A close encounter of any kind can be a traumatic experience. Sometimes, though, it can be hilarious as well.
The idea of humans encountering extraterrestrial life and the conflicts that ensue have been a popular theme in fiction for decades. From your classic tentpole sci-fi movie, such as Independence Day and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, to more comedic takes on the idea, like Men In Black and Paul, audiences are never tired of imagining what it would be like to interact with visitors from other planets.
There has been a surprising number of funny alien movies over the years, and while some of them may not be as well-known as some of their more serious counterparts, they’re certainly worthy of being watched. If you’re seeking a great pick-me-up or in need of an easy way to forget about your problems, these alien comedy movies are your best bet!
#1 Paul
2011 | 1h 44m | Directed by Greg Mottola
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Jason Bateman
The only thing more remarkable than a talking alien would be a talking, smoking, drinking alien voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul is an extraterrestrial who embarks on an adventure to find his way home. His journey takes him across the U.S., meeting Graeme and Clive along the way. The movie is cleverly scripted, with some laugh-out-loud moments and well-developed characters. If you’re looking for something lighthearted and funny, this one’s a definite must-see!
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65points
#2 Guardians Of The Galaxy
2014 | 2h 1m | Directed by James Gunn
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista
Guardians Of The Galaxy is undoubtedly one of the funniest sci-fi movies ever produced by Marvel, which is saying a lot. The film’s sense of humor is partially fueled by its “80s-ness.” This allows it to poke fun at itself as often as it can. The film introduces us to Peter Quill, who was abducted from Earth in 1988 and raised by a group of intergalactic thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers. After escaping the planet Morag with a valuable orb, an item Ronan the Accuser wants, Peter eventually forms a ragtag team of unwilling heroes to stop Ronan.
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59points
#3 Galaxy Quest
1999 | 1h 42m | Directed by Dean Parisot
Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman
Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver lead a cast of TV stars in this sci-fi comedy about the crew of a Star Trek-like show who are mistaken for real heroes by an alien race. The aliens, who need help fighting off an evil oppressor, kidnap the cast and force them to finally live up to their roles. While it’s perhaps best described as a rip-off of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest was an affectionate parody of the long-running science-fiction series, with many inside jokes for die-hard fans. It also features some solid special effects and a clever story that makes fun of itself while turning into an enjoyable adventure yarn.
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58points
#4 Men In Black
1997 | 1h 38m | Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, and Linda Fiorentino
The most famous alien movie of the ‘90s, Men In Black is an amalgamation of all things extraterrestrial. Starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, the movie revolves around two agents of a secret agency who monitor and police alien activity on Earth. The film takes every alien trope you have ever imagined and presents it in a hilarious manner. Its farcical take on alien invasion makes for an entertaining watch, with the antics of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones making it one of the best alien movies ever made.
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57points
#5 The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
2005 | 1h 49m | Directed by Garth Jennings
Starring Martin Freeman, Yasiin Bey, and Sam Rockwell
Inspired by Douglas Adams’ most popular novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is the story of Arthur Dent, your average man who escapes Earth’s destruction thanks to his alien friend Ford Prefect. Producers have stated the movie was not a literal translation of the books, but Douglas Adams himself came up with all the new ideas and characters.
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56points
#6 Spaceballs
1987 | 1h 36m | Directed by Mel Brooks
Starring Mel Brooks, John Candy, and Rick Moranis
The first thing that pops into my head when I think of funny alien movies is anything Mel Brooks has had a hand in. The Star Wars parody Spaceballs is one of the funniest films out there and it has aliens, so it definitely qualifies. Pilot Lone Starr and his sidekick Barf come to the rescue of a princess, also saving planet Druidia from the evil Spaceballs. The movie received mostly positive reviews from critics through the years and has become a cult classic.
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55points
#7 Mars Attacks!
1996 | 1h 46m | Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, and Annette Bening
Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! is a campy sci-fi comedy that takes its source material very seriously. The movie is based on Topps’ Mars Attacks trading cards from the ’60s, which depicted hideous Martians waging war against Earth. The film features an all-star cast (Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, and Danny DeVito) who face off against Martians with oversized heads, who are hell-bent on conquering the Earth.
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54points
#8 Men In Black II
2002 | 1h 28m | Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, and Rip Torn
Agents J and K reunite once again to defend the Earth from a sinister enemy. Men in Black II is a solid sequel with some great characters and managed to make the audience enjoy an hour and a half of pure comedy. The original pug from Men in Black returned for the sequel as Frank, but since it was seven years old, the production used some makeup to hide its gray fur.
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52points
#9 The World's End
2013 | 1h 49m | Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Paddy Considine
Five friends return to their hometown to complete an epic pub crawl they left unfinished 20 years ago but soon realize they are burdened with being humanity’s last hope for survival. The movie is more character-driven than driven by plot and features several humorous moments. It also has some surprising serious undertones regarding conformity and maturity.
