Every Steven Spielberg Alien Movie, Ranked
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After over 15 years, director Steven Spielberg is finally getting back into the world of alien invaders. Sure, as a producer, Spielberg has continued to attach his name to shows like Falling Skies and films like Super 8, but as far as his own, personal directorial projects are concerned, it’s been a hot minute since he tackled UFOs and little green men. But with the release of the first teaser for his 2026 film Disclosure Day, we couldn’t be more excited to see him back in the sci-fi business.
Spielberg has long been known for his love of alien-related material. That’s why he produced the abduction-based Taken miniseries back in the early 2000s, as well as the Transformers franchise soon after. In fact, the filmmaker’s directorial debut was a film called Firelight, which has never been officially released to the public. The nearly two-and-a-half-hour feature dealt with an alien invasion as flying saucers terrorized a small town. But Spielberg has grown immensely as a filmmaker since then, and as we wait patiently to see what he does with Disclosure Day, here are the rest of his alien-movies ranked.
5
‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
The long-anticipated return of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones was quite controversial due to the presence of the alien beings in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hoping to emulate the B-movies of the 1950s, George Lucas was adamant that the titular artifact would be connected to extra-terrestrial beings, but Spielberg famously rejected the concept. It took the pair a long time to get the fourth Indiana Jones made because Spielberg wasn’t interested in doing another alien invasion flick. But when Lucas suggested that these beings could be interdimensional rather than from the stars, Spielberg relented and gave it a shot.
In truth, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not a bad movie. It’s structured quite well and while the alien reveal at the end is a bit odd in comparison to previous installments, it mostly lands. To call Kingdom of the Crystal Skull an “alien movie” might be a bit of a stretch, to be sure, but considering how vital the skull is to the entire plot, what else can you call it? Indeed, the whole thing ends with a South American pyramid being transformed into a flying saucer and jumping for another dimension. If that’s not an alien picture, we’re not quite sure what is.
4
‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ (2001)
Another film that is only vaguely “alien” in nature, A.I. Artificial Intelligence certainly meets the literal definition of the word. While many viewers have been confused by the ending of the film, particularly due to the elongated, alien-like future robots that David (Haley Joel Osment) encounters, the silicon-based lifeforms are not technically aliens as we traditionally think of them. Yet, the way Spielberg presents them, they are effectually so, having super-mechas take over the world over the course of two-thousand years.
While A.I. Artificial Intelligence began as a Stanley Kubrick production, Spielberg was handed the reins by Kubrick himself, and crafted an underrated presentation of the alien life that exists in the form of AI. While artificial intelligence wasn’t then what it is today, the film is eerily prophetic as we inch closer to a world where machines do more than human beings. It’s not your traditional extra-terrestrial aliens, but it is quite alien-like in the way these “Specialists” are presented.
3
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)
Over a decade after he first made Firelight, Spielberg’s passion project to put together a UFO story was realized in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After Richard Dreyfuss‘ Roy Neary (who was originally meant to be played by Steve McQueen) encounters a UFO while working as a lineman in Indiana, he dives head-first into uncovering the truth behind his experience. Meanwhile, a young mother, Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon), witnesses the abduction of her young son, which sets her on an investigation of her own. Together, they ultimately make their way to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, and that’s where the true excitement lies.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a bit of a slow-burn by today’s fast-paced standards, but it’s a riveting drama about how alien abduction can drastically change the course of a person’s life. Spielberg’s first public take on the sci-fi genre, Close Encounters is a powerful film that — along with George Lucas’ Star Wars, which also hit theaters earlier that year — helped prove that the B-pictures of the filmmaker’s youth had wide appeal. As the director was once quoted as saying, “I wanted to make it a very accessible story, about the very common, everyday individual who has a sighting that overturns his life as he once knew it.”
2
‘War of the Worlds’ (2005)
A modernized, American adaptation of H.G. Wells‘ iconic alien triumph, War of the Worlds is far better than it has any right to be. Stripping the tale of its initial 1890s Southern England setting and transporting the drama to 21st-century New England, Spielberg reignites the fear that many who first heard the Orson Welles‘ radio drama felt, only now on the big-screen. A blockbuster with incredible performances by Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, and a young Dakota Fanning, War of the Worlds is all you could ask for in a Spielberg invasion picture.
Although not the first film that will likely come to mind when you think of Spielberg’s masterful filmography, War of the Worlds is no dip in quality. If anything, the pure carnage and distress that an actual alien invasion would cause is best seen in a film like this, where the camera sticks with the characters for a street-level view of the apocalyptic horrors. It’s no wonder that the director wanted to work with Cruise on this after Minority Report, he’s just perfect for the part.
Easily the best of Spielberg’s alien flicks, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a magnificent production that speaks to the childlike wonder of science fiction discovery and the power of friendship. If there’s one film in Spielberg’s filmography that he will always be firmly associated with, it’s E.T. — heck, there’s a reason that the Amblin Entertainment logo calls back to that iconic moon shot. Whether you love E.T. for John Williams‘ iconic score, Elliott’s (Henry Thomas) simple trust in the titular creature, or the warm feelings of youthful nostalgia, this is one alien movie that will leave you not frightened at the prospect of first-contact, but marveled by it.
After Spielberg tried to follow up Close Encounters with the ultimately unmade Night Skies, the director ultimately turned his eye toward the project that became E.T. With an exceptional screenplay penned by Melissa Mathison and an iconic-looking puppet to play E.T., it has become one of the most beloved movies in all cinema. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the true culmination of Spielberg’s take on alien lifeforms, one that is far more hopeful than anything else.
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