TIME

Why aliens would (probably) come in peace

Arrival is more realistic than most

WHEN THE MARTIANS FIRST LAND on Earth in the 1996 sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks!, for a moment it appears all will be fine. “We come in peace,” says their leader, as the music swells and a dove soars overhead. Seconds later the Martian pulls out a laser gun and opens fire on a crowd of human onlookers. Yet another blockbuster alien invasion has begun.

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