Films: Arrival (2016)

Alias: Abbott and Costello

Type: Alien

Location: Civilized Area/Eldritch Location

Height/Weight: Twice that of average giraffes.

Affiliation: Good

Summary: Most really serious films about alien contact tend to shy away from actually showing the extraterrestrials. Some might say it's because they want to build intrigue, but honestly, there's no shame in seeing what we're all supposed to get so excited about. To say this was an interesting affair would be a severe understatement.

History: They came from the far reaches of space, their physics-defying ships landing in twelve different locations on the planet. These bizarre aliens, known as Heptapods, are here to enlighten us to things we didn't know were even possible. Two in particular, nicknamed Abbott and Costello, are constantly interviewed by a linguist hoping to decipher their utterly fantastical language. But there is great unrest in the world due to their arrival, and it'll be a race against time before the more paranoid humans ruin this close encounter.

Notable Kills: None.

Final Fate: Abbott dies in an explosion, but in the end, the linguist realizes that the Heptapods exist in a non-linear version of time, something their language enables them to do. They came to unite Earth because according to them, they'll need us in about thirty centuries. Soon they all leave, and from there, they are cast in a very positive light by mankind.

Powers/Abilities: The Heptapods' then-indecipherable language actually gives them the power to see into and exist in the future, though they cannot change it at all. Their "words" are spoken through a smoke-like gas that forms into different symbols.

Weakness: Anything conventional.

Scariness Factor: 2.5-We cannot lie that the Heptapods are a bit on the creepy side. They're basically giant walking disembodied arms that can only talk through a time-breaking language, and there's something unnervingly humanoid about the top of their bodies. All of that said, they ultimately want the best for our race, and are extremely forgiving of our faults. How many aliens do you know that are comfortable with being named after old comedy duos?

Trivia: -Originally, the gift of the Heptapods was different types of technology to various parts of the world, such as instant water-making for Japan and easy FTL tech for the U.S. They changed it due to the similarities to "Interstellar", but honestly, it all seemed a little far-fetched in the first place.

-The nature of the Heptapods, and really this whole story in general, is eerily reminiscent of the Tralfamadorians from Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five". These aliens are described as being "unstuck in time", meaning that they keep finding themselves existing at different points in their lives at the same time (for instance, they know one of their test pilots will accidentally destroy the universe later). They give this power to hapless Billy Pilgrim, and what follows is a slightly nihilistic yet oddly hopeful message of choosing to live in the moment, no matter what it is. Though most remember the story for its criticism of the WWII bombing of Dresden that Vonnegut bore witness to himself.