Peter Ponders… Aliens on Screen and in the Sky

“The truth is out there”... At least, that’s what Agent Fox Mulder has been telling us since The X-Files debuted in the early ‘90s. Thanks to a huge batch of recently declassified evidence from the U.S. government, though, he may be proven right sooner rather than later.

Our government has officially confirmed the existence of UAPs – Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (back in my day, we called them UFOs), and U.S. officials in June released several batches of video evidence and eyewitness testimony about UAP sightings across the country. Some of the videos are pretty stunning. Others, not so much, but one thing is consistent: everyone agrees the videos are, as of now, beyond explanation. make contact with alien life. Our visitors will either be like Steven Spielberg’s warm and cuddly extraterrestrials, à la E.T., himself. Or, we might get malevolent beasts as depicted in another Spielberg flick War of the Worlds (which was based on the H.G. Wells novel published in 1897, for the record).

Are the Earth’s 8.3 billion people ready to accept the truth that we are not alone in the universe?

While you ponder that question, here’s a breakdown of my Top 10 alien invasion movies.

10. The Thing, 1982, stars Kurt Russell. A group of researchers near the South Pole discovers a shape-shifting parasite that eats humans.

9. Edge of Tomorrow, 2014, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Think Groundhog Day plus killer robots.

8. Independence Day, 1996, stars Will Smith as a fighter pilot caught in a massive alien invasion on the 4th of July. Survivors from all walks of life unite to win the day.

7. War of the Worlds, 2005, stars Tom Cruise (he just can’t escape the aliens, can he?). Dad struggles to keep his kids alive until humans figure out a way to fight back against the invaders. Spoiler alert: Who knew the common cold was fatal for monsters?

6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978. Snooze you lose. This film stars Donald Sutherland as a guy fighting to stay awake. I know the feeling.

5. Signs, 2002, starring Mel Gibson. A word from beyond the grave saves the world. Batter up.

4. A Quiet Place, 2018, starring Emily Blunt (again?!?). When “Shhh” is loud enough to get you killed.

3. Men in Black, 1997, starring Will Smith (guess he can’t get away, either) and Tommy Lee Jones. Don’t let the MIB erase this buddy flick from your mind.

2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977, starring Richard Dreyfuss. They come in peace and light and music. Five tones, exactly. A Spielberg masterpiece.

1. E.T., 1982. This is THE Spielberg masterpiece starring Drew Barrymore. The extraterrestrial phoned home, but did he know message and data rates applied?

Peter Reilly lives in Lake Mary with his wife and son. He can be reached at Peter@LakeMaryLife.com.