Movies About Aliens Negative For a Reason?

As my first thread on ATS, I wanted to make something fairly interesting.

Does anyone else think there is some kind of agenda to make movies with Aliens in them spun in a negative light? I'll give a decent list of ones I think are showing Aliens in a negative way, and also ones that are positive. Either way there seem to be a lot more negative than positive, and even then you could put some of the ones I've labeled positive into the negative column for numerous reasons.

Perhaps it's because of the human emotion of fear of the unknown, and the movie industry just uses that to take advantage of our wallets. Either way, I feel it's an interesting concept.

Here's the list:


NEGATIVE MOVIES

1. Alien Quadrilogy - If this isn't negative, I don't know what is...

2. Predator - Aliens that hunt humans.

3. District 9 - We make Alien vistitors into refugees.

4. The Thing - A shape-shifting alien that kills.

5. Invasion Of the Body Snatchers (Plus remakes) - Alien invasion movie.

6. War Of the Worlds (Both) - Alien invasion movie.

7. Independence Day - A ridiculous alien invasion movie.

8. Mars Attacks! - Alien invasion movie, but more of a spoof than anything.

9. Dreamcatcher - Another alien invasion.

10. Starship Troopers - Insect-like aliens that just kill.

11. Signs - Alien invasion.


POSITIVE MOVIES

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Nothing bad really happens here, so I put it in the positive light, plus it's one of the greatest ever so...

2. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - A good alien that just wants to phone home.

3. Close Encounters Of the Third Kind - Alien visitors with positive intentions - There are abductions, but they turn out to be good abductions.

4. Flight Of the Navigator - Alien time travel movie

5. Contact - We make contact, but never really have proof, sound familiar?

6. The Day the Earth Stood Still - Aliens want to help us in the end.

7. Starman - An alien with good intentions that wants to go home.

8. The Abyss - Aliens that want to help.


Well that's all I could think of at the moment. I'm sure I've left multiple out, so feel free to add to the list, or just discuss... If any of you haven't seen some of these, I would highly recommend watching them.

Originally posted by Nate8727
Does anyone else think there is some kind of agenda to make movies with Aliens in them spun in a negative light?

Because it provides the good guys vs. bad guys dynamic that makes for excellent storytelling.

You forgot the more recent ones, like Knowing (positive) and Close Encounters of the 4th Kind (negative).

There's also many TV Shows, but I suppose that would be a different category all together.

Thanks for the list.

I always thought that Hollywood unfortunately influences many people's opinion of ETs. Fearful people like to refer back to the movies they watched and I'm usually telling them that it was just a movie, just like any movie is made for the scare factor.

I happen to fall in the more positive camp based on my own experiences.

I have often thought about the negativity these films portrays aliens with, and soemtimes I think its a bit of fear mongering which works very well. Look at the stories you've heard about 'contactees' , they wish for contact then when aliens turn up they poop their pants and run away. Its brainwashing IMO so that should they appear to want to help us we'll view then with suspicion and distrust, we'll be looking for the slightest mistake and should they prove to be even the slightest bit 'untrustworthy' we'll end up shooting at them.
Fearmongering to keep the people scared and looking towards government as our saviours, besides look at most if not ALL of the aliens films, Americans save the day , but at present they couldn't fight their way out of 2 wars let alone facing a vastly superior race.
Any race that can travel huge distances in space with all the radiation and debris would have superior weapons and defences IMO.

Which would the average person go see? A film about aliens attacking the planet causing harm, or aliens planting trees and being our universal companions?

It's all about the money, there is no conspiracy. I will say I would like for the fear mongering to stop. Setting a parameter for something that is quite possible to exist isn't right. But who's to say there aren't corrupt aliens to cause our planet harm?

As for preparing people, I don't think that is the case.

In a movie, you need conflict. Someone has to be the bad guy, whether its the aliens or us humans.

Aliens are the villains most often because it helps the audience "root" for their fellow humans... Making humans the bad guys sometimes makes the audience feel dirty, so there then has to be redeeming humans to offset the mix. (and it's a formula used in all of the above)....

reply to post by Gazrok


I think it may reflect a lot of peoples attitude towards aliens rather than them having a negative attitude towards us.

reply to post by Nate8727


It's because monsters from beyond the edge of the world don't work as well in fiction nowadays, since we know the world is round. In other words, they're an easy antagonist.

You could ask the same question about zombies, vampires, serial killers, and basically anything else that's ever been focused on primarily as an antagonist in fiction. That's as far as the "agenda" goes.

Independence Day was way beyond ridiculous. A highly sophisticated species cannot withstand the vaunted 1996 Macintosh virus. I guess they didn't have Spyware from where they come from?

I agree with one of the other posters saying that there are negative films against 'Aliens' because it generates the "Us" VS "Them" mentality which it turn, allows for a good plot to unfold.

From the audiences point of view - What's more heroic that defending ones species from complete annihilation from a superior adversary? At least that is the general assumption that the filmmakers are trying to create.

