What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to Predator first
Aliens 1986
Film
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
The sides of Aliens
- Ripley goes back with the marines
- A colony gone silent
- A queen and a mother
Good for you if
- you like the scary original turned into a war film.
- you like marines counting their ammo in a corridor.
- you like creatures coming from the walls.
Bad for you if
- films from 1986 feel dated to you.
- you can't take gore. Marines are torn apart and acid blood eats through armour.
About: motherhood · survival · courage
Prey 2022
Film
When danger threatens her camp, the fierce and highly skilled Comanche warrior Naru sets out to protect her people. But the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal.
The sides of Prey
- A young Comanche woman who wants to hunt
- 1719 on the Great Plains
- Something that hunts better
Good for you if
- you like a hunter outsmarting a stronger enemy.
- you like a lean, tight survival film.
- you like a hero using the land to win.
Bad for you if
- gory kills ruin it for you.
- you want sharp talk. Naru's hunt on the plains plays out with very few words.
About: courage · proving yourself · nature
Jurassic World 2015
Film
Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond.
The sides of Jurassic World
- A dinosaur theme park open to the public
- A new dinosaur that escapes
- A trainer and his raptors
Good for you if
- you want big dinosaurs on a big screen.
- you like chases through a jungle and a crowded park.
- you like the dream of a dinosaur park open to the public, at last.
Bad for you if
- you watch for the people more than the dinosaurs. Here the creatures are the stars.
- you'd rather not be scared. The Indominus rex hunts the park's guards through the jungle.
About: greed · nature · control
Cloverfield 2008
Film
Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.
The sides of Cloverfield
- A goodbye party in Manhattan
- A monster attacks the city
- Everything filmed on a camcorder
Good for you if
- you like an attack seen only from the ground.
- you like a monster you barely see.
- you like the Statue of Liberty's head in the street.
Bad for you if
- you want steady, framed images. Everything is shot on a shaking camcorder.
- you need answers. Nobody learns what the monster is or where it came from.
About: survival · love · chaos
Kong: Skull Island 2017
Film
Explore the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island.
The sides of Kong: Skull Island
- An expedition to an unknown island
- Helicopters against a giant ape
- 1973, just after Vietnam
Good for you if
- you want a giant monster film done big.
- you like orange sunsets and jungle in a war film style.
- you like creatures fighting creatures.
Bad for you if
- you want humans at the centre. On Skull Island, Kong and the creatures take the spotlight.
- you can't watch soldiers eaten by giant lizards and spiders.
About: nature · war · hubris
Jurassic Park III 2001
Film
In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla Sorna. It isn't long before all hell breaks loose and the stranded wayfarers must fight for survival as a host of new -- and even more deadly -- dinosaurs try to make snacks of them.
The sides of Jurassic Park III
- A plane crash on the dinosaur island
- A boy who survived alone
- A bigger predator
Good for you if
- you like a dinosaur fight.
- you like a short, fast survival film.
Bad for you if
- you or young kids scare easily. Pterosaurs attack in a fog-filled aviary.
- you need the logic to hold up. A satellite phone rings inside a dinosaur.
About: survival · family
The Terminator 1984
Film
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
The sides of The Terminator
- A killing machine sent from the future
- A waitress who doesn't know she matters
- A soldier sent to protect her
Good for you if
- you like being hunted by something that never stops.
- you like a lean, fast 80s thriller.
- you like a waitress who learns to fight back to stay alive.
Bad for you if
- effects from 1984 look dated to you.
- shootouts in a police station ruin it for you.
About: fate · survival · machines
A Quiet Place Part II 2021
Film
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
The sides of A Quiet Place Part II
- The family leaves home
- A deaf girl with a plan
- A survivor in an old factory
Good for you if
- you like silence that makes every sound terrifying.
- you like creatures that hunt by noise.
Bad for you if
- you like a slow build. Part II throws the family into danger from the first scene.
- you want a story that wraps up. This one ends with more to come.
About: family · courage · survival
War of the Worlds 2005
Film
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
The sides of War of the Worlds
- A father fleeing with his kids
- Tripods rising from the ground
- A cellar and a probe
Good for you if
- you like an invasion seen from the ground, from a family's view.
- you like terrifying destruction scenes.
- you like a long, quiet scene hiding in a basement.
Bad for you if
- you want something for the kids. Here two children run from an alien invasion, terrified.
- you need the science to hold up. The tripods were buried under our cities long before us.
About: survival · fatherhood · fear
The Thing 1982
Film
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
The sides of The Thing
- A research station in Antarctica
- Something that copies anyone
- A blood test
Good for you if
- you like paranoia where anyone could be the monster.
- you like practical creature effects that still shock.
- you like an ending that leaves you unsure.
Bad for you if
- grotesque body horror ruins it for you.
- films from 1982 feel dated to you.
About: paranoia · trust · isolation
The Lost World: Jurassic Park 1997
Film
Four years after Jurassic Park's genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove and a wildlife videographer join an expedition to document the lethal lizards' natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.
