How to make a BELIEVEABLE "Alien Invasion" war epic?

Well as some might know, I'm an aspiring film maker. And I love history, warfare and civilisations as much as everyone else.

Recently I've been thinking about how to make a believeable alien invasion of Earth. Like I want people to be able to see the Earth of the year 2050 as really believable and see the invasion and LOSING war against an alien civilisation as not science fiction, or Star Wars or Star Trek-esque but something that could possibly eventually be a real event.

My first idea was to have my aliens as very, very humanoid even going so far as to making them look like elves from LOTR, pointed ears and longevity being thier only distinguishing features.

I'd really like some brain storming ideas, please help!

Originally Posted by The Sword of Cao Cao

My first idea was to have my aliens as very, very humanoid even going so far as to making them look like elves from LOTR, pointed ears and longevity being thier only distinguishing features.

I'd really like some brain storming ideas, please help!

Sort of like a Vulcan then?

Why don't you reverse it and have the Earth being the Invaders? Set it on another planet, and make the Human's some sort of evil Orwellian society bent on conquering the galaxy.

Vulcan?

And I was thinking of doing both. Humans invade an alien society, expecting them to be little more than natives, but instead they **** off a sleeping giant. And get pummeled.

Make the elve women sexy!!... I mean really really sexy!!... Men would give up fighting because of the elve women, So in the end it would only be the human womens that would fight the invasion! =)

Vulcan:



Seriously, don't go with pointy eared aliens. You will be ridiculed for plaigarism.

fundamentally it can be assumed that an alien civilization with the capability to transverse multiple lightyears in short enough time to make travel and war feasible would have access to weapons or mere energy levels mankind at this stage barely can even imagine. As such a military confrontation between the aliens and mankind can only end in mankind's victory if the Aliens are merely exploring like e.g. Columbus, Cook or the like. I don't think we could stand a single alien warship really bound on conquest. Just a bombardment from orbit would force complete surrender by mankind within days with practically no ways to successfully retaliate. Aliens wouldn't need to invade, one ship in orbit would be enough to force loyality.

you could always make them the same as humans and theyre eyes could be one solid color

Ehm, launch a bunch of ICBMs into space and blast the ship(s) to oblivion?

Originally Posted by Holger Danske

Ehm, launch a bunch of ICBMs into space and blast the ship(s) to oblivion?

ICBMs are not really constructed in a way that makes them good in hitting a possibly moving targets especially if the target is so highly advanced that it has travelled several hundred lightyears or so. The energy levels necessary for such a trip would be most likely extremely high or their technology for travel so clever that one can easily assume their targetting systems, counter measures and defensive capabilities should be more than able to evade or counter some sluggish ICBMs with simple chemical engines.

When one looks at how advanced antiship missiles act to evade Gatling systems and ECMs one can easily see that such a ICBM won't be much of a challenge. The aliens just need to have mastered the construction of lasers and attached them to their very likely extremely strong energy systems and they would have a very good missile defense capable to beat anything to a pulp humans so far or in fifty years most likely can build.

Still the blast of a nuclear weapon will kill them.. No way i'm going to believe in any sort of shield systems as powerful as those in Independence day.
One single precision guide warhead will undo the aliens... And if we fire thousands of them, I would be surprised if none came within 1km of the ship.

It's been done before - here.

The question is, are you as good as OW? :hmmm:

I thought "Signs" was a rather believable alien invasion movie.

With radio it was at the time easy; it was trusted absolutely and implicitly and the show was blended with the news etc. Now it'd be much harder; we're all more jaded and more cynical.