We see that V returns to television this evening, and the spectacle of aliens visiting the Earth yet again makes us pause to reflect on the virtual parade of strange races that have been inexplicably drawn here over the decades.
Let's stipulate in the beginning that we love the Earth. It's our home and everything we know and love is here. In spite of that, we have to admit that it's not the most impressive planet. It's relatively small, certainly out of the way, but other than all of us living here, it doesn't offer anything especially remarkable.
So, just why is the place so darn attractive to aliens? Over the last century or so, it's been hard to swing a dead cat without hitting an extraterrestrial. The trouble seems to have started in 1898 when H. G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds, which depicted an invading army of Martian tripods, and there's been little rest since -- particularly from those pesky Martians. Wells' Martians have been the most persistent, returning in 1938 (with the help of Orson Welles), 1953, 1988, and 2005 -- fortunately being defeated every time by germs (you think they'd learn ... ).
The '50s were an especially fertile decade for Martians in particular and aliens in general. That decade brought us Marvin the Martian, who didn't "invade" Earth (though he did want to blow it up -- we interfere with his view of Venus, apparently), and more Invaders From Mars, but that one may have been a dream so it doesn’t really count (or does it?).
1956 saw the arrival of J'onn J'onzz, the "Martian Manhunter." J'onn didn't "invade," either -- he was unwillingly transported here -- but he chose to stay on and fight crime, even becoming a founding member of the Justice League of America. And, of course, in 1963, "Uncle Martin" crash-landed on Earth and became Tim O'Hara's "Favorite Martian."
Martians aren't our only extraterrestrial tourists, obviously. Seems like hardly a week went by in the '50s (again!) when we weren't being invaded by Things, Blobs, Its, Kanamits -- or even Teenagers -- all of whom tried to take over the Earth with their evil plans.
Of course, for every hostile invader, there was a Klaatu, Kreton, or even a Superman, who came in peace, or who didn't threaten to blow up the planet -- for the time being, at least.
As the century drew to a close, alien invaders became a little more persistent. There were the unnamed aliens who started to blow things up in July of 1996, all those nameless extraterrestrials who plagued Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and even Martians again in 1996, who seemed on the verge of worldwide conquest until they were defeated by Slim Whitman. Even they were balanced, though, by more benign beings whose cars broke down, made long-distance calls, or who were cruising the planet looking for dates.
Conspiracists have suggested since 1947 that we've been visited by actual aliens, and that the government has covered up the truth in order to protect the public. Given our cinematic exposure to extraterrestrials, though, we're more likely to react to Gazoos or Psychlos with boredom than fear.
Suggested Sites...
- Top 30 Alien Invasion Movies - if these are the "top," please keep us away from the bottom.
- Highest Grossing Alien Invasion Movies - now this is more like it -- even if they do include M. Night Shyamalan.
- 10 Greatest Alien Invasion Movies - how could they have left out Mars Attacks?
- Wikipedia: Martians - sometimes they come to visit, sometimes they stay at home.
- Wikipedia: Films Featuring Extraterrestrials - oh, dear -- they have Ewoks in there....
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