Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "first-contact"

1. Arrival (II) (2016)

PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.

Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg

Votes: 770,891 | Gross: $100.55M

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi

After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter

Votes: 719,392 | Gross: $56.95M

3. The Avengers (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi

Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

Votes: 1,459,204 | Gross: $623.28M

4. Independence Day (1996)

PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.

Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell

Votes: 605,549 | Gross: $306.17M

5. Life (I) (2017)

R | 104 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth.

Director: Daniel Espinosa | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada

Votes: 253,824 | Gross: $30.23M

6. E.T. (1982)

PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi

A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace

Votes: 437,453 | Gross: $435.11M

7. Starman (1984)

PG | 115 min | Romance, Sci-Fi

An alien takes the form of a young Wisconsin widow's husband and makes her drive him to his departure point in Arizona. Distrustful government agents, along with a more ambivalent scientist, give pursuit in hopes of intercepting them.

Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel

Votes: 52,155 | Gross: $28.70M

8. Galaxy Quest (1999)

PG | 102 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.

Director: Dean Parisot | Stars: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub

Votes: 178,144 | Gross: $71.58M

9. War of the Worlds (2005)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto

Votes: 475,162 | Gross: $234.28M

10. Pacific Rim (2013)

PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day

Votes: 530,763 | Gross: $101.80M

11. Mars Attacks! (1996)

PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi

Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor.

Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Annette Bening

Votes: 243,482 | Gross: $37.77M

12. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna

Votes: 196,868 | Gross: $41.19M

13. Signs (2002)

PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A widowed former reverend living with his children and brother on a Pennsylvania farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields, which suggests something more frightening to come.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin

Votes: 385,661 | Gross: $227.97M

14. Contact (1997)

PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt

Votes: 293,064 | Gross: $100.92M

15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

PG | 138 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon

Votes: 216,849 | Gross: $132.09M

16. Jupiter Ascending (2015)

PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A young woman discovers her destiny as an heiress of intergalactic nobility and must fight to protect the inhabitants of Earth from an ancient and destructive industry.

Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean

Votes: 194,527 | Gross: $47.39M

17. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

PG-13 | 104 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

A remake of the 1951 classic science fiction film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.

Director: Scott Derrickson | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith

Votes: 178,533 | Gross: $79.37M

18. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

PG | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.

Director: W.D. Richter | Stars: Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum

Votes: 29,322 | Gross: $6.25M

19. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.

Director: Jonathan Frakes | Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton

Votes: 132,039 | Gross: $92.00M

20. V (1983)

Unrated | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

When aliens come to Earth to ask for our help, a few suspicious humans discover their horrific true intentions and prepare to resist.

Stars: Jane Badler, Michael Durrell, Faye Grant, Peter Nelson

Votes: 17,142

21. The Thing from Another World (1951)

Approved | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.

Directors: Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks | Stars: Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, James Arness, Robert Cornthwaite

Votes: 33,350

22. Cosmic Sin (2021)

R | 88 min | Action, Sci-Fi

Seven rogue soldiers launch a preemptive strike against a newly discovered alien civilization in the hopes of ending an interstellar war before it starts.

Director: Edward Drake | Stars: Frank Grillo, Bruce Willis, Brandon Thomas Lee, Corey Large

Votes: 15,087

23. Threshold (2005–2006)

60 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

A team of experts are assembled after the U.S. Navy discovers an extra-terrestrial object briefly appeared near a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Stars: Carla Gugino, Brian Van Holt, Brent Spiner, Rob Benedict

Votes: 5,925

24. Muppets from Space (1999)

G | 87 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

Gonzo is contacted by his alien family through his breakfast cereal. But when the men in black kidnap him, it's up to Kermit and the gang to rescue Gonzo and help him reunite with his long-lost family.

Director: Tim Hill | Stars: Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Bill Barretta, Jerry Nelson

Votes: 20,611 | Gross: $16.63M

25. Cosmos (I) (2019)

128 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Three amateur astronomers are perplexed when the newest member of their team intercepts radio signals of seemingly impossible origin.

