outer space time travel movie

Best time travel movies of all time

Journey through cinema and science fiction history as we run down the best time travel movies of all time, from simple trips to other eras to time loops.

Mankind has been fascinated by the possibility of travelling to a different age for over a century. This hypothetical activity, now widely recognized in philosophy and fiction, was popularized by H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel The Time Machine. But it was cinema that made it a recurring science fiction premise in mainstream works. Such movies have kept evolving and taking time travel in wildly different directions, so we have ventured across time and space to bring you our ranked list of the best time travel movies of all time.

A good time travel movie doesn’t need to try too hard to take the subject seriously, as the core concept itself and the mechanics surrounding it remain a mystery and purely hypothetical. Of course, there are stories that leave massive plot holes throughout, but even time travel movies which go for more “realistic” approaches have to make up their own sets of rules. As a result, our list covers both movies that are steeped in the science of the genre and those which simply use time travel as a vehicle for shenanigans. One-way trips through black holes ? Parallel timelines ? Mind-bending paradoxes? It’s got a bit of everything.

For other great sci-fi genres, check out our guides to the best alien invasion movies , the best zombie movies , the best disaster movies , and the best giant monster movies of all time. If you’re in the mood for hands-on time travel fun, our list of the best time travel video games you can play right now is a must-read too. 

15. The Time Traveler’s Wife 

• Release date: August 14, 2009
• Cast: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston

The original marketing of The Time Traveler’s Wife, based on the novel of the same name, was billed as a sappy romance movie akin to anything from Nicholas Sparks. While it does have its romantic moments, the movie’s commitment to a deep, compelling story of a man who cannot control his own movements through time is a well thought out original take on the concept. Think of it more as a romantic sci-fi drama.

As Henry DeTamble (Bana) travels through time, he cannot control when or where he appears. Luckily, at least, he often is among the same people, specifically, his future/present wife, Clare Abshire (McAdams). Their relationship develops and is bruised by his time shifts, which creates strain as well as successes for both of them throughout the movie. 

The Time Traveler’s Wife takes its premise seriously. It allows for the concepts of paradoxes by only ensuring that he directly affects what would, in theory, already occur. Henry is more enacting a prescribed timeline, rather than trying to fight it. It works, and it’s great.

• Release date: October 8, 2004
• Cast: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden

Primer is the quintessential movie for any fan of time travel. With a low budget of only $7,000, it grossed over $800,000 at the box office, making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time. It deserves its success as well, as it brings hard science to audiences in a way that, at first, seems impenetrable, but worms its way into our minds and keeps us analyzing the movie long after it’s over. 

When two engineers accidentally create a time travel apparatus during their own experiments, they begin using it for personal gain. As their ideologies on the preservation of time begin to diverge, however, their relationship is pushed to its limits alongside the fraying timeline they alter. 

Primer demands multiple viewings, each one illuminating hidden moments throughout the movie that hint at its own finale. Audiences looking for a dense, no-frills look at what time travel would mean if given to an average (albeit genius) Joe, will find it in Primer.

• Rent or buy Primer on Amazon.

13. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

• Release date: February 17, 1989
• Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin

The Bill and Ted franchise are considered family hits for a reason. With the charm of two goofy leads that bumble their way through major historical moments, the movies rely on the time travel conceit to build out and support their silly sense of humor. While the historical moments are considered overly cliché by some, and it’s true that they often misrepresent the moments they are based on, the point of the movie is not to relish in accuracy, but to parody those that try to stick to history all too closely. 

In order to ensure a future utopian society created by the titular characters, Rufus travels back in time to the 1980s to help Bill and Ted pass a history class. In order to understand the perspective of the historic figures they are supposed to be researching, the trio travel through time to meet each of them. 

Without going into spoilers, decisions made by the pair of heroes as well as Rufus would, if not for the movie completely ignoring them, destroy history as it is known. While this is frustrating for anyone looking for a movie that takes paradoxes seriously, that doesn’t keep Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure from being a fun, engaging flick that should be watched with brains mostly turned off.

12. Deadpool 2

• Release date: May 18, 2018
• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin

While many movies are poorly received due to their failure to properly respect their own laws of time, Deadpool 2 was given generally positive reviews from critics for intentionally doing the same. In true fashion of the character, Deadpool 2 pokes fun at time travel clichés and tropes, finding ways to both incorporate as well as deride them. 

After Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool joins the X-Men they take a young mutant, Russell, under their care. However, his actions in the future lead the mutant cyborg Cable to travel back in time in order to kill Russell and prevent his own tragedy from occurring. 

Multiple fourth-wall breaking jokes are made about the villains striking similarities to a certain futuristic machine that is mentioned later in this list. And also similarly, the movie strikes a balance in approaching the anti-hero trope that is often associated with these androids from the future. We’re looking at you Dragon Ball Z.

11. Source Code

• Release date: April 1, 2011
• Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga

Source Code is an exciting sci-fi thriller which shows a lot of restraint despite the sheer audacity of its premise: Army Captain Colter Stevens finds himself in someone else’s body and quickly discovers he’s part of an experimental US government program that wants him to find the person behind the bombing of the train where he wakes up. The catch is that he can only be there for the last 8 minutes before the bomb goes off, being stuck in that loop until he can catch the bomber.

Director Duncan Jones had already wowed sci-fi aficionados with the remarkable Moon (2009), so expectations surrounding Source Code were quite high. While the final result might not be a masterpiece, it ranks easily among the most interesting time travel flicks in recent times. It’s also relatively easy to follow despite its kooky premise thanks to its limited scale.

10. 12 Monkeys

• Release date: January 5, 1996
• Cast: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt

Let’s be honest, if someone were to run up to you on the street and say they were from the future and had come back to stop a society-destroying virus, would you believe them? Well, at this point, we probably would too. But, that certainly wasn’t the case when 12 Monkeys came out in the 90s. 

When James Cole (Willis) is sent back in time from 2030 to stop a devastating virus from ever being spread, he is immediately captured and committed to an insane asylum, because that’s what would realistically probably happen. There he meets Brad Pitt’s Jeffery Goines, who is a staunch anti-corporate activist and an environmentalist. You can see where this is probably going.

With plenty of back and forth time travel for Cole, and a sincerely harrowing story about the dangers of trying to intervene in the development of a horrific future, 12 Monkeys creates a narrative that looks at the actual implications of time travel. It’s a must see for any action-thriller science-fiction fan.

9. Groundhog Day

• Release date: February 12, 1993
• Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott

There’s always been discussion surrounding Groundhog Day and whether it’s really a time travel movie, but you know what? It doesn’t really matter. A simple time loop can be more interesting than a straight-up time-travelling odyssey. In fact, this movie is more of a fantasy comedy that poses the question of what would a regular person do if trapped inside a time loop they cannot explain nor fix.

It's an endearing movie that, despite many creative differences behind the scenes, ended up resonating with audiences thanks to its smaller scale and impeccable comedic timing, all built around a script which is undoubtedly clever, but lacks pretension. Many movies in this list are downbeat or serve as cautionary tales, so we thought it’d be great to inject a healthy dose of optimism.

8. Predestination

• Release date: August 28, 2014
• Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor

Predestination might be one of the most overlooked sci-fi movies in recent years, mainly because it didn’t get a very wide international release following its global premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Fanatics of time travel movies and loopy sci-fi thrillers made sure as many people as possible heard about it though.

The movie is based on the 1959 short story “All You Zombies” by Robert A. Heinlen, and follows a temporal agent as he pursues one criminal that has eluded him throughout time. The chase quickly turns into a mind-bending exploration of love, fate, and identity that questions the very foundations of time travel as explained in-universe. This one’s a big head-scratcher that requires your full attention, but it’s also far from a slog due to its (mostly successful) action thriller ambitions.

7. Tenet 

• Release date: August 26, 2020
• Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki

We’re still trying to wrap our heads around some of the wilder mechanics featured in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller, so that alone gives Tenet some weight among the genre’s best. It’s true that some of the character arcs aren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been, plus its spy-movie villain – played by Kenneth Branagh – can often be unintentionally funny, but it’s hard to find a bolder big-budget action thriller in recent times.

The story follows a former CIA agent who must learn to master “time inversion” and prevent a renegade Russian oligarch from starting World War III. The problem is the attack will come from the future. As the plot unfolds, weirder concepts come into play, and everything isn’t what it seems at first glance. This is a time travel movie unlike anything we had seen before, mainly because it takes a while to adjust to the mind-bending mechanics of its universe and how they play out in parallel to regular action.

6. Edge of Tomorrow 

• Release date: June 6, 2014
• Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton

Edge of Tomorrow was one of the biggest surprises of 2014 thanks to a tight, action-packed script which masterfully mixed the alien invasion subgenre with time-travel shenanigans, so you’re killing two birds with one stone if you choose to watch this banger for the first time.

Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel All You Need Is Kill, Edge of Tomorrow presents a near future in which most of Europe has been taken over by a hostile and unstoppable alien species. Major William Cage, a PR officer, is forced to join an operation against the aliens, only to end up experiencing a time loop that could be the key to defeating the invaders if he can convince the right people. Edge of Tomorrow is both funny and dark, but above all, a true rollercoaster ride.

5. Interstellar

• Release date: November 7, 2014
• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the man behind other “I lost my wife” movies such as Inception, The Prestige, and the more recent Tenet, Interstellar is a time travel movie that uses theoretical laws of physics to alter the perception of time for its protagonists. While Tenet may be a more direct time travel movie, Interstellar surpasses it in its writing, emotional character beats, and the spectacle of its space travel. 

After food sources on Earth have been depleted, Cooper (McConaughey) and a team of astronauts go out in search of a habitable planet beyond the solar system. During their journey, time shifts with them depending on the planets they are on, or how close they are to the black hole at the center of their travels. 

While none of the characters go back in time, they do experience time travel by how fast or slow their own perception of time is compared to the characters back home. And a particularly interesting point using the black hole does allow information and communication to be sent backwards, which we think totally counts.

• Release date: September 28, 2012
• Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt

Bruce Willis’ most recent foray into time travel, Looper is a mind-bending movie that attempts to tackle the grandfather paradox. Although it falls a bit short of this lofty goal, it still maintains a good narrative that builds to an intense climax that uses the universe’s rules against the main villain in unique ways. 

Time travel is ubiquitous in the world of Looper. Unfortunately, a crime syndicate has figured out a way to use this to “lose bodies” by sending their victims back in time to be killed by employees working in the past (or present, if you’re the employee). When Joe, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is hired to kill his older self, played by Bruce Willis, he fails to do so, setting off an intense chase for JGL to correct his mistake.

Ultimately, the movie sets out its own rules for time travel. When young Joe gets a cut, a scar appears on old Joe. This concept progresses through the movie to an ending that may not be temporally possible, but that works to bring closure to the loop.

• Rent or buy Looper on Amazon.

3. Avengers: Endgame

• Release date: April 26, 2019
• Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

As the culmination of a storyline spanning over 20 movies, Avengers: Endgame had a serious amount of great moments to look back on in its finale of the Avengers’ stories. After having gone through far-flung cosmic adventures, as well as into subatomic realms, there was only one novel place the Avengers could go: Back in time. 

After Thanos wipes out half of all life in the universe with the Snap (or the Blip) in Infinity War, he destroys the Infinity Stones before being killed by a vengeful Thor. With the stones destroyed, the remaining Avengers travel back in time to collect them from various points in the timeline, so that they may restore the universe to what it once was. 

During their travels, the Avengers are met with spectacular fight scenes, heart-wrenching deaths, and great callback moments that reward long-time fans of the series. While it can be viewed just alongside Infinity War as a sequel, it needs to be seen after having watched all of the MCU in order to appreciate just how far the Avengers have come.

2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

• Release date: July 3, 1991
• Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong

When it comes to famous time travel action movies,  Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the best of them all. With cutting-edge effects for the time that still hold up today, James Cameron’s sequel took what made the original great and expanded on it in ways that only few other sequels have ever managed to do. 

When a new Terminator, the T-1000, is sent back in time to kill John Connor, the one person responsible for protecting humanity’s future, the futuristic resistance also sends back Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator to protect him. Now there’s a great premise.

Schwarzenegger was able to bring humanity and empathy to the cruel, menacing robot that he had characterized in the first movie. Plus, Robert Patrick’s T-1000 became a villain that, to this day, is synonymous with the idea of unrelenting pursuit. The movie is pure blockbuster thrills bookended by a time travel story that could change the future of all humankind.

• Watch Terminator 2: Judgment Day free on Pluto TV.

1. Back to the Future

• Release date: July 3, 1985
• Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

We gotta go back! Back to when time travel as a concept was still fresh in popular cinema. Back when it hadn’t yet become a TV and movie trope that is often used as a plot device when all other options have been exhausted. Back to when the concept was held with reverence as well as with glee. 

Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 classic follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he travels back in time to the 1950s in order to rescue his mentor, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). After Marty is accidentally rescued by his own mother in her teenage years, he has to work to ensure that not only can he make it back to the present, but that his parents get together so he’ll even exist. 

