In the billions of stars, solar systems, and galaxies out there, our little planet is but a single speck of dust in the whirlwind of the universe. At least that’s what the people whose papers we always tried to copy from in science class tell us now. All we know is that even with the spectacular influence and reach of Movie Smackdown, we’re still content just to conquer the Earth market for our services. First things first.
In any case, Hollywood has most definitely burned through a lot of groups to provide conflict: Native Americans, Nazis, mobsters, Russians and the latest, terrorists. But the one group they started experimenting with in the 1950s — extraterrestrials — has gone from a trickle of B movies to an explosion of blockbusters.
Prometheus (2012) -vs-
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Strange artifacts are left here on Earth beckoning inhabitants to come visit superior beings and/or ancient visitors, requiring a massive undertaking to build and dispatch a mighty state-of-the-art spacecraft on a long, dangerous journey with an A.I. on board to take care of its human crew. Director Stanley Kubrick swung for the fences with this set-up over four decades ago and now it’s Ridley Scott’s turn. Get the full Smackdown →
MIB3 (2012) -vs-
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Here are two ET-attack movies, both with their feet firmly planted in the past, each going for laughs over drama, despite the fact that each one wants us to believe the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance. Men in Black 3 features the franchise’s first time-travel plot, with Will Smith’s “J” heading to 1969 to un-erase the previous erasing of his partner, “K.” Even the ETs look period. The same is true of Mars Attacks!, where director Tim Burton does his thing to cheesy 1950s alien invasion movies and female ETs with big hair. It’s Earth versus the Flying Saucers all over again. Get the full Smackdown →
District 9 (2009) -vs- Alien Nation (1988)
If you think we have an immigration issue on the southern U.S. border, imagine how the world will feel when the actual illegal aliens are the extra-terrestrial type from “out there.” These films are really just metaphors for how we Earth people deal with minority groups. How would be assimilate aliens? Lock ’em up or use good old fashioned discrimination? Get the full Smackdown →
John Carter (2012) -vs- Avatar (2009)
This Smackdown is a box-office no contest — Avatar towers not only over John Carter but over everything else (except, possibly, The Avengers). Still, just because people will pay to see a movie, it’s no sure thing that film can get out of the Smackdown ring alive. Avatar has taken its strong share of negative reviews and fan disappointments, and if there’s someone out there defending Jim Cameron’s screenplay we haven’t found them. So along rides John Carter, another film relying on visual thrills, special effects and a willing suspension of disbelief to create its fantasy world. Bigger than life stories with bigger than big budgets. Worlds collide. Get the full Smackdown →
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Super 8 (2011) -vs-
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
As soon as Super 8 came out, someone posted on Facebook: “I liked Super 8 as much as I did the first time it came out when it was called E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” Ouch! Question is: is that true and does it make any difference? Get the Full Smackdown →
Battle: Los Angeles (2011) -vs-
Transformers (2007) -vs- War of the Worlds (2005) -vs- Independence Day (1996)
The invading alien force is never a good thing. In the movies, they show up without warning and with no diplomatic skills. They don’t come in peace. They come to steal our resources, establish a colony, or just destroy us. Our crazy, stupid, normal world is suddenly at war with something from beyond our imaginations. Why are these aliens always in such bad moods? Get the full Smackdown →
The Thing (2011) -vs- The Thing (1982)
Antarctica is supposed to be the place where people from around the world go in the spirit of friendship and scientific cooperation. In the movies, though, this continent on heavy chill seems to carry the risk of stumbling across strange, nasty, parasitic extraterrestrials that will hunt everyone across the frozen wasteland. These ETs don’t even get names, they’re just The Thing. Grab your parka and snow boots and let’s get started. Get the Full Smackdown →
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) -vs-
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
In the midst of the alien invasion flicks of the 1950s, The Day the Earth Stood Still dared to be different by offering a caring, human-esque alien who came to Earth to deliver a message from the stars. When Keanu Reeves decided to remake the story for modern audiences in 2008, many people wondered how (and why?) he would update the classic. Get the full Smackdown →
Sunshine (2007) -vs-
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
In 1968, legendary director Stanley Kubrik and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke collaborated on a mind-expanding journey through human history from the birth of tools to humanity’s life in orbit of our planet. In 2007, Danny Boyle opened our eyes to another possible future where the hopes of Earth rest on a crew’s mission to reignite the sun. Both efforts elevated science fiction films to an intellectual level rarely seen, and suggest that mankind may have a future among the stars. Get the full Smackdown →
Contact (1997) -vs-
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Will the aliens send us a message from deep space or will they come calling in person? It’s Zemeckis versus Spielberg. Since both films want us to believe they’re realistic portrayals of contact, a lot depends on the viewer’s own feelings about how extra-terrestrial intelligence might want to speak to us. Get personal or keep a safe distance? Get the full Smackdown →
Fire in the Sky (1993) -vs-
Communion (1989)
The aliens in these films take people out of their homes and neighborhoods in the middle of the night, tag them like deer in a Lyme disease study, and probe and poke them in ways that suggest rape as much as anything else. Both films were also based on true stories. Travis Walton or Whitley Strieber? The Woodcutter or the Wordsmith? Get the full Smackdown →
Moon (2009) -vs- Solaris (2002)
As soon as Super 8 came out, someone posted on Facebook: “I liked Super 8 as much as I did the first time it came out when it was called E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” Ouch! Question is: is that true and does it make any difference? Get the Full Smackdown →
Some great films in there…