Angry aliens bring death from above back to Earth this weekend with the opening of “Independence Day: Resurgence,” almost 20 years to the day after the original “Independence Day” invaded multiplexes. While the original “Independence Day” may have upped the CGI ante — the infamous trailer with the exploding White House sparked cheers from enthusiastic audiences — it’s just part of a long, terror-inducing line of dyspeptic extraterrestrials trying to take down humanity.
Contact with other worlds has been a staple of cinematic science fiction, going all the way back to “A Trip to the Moon” in 1902. But the genre mushroomed in popularity in post-World War II, B-movie America, mirroring the growing fascination with outer space while also tapping into the jitters about Cold War conflict, nuclear annihilation, and shifting geo-politics that trembled under the staid world of “Leave It To Beaver.”
Creative special effects, nerve-jangling suspense and, occasionally, a sense of humor help make the best of these films — disturbing nightmares by the Hollywood dream machine — mandatory viewing.
In honor of the 20 years since “Independence Day,” here are 20 essential alien-invasion movies other than “ID” itself — which really isn’t a very good movie though, after grossing more than $300 million in the U.S. alone, it’s certainly a landmark one. “Resurgence” wasn’t screened in advance for critics so it’s quality can only be inferred.