Best Recent Films About Alien Invasions. In this series of sci-fi alien-themed articles, we’ll be reviewing the best films about alien invasions, alien abductions, alien encounters, UFO appearances and government conspiracies involving extraterrestrial coverups. These articles will include both popular and lesser-known films from our collections of Alien Invasion Films, Alien Abductions Films and Thriller Conspiracy Films and we’ll be releasing a new article from this series each month. Many of these films often include various themes of alien invasions, abductions and conspiracies but we’ll do our best to single out the best themed films for each respective list.
We had previously written about the 20 Best Alien Invasion Films that outlined some of the best films featuring invading aliens from The Thing (1982) and Predator (1987) to Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Color Out of Space (2019). We also covered some lesser-known films of the subgenre in one of our very first articles entitled the Top Films About Alien Invasions You Haven’t Seen. In that article we looked at some relatively unknown subgenre films from Night of the Creeps (1986) to Rakka (2017). In this article, we’ll look at the best recent films about alien invasions from 2020 – 2025 as there was a resurgence in the subgenre in the early 2020s with a few films that have become some of the best of sci-fi that you shouldn’t miss.
Outlined below is a list of our planned articles and if there’s an alien subgenre theme you think we should also include, let us know in the comments!
- Best Recent Films About Alien Invasions
- Best Alien Abductions Films
- Best Films About Alien Conspiracies
- Best Films About UFOs & Alien Encounters
- Top Films About Alien Abductions You Haven’t Seen
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must primarily be about an alien invasion. This can encompass anything from the aliens taking over human hosts (popularized in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and subsequent remakes) to action-packed sci-fi military films showcasing alien weaponry and aircraft.
Second, though many films involving aliens on earth will also include themes of human abductions, cattle mutilations and government conspiracies, we’ll try to isolate the films that best represent humans fighting off an invading alien force.
Third, alien invasions can be frightening to comedic, so we’ll consider a variety of genres from the dark comedy of Save Yourselves! (2020) and comedic satire of Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) to the body horror of The Seed (2021) and found footage horror of V/H/S/Beyond (2024).
Fourth, the more a film shows an alien attack or takeover, the higher it will rank on our list.
And fifth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating and, for this specific list, were released from 2020 – 2025.
Our complete list of Alien Invasion Films features over 272+ films from 1951 – 2025. If you don’t see a favorite film on our list, you can likely find it in our other collections including Alien Abduction Films, Films About Good Aliens, Films About Bad Aliens, Sci-Fi Military Films and Thriller Conspiracy Films. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles involving aliens and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
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The 10 Best Recent Films About Alien Invasions
Films that didn’t make our list (and only for completists): Invasion (2020), Save Yourselves! (2020), The Dustwalker (2020), We Can Be Heroes (2020), Useless Humans (2021), Mutant Vampire from the Planet Neptune (2021), PussyCake (2021), The Prototype (2022), Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3 (2022), Office Invasion (2022), The Captives (2020) and Alien Country (2024).
Honorable Mentions: An Ideal Host (2020), Max Reload and the Nether Blasters (2020), Skylines (2020), Occupation: Rainfall (2020), Shin Ultraman (2022), Blasted (2022), Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey to Beyond (2023) and Monolith (2023).
Special Mention: Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023). We didn’t include this film in our Top 10 as we wanted the list to focus on sci-fi action and horror-based alien invasion films. And though this film isn’t for everyone as it’s primarily a satire on socio-economic issues involving an occupying alien force, it’s well worth watching and a film we would recommend.
#10
Elevation
Plot: Post-apocalyptic survivors find refuge in the Rocky Mountains to hide from giant, insect-like creatures that can’t live above 8,000 feet. However, when one of them needs life-saving supplies, they risk it all to venture into the danger zone.
KBZ’s Take: If you’re a fan of alien invasion films and have seen quite a few of them, Elevation might seem very predictable and derivative. However, we included it on our list here for fans of the subgenre as it has better than average performances from Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin and Maddie Hasson. They help keep the film going from the slow first two acts of the film to a somewhat exciting finale (that makes the film worth seeing).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: When a meteor carrying a destructive plant strikes the world, a suicide squad is given hours to save their post-apocalyptic city from total collapse.
KBZ’s Take: Warriors of the Future is one of the better action-based alien invasion films on our list and features a somewhat unique plot with plant-based invaders quickly taking over a futuristic city. With that said, the ensuing plot of the film and execution borrows quite a few ideas from other subgenre films you’ve likely seen before from Aliens (1986) to Avatar (2009).
Our advice is to turn your brain off while watching (and don’t count the number of subgenre films this film ‘borrows’ from) and enjoy the CGI action spectacle.
Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix
Plot: With Gary and Samantha’s parents out of town on Halloween weekend, a teenage house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night.
KBZ’s Take: Kids vs. Aliens is a much darker film than it’s poster might suggest with the tagline, “F*CK SPACE”. The poster suggests the film will be a lighthearted sci-fi comedy with teenagers fending off an alien attack. And while the film does feature aliens invading a house party, it grows much darker and gorier once Samantha (Phoebe Rex) enters the alien spaceship.