You forgot to mention how much MONEY all of them made people don't want nice aliens people want to see deadly killer aliens and they pay for it.

Well there's probably a split decision on the idea to even reveal alien movies.I no i shouldnt answer with a question but HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF THERE WERE NO ALIEN MOVIES AT ALL? lol to be funny im surprise the movies exist they could of kept the sheeple even dumber..Now about what you had mention i feel like mabye thats there way to condition us to get us use to the fact that their is good and bad in space like their is on earth..Jus-Wrdz always return the comment





[edit on 19-12-2009 by Jus-Wrdz]

reply to post by Jus-Wrdz


Good Comment

I agree...I believe that we are being conditioned to understand that there are both good and evil alien races also.

All in all, those "alien" movies you think are negative have nothing to do with aliens. At the core of each is nothing more than an age old good guy/bad guy dynamic, depicting the typical human condition. Take District 9, great movie but at the core a very human story. Same with most if not all of the other.

Story lines have been repeated over and over throughout history, each taking on the qualities and current events of whatever time period it is broadcast or printed in. Nothing conspiratorial in nature, just typical and predictable human storytelling.

Of course, those that treat Ufology like it is a religion, whether they admit that or not, tend to project their faith on matters such as this because they ignorantly feel that this thought process enforces their deepest conspiracy desires. Unfortunately, it only displays their ignorance concerning how the real world works, and their limited grasp of logic, reason and common sense.

Whether it be aliens, cowboys and indians, war movies, etc....all those stories at the very core are all about the human condition. Aliens only represent a method of story telling, same as any other genre,

Im going to play devils advocate here.

Lets say for sure, 100% that there are aliens and they are benevolent and want to help mankind but that would totally screw up TPTB's plans so what a better way to make sure the majority of the population will sway towards their agenda but to make all aliens look like bad guys in the movies to put that fear into people.

One day these benevolent aliens decide enough is enough and come to the human races aid only to find that the human race has been brainwashed into thinking that they are the enemies that are here to harm or kill them because of those movies. Humans decide that they should listen to TPTB and fight against the aliens because they are evil. Aliens leave or are wiped out and TPTB look to be saviors of the human race and now the people of the world will do anything they say.

Yes VERY hypothetical but plausible

My theory is that most writers portray alien lifeforms in a manner that suggests these beings share a mindset and set of motives similar to that of our own species. For example, we, as a whole, show complete indifference to the suffering of creatures that we consider to be inferior and we would not hesitate to destroy any substandard form of life that poses a potential threat to our own existence. This resonates in movies and literature in the form of aliens that want to enslave or destroy us.
On the other hand, the concept of benign and curious alien life is derived from the curiosity mankind would exhibit upon discovering the alien equivalent of cavemen on another planet.

But, in all likelihood, an alien's mind would function in a manner that is vastly different to our own. Simple human concepts of morality, our beliefs, everything that makes us human and the things that drive us, might be as meaningless to them as white noise is to us.

[edit on 19-12-2009 by Starkweather]

well firstly.....dont mess with predator cause its a classic! .... "get to da choppa" and you forgot 'cocoon' in the positive movie list...its a wonderful movie about nice aliens.
if hollywood is the illuminati's propaganda machine, then from the proliferation of negative alien movies you can only draw one conclusion!...there must be a subset of aliens who are benign and may have an interest in advancing humans out of its current misery.
history is filled with legends of mysterious advanced strangers who brought technology, science and medicine to primitive peoples.
jewish run hollywood is ramping its anti aliens themed movies at a time when disclosure is being discussed as a very real and necessary event.

Someone needs to be the bad guy. Without an antagonist, there is no conflict. Without conflict, there is no story. If the bad guy is Russian, "Hey, the cold war is over, that is not fair." If the bad guy is Middle Eastern, "That is profiling or conditioning or something un PC." If the bad guy is black, "That is racist!" Someone will be offended no matter who the bad guy is so Aliens are good. Besides, aliens can be cool like Alien or Predator. Come on, Canadians do not bleed acid, do they?

The PTB are worried that the good guys [aliens]

are going to expose their evil corrupt agenda .

.............. TO LATE!

the world has woken up to the fact that aliens are No threat !

The ''aliens'' are not from outer space. They are here with us. They are our domestic enemies. In the 1950's it was the Communists. Today it is still Communism, plus militant Islam. The alien meme is trying to educate you symbolically and subconsciously. They don't want to come right out and say it. They are being more subtle and seductive so as to draw you in to the theater and not push you away with another ''Don't Do This'' message. In the U.S. we are currently being taught that the Far Left and Liberalism is bad for us. Obama is like a scapegoat. He is going to take the punishment and be labled the worst President ever so you can learn your lessons. He is half Jewish and half African. He is our modern day ''King Of The Jews'' and he'll be ''crucified'' accordingly.

reply to post by KritikalMass


I knew I'd forgotten quite a few good ones. Thanks for adding.