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Top 10 filming locations to meet aliens
1. Headquarters – Men in Black, aliens management
The mythical entrance to the MIB headquarters is in reality one of the ventilation towers of the Holland Tunnel, providing one of the two underground road links between Manhattan and New Jersey. The interior of the headquarters was created in Sony’s Los Angeles studios. The decorators had to give it a style resembling an airport of the 1960s. The examination room is directly inspired by the TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport… After his first visit to MIB headquarters, Officer J (Will Smith) sits in Battery Park across the street to take stock of the new world that is opening up to him.
Address: 504 Battery Pl, New York, USA
2. Elliott’s house – E.T. the alien
The Elliot’s house, the little boy who becomes friends with E.T., is located in Tujunga, California. With the interior scenes of the house being filmed at Laird International Studio in Culver City, Steven Spielberg wanted to have an exterior of a house nearby to cut costs. Unusually, the house is built on the site of a former prison camp. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government decided to round up Japanese Americans who might be a risk to the homeland in camps. This is one of them. Originally, E.T. was thought to be a horror film, but when the director preferred to adapt Melissa Mathison’s script, the film became the fantastic comedy we know.
Read more3. Ferry – The War of the Worlds
Earth is under attack! People are panicking and running around. Then a tripod rises from the water and propels a ferry across the city. This incredible scene, putting a strain on home cinema, was filmed in Athens, New York. This boat allows you to sail on the Hudson for a simple stroll, but also for a romantic cruise. I promise, no tripods in these waters.
Address: Second Street, Athens, USA
4. Luke Skywalker’s house – Star Wars
In addition to the desert, the cameras were able to capture some very real places. This is the case of the Lars’ farm, where young Luke Skywalker lives at the beginning of the film. A troglodytic residence built by Berbers centuries ago, the hotel has now become a flagship tourist attraction, known as the Star Wars Hotel. The first episode of one of the most lucrative sagas in the world, Star Wars: A New Hope is one of the highest grossing feature films of all time.
Read more5. Bridge of Xandar – Guardians of the Galaxy
The Millennium Bridge appears multiple times in the film. It is from here that Rockett (Bradley Cooper) notices Stan Lee with a young Xandarian woman or that, later, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) chases Gamora (Zoe Saldana). We also see many Xandarans fleeing from the attack by the armies of Ronan the accuser (Lee Pace). Doubling the character of Groot was a real therapeutic treatment for Vin Diesel. Affected by the death of his colleague and friend, Paul Walker, he would have succeeded in mourning thanks to the innocence and the sensitivity of the humanoid tree that he interpreted.
Address: Millennium Bridge, London, United Kingdom
6. Donut World – Mars Attacks, aliens attack
If Donut World on Broadway Street in Perkinsville, Kansas does not exist, the production was inspired by the famous Randy’s Donuts for this store overflown by saucers of Martians. Regularly used in pop culture, notably in the series The Simpsons, the movie Iron Man 2 or Justin Timberlake’s video Can’t Stop the Feeling, his excellent donuts seem to come from another planet.
Address: 805 W. Manchester Avenue, Inglewood, California, USA
7. Little A’le’inn – Paul, welcome aliens
Located near the mysterious Area 51, the Little A’le’inn welcomes Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollins (Nick Frost) during their journey in the United States. As a hotel establishment, Little A’le’inn really exists and welcomes tourists, curious or even real ufology enthusiasts. It offers all kinds of entertainment around this theme. A real vacation hotel that is not at all uninteresting.
Address: 9631 Old Mill Street, Rachel, Nevada, USA
8. Alien welcome – Independence Day
On the rooftop of the huge skyscraper, many followers of aliens try to communicate with them, without success. Very first building destroyed by aliens, it is nevertheless immortalized in many other works. The 310 m high building can be seen in Constantine, Crank, 24, Alias or the games Grand Theft Auto V and True Crime: Streets of LA.
Address: US Bank Tower, West 5th Street, Los Angeles, USA
9. Royal Opera House – The Fifth Element
The scene of the Diva Plavalaguna (Maïwenn) recital is emblematic. With her crystal-clear, pure voice, she enchants the Fhloston Paradise. The recorded vocal interpretation is not that of the French actress but of the Albanian coloratura soprano, Inva Mula. Composer Eric Serra explained that only 25% of the piece was worked on digitally. The sequence was shot in this beautiful 19th century location, which can also be admired in the video game Assassin’s Creed.
Address: Bow Street, London, United Kingdom
10. Habitable planet Origae-6 – Alien: Covenant
While most of the Aliens are shot in studios, some of the films in the saga use some of Earth’s little-known and beautiful landscapes. In Alien: Covenant, Lady Bowen Falls are the real stars of the feature film. Here, very few digital images have been added, except for the giant felled trees, showing the incredible beauty of the place that is supposed to be a habitable planet called Origae-6.
Address: Milford Sound Highway, Southland, New Zealand
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