some of these common attributes, and how they have become cliches pertaining to this type of a film. Those commonalities tend to riff off of the particulars pertaining to alien invasion stories established in H.G. These types of films can vary in the type of story they tell and the scope, but they usually have a few things in common. In the realm of film, alien invasion films are relatively common because they have an inherently high entertainment factor (explosions, opportunity to unite as a species and kick alien ass).
In particular, stories and films involving conflict with aliens tend to knowingly or unknowingly relate back to this original story. Fast forward to today, and it is easy to see how many science fiction works are influenced by this great piece of fiction. This novel was very important to the science fiction genre, and began a fascination with beings from outer space. When it was published a year later it was one of the first known stories where mankind found itself in conflict with hostile extraterrestrials. Wells wrote his novel The War of the Worlds in 1897. This article investigates the source of those commonalities and illustrates films which follow and diverge from those genre signatures. Intended for editorial use only.Īlien invasion movies tend to have a lot of things in common with each other.
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