Movies like First Contact (2011)
The best movies like First Contact (2011) are They Live (1988), Arrival (2016) and Ick (2025). If First Contact hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
First Contact
Quick picks
- Highest ratedArrival (2016)7.6/10 from 20,151 votes
- NewestGood Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)Released 2026
They Live (1988)
A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArrival (2016)
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIck (2025)
Science teacher Hank’s life changes when he reconnects with his first love and suspects that a new student may be his daughter—all while facing an alien threat in their town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImpostor (2001)
A top-secret government weapons designer is arrested by a clandestine government organization on suspicion of being a clone created by the hostile alien race wanting to take over Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLandscape with Invisible Hand (2023)
Years into a benevolent alien occupation, mankind is still adjusting to its new overlords. Their technology initially held promise for global prosperity, but rendered most human jobs – and steady income – obsolete. When two teenagers discover the aliens are fascinated with human love and will pay for access to it, they decide to livestream their romance to make extra cash for their families.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHot Shots! (1991)
The gang that created Airplane! and The Naked Gun sets its sights on Top Gun in this spoof. Topper Harley is a talented but unstable fighter pilot with an axe to grind: clearing the family name. His mission is to avenge his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers. He also gets involved in a relationship with Ramada Thompson, a woman with an unusually talented stomach. Hot Shots! makes fun of a variety of other films, from Dances with Wolves to The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
Trying to rescue her home planet from destruction, a gorgeous extraterrestrial named Celeste arrives on Earth and begins her scientific research. She woos quirky scientist Dr. Steve Mills, a widower with a young daughter. Before long, Celeste finds herself in love with Steve and her new life on Earth, where she experiences true intimacy for the first time. But when she loses sight of her mission, she begins to question where she belongs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDark Star (1974)
A group of scientists are sent on a mission to destroy unstable planets. Twenty years into their mission, they have to battle their alien mascot as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoonwalkers (2015)
What if Apollo 11 never actually made it? What if, in reality, Stanley Kubrick secretly shot the famous images of the moon landing in a studio, working for the US administration? This is the premise of a totally plausible conspiracy theory that takes us to swinging sixties London, where a stubborn CIA agent will never find Kubrick but is forced to team up with a lousy manager of a seedy rock band to develop the biggest con of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRepo Man (1984)
A down and out young punk gets a job working with a seasoned repo man, but what awaits him in his new career is a series of outlandish adventures revolving around aliens, the CIA, and a most wanted '64 Chevy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017)
In 1970s London, a teenage outsider named Enn falls in love with a rebellious alien girl named Zan, who has come to Earth for a party. Together, they navigate the complexities of intergalactic culture and the trials of first love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRakka (2017)
A story of broken humanity following the invasion of a technologically superior alien species. Bleak, harrowing, and unrelenting, the humans must find enough courage to go on fighting.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)
A 'Man from the Future' arrives at an LA diner where he must recruit the precise combination of disgruntled patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnatchers (2019)
After status-obsessed teen Sara has sex for the first time, she wakes up the next day nine months pregnant-with an alien.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBody Snatchers (1993)
When Environmental Protection Agency inspector Steve Malone travels to a remote military base in order to check for toxic materials, he brings his family along for the ride. After arriving at the base, his teenage daughter Marti befriends Jean Platt, daughter of the base's commander, General Platt. When people at the base begin acting strangely, Marti becomes convinced that they are slowly being replaced by plant-like aliens.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBugonia (2025)
Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI, Robot (2004)
In 2035, where robots are commonplace and abide by the three laws of robotics, a technophobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may be in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFirefox (1982)
The Soviets have developed a revolutionary new jet fighter, called 'Firefox'. Worried that the jet will be used as a first-strike weapon—as there are rumours that it is undetectable by radar—the British send ex-Vietnam War pilot, Mitchell Gant on a covert mission into the Soviet Union to steal the Firefox.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAirplane II: The Sequel (1982)
A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the sun, and man-with-a-past Ted Striker must save the day and get the shuttle back on track – again – all the while trying to patch up his relationship with Elaine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Man Flint (1966)
When scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like First Contact?
The closest matches to First Contact are They Live (1988), Arrival (2016) and Ick (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after First Contact?
Start with They Live (1988), the closest match to First Contact.
What is the highest-rated movie like First Contact?
Arrival (2016), rated 7.6/10 by 20,151 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like First Contact?
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like First Contact?
Yes: They Live (1988), Arrival (2016) and Ick (2025).
How are movies similar to First Contact chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside First Contact, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.