The recent Fourth of July celebration probably reminded some of a particular film in the 1990s about an alien invasion and how the protagonists managed to survive and defeat the unwanted visitors on the day the United States celebrated Independence Day.
Such a scenario hopefully never happens but the universe is so vast that we know little about it, particularly the possibility of other life forms out there. If there are, we have no idea if they are friends or foes.
Are you prepared in case these other life forms decide to visit and take over our world? Do you think you can survive? We can never know but we can at least prepare and increase our chances of surviving. It’s a good thing then that Hollywood has shown us different ways we can survive an alien invasion and hopefully defeat the scurvy monsters.
The War of the Worlds (1953, 2005)
Back in the day, H.G. Wells caused pandemonium after his War of the Worlds was broadcasted over the radio. People thought the radio play was authentic and thus panic and chaos ensued. There were riots on the streets, reported suicides, and a woman in Indianapolis screaming, “New York has been destroyed! It’s the end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!”
The 2005 version was as scary as the original though people knew it was just a film. But in case something like that happens in real life, the movie thought us that the streets are not safe and that finding shelter is the first thing you should do. Just be wary of deranged people carrying shotguns.
Cloverfield (2008)
It may not be enough to find a suitable shelter to protect you from an alien invasion, especially if the invaders are the size of a building. Cloverfield showed us how important it is to get out of the city as quickly as possible to avoid getting trampled on by the giant aliens or getting trapped under the rubble they cause. Remember, the military will likely bomb the bleep out of these aliens. You’ll be nothing more than collateral damage if you insist on staying and shooting everything with a camcorder.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
This 2016 alien invasion film teaches us a lot about prepping and survival. John Goodman’s character was well prepared. He had an underground shelter and various survival gears such as a respirator and a Hazmat suit (or at least the materials to make one).
He also stockpiled food, water and other supplies. Note that the air-locked bunker was well-built as it can withstand the shaking of the ground caused by the giant aliens.
For those thinking of burying a shipping container to act as your bunker, you should give it a little more thought. Shipping containers are supposedly not strong enough to handle the weight of the dirt surrounding it. Besides, it would be a little too cramped for comfort. It would be better just to use shipping containers for your bug out locations.
The bunker in the film was well-equipped, well-stocked, and comfortable. In fact, it was actually livable if not for the fact that monsters lurk above them. A little comfort, in the form of couches, jigsaw puzzles, board games and beer, will go a long way in helping keep your sanity during these trying times.
The female protagonist, played brilliantly by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, teaches us that staying calm and being a quick thinker are two of the most vital traits to have when faced with an emergency situation. It also pays to be tough and knowledgeable. You don’t need a knight in shining armor to protect you from danger. You must be ready to outsmart and fight out-of-this-world and human threats alike.
The most important survival tips we learned from this movie are to start prepping, hide from threats, calm down and analyze the situation, be tough as nails, and to fight when necessary.
Independence Day (1996)
Most alien invasion movies end up with humans duking it out with the invaders. In Independence Day, which starred Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum, it took the combined efforts of military and civilian pilots from all over the world, along with the smartest minds, a beautiful Fourth of July speech, and a lot of luck to take down the aliens.
While it’s nice to have a wise-cracking tough guy and a genius scientist-slash-cable technician volunteering to take down the mother ship, they can’t do everything by themselves. To survive an alien invasion we need everyone to be on the same page. Cooperation is vital as we will need every brain and brawn working together to fight a common enemy.
Signs (2002)
If you’re going to fight the aliens, you need to find their weaknesses. In Signs, the character played by Joaquin Phoenix, discovers that the alien does not like water. The former minor league baseball player smashed the glasses of water conveniently left all around the house with his bat. He splashed the alien with water eventually killing it.
One thing you shouldn’t do during an alien invasion is to ignore possible life-saving information. M. Night Shyamalan’s character told Gibson’s Father Graham Hess that he was going to the lake because the aliens were afraid of water. Hess chose to barricade themselves in their home instead, which proved to be extremely risky.
With all these alien invasion survival tips in mind, let’s stop for a moment and consider the possibility that other life forms coming to Earth may just be high tech tourists leisurely passing by to see the sights. Humans have this fear of the unknown and a tendency to feel threatened that we believe anything that is not of this world is out to get us. Hollywood may have a hand on this. Aliens are often portrayed as evil beings out to destroy the human race.
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