Written by Wes Annac, the Aquarius Paradigm
When really thinking about it, the stereotype that depicts off-world beings as ravenous insect-people or monsters with the destruction of humanity in mind seems a little silly.
I know that we haven’t “officially” discovered Life on other planets yet (wink wink) and I’m well aware of the media’s considerable role in painting our perception of extraterrestrials, but how have we become so complacent with accepting that image?
I guess it comes down to the fact that most people still don’t question things like Life on other planets or the strangely unfavorable light it’s presented in. The stereotypical image we’re given of an extraterrestrial is either a “little grey” or a monstrous being, and if you think about it, those aren’t very flattering portrayals.
The prevailing factor in these depictions is usually always that they seek to invade the Earth and destroy our favorite cities in graphic ways that make movie buffs proud of the progress we’ve made in the last three decades in creating destructive sequences. Even Marvin the Martian always wanted to destroy the Earth.
I once read an article about the large number of alien invasion films that were being released at the time, and it spelled out the fact that “evil alien invaders” are among the only enemies you can all-out attack in a film without coming across as politically incorrect.