We won’t ruin the rest of the film for others, only to say that you should stick with the film past the first act as there are some scenes of aliens (and what they need humans for) in the film that make it worth watching.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#7
Sting
Plot: Charlotte is a rebellious 12-year-old girl who finds a tiny spider in her rundown apartment building. She keeps it in a jar, but it soon starts to grow at a monstrous rate and develops an insatiable appetite for blood. As her neighbors begin to disappear, Charlotte and her family find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives against a ravenous arachnid with a taste for human flesh.
KBZ’s Take: In 2024, two films were released involving killer arachnids (spiders) – Infested (2024) and Sting. Infested is the much better of the two and was #10 on our list of the Best Horror Films of 2024 for Halloween. However, Infested is about an indigenous spider that gets loose in an apartment complex whereas Sting is about an extraterrestrial, alien spider.
Sting is directed by Kiah Roache-Turner who previously directed Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014) and Nekrotronic (2018). If you’re familiar with Roach-Turner or his previous films, you’re likely aware of the unique brand of Aussie horror comedy he injects into his films. Overall, the blend of sci-fi horror comedy works in Sting, but we wouldn’t advise going into this film thinking it’s a pure alien invasion film as it’s much more akin to a creature feature with sub-themes of invading aliens.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
Slash/Back
Plot: In a remote Arctic community, a group of Inuit girls fight off an alien invasion, all while trying to make it to the coolest party in town.
KBZ’s Take: Slash/Back was a pleasant surprise for us as we knew little about the film going in. We knew it was a film by first time Inuit director Nyla Innuksuk and featured an alien invasion in remote (and arctic) Nunavut.
While the film does feature some predictable subgenre themes and scenes, it’s location and plot featuring teenage Inuit girls fending off an alien attack are very unique to the subgenre. Despite some first act pacing issues, it’s a film we highly recommend for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#5
The Seed
Plot: What starts out as girls weekend away in the Mojave desert becomes a tale of horror, death and alien invasion.
KBZ’s Take: We had put off watching this film for a while due to somewhat negative reviews and that it seemed to be more comedy than horror. Wow, were we wrong not only about putting the film off but also for listening to some of the negative reviews of the film. This film is definitely one of the better Body Horror and Alien Invasion films that has come out from the last few years.
The film takes a while to get to the body horror, and you might be tempted to turn it off after the first 20 minutes. Definitely do not. Once the alien ‘invasion’ begins, the film goes into full on horror mode. Some of the body horror sequences are reminiscent of Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor (2020) and Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy (2018).
The Seed was director Sam Walker’s first film and if his debut is any indication, he’ll be one of the premiere Body Horror directors for decades to come. The Seed was #6 in our Best Recent Body Horror Films article, and we also highly recommend it for fans of this subgenre (unless you have a weak stomach).
Additional Lists: Best Recent Body Horror Films #6
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.
KBZ’s Take: A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place: Part II (2020) have quickly become classic films of the subgenre. While the second film features a few scenes of the initial alien invasion, A Quiet Place: Day One features the full brunt of the alien attack and humanity’s attempt to survive.
Though the third film in the franchise can’t quite live up to it’s predecessors, it’s still one of the better films of the subgenre from recent years that all fans should see.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#3
V/H/S/Beyond
Plot: Six bloodcurdling tapes unleash horror in a sci-fi-inspired hellscape, pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense.
KBZ’s Take: V/H/S/Beyond is the first found footage compilation in the V/H/S/ film franchise that focuses exclusively on sci-fi horror. As a result, there are a few segments that focus on alien abductions and invasions.
For alien invasions (and this article), we went with the segment, Live and Let Dive. This segment features a group of friends on a skydiving trip who are suddenly thrust into the middle of an alien invasion – both in the air and on ground. It features some terrifying scenes (and alien creature designs) that make it the best segment of the compilation and one you shouldn’t miss.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future, mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester. Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.
KBZ’s Take: In our opinion, The Tomorrow War doesn’t get enough credit as one of the best time travel and sci-fi alien invasion films of the 2020s. Though it was one of Amazon Prime’s most successful original films, critical response to the film has not been kind with mixed or average reviews.
While we admit the film does leverage familiar themes and plot points from various classic sci-fi films, it does carve out its own path in both the second and third acts. We love some of the themes the film brings to both the time travel film and military sci-fi film subgenres even if the alien invasion themes of the film are somewhat predictable.
If it’s a film you haven’t seen yet, we would implore you to check it out. Despite the film’s middling first act, it gets much better and has some of the best sci-fi themes and action sequences from the last few years.
Additional Lists: Best Military Sci-Fi Films #12
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Brynn finds solace within the walls of the home where she grew up until she’s awakened one night by strange noises from unearthly intruders.
KBZ’s Take: Though this film sits squarely in the Alien Invasion and Alien Abduction film subgenres, it’s essentially a horror film. For our articles, we’re including it here as the themes of an alien invasion are much stronger than the abduction themes.
The horror of the film starts with an alien home invasion (with Stalker Film elements) that takes up a good portion of the film. It’s very suspenseful and terrifying – especially once you get your first glimpses of the aliens. This is a film that doesn’t let up and is a horror adrenaline rush from start to finish.
No One Will Save You was #2 on our list of the Best Horror Films of 2023 for Halloween for good reason. It’s also one of the most unique films involving an alien invasion from recent years that we highly recommend for fans of the subgenre.
Additional Lists: The Best Horror Films of 2023 for Halloween #2
Where to Stream / Buy: Hulu