Back to the Future is full of time travel twists that wind their way into a viewer’s brain and beg to be dissected. This is a movie that’ll appeal to everyone – it has a nostalgic pull for older adults and it’s a great, fun way for a younger generation to connect to the sci-fi genre.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

James Webb Space Telescope documentary returns to IMAX theaters this week for Earth Day. Watch exclusive clips here (video)

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 107 — Mars Sample Return Blues

Pre-Star Wars Day Lego deal: 20% off the Emperor's Throne Room

Most Popular

• 2 Giant gamma-ray flare from 'recently deceased' magnetar lights up Cigar Galaxy
• 3 Earth got hammered by cosmic rays 41,000 years ago due to a weak magnetic field
• 4 Mirrors in space could boost solar power production on Earth. Here's how.
• 5 NASA ends CloudSat Earth-observing mission after 18 years

Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

The best things in life are free.

Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Love the mag?

Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions.

• Things to Do
• Food & Drink
• Arts & Culture
• Time Out Market
• Coca-Cola Foodmarks
• Los Angeles

Get us in your inbox

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

The 30 best space movies

Head to infinity and beyond with the greatest intergalactic odysseys of all time

From the time the movies were invented, filmmakers have been dreaming of outer space. Mankind hadn’t even figured out how to get off the ground yet when Georges Méliès imagined voyaging to the moon, and in the century-plus since, many other directors have taken audiences on trips far deeper into the cosmos. To infinity and beyond, you might say.

It’s no wonder, really. The concept of space is vast enough to allow for the exploration of all sorts of big ideas. What is mankind’s place in the universe? What lies outside our tiny little rock – and do we really want to know what’s out there? For that reason, the ‘space movie’ exists as its own genre beneath the wider umbrella of science fiction. And so, we’ve decided to rank them. Here are our picks for the 30 best movies about that big, overwhelming, sometimes frightening, sometimes beautiful void above our heads.

Recommended:

👽 The 100 best science fiction movies of all-time 😬 The 100 best thriller films of all-time 💣 The 101 best action movies ever made 🦄 The 50 best fantasy movies of all-time  

An email you’ll actually love

The best space movies

1.  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

• Science fiction

Director: Stanley Kubrick 

Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood

Many argue that this film is cinema’s GOAT – us, among them – and its enduring status is partly down to ideas around artificial intelligence and technology that have only become more prescient with every passing year. But few sci-fi films have embraced the look, feel and experience of space travel with this level of baked-in, world-building cool. Kubrick had three production designers on the case and got big brands like IBM, Dupont and Nikon to imagine what their products might look like in an interstellar future. Major props, too, to Douglas Trumbull’s eye candy stargate sequence, which helped ensure that late-‘60s stoners were the first audiences to take it all to their hearts.

2.  The Martian (2015)

• Action and adventure

Director: RIdley Scott

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor

After dividing audiences with Prometheus , Ridley Scott’s return to space was a heel-turn from his previous horrors. Thanks in huge part to a script by The Cabin in the Woods writer Drew Goddard and an endearing performance by Matt Damon as a marooned astronaut, The Martian is a bracing survivalist yarn with a reliable charm. In fact, Damon’s affability scored it an unlikely Best Comedy nod at the Golden Globes. And those laughs are vital in a film detailing a scientist slowly starving himself on a distant planet as his friends risk their lives to rocket through space to save him. 

3.  WALL-E (2008)

Director: Andrew Stanton

Cast: (voices) Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, Ben Burtt

Only half of Pixar’s environmentalist parable-slash-intertechnological love story actually takes place in space, and most of those scenes are set aboard the galaxial Noah’s Ark keeping mankind alive after destroying the planet. But its moment among the stars is an absolute stunner. After breaking out of the spaceship’s airlock, the titular sentient trash compactor – aided by a fire extinguisher – and his Alexa-esque paramour twirl, spin and criss-cross each other in a zero-gravity Astaire-Rogers ballet that jerks tears and raises goosebumps in equal measure.    

4.  Star Wars (1977)

Director : George Lucas

Cast : Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness

Has any film more perfectly channelled our fascination with space? It’s easy to forget how truly mesmerising A New Hope is when it ditches its fantastical planets and takes to the sky. It’s not just the dogfights of the climax, either. Much of the film plays out as an intergalactic road trip at warp speed, but it also slows down for a quick game of chess as stars drift past the window. By the end, you find yourself looking skyward, imagining the possibilities – not unlike Luke Skywalker himself, as he stares out beyond Tatooine’s twin suns and dreams of his destiny.

5.  The Right Stuff (1983)

Director: Philip Kaufman Cast: Sam Shepherd, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn

Philip Kaufman’s boy’s own adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s nonfiction classic is every bit as stirring as Top Gun , though the tale of the US Mercury’s astronauts seldom gets its due. It also begs the question: how is it that movie astronauts are so often depicted as introverted nerds when we’ve seen Sam Shepard’s wildchild Chuck Yaeger breaking the sound barrier and the other Mercury astronauts strutting like the rock stars of their day? Truly, our understanding of space – and the cocksure punks who sought to tame it – remains woefully out of touch.

6.  A Trip to the Moon (1902)

Director: Georges Méliès

Cast: ​ ​Georges Méliès

All sci-fi movies – hell, pretty much all of modern effects-led cinema in general – begins here. But we don’t include Georges Méliès’s groundbreaker out of historical obligation. Well over a century later, the film displays an imagination in both storytelling and effects that wows even today, especially when you consider that not even the aeroplane existed yet. Surely, when the first astronauts made it to that big rock in the sky, they half-expected to find harpoon-wielding insectoids there to greet them.  

7.  Outland (1981)

Director : Peter Hyams

Cast : Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Clarke Peters 

Essentially High Noon in space – but with 100 percent more splattered heads, thanks to the wonders of explosive decompression – this Sean Connery-starring space western unfolds above and below one of Jupiter’s moons, where a mining operation becomes the nucleus of a drug-fuelled mystery full of violence and depravity. The film shares a lot of DNA with Alien  thanks to its advanced effects and claustrophobic sets; only here, it’s humans doing the eviscerating... and a lot of it. 

8.  Galaxy Quest (1999)

Director: Dean Parisot

Cast: Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver

A comedy is often only as strong as its reverence toward what it’s lampooning. A love of Star Trek ’s Gene Roddenberry shines through in every moment of this corker about the cast of a  Trek knockoff enlisted to save the denizens of a faraway planet. The plot is essentially a sci-fi version of  Three Amigos! , but the game cast – particularly Alan Rickman and a young Sam Rockwell – sell every uproarious gag, while the effects work updates the ‘60s camp while keeping the cartoonish charm front and centre. 

9.  Moon (2009)

Director: Duncan Jones

Cast: Sam Rockwell

While much of Duncan Jones’s ( Source Code ) meditative sci-fi takes place on the lunar surface, Moon  spends plenty of time with Sam Rockwell’s spaceman gazing at the stars and to the distant Earth like a blue-collar Major Tom. Rockwell has never been better in this small-scale tale of space madness (or is it?) about a helium farmer on a three-year lunar stint, accompanied only by his own personal HAL. Jones’s quiet gem embraces the all-engulfing nature of space, crafting something of a desert-island movie in the cold black void. 

10.  Event Horizon (1997)

Director: Paul WS Anderson

Cast: Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, Kathleen Quinlan

Derided for its relentless sadism upon release, Paul ‘Not PT’ Anderson’s trippy space saga has had an overdue reassessment and is emerging from the wormhole as a certified cult film. Part ‘ The Shining in space’, part ‘ Interstellar in hell’, Event Horizon ’s tale of misbegotten astronauts transported straight into the seventh circle isn’t for the squeamish. But for those who can stomach the viscera, it’s a wild ride through the gore-spattered corridors of an extremely haunted space station. Never has the cold vacuum of space seemed more welcoming than the supposed sanctuary of an airlock. 

11.  Treasure Planet (2002)

• Family and kids

Director: Ron Clements & John Musker

Cast: (voices) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson, Martin Short

Disney dared to do something different with its sci-fi take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate classic ‘Treasure Island’. Audiences didn’t respond to its hybrid of hand-drawn and CG animation, or storytelling that ditched princesses in favour of something a little more space-age and weird, but Treasure Planet is full of gorgeous celestial flair. The juxtaposition between old-school tall ships and cutting-edge interstellar animation remains dreamlike in its beauty. Plus, it beats the hell out of Mars Needs Moms . 

12.  Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Director: Nicholas Meyer

Cast: William Shatner, Ricardo Montalbán, Leonard Nimoy

The eye-popping space battles and serene galactic imagery. The mind-controlling space eels. The introduction of the Kobayashi Maru test. The tear-soaked space funeral. The goddamn mind-controlling space eels . The Wrath of Khan stands tall above all the USS Enterprise’ s cinematic adventures for many reasons, but chief among them is its deference to space itself – the franchise’s spiritual home. The reboot might have more advanced ships and shinier effects, but this was the moment Trek matched Star Wars in terms of pure awe in the abyss. 

13.  Starship Troopers (1997)

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Cast: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Jake Busey

For millennia, humankind has gazed to the heavens and wondered what life exists beyond the stars. Paul Verhoeven has an answer, and it’s a horde of vengeful, snot-spewing insectoids. The Total Recall director’s return to space is a feature-length satire of fascist propaganda films that also plays like a stunning action spectacle, goopy horror romp and white-knuckle actioner. Verhoeven spends considerable time above the battlefield as a fleet of space cruisers discovers rather quickly that their ships are no match for bug bogeys and the unforgiving vacuum of space in graphic detail. 

14.  Interstellar (2014)

Director : Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway

There’s a lot going on both above and below the ground in Christopher Nolan’s heady but divisive space odyssey, but this is a film that’s done its homework. And once Matthew McConaughey’s astronaut-farmer takes to the skies, all the film’s whiteboard-scribbling science lessons pay off with the most dazzling – and scientifically backed – renderings of space travel since 2001: A Space Odyssey . Say what you will about the film’s father-daughter narrative (Muuuuuurph!!!!), but even the most ardent detractor will be floored by Interstellar ’s cosmic imagery.

15.  Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista

The MCU’s first proper trip to the cosmos takes its cues from Star Wars and The Ice Pirates in equal measure. But it also carves a unique impression into cinematic space lore thanks to its fantastic worlds and gleeful depiction of space travel. The sequel arguably nails the sensation of gravity-defying antics better, capping things off with a space funeral that trounces The Wrath of Khan . But director James Gunn’s original is the kind of film that knows damn well that a scene of eye-popping space psychedelics all but demands to be scored to Bowie’s ‘Moonage Daydream’ (of course), then delivers in kind.

16.  Alien (1979)

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm

No other film captures the contradiction of space being at once infinitely vast and frighteningly claustrophobic than Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror masterpiece. It’s an oddly small picture, given its influence and iconic special effects, but the movie’s true genius is in how it maximises its small budget, turning a spaceship into a haunted house and the infinite void of the universe into a deep, dark wood. And the big, bad wolf has never been this terrifying. 

17.  Apollo 11 (2019)

• Documentaries

Director : Todd Douglas Miller

Strap yourself to the side of the thundering Apollo 11 rocket as it careers into, and beyond, the Earth’s atmosphere in a spectacular doc that makes great use of hitherto unseen Nasa footage. The mission, of course, successfully plonked two Americans on to the Moon’s surface and then unplonked them again, thereby winning that bit of the space race with the Soviet Union, but there’s nothing triumphalist in director Todd Douglas Miller’s thrilling recreation – just a lot of quiet professionalism, teamwork and fearless men in helmets. When it gets into space and the 70mm footage does its thing, it makes you wish you’d actually followed up on that childhood ambition to become an astronaut.

18.  Gravity (2013)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Some were disappointed when Alfonso Cuarón followed up 2006’s Children of Men – a masterpiece of dystopian world-building with big ideas about hope, faith and the future of humanity – with the simple story of an astronaut marooned in space. Of course, there’s nothing all that simple about poor Sandra Bullock’s situation. With her craft destroyed by orbiting debris and her partner (George Clooney) having floated off into the void, home appears both tantalisingly close and unimaginably far away. The movie is a technical marvel, but even on the small screen, it’s breathlessly tense – not since Alien has the infinite expanse of the universe felt so claustrophobic.

19.  First Man (2018)

Director: Damien Chazelle

Cast : Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler A true-life astronaut drama that soars for the heavens but finds its deepest emotions at the kitchen table, this reimagining of what Neil Armstrong was contending with at the time of the Apollo 11 mission will have you ugly crying before anyone can so much as bob across that lunar surface. Ryan Gosling reunites with his La La Land director, Damien Chazelle, to humanise the now almost mythical Armstrong in his grief for his young daughter, with a just-holding-it-together Claire Foy as the moonwalker’s wife. For the majority of its runtime, First Man is earthbound. But when it finally touches down on the moon, it’s cinematic magic: a moment of wonderment, solitude and an overwhelming sense that you’re right there too.

20.  Ad Astra (2019)

Director : James Gray

Cast : Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga, Tommy Lee Jones Directed with a lust for adventure by The Lost City of Z ’s, James Gray,  Ad Astra (‘to the stars’) follows Brad Pitt’s spaceman across the galaxy to track down his ornery dad (Tommy Lee Jones), who may or may not be trying to wipe out humanity from a space station near Neptune (spoiler: he is). The journey sits somewhere between the old Star Trek movies in its stargazy philosophising and the rebooted ones in some of zero-g action sequences that suck the air from your lungs. There’s also an awesome space-buggy chase across the moon and a bit with psychotic space baboons. We are here for them both.   

