Movies like Aliens Expanded (2024)
The best movies like Aliens Expanded (2024) are Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' (2003), Aliens: The Big Think (2016) and Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' (2003). If Aliens Expanded hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)7.9/10 from 445 votes
- NewestThe Thing Expanded (2026)Released 2026
Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' (2003)
This feature-length documentary, made especially for the 2003 Aliens (1986) DVD release, is incredibly informative with all its interviews with both the cast and crew, as well as behind the scenes footage filmed during the making of the film. Every possible element towards what went into making the movie is included here and gives fans an overload of information to fill their brains with.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Aliens: The Big Think (2016)
The hunt for aliens is on! After a distinguished career in cosmology Professor Martin Rees, the astronomer royal, has taken up the search for extra-terrestrials. Looking for aliens is no longer science fiction - it is a question that's engaging some of the greatest minds in science. As our knowledge of the universe has increased, we're getting closer to answers. Many scientists now think we live in galaxy with a billion Earth-like planets, many of which may be teeming with life. But what kind of life? Has anything evolved into beings we could communicate with? This film gets inside the minds of the scientists considering one of the most exciting and profound questions we can ask - are we alone in the universe? Professor Rees thinks we may have our idea of what an alien is like all wrong. If he's right, it's not organic extra-terrestrials we should look for, it's machines.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' (2003)
The creation of the film Alien³ (1992) is covered here in this feature-length documentary in exhaustive detail. Many interviews with the cast and crew give us an idea of how hard of a time David Fincher had creating his first feature film, as well as present us with much information about every element that went into making this film, including how the plot and script changed drastically through filming.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Beast Within: Making Alien (2003)
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Alien,” the terrifying classic about a spaceship crew trapped with a hideous monster that's hunting them one by one.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Bob Lazar: Area 51 and Flying Saucers (2018)
Area 51, flying saucers from another world - and the program to create a fierce technology. Bob Lazar remains the singular most famous and controversial name in the world of UFOs. The reason you know about Area 51 is because Lazar came forward and told you about it. His disclosures have turned his life upside-down and he has tried to stay out of the spotlight. For this reason, he has never let any filmmaker into the private world of his daily life - that is - until now. Corbell’s film explores Lazar’s claims through the lens of thirty years - providing rare and never before revealed footage - guaranteed to alter the landscape of the debate.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHunt for the Skinwalker (2018)
This documentary is an intimate and unnerving portrait of the events surrounding the most extensive scientific study of a paranormal hotspot in human history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Thing: Terror Takes Shape (1998)
An in-depth look at the making of John Carpenter's cult classic sci-fi horror The Thing, telling the story of a group of researchers in Antarctica who encounter a parasitic extra-terrestrial life-form that assimilates, then imitates other organisms.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019)
The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thing Expanded (2026)
The ultimate companion to John Carpenter’s "The Thing", digging deep into the proverbial iceberg to enhance your viewing experience with new insights, stories, and revelations.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Back to the Future: Making the Trilogy (2002)
This is the making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by acclaimed documentary maker Laurent Bouzereau and appears on the Back to the Future DVD set.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)
The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? feature film documents the process of development of the ill fated "Superman Lives" movie, that was to be directed by Tim Burton and star Nicolas Cage as the man of steel himself, Superman. The project went through years of development before the plug was pulled, and this documentary interviews the major filmmakers: Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, Jon Peters, Dan Gilroy, Colleen Atwood, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and many many more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Alien Legacy (1999)
A behind the scenes look at the making of 'Alien'
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Deus ex Machina: The Philosophy of 'Donnie Darko' (2016)
The feature-length documentary about the making of the cult film favourite, "Donnie Darko".
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Friday the 13th Chronicles (2004)
Behind-the-scenes featurette detailing the production of the 'Friday The 13th' movies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Wars: The Legacy Revealed (2007)
The special focuses on how Star Wars is relevant today and the history that inspired it, and also makes various connections to Greek mythology. It consists of several interviews with well-known politicians, journalists, and critics, along with historical content and clips from all six of the Star Wars movies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFlying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion (1992)
A documentary detailing the making of the cult favorite "Plan 9 from Outer Space," featuring interviews with cast members and prominent filmmakers about the film, its lasting legacy, and its creator, Edward D. Wood Jr.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Recreating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of 'King Kong' (2006)
Following the immense success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson directs King Kong (2005). This documentary follows him, and the immense project from start to finish. It turns out that this one film may actually be a larger task to complete than all 3 of the Lord of the Rings films together.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Phenomenon (2020)
This documentary examines unidentified aerial phenomenon. With testimony from high-ranking government officials and NASA Astronauts, Senator Harry Reid says it "makes the incredible credible."
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlien Evolution (2001)
Mark Kermode brings a tribute to the successful Alien series, featuring interviews with the cast members and directors, including Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott. This documentary is featured on the 9th disc of the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set, released in 2003.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCreating a Universe - The Making of Rebel Moon (2024)
Go behind the scenes with director Zack Snyder and the cast and crew of his epic sci-fi saga as they bring a vast new sci-fi universe to the screen.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
George A. Romero's Resident Evil (2025)
A documentary that brings to light the vision that director George A. Romero had for an adaptation of Resident Evil, using newly filmed interviews with those who were there, and unravels the secrets behind why it was never produced.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Back in Time (2015)
Cast, crew and fans explore the "Back to the Future" time-travel trilogy's resonance throughout our culture, thirty years after Marty McFly went back in time.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLooking Back to the Future (2009)
A 9-part retrospective documentary from 2009 on the trilogy’s legacy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Getting LOST (2024)
A documentary revisiting the global television phenomenon LOST. Featuring interviews with the cast and crew, as well as members of the loyal fan base who still celebrate the show twenty years after it originally aired.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
This Is the Zodiac Speaking (2008)
A documentary featuring interviews with the people involved with the Zodiac killings, covering every aspect of the investigation, including the original investigators and surviving victims.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Decoding Die Hard (2013)
A one hour and forty-seven minute retrospective documentary about the franchise, consisting of seven previously released featurettes (Origins - Reinventing the Genre, John McClane - Modern Day Hero, Villains - Bad to the Bone, Sidekicks - Along For the Ride, Fight Sequences - Punishing Blows, Action - Explosive Effects and The Legacy - The Right Hero For the Right Time).
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Unraveling the Mystery: A Big Bang Farewell (2019)
Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco host a retrospective look at The Big Bang Theory (2007), sharing backstage secrets, unforgettable clips, personal memories, favorite moments and tours of the iconic sets.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Aliens Expanded?
The closest matches to Aliens Expanded are Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' (2003), Aliens: The Big Think (2016) and Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Aliens Expanded?
People who watched Aliens Expanded most often go on to Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' (2003), Aliens: The Big Think (2016) and Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' (2003).
What is the highest-rated movie like Aliens Expanded?
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991), rated 7.9/10 by 445 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Aliens Expanded?
The Thing Expanded (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Aliens Expanded?
Yes: Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' (2003), Aliens: The Big Think (2016) and Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' (2003).
How are movies similar to Aliens Expanded chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Aliens Expanded, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.