I suppose it was inevitable - how can anyone compile a list of cinematic aliens walking among us without including the true icon of the concept? Who is more legendary in popular culture than Superman? (I think we can safely say that's a rhetorical question). Clark Kent is the quintessential alien among us; clumsy and awkward with a barely-concealed crush on his colleague Lois Lane - no one would think for a second that he was also Superman, flying through the skies saving the world from destruction. Of course, you're better off watching the original Superman movie to get a feel for this dynamic, since Zack Snyder's Man of Steel dispensed almost entirely with the idea of Superman-as-Kent integrating into normal society while saving people from burning buildings, preferring instead to refashion him as a brute force content with destroy entire cities in the name of saving the planet (if you can't reinvent the wheel you can always smash it to pieces). Far better - in the context of this list, at least - to enjoy Superman in his Christopher Reeve incarnation, with a greater emphasis on the Clarke Kent alter ego as he lives and works in a huge metropolis, contrasting Snyder's drifting loner seeking escape. As colourful and camp as Richard Donner's 1978 original may well be, it certainly has a lot more fun with his interaction with the other characters, not least a genuinely engaging love story between Superman/Clark and Lois Lane and some great banter with Lex Luther and his goons. The time reversing finale, while it does beggar the question, "Why doesn't Superman just turn back time every time something bad happens?", has at its core an emotional resonance which seems far more satisfying than snapping someone's neck in a fit of rage (with the added caveat that this is my opinion, as much as it may unleash a can of worms). If there's a better way to end a list like this or if you can think of any glaring omissions, I'm all ears. Why not post a comment below?