21.  Forbidden Planet (1956)

Director : Fred M Wilcox

Cast : Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis It’s Shakespeare in space – this iconic sci-fi is an intergalactic take on The Tempest – as a group of galactic travellers led by a straight-shooting Leslie Nielsen fall into the lap of megalomaniac boffin (Walter Pidgeon) on the remote planet of Altair 4. Cutting-edge effects presented in widescreen CinemaScope – the flying saucer remains cool AF – make this a true landmark not just in space flicks, but sci-fi genre as a whole. Don’t take our word for it: Gene Roddenberry cites it as a major influence on Star Trek .

22.  Silent Running (1972)

Director: Douglas Trumbull

Cast : Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts A direct inspiration for WALL-E and about as eco-conscious as science-fiction can get, this enduring classic shows that 2001: A Space Odyssey SFX maestro Trumbull could tell his own stories too. And this one follows a single astronaut (Bruce Dern) and his three adorbs robot pals, Louie, Huey and Dewey, as they drift through space, doing a spot of gardening and trying to stay sane in the face of mankind’s extinction. Heavy themes, sure, but treated with loads of heart and a philosophical spirit that echoes especially loudly in an era of climate crisis. 

23.  Solaris (1972)

Director : Andrei Tarkovsky

Cast : Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk

Since remade by Steven Soderbergh, the original Tarkovsky Solaris is definitely the place to start when it comes to enigmatic, brainy affairs set in the far reaches of the universe. A cosmonaut (Lithuanian actor Donatas Banionis) is haunted by his dead wife as his spaceship orbits a mysterious planet. But is the planet creating embodiments of the ghosts haunting the poor man’s subsconscious, a bit like when Ray Stantz accidentally summons the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters ? With its eerie visuals, it makes for a dreamlike journey to the far reaches of the human psyche.

24.  First Men in the Moon (1964)

Director : Nathan Juran

Cast : Edward Judd, Martha Hyer, Lionel Jeffries This monster-filled space adventure came out five years before man actually set foot on the moon and you can only hope Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong weren’t watching, because the moon landing itself is a trainwreck. The ‘in’ part of the title is key: this is a Journey to the Centre of the Earth -style caper that has a crew of heroically under-prepared Brits discovering all sorts of things that don’t want to be discovered beneath the lunar crust. You will learn nothing at all about space but the giant stop-motion critters, animated by the great Ray Harryhausen, are a lot of fun.

25.  For All Mankind (1989)

Director : Al Reinert Six moon landings are ticked off in Al Reinert’s iconic doc, all accompanied by Brian Eno’s cosmic score (if space had sound, it’d definitely sound like Brian Eno). It makes the perfect non-fiction double bill with the more recent Apollo 11 – a window into the experience of being on the moon and looking back at earth. ‘A spiritual presence was there,’ says one NASA astronaut of those lunar vibes. ‘We were not alone.’ Haunting and hard to shake, this is proof that sometimes real life can be as spectacular as science fiction.

26.  Sunshine (2007)

Director: Danny Boyle

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh Director Danny Boyle positions his mindtrip space flick as a midway point between 2001: A Space Oydssey and Alien – a fusion of thrills and thinky bits that culminates in a third act that gets close to melting down as it draws close to the sun. You could probably throw Armageddon into that mix – a self-sacrificing crew of astronauts heads into space to save humanity from annihilation – although it’s a lot more believable (Boyle put his cast through astronaut training) and a lot less tub-thumping. The vast planetary vistas glimpsed from the decks of the Icarus II make a suitably awe-inspiring backdrop from its stellar cast (Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans et al) to come apart at the seams.

27.  Apollo 13 (1995)

Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinese

So much more than its famous ‘Houston, we have a problem’ catchphrase, Apollo 13 harkens back to the glory days of white-knuckle, PG-rated entertainment. An ensemble tribute to the power of group problem-solving, it has Howard fully embracing a ‘70s aesthetic and the storytelling of the era to craft a timeless middlebrow crowd-pleaser with an almost surgical focus on the imperiled mission at hand. 

28.  Contact (1997)

Director: Robert Zemeckis 

Cast: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, John Hurt

We’d have loved to include Denis Villeneuve’s magical, melancholy Arrival  on this list but it takes place entirely within Earth’s atmosphere. Instead, try this big, ambitious drama from Back to the Future ’s Robert Zemeckis based on a book by sci-fi seer Carl Sagan. Contact ’s heart is in a similar place, and like Arrival ’s protagonist played by Amy Adams, it is female-led, steers clear of macho ideas of hostile aliens and cocks an ear to new voices from far beyond our solar system. Zemeckis, who loves to push visual boundaries, images space travel as a dizzying acid trip full of wormholes, whirlpools and mind-bending geometries. It’s one of those rare movies that should come with motion sickness tablets.

29.  Dark Star (1974)

Director : John Carpenter

Cast : Dan O'Bannon, Dre Pahich, Brain Narelle

There’s no film version of The Muppet’ s ‘Pigs in Space’ sketch, but John Carpenter’s debut, set during the 22nd century, delivers the next best thing: A hippie movie hopped up on its own counter-cultural sense of the absurd (there’s a talking bomb) and a pisstake-y irreverence. It’s the perfect antidote to bombastic science-fictions that get lost in their own self-importance – a lo-fi whoopie cushion that invites you aboard its titular spacecraft to hang out with four fargone astronauts and indulge in a little space surfing.

30.  High Life (2018)

Director : Claire Denis

Cast : Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin Myriad mysteries abound in this deliriously bonkers space oddity from French auteur Claire Denis ( White Material ) that co-stars Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche as an interstellar inmate and his scientist jailer. The human body and its function gets a rare exploration in this context – space flicks rarely spend this much time over their characters’ sexual needs in zero gravity ( 2001: A Space Odyssey does not have a Fuckbox) – and its themes of reproduction, incarceration and experimentation play out in a space with its own realities. Go with it, in other words, and be rewarded with a space journey unlike any other.

The 100 best sci-fi movies

[image] [title]

Discover Time Out original video

• Press office
• Investor relations
• Work for Time Out
• Editorial guidelines
• Privacy notice
• Do not sell my information
• Cookie policy
• Accessibility statement
• Terms of use
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies
• Advertising

Time Out Worldwide

• All Time Out Locations
• North America
• South America
• South Pacific

The 47 Best Space Movies of All Time

To infinity and beyond.

The film industry has long been obsessed with outer space—even before men walked on the moon. In fact, the first film on space dates all the way back to 1902 with the French silent film, A Trip to the Moon . Since then, we’ve come a long way from the days of outerwordly black-and-white movies made with cardboard cutouts. Nowadays, the best movies about space travel push the boundaries of special effects and the human imagination, which is why we love them so much. 

Now, let’s get one thing straight about space movies: You don’t have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy them. While some films take us Earthlings to new planets inhabited by new creatures (I’m looking at you Star Trek !), other films are no work of fiction at all— First Man and Apollo 13 are based on very real stories and will leave you shook to the core. 

So the next time you’re in need of a little escape from the issues that plague our world, look no further than this list of the best space movies. Each film on this list will take you somewhere you’ve never been before, all without leaving your couch. These films all reference space in some shape or form, but they also range in subject matter and genre—so whether you prefer a comedy or drama, we’ve got you covered. Ahead in no particular order, are 47 films that will take you to a galaxy far, far away. 

Stay In The Know

Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

In 1968, Stanley Kubrik's  2001: A Space Odyssey  debuted to underwhelming reviews. Years later, the film became a cult-classic for cinephiles and sci-fi fanatics.  2001  takes you on the ultimate trip. I'm not saying you should be stoned while watching this, but I'm not  not  saying that.

WATCH IT 

Interstellar (2014)

Christopher Nolan's  Interstellar , which features a star-studded cast — Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Michael Caine, and a young Timothée Chalamet, to name a few — is easily one of the most successful space movies of the decade. The film follows Cooper (McConaughey) who's on a journey through the galaxy to find a potential new home for humankind.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Planning a trip that's out of this world? Don't panic.  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy  (2005) has you covered. Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell make this hilariously dysfunctional cast heroes of the galaxy. This movie has everything: singing dolphins, a two-headed president, and the answer to the eternal question—what is the meaning of life?

WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E  tells the story of the last robot left on an uninhabitable Earth filled with trash. Relatable, no? Though dialogue is limited, the film is visually stunning and a sentimental. Come for the Pixar animated cuteness, stay for the feels. 

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)

Zetus Lapetus! This Disney Channel Original Movie is a standout in the collection of space cinema. Zenon (Kristen Storm) has been grounded by her parents...to Earth. When trouble strikes on the space station, Zenon has to save her parents and best friend Nebula (Raven-Symoné) before it's too late. Let us not forget the  special performance  by intergalactic superstar Prota Zoa.

Space Jam (1996)

NBA legend and one of the greatest athletes of all time, Bugs Bunny, stars opposite Michael Jordan in this 1996 sports cinematic masterpiece. Bunny and his cartoon comrades take Jordan out of basketball retirement to defeat theme park owner, Swackhammer (Danny freakin' DiVito!).

WATCH IT  

Alien (1979)

From the space auteur Ridley Scott, this first film in the  Alien  franchise is as gripping as it is visually captivating. Ellen Ripley (Madame Sigourney Weaver) and her copilots attempt to escape an extraterrestrial who's boarded their spacecraft. The film's biggest takeaway? Always listen to a woman when she has a plan!

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

When this movie debuted, everyone thought  Chris Pratt is...hot?  In this Marvel film, Star-Lord (Pratt) joins fellow convicts Rocket the Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Drax, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and Groot (Vin Diesel) to return a stolen orb to safe hands and, well, save the galaxy.

The Star Wars Franchise

Jedis, Droids, Wookiees, oh my! The 9+ films in the  Star Wars  franchise are the most successful in the galaxy, so we are contractually obligated* to put them on this list. If you haven't seen any of them by now, what asteroid have you been living under?

*Not obligated whatsoever

Hidden Figures (2016)

Hidden Figures  tells the story of unsung NASA heroes Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—three Black women who fast-tracked the space race and helped launch man into orbit for the first time. Are we surprised women were behind one of NASA's most successful events? Absolutely not...but we love to see it!

Arrival (2016)

Amy Adams is a linguistics professor called to lead a team of scientists attempting to communicate with an alien spaceship that landed on Earth. Her performance is breathtaking (talk about Oscars  robbery ), especially considering her main co-star was...an alien.

Moon (2009)

If you love Sam Rockwell,  Moon  is a slow-burn movie you'll need to see. Did I fall asleep midway? Sure. But when I woke up and restarted, I was glad I did. Astronaut Sam Bell (Rockwell) is finishing up a three-year assignment when an accident causes him to see double. Trouble ensues when Rockwell faces a clone of himself onboard. I hate when that happens!

Men in Black (1997)

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are the secret agents sworn to keep the Earth safe from all things extraterrestrial. Man vs. alien, what could possibly go wrong? A lot! Only thing this movie is missing? Sigourney Weaver!

Blade Runner (1982)

The original  Blade Runner , another Ridley Scott classic, follows Deckard (Harrison Ford) who's sent to Earth on the hunt for escaped Replicants. When he falls in love with a Replicant woman, things will never be the same.

Ad Astra (2019)

Did I watch this movie just to see Brad Pitt look like a disgruntled hot zaddy in a space uniform? Maybe, what of it?  Ad Astra  follows Pitt's character as he searches for an answer for his missing astronaut father. It's gripping and beautiful. Brad Pitt's best performance? No, but what compares to Brad  Burn After Reading  Pitt?

Solaris (1972)

This Russian film in which Kris Kelvin starts seeing his late wife aboard the space craft is a cult-classic. This psychological thriller was later remade in 2002 starring George Clooney. I watched the remake; stick to the original. 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Rogue One  could be grouped in with the  Star Wars  franchise, but Felicity Jones is just too badass in this movie to not recognize it on its own!  Rogue One  is set just before  A New Hope  and follows Jyn Erso (Jones) as she leads the rebel alliance to steal plans to the Death Star. We love to see galactic feminism!

Gravity (2013)

Director Alfonso Cuarón's cinematic masterpiece,  Gravity ,   is awe-inspiring and  completely unrealistic . The film stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in my worst nightmare—alone and floating aimlessly in outer space. You'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time riding that anxiety high.

First Man (2018)

First Man  is the story of Neil Armstrong's (Ryan Gosling) journey to space with the support of his wife (Claire Foy). The film depicts Armstrong's spacewalk and the advancements of mankind. It's...slow, but Foy's performance is gripping and Gosling is not too bad to look at! 

The Martian (2015)

If you thought the world was short on films about white male astronauts, think again!  The Martian ,   based on the best-selling novel, follows an astronaut (Matt Damon) stranded on Mars as he attempts to stay alive. Think  The Circle  except its Damon talking to his webcam about his plants. 

High Life (2018)

From director Claire Denis,  High Life  is trippy masterpiece. Robert Pattinson attempts to survive an endless mission in outer space. It's artistic and definitely not made for the faint of heart.

Star Trek (2009)

Based on the hit 1960s TV series, the first  Star Trek  movie in the 2000s trilogy follows James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) on a journey to the final frontier. If you watched the show, it's nostalgic glory. If not, sit back and watch sexy Pine take control.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Based on the true story of the Apollo 13 mission, Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon's characters fight to stay alive when malfunctions take place mid-mission.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

One of the best films in the Marvel franchise (@ me, I dare you!),  Thor: Ragnarok  finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a junk planet, the name of which I honestly can't remember. He tries to save Asgard alongside Hulk (hot daddy Mark Ruffalo!), Loki, and Valkyrie. Directed by Taika Waititi ( JoJo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows ), this movie will make you laugh out loud.

