6 Best First Contact Alien Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 15, 2026

Not every alien movie is about invasion. These imagine first contact as wonder, communication and quiet change. Arrival has a linguist trying to talk to visitors before tensions boil over, Contact has a scientist chosen for an unprecedented journey, and Annihilation follows scientists into a mutating zone. Nope, E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind round out the six.

Nope (2022)

TMDB ★ 6.8

Siblings running a horse ranch try to capture proof of a mysterious, dangerous phenomenon in the sky.

Directed by Jordan Peele · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Annihilation (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A biologist joins an expedition into a mysterious zone that rewrites everything inside it.

Directed by Alex Garland · 1h 55m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Arrival (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 94% Metacritic 81

A linguist tries to communicate with alien visitors before global panic turns into war.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve · 1h 56m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar73 wins & 276 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Contact (1997)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 69% Metacritic 62

A scientist's decoded alien signal leads to a single seat aboard a machine built to reach the stars.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 2h 30m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 Oscar15 wins & 32 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 99% Metacritic 92

A boy hides a stranded alien from the government while trying to help it phone home.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 1h 55m · Rated PG

Won 4 Oscars52 wins & 39 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A man's obsession with a strange vision draws him towards a historic first contact.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 17m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best First Contact Alien Movies

Nope (2022)

Annihilation (2018)

Arrival (2016)

Contact (1997)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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