While it’s fair to say that no film exists in a vacuum, and that all movies are inspired by other works of art, some films are ripped off a heck of a lot more than others. These are the prime movies, the films that create or redefine whole genres, that boast technical and narrative innovations that force everyone else in the industry to sit up, take notice, and react by producing similar movies in the hopes of having a similar impact.
You can probably think up a few of these prime movies on your own, like Star Wars, Psycho, Seven Samurai and Halloween. And of course we have to include Ridley Scott’s Alien, a film that spawned wave after wave of imitators which took the tropes of the earthbound horror genre and transported them to outer space (or other futuristic locales), and/or menaced big ensemble casts with grotesque new sci-fi imagery.
Also: The ‘Alien’ Movies | Ranked from Worst to Best!
The list of Alien knockoffs is so long that it may as well be its own subgenre, and like any subgenre there are good examples and bad examples within it. Sure, Alien knockoffs may be inherently derivative but that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. Many of these films are impressively produced, or pretty darned fun, or – at their best – add new elements to the formula that challenge our expectations.
So, since Alien Covenant was a bit of a letdown (and ironically played like an Alien knockoff too), let’s take a look at our eight favorite films that wouldn’t exist without Ridley Scott’s innovative masterpiece. They’re the best Alien knockoffs we’ve ever seen, and we think you should see them too.
Eight Unusually Good ‘Alien’ Knockoffs:
Top Photo: Constantin Films
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
Eight Unusually Good 'Alien' Knockoffs
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8. Species (1995)
Scientists decide to combine alien and human DNA, presumably because they've never seen any movies, and end up with Sil, an alluring woman who escapes and tries to get herself pregnant to start populating the planet with monsters. Species is cheesy and kinky, but the material is elevated by a surprisingly good cast, which includes Sir Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, Alfred Molina, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger and Natasha Henstridge.
Photo: MGM
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7. Jason X (2001)
Jason Voorhees goes to space and it's exactly as ridiculous as you'd expect. But Jason X is also a self-aware send-up of sci-fi clichés, one that subverts your expectations while simultaneously giving you every great kill you could want. By the time Jason finally becomes a cyborg and fights a sexy robot, it's hard not to cheer at the sheer, unbridled zaniness of it all.
Photo: New Line Cinema
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6. Leviathan (1989)
An alien infection is unleashed in an underwater science station, and even though you know exactly where the story is going to go, you don't really mind because the practical effects are gross and impressive, and the great cast is selling it like it's new. Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Daniel Stern, Ernie Hudson and Hector Elizondo are all great in the familiar, but underrated Leviathan.
Photo: MGM
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5. 51 (2011)
One of the best SyFy Original Movies ever produced, 51 is all about an alien jailbreak in Area 51, but the real gag is that there are a whole bunch of different species unleashed at the same time. Fun practical effects and a pretty darned clever screenplay compensate for 51's low budget and occasionally amateurish acting.
Photo: SyFy
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4. Event Horizon (1997)
Alien has been called "a haunted house in space", but Event Horizon takes that concept literally. Another great cast, bolstered by awesome production design, is menaced not by monsters but by the literalization of their innermost fears. It's a neat concept, but we liked it a lot better when it was called...
Photo: Constantin Films
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3. Galaxy of Terror (1981)
Bruce D. Clark's ambitious, grimy and bizarre sci-fi thriller finds yet another cool cast of characters menaced by their own phobias in the furthest reaches of space, but the effect is more personal and anxiety-inducing than in the comparatively slick Event Horizon. Some of the scares in Galaxy of Terror will leave you feeling dirty.
Photo: United Artists
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2. Pandorum (2009)
One of the most underrated sci-fi films of the last ten years, Pandora finds Ben Foster awakened from his cryogenic slumber to find a spaceship overrun by mysterious monsters. The great performances and sharp direction by Christian Alvart would have been enough to make Pandorum worth watching, but Travis Milloy's screenplay is also full of clever, satisfying surprises.
Photo: Overture Films
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1. Pitch Black (2000)
Trapped on a desolate planet with man-eating aliens is bad enough, but in David Twohy's fantastic Pitch Black, the heroes are also stuck with a homicidal criminal named Riddick. Pitch Black was Vin Diesel's breakout performance and it's easy to see why: he's dangerous and charismatic, and ably matched by his great supporting cast and a creepy new species of monsters.
Photo: USA Films