Directors: Elliot Weaver, Zander Weaver | Stars: Tom England, Joshua Ford, Arjun Singh Panam, Ben Vardy

Votes: 6,723

26. The Martian Chronicles (1980)

360 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

In the 21st century, Earth begins the colonization of Mars. However, things do not go as planned, at first due to the hostile Martian natives and later because of the self-destructive Earthmen.

Stars: Rock Hudson, Gayle Hunnicutt, Bernie Casey, Christopher Connelly

Votes: 2,512

27. The Beyond (2017)

TV-14 | 103 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

After observing an anomaly in space, scientists transplant human brains in to synthetic bodies and send them through the wormhole.

Director: Hasraf Dulull | Stars: Jane Perry, Nigel Barber, Noeleen Comiskey, Ezra Faroque Khan

Votes: 6,756

28. Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984)

PG | 97 min | Comedy, Musical, Sci-Fi

Aliens land in the town of "Speelburgh" searching for the source of rock & roll. They find trouble with Dee Dee, Frankie and the pack.

Director: James Fargo | Stars: Pia Zadora, Craig Sheffer, Tom Nolan, Ruth Gordon

Votes: 1,571

29. Magellan (2017)

103 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery

After NASA picks up a trio of mysterious signals from within our own solar system, astronaut Roger Nelson is dispatched on a multi-year solo mission aboard the Magellan spacecraft to investigate the sources.

Director: Rob York | Stars: Brandon Ray Olive, K. Danor Gerald, Whitney Palmer, Matthew Mercer

Votes: 1,868

30. Intelligent Life (I)

Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi | Announced

An employee at a department of the United Nation that monitors Outer Space inadvertently makes contact with a beautiful woman, who may be an alien.

Director: Rebecca Thomas

31. Alien: Battlefield Earth (2021)

82 min | Sci-Fi

Aliens invade Earth after the capture of two Extra-terrestrials by the American military.

Director: Andrew Jones | Stars: Derek Nelson, Scot Scurlock, Peter Cosgrove, Cameron Bass

Votes: 228

32. Queen of Blood (1966)

Unrated | 78 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

The year is 1990. An alien species makes contact with Earth through radio transmissions. After astronauts from earth venture to the planet, they find one - a female, who's mute. As they ... See full summary »

Director: Curtis Harrington | Stars: John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper

Votes: 2,351

33. Alien Tornado (2012 TV Movie)

90 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Extraterrestrials appear as destructive "electrical tornadoes" on Earth.

Director: Jeff Burr | Stars: Stacey Asaro, Marcus Lyle Brown, Claire Conti, Jeff Fahey

Votes: 1,207

34. Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer (2010)

121 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Humanity battles aliens to stop the destruction of Earth and to achieve an everlasting peace.

Director: Seiji Mizushima | Stars: Mamoru Miyano, Shin'ichirô Miki, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Hiroshi Kamiya

Votes: 662

35. Faster Than Light (2017)

15 min | Short, Drama, Mystery

A lone astronaut testing the first faster-than-light spacecraft travels farther than he imagined possible.

Director: Adam Stern | Stars: Ty Olsson, Karin Konoval, Aliyah O'Brien, John Torrance

Votes: 1,092

36. PSI Factor (1980)

91 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi

Aliens from another dimension cross space and time to come to Earth. A scientist tries to discover what their motives are.

Director: Bryan Trizers | Stars: Peter Mark Richman, Gretchen Corbett, Tom Martin, Tom Troupe

Votes: 93

37. Bruce (2016)

Comedy

Bruce is a black comedy series set in an ordinary Aussie share-house that just happens to be a prison tent in Sydney Cove, 1788.

Stars: Richard Davies, Dave Lawson, Angus Sampson, Francis McMahon

Votes: 34

38. The Daedalus Encounter (1995 Video Game)

12 | Adventure, Sci-Fi

Two space war veterans turned scavengers and their cybernetic buddy stumble upon an organic alien vessel heading straight for a star, and must now explore the ship to find a way to change its course before it's too late.

