Mars Attacks!
Leave it up to Tim Burton to concoct a kitschy sci-fi farce in which the aliens in question, sporting exposed brains that look like broccoli, spontaneously combust upon hearing Slim Whitman's "Indian Love Call." Mind-blowing, indeed!
John Carter
Sure, the flick bombed bigger than an interplanetary collision, but you gotta admit that the aliens here were pretty badass, thanks to snaggletoothed behemoths and multi-limbed creatures as reimagined by Oscar-winning helmer (and Pixar mainstay) Andrew Stanton.
Invaders From Mars
They're invading all right, and they look like creepy-crawly octopus-ish creatures with bulbous heads. Give the flick points for its topical relevance: It's often been cited as a thinly veiled allegory for the Red Scare that permeated 1950s America.
Marvin the Martian
Talk about the ultimate space cadet! Chuck Jones' singularly kooky creation was a gonzo combo of Roman warrior, sneaker pimp (check out those kicks!) and lovable doofus. Out of this world? You betcha.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Forget elves: Santa's peeps are Martians! At least that's what this campy 1964 flick wants you to believe, in which Santa is abducted by the aliens so he can give their kids presents. But the big question remains: Is Santa's sleigh properly rigged for interplanetary travel?!
Total Recall
Don't be distracted by the ho-hum Colin Farrell remake: Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 original, in which a man discovers all of his memories are fake, remains a kickass sci-fi actioner that features some pretty freaky creatures (including a Chucky-looking alien that you—literally—have to stomach).
War of the Worlds
This first big-screen adaptation of H.G. Wells' seminal 1898 novel (Steven Spielberg would later direct an FX-heavy redo in 2005) remains an indisputable sci-fi mainstay, tapping into the paranoia and xenophobia of 1950s America amid a backdrop of its then-revolutionary production design and special effects.
Ghosts of Mars
Sci-fi meets horror? Leave it up to shockmeister John Carpenter to spin this yarn of a mash-up, in which human explorers become inextricably possessed by—but of course!—Martian ghosts.
My Favorite Martian
This 1999 big-screen redo of the 1960s TV series features Christopher Lloyd as a Martian who lands on Earth and gets into all sorts of trouble with a local newsman, played by Jeff Daniels. Lloyd as an alien? Now how'd they get that idea?
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
A sci-fi retelling of its titular hero's tale, this 1964 tale blasts our hero into space and onto the Red Planet, where—you guessed it—he comes across a human named Friday as they try to survive an alien attack.