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Best First Contact Movies

The greatest alien encounter films — where will Disclosure Day land?

?

Disclosure Day (2026)

Coming June 12, 2026 — could this be the new #1?

1

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1977 • Steven Spielberg • 2h 18m
The film that defined modern UFO cinema. Wonder, obsession, and the five-note motif that changed everything.
98
Score
2

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982 • Steven Spielberg • 1h 55m
The most emotionally resonant alien film ever made. Friendship across species, childhood wonder, pure magic.
96
Score
3

Arrival

2016 • Denis Villeneuve • 1h 56m
Cerebral, emotional, linguistics-based first contact. Amy Adams delivers a masterclass in quiet devastation.
94
Score
4

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 • Stanley Kubrick • 2h 29m
Enigmatic, philosophical, visually stunning. The monolith represents contact beyond human comprehension.
92
Score
5

Contact

1997 • Robert Zemeckis • 2h 30m
Science meets faith in humanity's first extraterrestrial communication. Jodie Foster's passion is infectious.
88
Score
6

The Day the Earth Stood Still

1951 • Robert Wise • 1h 32m
The original "alien with a message" film. Cold War allegory wrapped in sci-fi perfection. "Klaatu barada nikto."
86
Score
7

District 9

2009 • Neill Blomkamp • 1h 52m
Aliens as refugees. South African apartheid allegory with visceral action and unexpected emotional depth.
84
Score
8

War of the Worlds

2005 • Steven Spielberg • 1h 56m
First contact as extinction event. Post-9/11 terror, survival horror, and Spielberg at his darkest.
82
Score
9

Signs

2002 • M. Night Shyamalan • 1h 46m
Alien invasion through the lens of faith and family. Intimate, tense, and surprisingly moving.
78
Score
10

The Abyss

1989 • James Cameron • 2h 20m
Underwater first contact with stunning practical effects. The director's cut is essential viewing.
76
Score

Ranking Criteria

🎬

Filmmaking

Direction, cinematography, craft

💭

Concept

Originality of contact premise

❤️

Emotion

Emotional impact and resonance

🌍

Legacy

Cultural impact and influence

Where Will Disclosure Day Land?

With Spielberg returning to the genre he helped define, backed by John Williams' score and an A-list cast, Disclosure Day has all the ingredients to compete for the top spot.

The question isn't whether it'll be good — it's whether it'll surpass the master's own previous work. Can Spielberg top Close Encounters after 49 years?

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