Directors: Scott Ewers, Katherine Williams, Yuki Yoshioka | Stars: Tia Carrere, Christian Bocher

Votes: 69

39. Black Knight Decoded (2015 Video)

10 min | Short, Adventure, Drama

After receiving a signal from a outer space, a father struggles to unite the world and make first contact.

Director: Jabbar Raisani | Stars: David Oyelowo, Freida Pinto, Layla Crawford, Sebastian Roché

Votes: 42

40. Rama (1997 Video Game)

K-A | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

In this game based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama and Rama II, the player is part of a science team that must investigate the giant mysterious cylindrical spaceship dubbed Rama that has entered the Solar system.

Director: J. Mark Hood | Stars: Arthur C. Clarke, Amy Hunter, Tiffany Helm, Stephan Weyte

Votes: 80

41. Ilk Temas (2022)

87 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller

Some mysterious events happen to a scientist in the mountain house where he lives.

Director: Atilla Bariser | Stars: Irem Akcay, Bekir Anniak, Mehmet Sait Aydin, Bedirhan Bariser

Votes: 16

42. No Way Back (1953)

87 min | Drama, History, Romance

In 1945, Mischa, a Red Army officer, discovers a frightened German girl, Anna, huddled in a Berlin cellar. He gives her a safe escort home and wins her gratitude. Seven years later, Mischa ... See full summary »

Director: Victor Vicas | Stars: Ivan Desny, Ruth Niehaus, René Deltgen, Karl John

Votes: 96

43. First Contact (I) (2019)

Not Rated | 8 min | Short, Sci-Fi

After receiving the Voyager satellite with its message inviting people to visit Earth, an alien race sends an ambassador to Earth. When she arrives, she finds something she never expected.

Director: James D. Stacy | Star: Caitlin Glidewell

44. Project Kronos (2013)

14 min | Short, Sci-Fi

Project Kronos is a documentary film following a mission to achieve interstellar space travel. As the mission unfolds, the scientists find themselves questioning whether the space agency's ... See full summary »

Director: Hasraf Dulull | Stars: Noeleen Comiskey, Georgina Blackledge, Colin Emerson, Wes Nike

Votes: 138

45. Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest (2016– )

59 min | Documentary, History

Archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper travels along the 1,400 mile coastline of Northwest America to explore how local tribes understanding of their environment allowed them to develop a resilient culture.

Star: Jago Cooper

Votes: 21

46. The Monsters Are with Us: A Star Trek Fan Production (2017 Video)

14 min | Short, Sci-Fi

After finding no inhabitants on a class M planet, Captain Walker, Lieutenant Privette and Ensign Raven return to the Tristan, only to find themselves in an unusual predicament.

Director: Christin Woods | Stars: Keith Harris, Moody, Kimberly White, Donald Ray Arnold

Votes: 9

47. No Greater Love (2017 Video)

14 min | Short, Sci-Fi

Science Officer Duras has been infected by the inhabitants of Aucilla Omega VI with an incurable disease as a warning to the crew of the Deimos. How can Captain Quinn hope to change the minds of a people like this?

Director: Randall Landers | Stars: Terry Self, Victoria Avalon, Jim Brucke, Renda Carr

Votes: 11

48. Star Wreck: Lost Contact (1997 Video)

43 min | Short, Comedy, Sci-Fi

The Korg have destroyed captain Sissy's space station and are now heading for Earth. After the destruction of the flagship captain Pirk takes command.

Director: Rudi Airisto | Stars: Samuli Torssonen, Antti Satama, Timo Vuorensola, Rudi Airisto

Votes: 128

49. The Borg (2004 Video)

20 min | Short, History, Sci-Fi

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Stars: Vaughn Armstrong, LeVar Burton, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Dennehy

50. Distant Echoes: Part One (2018 Video)

11 min | Short, Sci-Fi

Newly appointed as the commander of the Tristan, Captain Eva Privette finds herself in an unusual situation: isolated from the ship, surrounded by an energy field, and interrogated by an alien who has chosen a disturbingly familiar form.

Director: Randall Landers | Stars: Kimberly White, Haley Barnes, Leslie Lewis, Moody

Votes: 8