Lucy in the Sky (2019)

Lucy in the Sky  follows astronaut Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman) on her mission to space. The film is a slow-burn, but visually stimulating and a cult favorite.

Prometheus (2012)

Another Ridley Scott sci-fi thriller!  Prometheus  stars Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender as they search for other sentient beings in the universe. What could possibly go wrong?

Treasure Planet (2002)

Based on  Treasure Island , this animated film is about a treasure hunt across the galaxy in a space ship. Sails included.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

This indie-flick stars David Bowie as an extraterrestrial who's found his way to Earth and falls in love with a human while trying to save his home planet. The '70s weren't necessarily the prime decade for cinema, but Bowie is iconic in this film. It will make you think,  What did I just watch?

Armageddon (1998)

When an asteroid is destined for Earth, who better to save the day than Billy Bob Thorton and Bruce Willis? Also starring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler,  Armageddon  is one of sci-fi's favorite space movies. The best part of the film? Aerosmith's original song, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

One of the original space films,  The Day the Earth Stood Still  is an essential watch for sci-fi cinephiles. Chaos ensues when an alien, alongside his large robot, visits Earth to deliver a message that will change all of humankind. This movie was remade in 2008 with a young Keanu Reeves. Still, watch the original.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, and yes, Madame Sigourney Weaver star in this 1999 space comedy about TV astronauts forced by aliens to help save their planet. It's funny in the "you had to see it in the '90s" sort of way.

I Am Mother (2019)

I Am Mother  is the story of a young girl raised by a robot. When an outsider (Hilary Swank) arrives, the girl is forced to decide between who to believe: her robotic caretaker or a fellow human.

Avatar (2009)

When James Cameron's  Avatar  came out in 2009 ,  did I see it in 3-D IMAX? Yes. Does it need five sequels and a Disney World Theme Park? Absolutely not. Let me sum up this film in a few words: war, blue, alien sex. Still, it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

Californians are under attack by flying saucers in this 1959 cult classic. Their plan? Resurrect corpses of a Hollywood cemetery in a Frankenstein-style fashion.

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

In  A Wrinkle in Time , based off the beloved Madeleine L'Engle novel, two young kids travel the universe in search of their missing father. Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah help the children on their mission. The film itself is a visual marvel, hair and makeup are iconic to say the least, but the performances fall flat and it doesn't match the hype.

Spaceballs (1987)

For those who loved the '80s,  Spaceballs , the famous parody of  Star Wars,  pokes fun at every sci-fi movie made. It's okay to love it—even not ironically.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

If you haven't seen  Jupiter Ascending , now is not the time. Mila Kunis is Jupiter Jones, an alien, opposite Channing Tatum, who is half canine, half human. (I wish I could make this up.)

Coneheads (1993)

From the  SNL  sketch to the big screen,  Coneheads  follows a family of aliens who've found a home in Jersey and try to live a normal life. Another film with a cult-following, this movie caters to lovers of old  SNL  and Dan Aykroyd .

It Came from Outer Space (1953)

The 1953 classic film depicts an alien invasion. Townspeople begin to disappear and are replaced by alien versions. Think:  Invasion of the Body Snatchers  meets  The Twilight Zone . An essential watch for space cinephiles.

The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

A former astronaut (Johnny Depp) returns to Earth after a mission but isn't quite the same. His wife (Charlize Theron) begins to notice his strange behavior, and drama ensues.

LIFE (2017)

LIFE  stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Renolds in this sci-fi thriller in which a new life form begins to develop aboard the International Space Station. 

October Sky (1999)

Jake Gyllenhaal has weirdly been in a lot of movies about space. In October Sky, he plays the real NASA scientist Homer Hickham, who was inspired to go into rocketry after the Sputnik launch. 

Dune (2021)

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya make this movie worth the watch alone, but the action in this sci-fi flick is pretty cool, too. We couldn't tell you exactly what goes down in the movie (the plot is a tad complicated) but think of it as Game of Thrones set across the universe. Instead of fighting over the Iron Throne, the warring families are fighting over... spice? 

Contact (1997)

There's nothing like watching a badass woman lead in a male-dominated field. Jodie Foster stars as Ellie, a scientist who uncovers an intergalactic message and has to work to discover its meaning. It's an eerily creepy watch, but one that will have you questioning what exactly is beyond our planet. 

Adapted from Iain Reid’s 2018 novel of the same name, this movie is a bit like an extended episode of Black Mirror : It tells the story of a married couple, Hen and Junior—played by Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal—who learn that Junior has been chosen to travel to space for a trial run of a new space colony. In his place, Hen will have a robot who looks and acts like Junior to keep her company. It’s as much a portrait of a complicated marriage as it is an unsettling sci-fi tale, and Ronan’s quiet performance bridging the two is particularly perfect.

Passengers (2016)

If you can get past the murky morality of this movie’s premise—a man (Chris Pratt) who wakes up on a spaceship traveling to a new planet proceeds to wake up a fellow traveler (Jennifer Lawrence) after becoming smitten with her video profile, essentially condemning her to die with him before the ship arrives at its destination—it’s essentially a tale of finding love in a (truly) hopeless place, as the great prophet Rihanna foretold.

Lightyear (2022)

This 2022 Pixar flick took a very meta approach to the “origin story” trend. It’s not, as you might expect, the story of the toy Buzz Lightyear before he met Woody and the gang. Instead, it’s the story of the fictional human astronaut Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans), who was the subject of a kids TV series in the Toy Story universe, after whom Andy's beloved Buzz Lightyear action figure was modeled. Confused yet?

• Brooke Knappenberger Associate Commerce Editor

“I was in so much pain.”

By Rachel Burchfield Published 25 April 24

Is that a purse or a pump?

By Julia Gray Published 25 April 24

From sandals to pumps to sneakers, the footwear brand now has over 500 markdowns to shop.

By Lauren Tappan Published 25 April 24

She's got a knack for playing complex women.

By Andrea Park Published 9 February 24

Including one that just might fill the Riverdale-shaped hole in your heart.

By Andrea Park Published 18 September 23

Your daily dose of internet comedy.

By Iris Goldsztajn Published 5 April 23

Take your allyship a step further.

By Bianca Rodriguez Published 5 February 23

All the dance numbers! All the show tunes!

By Amanda Mitchell Last updated 20 December 23

Lots of steamy nudity ahead.

By Kayleigh Roberts Last updated 20 November 23

What about Anne Hathaway, though?

By Iris Goldsztajn Published 16 November 22

Turn to your closet for everything you need.

By Brooke Knappenberger Last updated 3 October 23

• Contact Future's experts
• Advertise Online
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy

Marie Claire is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

The Best Space Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

Let's head to the cosmos.

It’s impossible to say when, exactly, mankind first dreamed of traveling into outer space, but ever since we got the idea in our heads we never let it go. We’ve been telling stories about alien worlds for longer than anyone has been alive, and we’ve been making movies about flying to the moon since practically the dawn of cinema.

As visual effects expanded and space travel itself became a reality, movies have become more and more obsessed with sci-fi stories about star treks, star wars, and just about anything star-related. In the 21st century, those films are often big, giant blockbusters but visual effects technology has also reached the point where small, independent comedies and dramas can also realistically take place on space ships, space stations, and other planets.

When it came time to curate a list of the best space movies of the century (so far), we knew that we had to limit ourselves somewhere. What’s the point of a “Top 20” list if most of the entries are sequels or prequels to Star Trek and Star Wars ? How many Guardians of the Galaxy films do we really need to write about before you get the general idea that they’re good?

So, to free up space (all puns intended) for underrated and underappreciated films, we’re limiting ourselves to one film per franchise and spreading the love in our list of the best space movies of the 21st century, so far! Put on your helmets, strap in, and get ready to venture into the farthest reaches of the galaxy in pursuit of action, adventure… and ennui.

RELATED: The Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 21st Century So Far

Titan A.E. (2000)

The last feature film, so far, from animation icon Don Bluth , co-directed by Gary Goldman , the ambitious Titan A.E. sought to build a massive Star Wars -esque universe in the world of feature animation. Audiences balked, but the results are exciting, with sparkling dialogue and unexpected turns courtesy of writers Ben Edlund ( The Tick ), John August ( Go ) and Joss Whedon ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer ).

Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore lend their voice talents to an imaginative outer space adventure, set in a future where humans have been displaced throughout the galaxy and no longer have a homeworld. When our heroes discover the key to locating a second Earth, it’s up to them to save their species. Clever and unusual, Titan A.E. warrants rediscovery.

Solaris (2002)

Steven Soderbergh ’s remake of Andrei Tarkovsky ’s Solaris might not stand up to the sprawling original, but for a condensed version of a trippy, thoughtful sci-fi narrative, it’s impressively complete. George Clooney stars as a grieving psychologist sent to investigate a faraway space station, in which the crew members all refuse to come home. When he gets there he finds all but two of the crew are dead, but the space station isn’t empty… it’s filled with the dead loved ones they left behind.

Using the furthest reaches of space to examine figurative and literal concepts of the infinite has been the ambition of many great science fiction stories, and Soderbergh’s Solaris is an excellent example. Clooney abandons his superstar halo and gives one of his most humane performances, and Soderbergh’s insistence on keeping this high-concept sci-fi story grounded in character is noble, and affecting.

Treasure Planet (2002)

It’s bizarre to imagine that Treasure Planet , one of Disney animation’s last great 2D masterpieces, was such a monumental flop on its original release. Perhaps people still had/have trouble accepting animation as an action-packed thrill ride. Perhaps “steampunk” was still too esoteric back in 2002 to be understood by the mainstream. But whatever the reason, audiences missed out.

Treasure Planet is a futuristic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson ’s classic novel, about a boy who finds a treasure map, only to bond with and later make an enemy of a bloodthirsty pirate. The relationship between Jim ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) and the cyborg John Silver ( Brian Murray ) is as rich and complicated as any in the Disney canon, and the animation is jaw-droppingly stunning. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker ( Moana ) reimagine space flight as romantically soaring on solar sails, and successfully ignite the sense of awe and wonder than many sci-fi tales are missing.

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Jon Favreau ’s first foray into pop filmmaking, and the film that got him the gig directing Iron Man , is this wonderfully creative adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s Zathura . Ostensibly a companion piece to Jumanji , the story once again revolves around bored children playing a board game that unexpectedly flings into larger-than-life adventure. Except this time, it literally shoots their suburban house into the farthest reaches of space.

Zathura is full of offbeat sci-fi imagery, and Favreau wisely pulls his VFX way back, and lets much of the film appear handmade. The alien monsters are impressively scary creations, the sets believably practical. It doesn’t send the protagonist careening into a virtual reality world, it brings a very real world of spacemen and space aliens into their house, where the unknown is just as tangible as anything else in their living room. It’s a breathlessly creative motion picture.

Sunshine (2007)

The sun is dying, and the only way to reignite it is to send a team into space and hurl a nuclear bomb into it. In the hands of a mainstream Hollywood filmmaker, Sunshine would probably have been dumb as hell, but director Danny Boyle ( Slumdog Millionaire ) and writer Alex Garland ( Ex Machina ) aren’t nearly that boring. They fill Sunshine with big ideas, rich characters and a sense of existential menace that beautifully amplifies this story of outer space survivalism.

And what a cast: Chris Evans , Cillian Murphy , Michelle Yeoh , Rose Byrne , Benedict Wong , the list goes on, and they’re all trapped in a powder keg together, waiting to go off. It’s a piercing sci-fi adventure, and although some might argue that the film’s third act goes off the rails, maybe - just maybe - it’s what the movie was really about all along.

WALL-E (2008)

In the distant future mankind has abandoned the planet Earth, leaving behind only trash compactor robots to clean up their mess and make the environment inhabitable again. It may not have worked. There’s only one robot left, his name is WALL-E , and all he really cares about is that he’s very, very alone.

Until one day, another robot lands on Earth, and all that changes. Directed by Andrew Stanton , WALL-E successfully spans the whole galaxy, taking an unlikely hero on a seemingly impossible adventure, and throwing a vital chaos element into a drudging society that has all but given up on improving its circumstances. It’s cynically apocalyptic but argues, successfully, that hope eventually wins out. Inventively presented, adorably designed, with a great sense of humor and a visceral sense of awe, WALL-E doesn’t feel like just another a major studio product. It was an instant classic right out of the gate.

Star Trek (2009)

The Star Trek universe got even bigger with J.J. Abrams ’ impressive 2009 reboot, which smartly created an alternate reality, preserving all the precious continuity from the original shows and movies while striking out in an all-new direction. A perfectly cast crew - featuring Chris Pine , Zoe Saldana , Zachary Quinto , Simon Pegg , John Cho and Anton Yelchin - find themselves thrust into a life-or-death mission with a vengeful Romulan travel into the past to take his revenge on the planet Vulcan.

Die-hard Trekkies may quibble about the film’s approach to production design (and sure enough, Abrams’ signature lens flares are everywhere ), but this first rebooted outing successfully marries spot-on character work with an exciting storyline, and manages to tell that rare prequel story in which literally nothing is preordained. Anything can happen, and although not everyone likes where the series went from here, 2009's Star Trek quickly cemented itself as one of the best films in a beloved franchise.

