7 Coolest Movie Aliens of All-Time (That Aren’t the Alien or the Predator)

When one is asked to think of an alien from a movie, there’s about an 80% chance the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise is going to pop into their minds, with its toothy tongue and drooling mouth. If not that they’ll almost certainly think up either the Yautja from the Predator movies or some critter dancing around in Mos Eisley’s Cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope. But those are, of course, far from the only aliens in film history. They’ve been a staple since the ’50s. Some of them are kind of silly, like the skinny gray men in Fire in the Sky, while others have appearances or skills that have a way of worming their way into your memory.

These are those aliens, the ones who have a neat design or some special skill that helps set them apart. We left out E.T., though. He’s charming and lovable, but not really “cool.”

7) Flerkens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The MCU has had several cool aliens. The Skrulls, the Chitauri, the Abilisk, they all have cool designs and either sharp teeth or interesting powers.

But the title of coolest MCU alien is the Flerkens’ to lose. It always will be. They lull you in with their cuteness and swallow you whole with their mouth tentacles. They can even scratch your eye out with a swipe of their claw. But Flerkens have good hearts, too. They can swallow up everyone on board a S.A.B.E.R. ship and throw them up once they’ve reached safety.

Stream Captain Marvel and The Marvels on Disney+.

6) Xtro

Talk about a genuinely frightening design. The alien in Xtro essentially crabwalks but with its head spun all the way around. We get a good luck at it moving in a startling scene where two people are driving down a country road and we see it with a sharp musical cue as it scurries off into the woods. It’s horrifying.

The creature is half-human and half-alien, with a penchant for impregnating the first woman it sees. It originated when a man was abducted by a bright light. The light comes back after three years and plants a seed, which becomes the alien. However, after the alien impregnates the woman, she gives birth to the same man was abducted. It’s sad we don’t get to see much of the crab walker, but it knows how to make an impression.

5) The Hunter in Without Warning

We said we were going to exclude the Predator, but we didn’t say anything about excluding the inspiration for the Predator. That would be “the Hunter” from the 1980 midnight movie Without Warning.

With its big head and piercing eyes, the Hunter stalks around, throwing puckering, toothed discs around that burrow into someone’s skin with a set of four tendrils. He has quite a few victims under his belt (including a young David Caruso) before we ultimately see him in full. In that regard he’s similar to the Predator, as is the general concept of being a hunter. But the biggest connection is that those behind Predator ended up going to the guy who played this alien to play their alien: the late, great Kevin Peter Hall.

Stream Without Warning for free with ads on Tubi.

4) The Martians in Mars Attacks!

One of the under-sung heroes of Tim Burton’s filmography, Mars Attacks! is a nice tightrope walk between comedy and sci-fi horror/action. That tonal balance applies to the aliens as well.

The Mars Attacks! Martians are cool on several levels. For one, their exposed brain look is unforgettable. Two, their utter nonchalance about invading an entire planet is the definition of playing it cool. Just don’t play opera music around them.

Stream Mars Attacks! on Kanopy.

3) The Arachnids in Starship Troopers

One of the best sci-fi action movies ever made, Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers is a whip-smart bit of anti-fascism entertainment. Even with a ton of CGI it’s as fun to watch in the 2020s as it was in the late ’90s.

A lot of the film’s impact is due to the fact that the Arachnids, or “Bugs,” are pretty intimidating foes. Not even the protagonists ever feel safe. Mostly you get the fast and four-legged Warriors, but there’s also the artillery-like plasma bugs, the flying Hoppers, the napalm spewing Tankers (pictured above), and the horrific brain bug, which uses a pincer to suck out your brain. There’s a nice diversity to them and all are impeccably designed.

Stream Starship Troopers on MGM+.

2) The Organism in The Thing

While it was critically misunderstood and commercially disappointing at the time, John Carpenter’s The Thing has gone on to be viewed as exactly what it is: perfect. “Perfect” can also refer to its alien’s replications of human beings (and dogs), too, and that’s what makes it such a horrific and dangerous presence.

Like the Skrulls in the MCU, the organism in The Thing specializes in recreating the look and voice of a human being. The difference is that, when you’re in the same room as a Skrull, it isn’t focused solely on waiting until it’s just the two of you so it can kill you. This alien is great because it’s frightening and, just as importantly, when it’s exposed, it does some wild things with its new body that are the result of the best practical effects of the ’80s.

Stream The Thing on Shudder.

1) Gigan

Godzilla has fought several extraterrestrial foes throughout his storied cinematic career. Orga, SpaceGodzilla, Hedorah, the first incarnation of Mechagodzilla, they’re all great. But, while King Ghidorah is the most iconic, the coolest by far is Gigan.

With Gigan you get a memorable mechanical cyclops bird design with tons of Godzilla-slicing weaponry. Two hooks for hands, a chainsaw for a belly, and, to quote Charlie Kelly on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, pointed feet. The chainsaw belly is what really clinches the win. How many other aliens have that?

Stream Godzilla vs. Gigan on HBO Max.

What is your favorite movie alien? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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