The sides of The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- A second island of dinosaurs
- A trailer hanging off a cliff
- A T-rex in San Diego
Good for you if
- you like more dinosaurs, bigger.
- you like a trailer hanging over a cliff.
Bad for you if
- you need the logic to hold up. A T. rex loose in San Diego asks a lot.
- you watch for the people more than the plot. Here the dinosaurs take the lead and the humans keep running.
About: nature · greed
Pacific Rim 2013
Film
Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, Earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as Earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.
The sides of Pacific Rim
- Giant robots against giant monsters
- Pilots sharing one mind
- Hong Kong at night in the rain
Good for you if
- you want giant robots punching giant monsters, that's all.
- you like neon Hong Kong at night, lit by glowing blue kaiju blood.
Bad for you if
- you want sharp, talky writing. Here the fights in the rain carry the film.
- you roll your eyes at big speeches like "today we are cancelling the apocalypse".
About: teamwork · trust · survival
Halo 2022
Series
Depicting an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, the series weaves deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.
The sides of Halo
- Master Chief taking off his helmet
- Spartan super soldiers against the Covenant
- A mysterious artifact in the 26th century
Good for you if
- you like Spartans in armour fighting alien armies.
- you like a war spread across human colonies in the 26th century.
- you want to see the man under Master Chief's helmet.
Bad for you if
- you find it hard to watch soldiers and civilians dying in heavy combat.
- you lose track when the politics jump between several planets.
About: identity · war · humanity
The Hunger Games 2012
Film
In a dystopian society where the Capitol forces each district to send two young tributes to fight to the death in a televised spectacle, a girl volunteers to take her sister’s place, setting the stage for a struggle of survival and defiance.
The sides of The Hunger Games
- Survival in the arena
- Peeta or Gale
- A rebellion against the Capitol
- The show around the games
Good for you if
- you like a hunt where anyone could die next.
- you like a heroine who survives with a bow and her wits.
- you like a girl who takes her little sister's place.
Bad for you if
- teenagers killing teenagers is too much for you.
- two hours and twenty minutes is long for your evening, and it's only the first film.
About: survival · spectacle · rebellion
Avatar 2009
Film
In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.
The sides of Avatar
- A whole alien world to explore
- A soldier who changes sides
- Nature against machines
Good for you if
- you want to be swallowed by the screen, especially in 3D.
- you love getting lost in a world with its own plants, animals and rules.
- you like forests that glow and mountains that float.
Bad for you if
- you want sharp dialogue more than images.
- nearly three hours is too much for one evening.
About: colonisation · nature · belonging
Alien 1979
Film
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
The sides of Alien
- A crew answering a distress call
- Something on board
- A heroine who keeps her head
Good for you if
- you want a creature you barely see and never forget.
- you like a long, quiet build before the horror starts.
- you like dark corridors and a motion tracker beeping.
Bad for you if
- you can't stand body horror. The creature uses human bodies, and the film shows it.
- you want science fiction with guns and battles. The Nostromo is a cargo ship and its crew has no real weapons.
About: survival · the unknown · greed
Stargate SG-1 1997
Series
The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.
The sides of Stargate SG-1
- An ancient ring that opens onto other planets
- An Air Force team exploring the galaxy
- Alien parasites posing as gods
Good for you if
- you like a new planet through the Stargate every week.
- you like O'Neill, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c as a team that jokes under fire.
- you like firefights with the Goa'uld between the science.
Bad for you if
- ten seasons is too much for you.
- you find late-90s TV effects dated.
About: exploration · loyalty · ancient myths
Life 2017
Film
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
The sides of Life
- A cell from Mars on a space station
- It grows
- A crew that can't let it reach Earth
Good for you if
- you like a creature loose in a tight space.
- you like a smart, fast alien.
Bad for you if
- crushing, gruesome deaths ruin it for you.
- you need some hope. Life on the station turns darker by the hour.
About: survival · curiosity · sacrifice
Jurassic Park 1993
Film
A wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening day, he invites a team of experts and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park and help calm anxious investors. However, the park is anything but amusing as the security systems go off-line and the dinosaurs escape.
The sides of Jurassic Park
- Dinosaurs brought back to life
- A park that breaks down
- A glass of water trembling
Good for you if
- you want to feel what it's like to see a dinosaur for the first time.
- you like raptors in a kitchen.
- you want a T. rex breaking out of its paddock in the pouring rain.
Bad for you if
- you want a dark, hopeless story. Spielberg makes this an adventure, scary but never despairing.
- the dinosaur attacks are too scary for you or young kids.
About: nature · greed · control
Edge of Tomorrow 2014
Film
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again... and again - as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
The sides of Edge of Tomorrow
- A coward who relives the same day
- A war hero who trains him
- Dying again and again
Good for you if
- you like a war film that keeps restarting.
- you like the dark comedy of dying over and over.
- you like figuring out the loop with the hero.
Bad for you if
- constant deaths, even quick ones, ruin it for you.
- you need time travel explained by real science. Here an alien's blood resets the day.
About: courage · repetition · growth