Moon (2009)

The debut feature from Duncan Jones is a quirky, lonely sci-fi story about Sam (Sam Rockwell), a miner who’s running a space station on the moon all by himself, with only an artificially intelligent smiley face to keep him company. The ennui is overpowering and vaguely funny, until he makes a shocking discovery that puts everything about his mission into question.

Jones demonstrates a canny sense of tone in his directorial debut, crafting a tale that’s vaguely absurdist but frustratingly plausible. But the glue holding Moon together is Rockwell’s astounding performance as a man whose routine gets thrown into utterly unexpected disarray and is forced to confront the tragedy of his own existence in a nearly unthinkable way.

Pandorum (2009)

Christian Alvari ’s Pandorum is one of the most criminally underseen and underappreciated sci-fi thrillers of the century (so far). The film stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster as astronauts who wake up in the middle of hypersleep, in a cavernous spaceship that needs fixing. The sudden removal from hibernation leaves them without memories and possibly suffering from serious psychosis, and when they run across man-eating creatures on the ship it seems like their situation can’t get any worse. (Spoiler alert: it can.)

Pandorum mines the isolation and infinite void of space for an almost Lovecraftian atmosphere, kind of like Event Horizon if the filmmakers weren’t trying to impress you with how cool the ship looks, and instead focused all their energy on freaking you out. The surprising storyline keeps the suspense shifting throughout the film, and the ending is a real stunner.

Gravity (2013)

It’s hard to make deeply personal films on a gigantic budget, but that’s just what Gravity is. Sandra Bullock stars Ryan Stone, as a rookie astronaut who gets sent soaring into space when a debris field obliterates her ship and her co-pilot, played by George Clooney . Breathtakingly realized by director Alfonso Cuaron (who won an Oscar for this), much of the film appears to take place in long takes that emphasize just how completely screwed our hero is. Maybe more than any other movie character in history.

With no villains to face and already suffering from an overwhelming sense of despair, it falls to Stone to try to save herself for the sake of saving herself, because life is worth it no matter how desperate the situation seems. Cuaron’s masterful, handsomely realized VFX masterpiece gradually reveals itself to be not just a thrill ride but an exhilaration intervention, a call to everyone in the audience to keep striving against the desire to give up and let life end. It’s one of the ultimate examples of cinematic inspiration, and it’s teeth-shatteringly exciting to boot.

Space Station 76 (2014)

It’s hard to imagine why, exactly, people thought all of our problems might be solved by going into space. In Jack Plotnick ’s deliciously droll Space Station 76 , we’ve brought all our suburban plights with us, and transformed a fantastical sci-fi environment into a depressing non-stop social call with friends we don’t like, and spouses who are all sleeping together behind each other’s back.

The dry humor of Space Station 76 stems from the wonderfully unhappy characters, played by the likes of Patrick Wilson , Liv Tyler , Matt Bomer and Jerry O’Connell , and the way that all our scientific progress has done absolutely nothing to save them from their own pathetic choices. It’s a classic 1970s character-drama that just happens to look like an offshoot of 2001: A Space Odyssey , and the clash between tones is always hilarious.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was always a little kooky, but it took a turn towards the monumentally bizarre with Guardians of the Galaxy . A ragtag group of bounty hunters and thieves band together to steal an all-powerful space rock, and along the way they get in all kinds of action-packed adventures. But that’s just the window-dressing. The plot isn’t what’s great about James Gunn ’s film, it’s the off-the-wall characters, like a raccoon with a mean sense of humor, a tree who only knows one sentence, and a human who tries to act like Han Solo without realizing he’s the dude Ice Pirates at best.

Gunn presents it with all the visual wonder of a Star Wars movie, but with all the acerbic wit of a low-budget indie comedy. And in a medium practically defined by the majesty of a John Williams soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy reimagines an outer space defined by Bowie tunes, and songs about piña coladas. But the music isn’t just for fun, it’s the most important character of all, messages from a mother who can’t be there to support her son but who helps tell his story anyway. Guardians of the Galaxy tugs at your heartstrings, when it’s not making you chortle.

High Moon (2014)

Nobody said the best space movies of the 21st century had to debut in theaters. The failed pilot for an ambitious TV series, High Moon , debuted on SyFy Channel as a standalone movie, and it’s a bizarre oddity, as inspired by half-forgotten 1960s sci-fi westerns like Moon Zero Two as it is by its source novel, The Lotus Caves , by John Christopher .

Half a century into the future, the moon has been colonized by corporations and governments all over the world, and the old rivalries are alive and, sadly, well. When a flower is discovered on the lunar surface it leads to a massive cover-up and mind-blowing revelations. High Moon doesn’t get to resolve every thread but the world it establishes is gorgeous and hyper-stylized, just the kind of sci-fi kitsch you’d expect from producer Bryan Fuller , who also gave you Hannibal and Pushing Daisies .

Interstellar (2014)

Cinematic wunderkind Christopher Nolan is an intellectual filmmaker, whose films tend to rely on big ideas more than interpersonal emotional drama. So although the big emotional beats often fall flat in his ambitious space epic Interstellar they are rescued by the film’s astounding realization of space flight, conflicting timelines, black holes, and bizarre robots.

The future of mankind is looking grim and traveling into outer space is the only viable option for humanity. But only a few planets within range have the capacity to sustain life, and it’s up scientists and astronauts played by Matthew McConaughey , Anne Hathaway , David Oyelowo and Wes Bentley to travel to the stars and back in time to save the species, while Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine struggle to solve the mathematical problems of our survival back on Earth. The suspense is dense, the imagery absolutely incredible. The intellect is undeniably palpable. Ironically, it’s the film’s heart that’s academic.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Absolutely bonkers but absolutely on purpose, The Wachowski ’s directed a gleefully subversive would-be blockbuster with Jupiter Ascending . The film stars Mila Kunis as a housemaid who discovers that, due to a quirk of genetics, she’s just inherited the planet Earth. But the Earth is so valuable that her fellow royals will stop at nothing to get it, whether that means destroying her or, worse, marrying her.

Jupiter Ascending smartly transforms the old-fashioned princess fantasy of discovering you were born special, inherited great wealth and power, and then undermines it at every turn. By achieving greatness, Jupiter enters into a complex and disturbing world of capitalistic excess and fascistic control, and only with the aid of her loyal dogman with flying sneakers, played by a bemused Channing Tatum , will she be able to save herself from becoming a cog in the machine. Fantastical imagery and a wonderfully camp performance from Eddie Redmayne make Jupiter Ascending one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the last two decades.

The Martian (2015)

“In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option… I'm gonna have to science the @#$% out of this.” That’s Mark Watney for you. Ridley Scott ’s wonderfully hopeful sci-fi epic The Martian stars Matt Damon as an astronaut marooned on Mars, applying logic and good humor to every impossible problem that arises, and somehow transforming radically complicated scientific ideas into clear, exciting problem-solving strategies.

The Martian , not unlike Gravity , is about perseverance in the face of astounding odds. But unlike Gravity it’s a film about unerring positivity and the confidence that sheer, unbridled logic has the power to overcome any problem. The surface of Mars may be unable to support life but it’s home to one of the most wonderfully vibrant and inspiring characters in sci-fi movie history.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is, with no hyperbole, the most visually stunning science fiction film so far this decade. It’s a fabulously gorgeous spectacle, set in a future where alien societies have merged their space stations together into one incredible mega colony, and where political intrigue attracts dashing intergalactic heroes Valerian ( Dane Dehaan ) and Laureline ( Cara Delevingne ).

Along the way, they force their heads into deadly psychic squids, race for their lives from enemies chasing them in a parallel dimension, and plow through multiple worlds on foot. There’s no shortage of eye-popping wonders in Valerian , and although Dane Dehaan is almost indisputably miscast as a charming ladies man, the rest of the movie is so charmingly bizarre that it compensates. We don’t go to other worlds to see the same old aliens and action sequences over and over again, and Valerian has more daring and wonder than any of the modern Star Wars movies (which is pretty ironic, since it was based on a comic that inspired Star Wars in the first place).

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

That’s no sleight to Star Wars , of course. The motion picture series that made sci-fi action stories mainstream has been going strong throughout the last two decades, to the extent that picking only one film to represent the franchise was very difficult. But in the end, the narrative innovation and stunning locales won out: Star Wars: The Last Jedi expands on the Star Wars universe in every conceivable way, breaking out of old conventions and visualizing strange new worlds filled with strange creatures and incredible new developments.

It’s actually strange just how different The Last Jedi feels, since on paper Rian Johnson ’s film rigidly follows the original formula. The cast splits up, with the novice Jedi getting trained by the master Jedi who fled from the fight years ago, and the pair with romantic chemistry traveling to a society where moral compromise has led to dangerous dealings with the Empire. There’s even a big twist that sends the whole saga into a new, unexpected direction. But The Last Jedi doesn’t feel as beholden to the past as every other Star Wars film since the prequels began, and that sense of extempore - that anything can and will happen - makes it more faithful to the original, unpredictable spirit of George Lucas ’s first, classic film than practically any of the other follow-ups.

First Man (2018)

Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle seems obsessed with the idea of exceptionalism, as all the characters in his movies push themselves beyond reason to accomplish incredible deeds. Unlike the protagonists of Whiplash and La La Land , Neil Armstrong’s pursuits aren’t artistic, they’re scientific and exploratory. But his incredible journey to become the first human being to step foot on the moon has just as much intense focus and vision.

First Man refreshingly portrays the space program not as a heroic endeavor that changed the course of history, but as the accomplishment of people who put themselves at unbelievable risk. Most of the space flights are shown from inside the cockpit, reminding us that as cool as space travel looks from the outside, from the inside you’re just stuck in a rattling canister with only a thin sheet of metal between you and certain death. The change of perspective is exhilarating, and the impeccable sound design puts you right in the middle of the shuttle, holding on for dear life.

High Life (2019)

What kind of sci-fi epic would the director of the disturbing dramas White Material and Trouble Every Day direct? It’s as unexpected as you’d expect. Robert Pattinson stars as a convict shot into space with other felons, never to return, on a mission towards a black hole. Along the way, a scientist played by Juliette Binoche performs acts of mad science in an attempt to impregnate the crew and create life in outer space.

Bitterly desperate and yet, in the scenes with Robert Pattinson caring for a baby in outer space, all by his lonesome, utterly beautiful, Claire Denis ’ High Life imagines a future of space travel led not by our best and brightest, but by the people Earth can most afford to lose, who are forced to justify their existence to a computer every single day just to keep the life support on. That path leads to madness, usually, but possibly a form of enlightenment we cannot understand.

KEEP READING: Every Comic Book Movie of the 2010s Ranked From Worst to Best

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

Amit Katwala

The best space movies of all time

This year could be a turning point for space travel, with a number of new manned craft due for testing, and several space tourism projects touted to finally get off the ground. It’s a step towards a future that’s been depicted in fiction for decades.

Here, we’ve picked out our favourite films about space – that means nothing set largely on Earth (so no Independence Day ), or where the setting is simply a backdrop to a story that could be set anywhere (so no Star Wars ). A true space movie is one that focuses mainly on the difficulties of surviving outside the warm embrace of Earth – and the drama that plays out against the dizzying scale of the cosmos.

You may also enjoy our guides to the best sci-fi movies and the best sci-fi books .

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

From its iconic opening, through to the rising terror of HAL 9000 – Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 epic is packed with hugely influential moments that have set the tone for so much of the science-fiction and space cinema that has followed. Kubrick worked with sci-fi author Arthur C Clarke on the story, which concerns a voyage to Jupiter to investigate a strange alien monolith that seems to affect human evolution. The film pioneered a number of special effects, and was nominated for four Oscars.

Alien (1979)

This critically acclaimed sci-fi horror movie barely needs introduction. It follows the crew of a commercial spaceship and the chaos that ensues when they discover a terrifying alien creature is loose on board – something for Richard Branson to be mindful of when Virgin Galactic eventually gets off the ground, perhaps. Sigourney Weaver stars as Ripley in a taut two-hour thriller full of iconic moments and gruesome prosthetics. It has spawned a number of sequels, spin-offs and crossovers.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Beloved by the terrestrial television schedulers of the mid-2000s, Apollo 13 is an all-star portrayal of the gripping drama of a failed mission to the Moon in 1970. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Gary Sinise brought mass appeal, but Apollo 13’s real charm is in the incredible attention to detail – director Ron Howard went to huge lengths to make it as authentic as possible, enlisting NASA’s help to train the cast, and even filming on board a reduced gravity aircraft to make weightlessness feel more realistic.

Event Horizon (1997)

The ship Event Horizon is on a mission to Proxima Centauri when it mysteriously disappears. Seven years later, it is broadcasting a distress signal, which Captain Miller, played by Laurence Fishburne, and his crew go to investigate. When they get there, all the occupants of the ship are dead. Soon the same forces that killed them begin to work on the rescuers, being haunted apparitions from their past and an evil force overpowering them. The crew members get picked off one by one as survivors attempt to escape and make sure this force never comes to Earth. Though the movie is filled with blood, gore and death, apparently it’s less gory than intended, and fans are still begging director Paul W. S. Anderson for the original cut.

