One of the first alien stories in film was told with no words or sounds at all. One of the first depictions of aliens was in a French silent film by Georges Méliès called “A Trip to the Moon.” The 12-minute film shows a few individuals shooting up to the moon in a rocket and exploring what they discovered. That was all the way back in 1902, so how have the depiction of aliens changed throughout the decades in pop culture?
Alien
Directed by Ridley Scott, the first “Alien” movie of the four-part movie series debuted in theaters Feb. 24, 1979. The movie brought in almost $80 million in the United States and $105 million worldwide. The alien portrayed in this movie was an adult creature with an open and dripping mouth. It chose to use the bodies of its victims as a host for its eggs.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
Directed by Steven Spielberg, “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial” is an alien story with a lot of heart behind it. The movie, which debuted June 11, 1982, brought in $435.1 million domestically and $793 million worldwide. The alien portrayed in this movie had a misshapen head and long index fingers. E.T.’s face was reportedly based on the facial features of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, and a pug.
Mars Attacks!
Directed by Tim Burton, “Mars Attacks!” is a satirical movie that debuted in theaters Dec. 12, 1996. Its revenue is just over $100 million. The aliens had large bulging eyes and a prominent brain. The movie was centered around the government trying to be nice to the aliens, but the aliens resorted to violence, which portrayed them negatively.
The Fifth Element
Directed by Luc Besson, “The Fifth Element” is a movie that debuted in theaters May 9, 1997. Its revenue is almost $264 million. The movie is based in the year 2257. The aliens portrayed in this movie are known as the Mondoshawan, which represented grounded birds on earth. They were large robot-like creatures with armor.
Slither
Directed by James Gunn, “Slither” is a movie that debuted in theaters March 31, 2006. Its revenue is almost $13 million. The movie is about a small town that gets taken over by an alien plague. The plague is carried through red slugs that shoot themselves into people’s mouths and turn them into aliens.
Avatar
Directed by James Cameron, “Avatar” is a movie that debuted in theaters Dec. 18, 2009. Its revenue is almost $3 billion. In this film, a Marine is dispatched to a distant world called Pandora, where the aliens are lean and blue-skinned. They have cat-like noses and tails with large ears. The aliens speak Na’vi, which was created by Dr. Paul Frommer. The Na’vi language can be learned at Learnnavi.org.
Stranger Things
Directed by the Duffer Brothers, “Stranger Things” is a television show on Netflix that premiered July 15, 2016. According to Yahoo Finance UK, after its season four release, it made over $28 billion in brand placement alone. The show is based in a fake town in Hawkins, Indiana. The season’s first alien, the demogorgon, originated from the game Dungeons and Dragons. It has muscular, sticky skin with a gaping mouth.
Sources: Yahoo Finance UK, Filmsite, Common Sense Media, TMDB, LearnNavi