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49points
#10 The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1975 | 1h 40m | Directed by Jim Sharman
Starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick
As far as kooky cult classics go, this one takes the cake. This 1975 film stars Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as a newly engaged couple who get caught in a storm and find themselves at the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an eccentric transvestite alien scientist. It’s a comedy, a musical, and a science fiction adventure all rolled into one, with a killer soundtrack to boot.
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49points
#11 Monsters vs. Aliens
2009 | 1h 34m | Directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Amy Poehler, and Renée Zellweger
A woman becomes a giant when struck by a meteorite. Her new size makes her a valuable ally for the U.S. government, which sends her and other monsters to stop an alien mastermind who is trying to conquer the Earth. This was the first computer-animated movie directly produced in a stereoscopic 3D format instead of being converted into 3D after completion. With a 175 million dollar budget, this is the most expensive animated movie not produced by Disney or Pixar.
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48points
#12 Evolution
2001 | 1h 41m | Directed by Ivan Reitman
Starring David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Seann William Scott
Director Ivan Reitman’s science-fiction comedy Evolution is a hilarious take on UFO movies. It stars David Duchovny and Orlando Jones as two scientists who discover life from another planet, only to see it quickly evolve into hostile creatures that begin attacking the citizens. Originally written as a serious science-fiction thriller, Ivan Reitman hired David Diamond and David Weissman to rewrite the project as a Ghostbusters-style comedy.
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48points
#13 Space Jam
1996 | 1h 28m | Directed by Joe Pytka
Starring Michael Jordan, Billy West, and Wayne Knight
Space Jam is probably one of the most popular movies about aliens. When aliens start to take over the world, retired basketball superstar Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game against the invaders to determine their fate, as well as that of planet Earth. We know it sounds like the craziest plot of all time, but it actually worked out! The movie was a box office success, grossing over 250 million dollars worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing basketball film of all time as well as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1996.
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44points
#14 Coneheads
1993 | 1h 28m | Directed by Steve Barron
Starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Michelle Burke
A comedy sketch from Saturday Night Live is adapted into a full-length movie. An alien couple, Beldar and Prymaat, and their young daughter Connie crash land on Earth, in New Jersey. They are taken in by an American family and must try to fit in while also beginning their mission to take over the world. The fact they have cone-shaped heads doesn’t help them blend in with human society.
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42points
#15 Attack The Block
2011 | 1h 28m | Directed by Joe Cornish
Starring John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, and Alex Esmail
Attack the Block follows a young woman and a gang of tough kids who make an unlikely alliance to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien monsters, turning a South London apartment complex into an extraterrestrial warzone. It’s a simple premise executed perfectly, with surprisingly good special effects considering the budget was only 8 million pounds. It also has that rare quality among comedies of being genuinely scary at times and not just funny. In May 2021, it was announced that Cornish would be directing a sequel, with Boyega reprising his role as Moses.
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42points
#16 Slither
2006 | 1h 35m | Directed by James Gunn
Starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, and Michael Rooker
If you love horror comedies, then Slither is your extraterrestrial movie for tonight! Some have called it a “love letter to B-movies,” and the description is spot on. The film follows a small town taken over by an alien parasite that turns its victims into zombie-like monsters. The town is thrown into chaos as it tries to make sense of what’s happening and find a way to stop the parasite. Slither balances tongue-in-cheek humor with gory horror, making it a must-watch for any fan of either genre.
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36points
#17 Critters
1986 | 1h 26m | Directed by Stephen Herek
Starring Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, and Terrence Mann
It’s hard to believe that the Critters franchise is nearly 40 years old, but it’s true! The first film in the series came out in 1986 and introduced us to a group of hungry little furballs on the run from a pair of intergalactic bounty hunters. Critters is an unabashedly silly movie, but that’s part of its charm. If you want to watch some creepy alien creatures chomp their way through a small Kansas town, this is your movie!
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36points
#18 Invader Zim: Enter The Florpus!
2019 | 1h 11m | Directed by Jhonen Vasquez and Jake Wyatt
Starring Richard Steven Horvitz, Rosearik Rikki Simons, and Andy Berman
When a triumphant alien named Zim returns to Earth with plans to conquer it, his human nemesis Dib decides to match wits with him. The cartoon Invader Zim, about a young extraterrestrial who disguises himself as a human, is back! The movie sees the return of the series’ main voice cast and Jhonen Vasquez as director.
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35points
#19 Meet Dave
2008 | 1h 30m | Directed by Brian Robbins
Starring Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, and Gabrielle Union
Eddie Murphy plays dual roles in this hilarious comedy about an alien spaceship that looks exactly like a human being! The alien ship is piloted by tiny little people on a mission to save their planet. But problems ensue as the ship becomes smitten with an Earth woman! If this is not crazy enough for you, just know that the production studio put a big replica of Eddie Murphy’s head on a trailer to tour the U.S. to promote the movie.
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33points
