Visitors from above

The "Day the Earth Stood Still" lands in theatres this weekend. Take a trip through our inter-galactic gallery to see some past out-of-this-world visitors humans have loved and loathed, and some interesting facts about their visits to Earth.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - 2008
Visitor: Klaatu
Out-of-this-world fact: Whereas the original film was based on Cold War tensions and violence, the issue at the centre of Earth�s survival this time is the environment.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - 1951
Visitor: Gort
Out-of-this-world fact: The film was the source of the cult quote "Klaatu barada nikto." Uttered by a character named Helen, Earth's survival rested on it's meaning being understood by a robo-alien named Gort.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial undefined - 1982
Visitor: E.T.
Out-of-this-world fact: The enduring story of friendship that sees a stranded alien befriend three young siblings is reportedly based on an imaginary friend Steven Spielberg created after his parents divorced.

Mars Attacks! - 1996
Visitor: Martian Girl
Out-of-this-world fact: The science-fiction comedy by Tim Burton is based on a series of popular trading cards released in the 1960s.

Superman Returns - 2006
Visitor: Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
Out-of-this-world fact: Brandon Routh, the actor who portrays one of the most famous superheroes of all time, originally auditioned to play the same character on the television series 'Smallville,' but was rejected.

Man Who Fell to Earth - 1976
Visitor: Thomas Jerome Newton
Out-of-this-world fact: David Bowie plays alien Thomas Jerome Newton, who comes to Earth to find water for his planet, in every scene except one. On one day when David Bowie was ill, his female co-star Candy Clark used a black hat to strategically hide her face and filled in.

The Astronaut's Wife - 1999
Visitor:Spencer Armacost
Out-of-this-world fact: An "alternate" ending exists where the astronaut's wife is not possessed by an alien. Although it was not used in the film, it was the original ending intended by the director.

Men in Black II - 2002
Visitor: Serleena
Out-of-this-world fact: Lara Flynn Boyle was cast to play evil Kylothian alien Serleena after Famke Janssen, the original actress, dropped out. Janssen had already starting filming scenes when a death in the family forced her to pull out of the project.

The Fifth Element - 1997
Visitor: Leeloo
Out-of-this-world fact: The language spoken by a character named Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich, was invented by director Luc Besson and further refined by Jovovich. By the end of filming, both were able to converse in the language.

Robot Monster - 1953
Visitor: Ro-Man
Out-of-this-world fact:This film is listed among "The 100 Most Amusingly Bad Movies Ever Made" in "The Official Razzie Movie Guide."

The Blob - 1958
Visitor: The Blob
Out-of-this-world fact: With the advanced special effects being used in 1958, early shots of The Blob were created with a modified weather balloon, and in the later shots with coloured silicone gel.