And-oh yeah-Marlon Frickin’ Brando is Superman’s daddy, appearing both as Krypton’s sole voice of reason in the film’s opening moments and later as a disembodied computer AI who reveals Kal-El’s true heritage to him. Gene Hackman as the Blue Boy Scout’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, instills the mad scientist with a note of vulnerability to pair with his massive ego. As Lois Lane, feisty journalist and fulcrum of Superman/Clark’s love triangle, Margot Kidder nails both the physical comedy and starry-eyed wonder. Apart from Reeve’s inspired handling of his dual role as both a gentle demigod and nerdy reporter, Clark Kent, there’s practically an overabundance of talent in front of the camera. Following the Man of Steel from his exodus off his doomed planet of Krypton as a baby, to growing up the adopted child of loving Smallville parents, the Kents, Superman is a hell of a rousing tale of the ultimate immigrant, mixing happily with the action, romance and goofball comedy set pieces. “You will believe a man can fly,” promised the tagline, and, although the impressiveness of the SFX of the time have diminished considerably, one has to be the hardest of hard-bitten cynics to not succumb to its euphoric tone and myriad charms. But the most iconic version of the legendary figure unquestionably belongs to Christopher Reeve in Richard Donner’s 1978 film. Superman, the original superhero, had been depicted onscreen prior-with a live-action television show, as well as both animated and live-action big screen serials, it’s true. Here are the 50 best movies about aliens: We’ve included many entries from The Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time, The Best Superhero Movies of All Time and even The Best Anime Movies of All Time. Whether visitations from malicious invaders or those coming to save us from ourselves, stories of humanity encountering alien races on their own turf or movies taking place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, these 50 films present us with a wide-range of life on other planets. The Fermi Paradox might have scientists scrambling for answers on why we haven’t been able to make contact with alien races, but filmmakers have rescued us from the Great Silence with countless fictional encounters with aliens throughout cinema history. And those imaginings made it onto film as early as 1918 with Holder-Madsen’s A Trip to Mars. Humanity has wondered about life on the moon and among the stars at least as early as the second century, when Lucian wrote about his travels to the moon and stars and his encounters with the people there.

Ufo alien invasion comic strip