Solaris (2002)

George Clooney plays clinical psychologist Chris Kelvin, who is summoned to a space station orbiting an alien planet in this remake of the 1972 original. Upon his arrival, he finds it mostly empty, bloodstained and two crew members are dead. The surviving crew are tight-lipped about the problems they have faced, but when Kelvin wakes up the next morning, he finds a replica of his dead wife next to him. The crew have all been plagued by these facsimiles of their loved ones, which reappear when destroyed. It’s a question of what’s real and what isn’t. Are these people a blessing or a curse?

Sunshine (2007)

Towards the end of Danny Boyle’s space survival slasher, as the tension and profundity builds, the soundtrack becomes overwhelming. The camera spins and tilts as visual flashes and distortions race across the screen. The score, the work of Welsh electronica outfit Underworld, ratchets up and up until a sudden moment of calm. This is when Capa, played by Killian Murphy, touches the Sun. It’s a moment of almost religious reverence – and one of the most visually arresting in cinema. Throughout the film, Boyle plays heavily on the link between the Sun and God, creating a very real sense of its overwhelming physical and spiritual presence. It’s this almighty heft that ultimately drives the villain – and many of its heroes – mad.

Wall-E (2008)

When pollution makes the Earth uninhabitable, humans head into space, leaving behind a small but determined trash-compacting robot. One day a shiny new robot named Eve comes to the planet to look for signs of life, and Wall-E makes friends, showing her the life he has made for himself. When they find a plant, Wall-E is whisked away to the spaceship that now houses humanity, where he encourages a robot rebellion to help humanity get back on track. Wall-E has all the hallmarks of a space movie but packaged in a cute, family-friendly way – although it's depiction of a sedentary human race adrift in the stars strike a warning note.

Moon (2009)

Duncan Jones’ directorial debut is a moving twist on the ‘stranded in space’ trope. It follows Sam Bell – who is nearing the end of a three-year stint mining helium on the dark side of the moon when he starts hallucinating. It’s a desolate, emotional film that stand aparts from many other space films in terms of tone – critics loved the cinematography, and Sam Rockwell’s performance as protagonist Sam Bell.

Gravity (2013)

It took three years to do the special effects for Gravity , Alfonso Cuarón’s tense, disorientating movie about a first-time astronaut (Sandra Bullock) who becomes trapped in orbit after the space shuttle is hit by debris from an exploded satellite. The film, which also stars George Clooney as the commander of the shuttle team, is one of the most successful films of all time, with reviewers praising its cinematography, and Bullock’s performance – which involved gruelling, lonely hours in a spinning rig.

Interstellar (2014)

The universe is big . And Interstellar , more than any other film, makes you feel it. This is Christopher Nolan with all the requisite IMAX nobs and dials turned up to maximum. Nolan’s admirable trick here is to take all the cinematic tools at his disposal – and invent some new ones – and use them to convey the agonising contrast between the size of the cosmos and the perilous insignificance of a small band of humans. And it’s this contrast, even when the things flips to the fantastical, that keeps Interstellar grounded. This is a story about human survival, but also an ode to our understanding of the awe-inspiring, terrifying beauty of the cosmos.

The Martian (2015)

Andy Weir’s science-laden tale of an astronaut stranded on Mars works because of the long, detailed internal dialogue of the main character, Mark Watney. Translating the novel to the big screen – where audiences are less forgiving of in-depth screeds about the difficulties of growing potatoes in low gravity – was a difficult challenge, but director Ridley Scott nails it. The Martian combines the nail-biting drama of Gravity with the ingenuity on show in Apollo 13 as a team on Earth scramble to rescue Watney.

First Man (2018)

Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings, First Man brought the dangers faced by Neil Armstrong and colleagues into sharp relief. Starring Ryan Gosling as Armstrong, First Man begins with the early tests of what would eventually become the Apollo 11 mission – it shows the astronauts vying for selection and the honour of being the first to walk on Earth’s satellite, and grappling with erratic test versions of the lunar lander. But it kicks up another gear when the chosen three get into space – the landing sequence is gripping, quite beautiful cinema.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

Matt Jancer

Andy Greenberg

Kathy Gilsinan

Amanda Hoover

Jennifer M. Wood

Angela Watercutter

Advertisement

From Interstellar to Hidden Figures: 12 of the best space movies

Interstellar, Moon, Proxima, Alien, Hidden Figures... From science fiction to biographical drama, does your favourite movie about space make our list?

By Simon Ings

3 August 2021

Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar

Melinda Sue Gordon/©Paramount/c

There are so many great movies about space that it’s hard to choose between them all, but that won’t stop us. We’ve got some in our selection that will keep you on the edge of your seat while others will keep you hidden behind the sofa. Here are 12 of the best space movies.

Interstellar (2014)

Explorers arrive on a world covered in knee-high water. Distant “mountains” come sweeping towards them: a planet-spanning kilometres-high killer tide. They escape, only for an unhinged astronaut to maroon them, a little later, on a solid airborne cloud of exotic ice.

Often silly, sometimes truly visionary, Interstellar is the best rejoinder the 21st century has yet made to Stanley Kubrick’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey . Matthew McConaughey plays Joseph Cooper, a widowed NASA pilot who is called upon to journey into interstellar space to find an Earthlike “Planet B” for us to move to, now that the Earth’s food system is collapsing. Jessica Chastain plays his grown-up daughter, haunted by her father’s ghost.

Their performances carry real conviction, but it is the set pieces that matter. Gargantua, a spinning black hole that provides the film with its climax, is a visual effect calculated so accurately by physicist Kip Thorne and rendered so meticulously by London effects studio Double Negative, it ended up in a paper for the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity .

Years earlier, Thorne and film producer Lynda Obst had conceived of a movie exploring what, in an interview with Science magazine , Thorne called “the warped side of the universe – black holes, wormholes, higher dimensions, and so forth”. They’re the subject of Thorne’s very entertaining book The Science of Interstellar .

Nolan, meanwhile, has gone on to make movies of increasing complexity. Tenet is his latest, doing for time what Interstellar did for space.

Moon (2009)

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is preparing to leave the moon at the end of his three-year stint as sole supervisor of a helium-3 mine. (Robert Zubrin’s book Entering Space gave Duncan Jones the film’s industrial premise.) But Sam is also trapped in the carcass of a crashed lunar ore conveyor. And as Sam and Sam wrestle with their inexplicable meeting, they must solve an obvious and pressing puzzle: just how many more Sams might there be?

Offered a low-budget British sci-fi movie by a first-time director , Rockwell left things until the last minute, then grabbed at the chance of playing against himself. Once on board, his commitment was total: riffing and extemporising off memories of his own performance, he insisted on distinguishing the two Sams more by demeanour than by costume changes. The result is a compelling, emotionally charged thriller, spiked with an inventive mix of effects (from CGI to model work to simple, deft editing) that keeps the audience off-balance throughout the movie. Jones has yet to top his debut work, and Rockwell, for all his subsequent successes, will forever be remembered as the Moon guy(s).

Proxima (2019)

Shot in the European Space Agency’s training facilities in Germany, and in the complex outside Moscow that is home to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center , Alice Winocour’s third feature Proxima never leaves the ground, and yet it remains an out-of-this-world experience.

Cinematographer Georges Lechaptois brilliantly captures these rarely glimpsed spaces in all their strangeness, banality and occasional dilapidation. One can’t help but think, watching this, that being an astronaut must be like being a professional athlete – one’s glamorous career being conducted, for the most part, in smelly changing rooms.

Plaudits also to Eva Green for her portrayal of Sarah Loreau, a single mother given a last-minute opportunity to join a mission to the International Space Station. Green conveys wonderfully Sarah’s conflicted state of both wanting to go to space but not wanting to be separated from her daughter. The solution is there but it’s going to be hard to forge, and Green’s performance is heart-rending.

Alien (1979)

Sigourney Weaver plays Ripley, member of a sensible and resourceful space-going cargo crew whose capabilities are going to prove of no use whatsoever as they confront a predatory, stowaway alien.

Critics loved Alien : they said it would change how we thought about science fiction. It also, for some of us who caught it at the right age, changed how we thought about biology.

We have been an apex predator for so long, we have forgotten the specialness of our privilege. Alien reminds us of what the natural world is really like. It locates us in the middle of things, not without resources but most definitely not at the top of a food chain. It reminds us that living processes are predatory – that life is about tearing living things apart to get at their raw material.

Alien in Alien

AA Film Archive / Alamy

The clumsily named “xenomorph” of the Alien movies has an infamous life cycle, loosely based on those of certain parasitic wasps, but with the added ingredient of plasticity. A hugged human brings forth a humanoid alien. A hugged dog produces a canine. (Where the aquatic aliens of Alien: Resurrection (1997) spring from is anyone’s guess.)

If you want to know what Darwin said, read On the Origin of Species . But if you want to know how it must have made its original readers feel – go watch Alien .

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

When Stanley Kubrick suggested a movie idea to British writer Arthur Clarke, Clarke responded enthusiastically. “The ‘really good’ science-fiction movie is a great many years overdue,” he wrote.

The question – which the two never really resolved – was which really good movie to make. A film about the triumph of science and technology? Or a film about the timeless yearnings of the human spirit?

While Kubrick, a student of human nature, director of searing and discomforting films like Paths of Glory and Lolita , mined Japanese sci-fi movies for special effects, Clarke, a communications satellite pioneer as well as a writer, worked up a script centred on what he later dubbed “the God concept”.

Encompassing everything from the dawn of man, the space race, artificial intelligence, space exploration and trans-dimensional travel, 2001 centres on the duel between David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and the inadvertently-designed-to-be-murderous HAL, a computer that is guiding his ship to Jupiter. We tend to assume Clarke provided the film’s gosh-wow factor and Kubrick provided the unease. Not so: his 1960 story, The Challenge of the Spaceship shows Clarke already painfully aware of the challenges faced by a “little, self-contained community floating in vacuum millions of miles from anywhere, kept alive in a bubble of plastic and metal” with “absolutely nothing” happening.

The boredom and incipient madness that haunt both Bowman and the ship’s poor, boxed-in AI are the film’s chief point: that we cannot live by reason alone. We need something more.

Hidden Figures (2016)

At NASA’s Langley Research Center in 1961, three Black female mathematicians, Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) , contribute their considerable mathematical ability to the agency’s efforts to launch white men into space. The unit they work in is segregated by gender and race but the difficulties they face are ignored by many of their colleagues. Their boss, Al Harrison, (a composite fictional character played by Kevin Costner), feels otherwise and proceeds to desegregate NASA single-handedly, armed only with an acid tongue and a sledgehammer.

The film is loosely based on 2016 book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, although it takes a less factual approach. For example, the film delays Johnson’s pioneering work by a good decade so that she can share feel-good moments with the other female cast members .

Whether that matters comes down to personal taste. It is no small thing that, thanks to this film, we now know Johnson, Vaughn and Jackson by name .

Apollo 13 (1995)

On 11 April 1970, a seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space programme launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was due to land in the Fra Mauro crater, and help establish the early history of both the moon and Earth.

Two days into the journey, an oxygen tank in the spacecraft’s service module exploded, and their flight path was changed to loop them around the moon and bring them back to Earth on 17 April. Dizzy from carbon dioxide levels in the air, mounting at a rate they thought would kill them, soaking wet from all the condensation, cold because power was now severely limited, and with only plastic bags of their own urine for company they couldn’t jettison for fear this would alter their course, commander Jim Lovell, command module pilot Jack Swigert and Lunar Module pilot Fred Haise uttered hardly a word of complaint. Incredibly, they survived.

For his script, director Ron Howard has added one argument between Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Haise (Bill Paxton) and otherwise changed barely a word of the official Apollo 13 transcript. Tom Hanks plays Lovell as a capable man dealing with a crisis. There are no epiphanies. Souls aren’t searched. For some, this might make for a slightly muted experience. But this painstakingly accurate film (the sets included bits of the Apollo 13 command module; even the actors’ pressure suits were airtight) remains peerless, utterly convincing in every shot and every gesture .

First Man (2018)

As if landing on the moon wasn’t enough, Neil Armstrong spent the rest of his life having to describe the experience to the world’s media. No wonder he became something of a recluse – which of course only served to generate even more media interest.

Armstrong, an aeronautical engineer and university professor, was a man who enjoyed his privacy. Cornered, what could he do but tell the same story again and again and again? Disappointed, their curiosity unslaked, people called him dull.

Two years after hurling a vocally challenged Ryan Gosling into his musical La La Land , Damien Chazelle cast him as Neil Armstrong, in a movie that promised to locate Armstrong’s beating heart and rich emotional life. As such, First Man is a triumph.

Gosling is the film actors’ film actor, capable of expressing deep emotion with astounding economy. Playing “buttoned up” hampers him hardly at all. And he is given plenty to work with. Josh Singer’s ingenious script gives Armstrong a profound and personal motivation for wanting to reach the moon that in no way interferes with the historical record, or trivialises its celebrated subject. As for the moon landing itself, it represents a milestone in cinematic technique. You’ll believe you were there, and you’ll wonder, deeply, why Armstrong, or anyone else for that matter, ever went.

The Right Stuff (1983)

Anchored by powerful performances by Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager and Ed Harris as John Glenn, Kaufman’s 3-hour-13-minute epic loosely follows Tom Wolfe’s book of the same name: a heart-thumping yet critical account of the earliest US efforts to send humans into space.

