Smack Classix Week: Alien Contact
In the billions of stars, solar systems, and galaxies out there, our little planet is but a single speck of dust in the whirlwind of the universe. Probably, we are all starting to realize, we are not alone.
Hollywood has told us stories of alien contact since the 1950s. What might happen if intelligent beings out there were to make contact with our supposedly primitive culture here on Earth?
From the brutal attack force of Independence Day to the benevolent space brothers of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the extraterrestrial life of a crowded Hollywood universe keeps calling here on Earth.
WHEN VISITORS COME TO CALL
Contact (1997) -vs- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Will the aliens send us a message from deep space or will they come calling in person? It’s Zemeckis versus Spielberg. Since both films want us to believe they’re realistic portrayals of contact, a lot depends on the viewer’s own feelings about how extra-terrestrial intelligence might want to speak to us. Get personal or keep a safe distance? Get the full Smackdown →
ALIEN IMMIGRATION ISSUES
District 9 (2009) -vs- Alien Nation (1988)
If you think we have an immigration issue on the southern U.S. border, imagine how the world will feel when the actual illegal aliens are the extra-terrestrial type from “out there.” These films are really just metaphors for how we Earth people deal with minority groups. How would be assimilate aliens? Lock ‘em up or use good old fashioned discrimination? Get the full Smackdown →
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
Fire in the Sky (1993) -vs- Communion (1989)
The aliens in these films take people out of their homes and neighborhoods in the middle of the night, tag them like deer in a Lyme disease study, and probe and poke them in ways that suggest rape as much as anything else. Both films were also based on true stories. Travis Walton or Whitley Strieber? The Woodcutter or the Wordsmith? Get the full Smackdown →
SPACE ODDITIES
Sunshine (2007) -vs- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
In 1968, legendary director Stanley Kubrik and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke collaborated on a mind-expanding journey through human history from the birth of tools to humanity’s life in orbit of our planet. In 2007, Danny Boyle opened our eyes to another possible future where the hopes of Earth rest on a crew’s mission to reignite the sun. Both efforts elevated science fiction films to an intellectual level rarely seen, and suggest that mankind may have a future among the stars. Get the full Smackdown →
BETTER IF WE WERE ALONE
Battle: Los Angeles (2011) -vs- Transformers (2007) -vs- War of the Worlds (2005) -vs- Independence Day (1996)
The invading alien force is never a good thing. In the movies, they show up without warning and with no diplomatic skills. They don’t come in peace. They come to steal our resources, establish a colony, or just destroy us. Our crazy, stupid, normal world is suddenly at war with something from beyond our imaginations. Why are these aliens always in such bad moods? Get the full Smackdown →
EVE OF DESTRUCTION
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) -vs- The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
In the midst of the alien invasion flicks of the 1950s, The Day the Earth Stood Still dared to be different by offering a caring, human-esque alien who came to Earth to deliver a message from the stars. When Keanu Reeves decided to remake the story for modern audiences in 2008, many people wondered how (and why?) he would update the classic. Get the full Smackdown →
NOSTALGIC KIDS AND ENDANGERED ALIENS
Super 8 (2011) -vs- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
As soon as Super 8 came out, someone posted on Facebook: “I liked Super 8 as much as I did the first time it came out when it was called E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” Ouch! Question is: is that true and does it make any difference? Get the Full Smackdown →
FROM THE EDITOR (Kevin Wohler)
Life After Contact
What will it mean when alien contact is finally disclosed? How will humanity react in those days, weeks and months that follow? Hollywood has given us several scenarios of alien contact — from invasion to a peaceful invitation to visit the stars — but which is correct? Our managing editor takes a look at Life After Contact. Read more →
Movie Smackdown! is proud to have our Alien Contact Week sponsored by Keyhole Publishing’s latest book, A.D. After Disclosure: A People’s Guide to Life After Contact. What happens when it’s disclosed that aliens are among us? A.D. After Disclosure is the first work of non-fiction to exclusively tackle questions about the post-disclosure winners and losers in government, science, religion, media, culture, law, education, and politics.
Buy A.D. After Disclosure and learn more at: AfterDisclosure.com