World UFO Day: These six films will introduce you to alien species and spaceships

The concept of UFOs and aliens, fuelled by stories of mysterious objects being spotted around the world and lights seen flashing in the night sky, has helped the sci-fi movie genre cultivate a fanbase of its own. Here is a selection of alien-themed films worth enjoying

Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, have intrigued humans for several centuries. The oddity and mystery that surrounds them and the aliens potentially inside them, has inspired many scientists, ufologists, and conspiracy theorists to research them restlessly.

July 2 is celebrated as World UFO Day every year to commemorate the Roswell crash which occurred in New Mexico, US. The crash was reportedly of a US Army Air Forces weather balloon but conspiracy theories believe that it was a flying saucer, and the balloon crash was only a cover-up by the government.

While there are many UFO enthusiasts, who are busy studying them every day, these objects have also served as a muse for cinema, resulting in sci-fi films made in several languages.

Featuring crash-landing aliens or organised invasions, here is a mix of popular and little-known movies from India and abroad that you could watch if you are looking to explore this genre:

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
When one talks about UFOs and aliens, it is impossible to not think of this classic from the late 20th century. For many 80s and 90s kids, this Steven Spielberg film was the first introduction to the extra-terrestrial world of aliens and spaceships. Being Spielberg’s brainchild, the story follows Elliott, a boy who becomes friends with an alien called E.T., who is stranded on Earth. After its release, it was the highest-grossing film of all time and was only surpassed by Jurassic Park (1993), another Spielberg film. It also won four Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards in 1983.

Watch on: Netflix

Kalai Arasi (1963)
As many people around the world were experimenting with a variety of sci-fi plots, Tamil cinema produced its own classic in the form of 'Kalai Arasi'. The 1963 film was directed by A Kasilingam and starred MG Ramachandran and Bhanumathi. The film revolves around a farmer, Mohan, and Vani, the daughter of a rich landlord, who fall in love with each other. However, there’s trouble as two aliens are travelling to Earth in a UFO to look for an artist, who could teach their planet song and dance. Their planet has made a lot of development but lacks the expertise in the performing arts and after analysing various options, they hear Vani’s melodious voice and take her back in their spaceship. This is only the start, as what follows is complex plot to rescue Vani to bring her back, after several tense encounters with aliens.

Watch on: MX Player

Independence Day (1996)
A little over 14 years after E.T., the Jeff Goldblum-Will Smith-starrer Independence Day turned out to be another favourite among audiences around the globe. The plot revolves around a group of people who meet in the Nevada desert in the US, after an unknown extra-terrestrial race attacks the Earth. It also introduced the world to a mothership, which releases 15 other spaceships, who carry out an attack on major cities around the world. In one of the many films to feature Smith in the sci-fi genre, it surpassed 'Twister' and Tom Cruise’s 'Mission Impossible' to become the highest grossing film that year. The film also won the Oscar for the best visual effects in 1997. The film has a sequel called 'Independence Day: Resurgence', which was released in 2016.

Watch on: Hotstar

Patalghar (2003)
While most people know of many Hollywood sci-fi films depicting aliens and their UFOs, India has quite a few of its own and Patalghar is one of them. The Bengali science fiction film is directed by Abhijit Chowdhury and is based on a story by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. It revolves around scientist Aghor Sen, who creates a sleep-inducing device and puts an alien, who lands on Earth after being exiled from his planet Nyapcha, to sleep. However, the situation goes awry after Sen’s death as the device gets lost. Cut to 150 years later, after a diary mentioning about it is discovered, everybody including the alien Vik, who has now woken up, wants to get their hands on it. However, it is not that easy as it is in Sen’s laboratory and one needs to solve a puzzle to enter it.

Watch on: Zee5

Arrival (2016)
If you are a sci-fi movie fan, this Jeremy Renner-Amy Adams starrer is definitely worth a watch. The film is based on a short story called ‘Story of Your Life’ written by Ted Chiang in 1998. It is about an American linguist who has been given the job of finding a way to communicate with aliens, who have landed on Earth. With as many as 12 spaceships, which appear in different locations, this film takes sci-fi buffs on a journey, which involves tension between the two species that eventually leads to war. The film was nominated in several categories for the 89th Academy Awards and won for Best Sound Editing.

Watch on: Netflix

Rocket Girl (1962)
Directed by Nanabhai Bhatt, Rocket Girl is one of the early sci-fi films in Bollywood featuring Sudesh Kumar, Naaz and Shammi among others. The plot is centred on Professor Bharadwaj, whose space mission takes off after he saves Mumbaikars from a monster arrives in the city on a UFO. The professor and his team are responsible for killing the monster and this in turn helps them get permission to travel to outer space on a rocket. The team lands on an unknown planet with an evil queen who takes them in as prisoners. They are able to return after one of the queen’s maids helps them escape back to Earth.

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