What is needed for that is, of course, “the right stuff”: a combination of skill, bravery and a somewhat blood-curdling fearlessness in the face of death. They are qualities superbly embodied in Shepard’s performance as test-pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier (and, incidentally, a consultant on the film).

Leaving Earth also needed collaboration, organisation, even – heaven help us – publicity. Ed Harris is the squeaky-clean Glenn, destined to be the first American in space, whose “right stuff” has had its rough edges shaved off by endless classes, tests, magazine profiles and media events.

Historically, The Right Stuff isn’t especially accurate. In particular, Mercury astronauts Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper and Alan Shepard were critical of the way the film short-changed their compatriot Gus Grissom, who died in the Apollo 1 fire.

Still, it is a thoughtful and intelligent movie, as well as a thrilling one, and it captures very well the moment space travel became a serious, and corporate, enterprise.

The Martian (2015)

Premised on a single, staggering inaccuracy (a Martian storm could never get up the energy to blow a spacecraft over) The Martian is an otherwise cleverly figured-out tale of how an astronaut (Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon), left for dead on the surface of Mars, might survive for four years on a diet of potatoes grown in recycled faecal matter .

Based on a book (by Andy Weir) that itself began life as a series of blog posts, Scott’s film retains an endearing, cobbled-together quality, which neatly (and by the end, really quite movingly) reflects Watney’s scrabble for survival.

Boasting habitat, spacesuit, spacecraft and launch vehicle designs that all carried NASA’s stamp of approval, The Martian flits between Watney’s Martian base, the ship in which his crew mates are returning home, and the offices and control rooms on Earth where everybody is frantically trying to do the right thing, as their chances of saving Watney narrow to a point.

An unashamed advertisement for NASA’s plans for Mars, and a celebration of its crewed programme’s rebirth after the Challenger disaster in 1986, The Martian already feels slightly dated. But its invention and good humour are timeless.

Gravity (2013)

When a cloud of debris travelling faster than a speeding bullet collides with the space shuttle, mission specialist Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) must make their way across gulfs of space on dwindling supplies of air and propellant in search of a vehicle that will take them home; soon the debris cloud will return on its inexorable orbit.

As likely to scare someone off a space career as inspire them to pursue one, Gravity is premised on the idea that low Earth orbit is so crowded with hardware and discarded junk that a collision could initiate a chain reaction known as the Kessler syndrome, and destroy every satellite.

For all that, Gravity is less a science fiction film than a survival film (think Open Water or Touching the Void , both from 2003), and is the last place you would go for a lesson in orbital mechanics. While not quite as egregiously silly as 2019’s Ad Astra (in which Brad Pitt literally leaps through Saturn’s ice rings, using a hatch-cover for an umbrella) Gravity is no 2001 , no Apollo 13 , no First Man .

But while accuracy is one thing; truth is quite another. With Gravity , director Cuarón triumphantly realised his ambition to make the first truly weightless-seeming film, conveying the environment and sensation of zero gravity more powerfully, immediately (and, yes, accurately) than any film-maker, before or since.

October Sky (1999)

NASA engineer Homer H. Hickam Jr.’s autobiography provided the seed for this drama about a teenager coming of age at the dawn of the space race. A 17-year-old Jake Gyllenhaal (he was still taking school classes during the filming) plays Homer, a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia, when, in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first human-made satellite.

Inspired by the Soviet achievement, and encouraged by his teacher (Laura Dern), Homer and his fellow “rocket boys” start building their own homemade missiles. Chris Cooper finds gold in the somewhat thankless role of Homer’s father, conscientiously pouring cold water on his son’s dreams: what’s wrong with working in the local coal mine, he’d like to know?

Director Joe Johnston is better known for his rather more gung-ho approaches to heroism and rocket flight. (1991’s Rocketeer is a cult classic; Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) needs no introduction here.)

October Sky is an altogether more contained achievement: the touching story of imagination awakened by the possibilities of rocketry, space travel, and a world beyond Earth.

What do you think of this list? Think there are better space movies out there that deserve a coveted spot? We have review lots of sci-fi films, books and TV shows  but we can’t watch them all so let us know your favourite on  Twitter  and  Facebook . If you enjoyed this you might also want to see what we think are the  best science documentaries ,  top popular science books  and even  video games set on Mars .

• science fiction /

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

This one-room sci-fi thriller should take its MacGuffin more seriously

Subscriber-only

We live in a cosmic void so empty that it breaks the laws of cosmology

Two brilliant new novels from adrian tchaikovsky show his range, the best new science fiction books of april 2024, popular articles.

Trending New Scientist articles

Cookie banner

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy . Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use , which became effective December 20, 2019.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.

Follow The Ringer online:

• Follow The Ringer on Twitter
• Follow The Ringer on Instagram
• Follow The Ringer on Youtube

Site search

• Draft Grades
• What to Watch
• Bill Simmons Podcast
• 24 Question Party People
• 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s
• Against All Odds
• Bachelor Party
• The Bakari Sellers Podcast
• Beyond the Arc
• The Big Picture
• Black Girl Songbook
• Book of Basketball 2.0
• Boom/Bust: HQ Trivia
• Counter Pressed
• The Dave Chang Show
• East Coast Bias
• Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
• Extra Point Taken
• Fairway Rollin’
• Fantasy Football Show
• The Fozcast
• The Full Go
• Gambling Show
• Gene and Roger
• Higher Learning
• The Hottest Take
• Jam Session
• Just Like Us
• Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air
• Last Song Standing
• The Local Angle
• Masked Man Show
• The Mismatch
• Mint Edition
• Morally Corrupt Bravo Show
• New York, New York
• Off the Pike
• One Shining Podcast
• Philly Special
• Plain English
• The Pod Has Spoken
• The Press Box
• The Prestige TV Podcast
• Recipe Club
• The Rewatchables
• Ringer Dish
• The Ringer-Verse
• The Ripple Effect
• The Rugby Pod
• The Ryen Russillo Podcast
• Sports Cards Nonsense
• Slow News Day
• Speidi’s 16th Minute
• Somebody’s Gotta Win
• Sports Card Nonsense
• This Blew Up
• Trial by Content
• Wednesday Worldwide
• What If? The Len Bias Story
• Wrighty’s House
• Wrestling Show
• Latest Episodes
• All Podcasts

Filed under:

• Pop Culture

The 25 Best Space Movies, Ranked

Whether a story unfolds in our own galaxy or one far, far away, space makes a great setting for film. But which space movies are truly out of this world?

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Twitter
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: The 25 Best Space Movies, Ranked

Outer space is everywhere: Not only are we physically surrounded by it, but we’re inundated with images of it, both real and fictional. NASA’s long-lived Cassini mission is ending this week, just after its even longer-lived Voyager mission marked its 40th anniversary. SpaceX is about to launch the most powerful operational rocket in the world. Star Trek is returning to TV, The Martian author Andy Weir is returning to bookshelves, and Destiny 2 and a new Metroid release are bringing gamers back to the stars. Please join us at The Ringer as we celebrate and explore the cultural resonance and science of space all week long.

Space: It’s the final frontier, the place where no one can hear you scream, and a boundless backdrop that squashes any man’s ego. Or so we’ve been told by three of the best space movies ever, as determined by the semi-rigorous ranking process we’re presenting today.

Whether a story unfolds in the past, the present, or the future — in our own galaxy or one far, far away — space makes a great setting for film. For one thing, it’s always trying to kill characters, which raises the storytelling stakes. Its scale, and the speed required to traverse it, make space a natural special-effects showcase. And most importantly, the inhuman emptiness of space forces characters to confront their private fears and self-doubts even as it inspires existential and epistemological questions that fascinate us all. It’s no wonder that Hollywood never stops making space movies. (Brad Pitt, James Gray, and Insterstellar ’s cinematographer are at work on another epic right now.) Our appetite for them is as vast as the vacuum.

We’ve seen several space movies added to the index in 2017, from the great to the terrible ( and everything in between ), and we still have the annual Star Wars installment (and, uh, Geostorm ) to salivate over. But today’s exercise is an attempt to determine the best space movies of all time, with a list of nominees dating back decades.

To qualify for the list, it’s not sufficient for a film to be sci-fi ( Blade Runner doesn’t count). Nor are aliens alone enough (sorry, E.T. , Close Encounters , and Arrival ). The prerequisite is simple: To be eligible, a movie has to be at least partly set in space. Some of the movies below entirely take place in space, while in others, space makes more of a cameo. But if you’re wondering why a movie you love didn’t make our cut, an absence of actual space scenes might explain the snub.

To arrive at our ranking, we stuck to almost the same formula we followed in our ranking of Good Bad Movies earlier this year. First we canvassed our staff for favorite-space-movie nominees. After weeding out nonqualifiers (apologies to Alien Nation ) and supplementing the list with some worthy candidates that weren’t mentioned, we ran the resulting 55 films through the equation below:

Let’s take this one acronym at a time.

CR stands for Cultural Relevance and, in the words of Good Bad Movie maven Andrew Gruttadaro , “was determined by multiplying a movie’s number of Google News hits in the last year (with 1 point being awarded per 100 hits) by the number of years it’s been since that movie’s release.” We want to reward movies that never grow old, becoming artistic touchstones and constantly resurfacing in our cultural conversation. Of course, this metric favors movies that belong to ongoing series such as Star Wars , Star Trek , and Avatar  — which, judging by Google, James Cameron has at least been busy discussing, if not directing — but that’s OK, since sequels help draw attention (and devotion) to the originals.

RT stands for Rotten Tomatoes score. This time around, we aren’t targeting poorly reviewed movies, so the higher here, the better (although not all of our leaders are completely critic-approved).

PO stands for Public Opinion. Last week, we asked you — that is, those of you who follow The Ringer on Twitter and happened to see this tweet  — to select your 10 favorite films from our list of 55. More than 5,500 readers responded. After the crowdsourced picks came in, we tabulated the vote totals and ordered each movie from 1 to 55, with first place receiving 55 points, second place receiving 54 points, and so on.

With each of those three components in hand, we did the arithmetic to calculate each movie’s GSS, or Great Space Score. The higher the score, the higher the ranking.

Now that you know the methodology, you, like Lewis Pirenne in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation , might be thinking, “Space, man, have you no respect for science?” To which we, like Foundation ’s Anselm haut Rodric, say, “Science be damned!” ( Foundation has very lifelike dialogue.) No, not really — we like science. But movie greatness is more than a matter of math, so there’s room to disagree.

We hope you’ll join us on this top-25 journey; when you’ve touched down at the bottom of the page, you’ll find a link to the rankings for the full 55. We’re now T-minus one paragraph away from the rankings, so it’s time to stare at your screen and start saying that stuff is a go .

Remember to check back for more space-related content throughout the week. And don’t miss our interview elsewhere on the site Monday with Industrial Light & Magic effects legend John Knoll , who had a hand in the looks of a few of the films below.   —   Ben Lindbergh

Just Missed the Cut

Total Recall (1990)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall is a perfectly weird space movie, a standout of ’90s science fiction. In it, Schwarzenegger frantically yelps “Two weeks!” while his old-lady disguise malfunctions when he’s trying to infiltrate the planet Mars. Later, he kills a henchman named Richter by dragging him in front of a moving elevator and bisecting his arms from the rest of his body; then he holds up both arms and says, “See you at the party, Richter!” I really, really love Total Recall .  —   Andrew Gruttadaro

Sunshine (2007)

Danny Boyle’s Sunshine , which recently turned 10, is the ultimate “except for the ending” film. Most of the movie perfectly captures the oppressive silence of space, channeling the serene-yet-sinister stateliness of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Andrei Tarkovsky. Boyle understands that aliens, enemy spacecraft, and crazed killers aren’t the only things that make space scary; the unforgiving environment, and the small-but-costly slip-ups that can occur under intense pressure, are terrifying enough. I just wish he could do over the third act, which transitions too abruptly and cryptically into shaky-cam slasher horror that almost — but not quite — spoils the exquisite setup. — Ben Lindbergh

The Fifth Element (1997)

The Fifth Element was released in 1997, and it would still be ahead of its time if it came out today. It’s a fantastical depiction of the future that never loses sight of the essential absurdity of human beings and the societies we create. The movie is a two-hour acid trip with Chris Tucker and Gary Oldman turning it up to 11 in supporting roles, yet it somehow manages to remain grounded with a strong leading performance from Bruce Willis and a love story between him and a supernatural being who was built in a lab from alien DNA. Luc Besson, the writer and director, caught lightning in a bottle with this one: It shouldn’t work, but it does.   —   Jonathan Tjarks

Hidden Figures (2016)

That we have the technology for space exploration in 2017 is incredible. That the same technology also existed in the 1960s, long before the internet, smartphones — hell, even calculators became commonplace? It’s frankly unbelievable. Hidden Figures puts that intelligence into perspective via the stories of three African American women whose brilliant number-crunching launched John Glenn into orbit. It’s a truly “untold” story, and one of the most compelling ever put to film.  —   Rubie Edmondson

Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar brought me on an emotional voyage unlike anything I’ve felt before. I saw it three times in IMAX over the first few weeks of its release because I may never again come so close to experiencing the sensation of traveling through space and time. Its booming sounds and striking images physically enthralled me. The way in which it fused both the fantastical and the familiar mentally captivated me. The plot holes don’t hamper the journey through wormholes and black holes , because no film will bring you closer. Interstellar is cinematic magic that brought me to a place that’s hard to reach as you get older: a place of childlike wonder.   —   Kevin O’Connor

