Gyllenhaal breathes 'life' into alien invasions

A multicultural cast headed by A-listers and a 'science reality' approach separates the latest entry into a venerable film genre from the rest of its extraterrestrial ilk

Eight decades after Flash Gordon hinted that aliens might not have our best interests at heart, mankind still risks destruction in the movies to make contact with extraterrestrial life.

From Frederick Stephani's 1936 big screen serial through the $1.2 billion Alien franchise to last year's Independence Day: Resurgence, the heroes of more than 500 space invasion films have been lining up to die in new and inventive ways.