25. Galaxy Quest (1999)

“How did I come to this?” an anguished, purple-head-pronged Alan Rickman asks early in Galaxy Quest , moments before a hungover and oblivious Tim Allen strides into the green room, an hour late to his own fan convention. Galaxy Quest is a thought experiment taken to its most chaotic, delightful, and even tentacly heart-warming extremes, a loving portrait of a galactic cargo cult that simultaneously makes fun of everything and takes all of it completely seriously. Sure, Allen has since outed himself as the worst kind of internet troll — but in Galaxy Quest , we can still enjoy him at his David Duchovny–esque best. The film is a perfect send-up of Star Trek fandom as well as a perfect sci-fi voyage in its own right. It is, just in general, perfect, and never —  never  — something to be skipped over in its deservedly infinite cable syndication loop.   —  Claire McNear

24. Gattaca (1997)

An original sci-fi movie with top-of-the-line movie stars and a cameo from Gore Vidal. Remember when that was possible? Gattaca is a story about the dangers of eugenics centered on three objectively genetically blessed white people, but once you get past that minor hurdle, Andrew Niccol’s 1997 feature is the best kind of thought experiment — pointed and human-scale in a way that encourages us to emotionally invest in its hypotheticals. In keeping with the theme of this list, though, Gattaca ’s vision of space is less futuristic than old school. It’s still the last frontier, an impossible dream for Ethan Hawke’s Vincent, a naturally conceived human being in a society where everyone’s been genetically engineered for perfection, and Uma Thurman’s Irene alike. And when Vincent finally gets there, it’s pure catharsis. Gattaca ’s a deeply American movie about how DNA shouldn’t be and isn’t destiny that shockingly flopped at the American box office, but at least we appreciate it now.   —  Alison Herman

23. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Sure, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has its issues . There’s a blind character who offs Stormtroopers with a staff . There is classic Star Wars plot armor in the form of crucial information being available only via physical media. (The internet doesn’t exist, but intergalactic travel does?) There’s a creepy CGI reincarnation. And — spoiler alert — you can’t count on getting to know any of your new friends better in future installments.

But as a wise man once wrote on the internet, Rogue One is the best popcorn war movie since Saving Private Ryan . Taken that way — as a war movie set in space instead of as a meaningful installment of a larger mythology (which it still is, IMO) that is both still being formed and was largely set in stone long ago —  Rogue One is immensely entertaining. Yes, it’s dark, but so is life. Whether or not Rogue One should be counted as one of the best space movies of all time comes down to how you answer a simple question:

— Jack McCluskey

22. The Martian (2015)

The Martian begins as most tales of disaster do: with unexpected weather and very bad luck. One moment Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is just a botanist on Mars, studying dirt and wisecracking with his suspiciously good-looking crew members. The next, he is abandoned on a planet whose entire environment is antithetical to his existence. There are no alien invasions or flashbacks to his beautiful wife and children back home, just shots of Watney, who is forced to confront a set of circumstances that most likely end in death. What follows is an intricate study in triage, both for Watney — who switches from panicked, to despondent, to determined that he will “science the shit” out of his survival — and his dedicated saviors back home. (Shout out to Donald Glover as the token oblivious-yet-brilliant aerodynamicist.) The movie’s most thrilling moments don’t come in the form of explosions or fantastical space tomfoolery, but via the inventive victories cooked up by Watney and his very loyal support system. I never thought I would tear up witnessing a space botanist discover the first potato sprout in a farm that he fertilized with his own shit, but that’s The Martian ’s charm: It’s a movie about making due with a handful of supplies and your brain, a love letter to the power of intellect.   —  Alyssa Bereznak

21. Contact (1997)

Growing up Catholic, I think I liked Contact so much for the whole “science versus religion as told by Jodie Foster versus Matthew McConaughey” storyline. But really, just the whole scene where Foster is being hurled around the galaxy still makes me wish Contact : The Theme Park Ride existed, and also I am very glad 3-D was not a thing at the time the movie came out. Oh, and how about that whole mirror scene in the beginning?! How did they shoot that?! Just kidding, we all know now, but here’s a very fun Reddit thread about it . So many layers! —  Molly McHugh

20. Wall-E (2008)

Wall-E is the most experimental and audacious film Pixar has ever made. As far as animated movies for kids go, this one stands out for having the most socially responsible message since FernGully , its use of live action actors in quick-cut scenes, and essentially being a silent film for the entire first half. Wall-E poetically issues a stern warning about the consequences of society’s blatant disregard for the planet and our increased dependence on automation and technology while sending a ray of hope via the uncompromising spirit of life. Plus there’s an adorable robot love story and beautiful animation.   — Zach Mack

19. Space Jam (1996)

Rumors circulate every few years about a Space Jam sequel, but it’s never going to happen. Only once in this world will a superstar athlete who quit mid-career to be a mediocre athlete in another sport decide to participate in a 88-minute image-rehabilitation project that is also a full-length children’s movie about greedy aliens who want to enslave a beloved Warner Bros. property but also agree not to enslave said property if it can beat them in basketball. Also, Bill Murray is too busy for this shit now.

No, we have to enjoy Space Jam for the bizarre, embarrassing, perfect miracle that it is: a slapstick commercial for the NBA, Michael Jordan, Looney Tunes, and physically impossible dunks.   —  Kate Knibbs

18. Star Trek (2009)

I first watched Star Trek as a begrudging favor to a friend. She “liked science fiction” and I “decidedly did not,” but I figured there are worse things than staring at Chris Pine for two hours while he swaggers around causing mayhem as a young Captain Kirk (at least that’s how the film was advertised to me). This is where I admit that I had never seen an episode of the original series, nor did I have much of a concept for it beyond character names and the fact that it involved space. However, by the bar fight scene I was intrigued, and once the stoic Spock is forced to admit that he was emotionally compromised by the death of his mother, I was feeling a bit emotionally compromised myself.

This is a movie about happenings in space, sure (and there are definitely a lot of CGI renderings, strange species, and shots of the wiiide vaaaastness of spaaace to prove it). But it’s also a film about emotion and family and the things that link people (and Vulcans) to one another. It’s raw in some places and not-so-great in others, but as my introduction to the Star Trek universe, it was memorable. — Megan Schuster

17. I ndependence Day (1996)

Some space movies are about the majesty of space, the sublime wonder of the void, the mindblowing possibility of contact with a celestial other. Not Independence Day , which is essentially a film about how much aliens suck and America rules. Instead of glorifying worlds beyond ours, the ultimate summer popcorn flick turns alien life into a formidable but punchable villain, and the results are far more charming than they have any right to be. “WELCOME TO EARTH!” Will Smith bellows, an irresistible avatar for jingoism. Jeff Goldblum outsmarts his galactic foes using the power of 1990s computer technology in a plot point so stupid it can only be wonderful. Independence Day is a dumb, beautiful celebration of our dumb, beautiful world.   —  Kate Knibbs

16. Predator (1987)

If it wasn’t for the fact that the words “ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER” and “PREDATOR” flash across the screen within the first few seconds, there’d be no way to distinguish between this movie’s opening scene and that of any of the Star Wars films. Even the music is Star Wars -y.

And fine, the next hour and 47 minutes take place in a Central American jungle and specifically not in space, but the first minute and a half lays it all out for us: Whatever it is our big-bicepped heroes are dealing with, it’s not of this world. They’re not gonna be on a level playing field with this mysterious figure as it lurks about in an OG invisibility cloak . As we quickly find out, not even (most of) America’s biggest sexual tyrannosauruses can contend with an invisible alien trophy-hunter with thermal goggles and a shoulder-mounted missile-launcher. After indulging in a game of cat-and-mouse, the Predator takes out Blain (ex real-life Navy SEAL Jesse Ventura), and Mac (Bill Duke) sees his translucent outline run into the jungle. This sets in motion one of the most satisfying and gratuitous shows of firepower in movie history : For a full 86 seconds, these dudes just bite their lips and shoot from the hip — with the most ridiculous collection of guns a small team of vehicle-less commandos could carry.

Sure, they’ve got the old reliables — the MP5s , M16s, and an M60  — but these guys also humped an automatic grenade launcher into the bush, Billy (Sonny Landham) carries an M-16 with a shotgun attached to it , and, most impressively and improbably, Blain is carrying around a fucking gatling gun . But the week’s worth of ammo they burnt through is all for naught; they kill nothing, and from there, Dutch and his crew finally start to understand that they’re completely outmatched — and that they’re being hunted. Without spoiling too much of the fun, I’ll say that Dutch goes Apocalypse Now on Predator’s ass, relying on a few primitive methods of warfare. He’s so cunning that the Predator develops a grudging respect for his quarry, abandons all the high-tech alien weaponry that puts him at such an advantage, and decides instead that this beef should come down to a good old-fashioned fisticuffs. It’s great in every way. — Danny Kelly

15. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Think back for a moment to the tremendous pressure The Force Awakens faced before its opening in 2015: a critical community burnt out on cynical IP plays; a massive fanbase already stung by one bungled addition to their beloved original trilogy; the possibility that even if this revival wasn’t an abomination, it’d be a pointless retread. You likely don’t remember that build-up because J.J. Abrams’s revamp arrived on the scene fully formed and ready to make a billion dollars: effortlessly diverse, cognizant of its heritage, and taking full advantage of the 21st century with some gorgeous (and frequently practical!) special effects. The Force Awakens works because it offers archetypes that feel both universal and of the moment: a villain literally related to Darth Vader (who nonetheless smacks of the beta masculinity that gave us Gamergate) and another orphan-turned-prophesized hero (who, when she wielded a lightsaber, still sent chills down my spine). Episode VII pulled off the near-impossible and sealed Star Wars’ reputation as the best-managed mega-franchise in the business. Shout out to you, Kathleen Kennedy, and take some notes, Marvel and DC. — Alison Herman

14. Planet of the Apes (1968)

The original Apes isn’t really a space movie compared to some on this list, but its protagonist is an astronaut, and it does start in space. It also makes the most of the several minutes it spends there. You’re more likely to remember “ You maniacs! ” or “ You damn dirty ape! ” or Charlton Heston’s maniacal, meme-able laugh than anything George Taylor says in the opening scene (while smoking, as astronauts do), but as an encapsulation of space’s appeal as a setting, one could do worse than this quote: “Seen from out here, everything seems different. Time bends. Space is boundless. It squashes a man’s ego. I feel lonely.”

Like most great space movies, Apes is imbued with wonder and mystery, and like most successful sci-fi, its depiction of a different time isolates and amplifies the flaws of our own. Almost half a century later, the film’s effects and costumes look all of their age, but the story still works as a cautionary tale and an allegory about racial conflict. After four direct sequels and two reboots (which has spawned two well-received sequels of its own), the end of Apes is nowhere in sight.

Planet of the Apes went into wide theatrical release a few days before 2001: A Space Odyssey , so it’s appropriate that it also precedes 2001 on our ranking.  —  Ben Lindbergh

13. Gravity (2013)

This will sound like an overstatement or an exaggeration, but, truly, it is not: Watching Gravity in the theater was a profoundly moving experience for me. I thought that every single part of it — Sandra Bullock’s forced-into-heroism heroism; George Clooney’s perfectly chiseled fearlessness; the terrifying soundtrack; the way that Alfonso Cuarón dangled the tiniest morsel of hope in front of everyone with the thinnest piece of thread — was exactly perfect. Gravity does what every movie about space should aspire to do, which is to make you feel entirely inadequate and unimportant (HOW CAN I POSSIBLY MATTER WHEN MEASURED UP AGAINST THE BIGNESS OF SPACE???) while also making you feel like maybe that empty feeling in your chest you can’t outrun is something more than just nothingness — it’s your literal connection to the universe, big and vast and beautiful and terrifying and perfect.  —  Shea Serrano

12. Spaceballs (1987)

Carl Sagan may or may not have uttered the phrase “billions and billions” during his pop-cosmology TV series a generation ago, but it is an accurate descriptor of how many jokes are contained within Mel Brooks’s sublime outer-space farce. Spaceballs , of course, is the defining parody of the self-serious Star Wars . Brooks calls up the major elements of George Lucas’s universe — the princess , the secret prince , the shaman , the sidekicks both furry and robotic , the villains , the white-helmeted soldiers  — and wrings all of them for laughs.

There is a committed band of cultists who trade one-liners back and forth in knowing shorthand. “I’m surrounded by assholes.” “Merchandising! Merchandising!” “Please, please, don’t make a fuss. I’m just plain Yogurt.” And, a personal favorite, “What’s the matter, Colonel Sandurz? Chicken? ” (Here is where I disclose that the actor who played the target of the chicken joke, the pro’s pro George Wyner, is a longtime friend of my wife’s family.)

Now that I’ve announced my bias, I’ll leave you with the film’s best scene, a bit of meta-comedy featuring Rick Moranis and Wyner in which they watch a VHS tape of Spaceballs and fast-forward to the moment in the film when the two characters are watching a VHS tape of Spaceballs . It’s a masterful bit of writing and acting whose intricate wordplay recalls Tom Stoppard and nimble delivery honors Abbott and Costello. And it all happens in space.

—Craig Gaines

11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

You can split the Marvel Cinematic Universe into two eras: Before Guardians and After Guardians . The 10th movie in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy , was the first Marvel movie to feel like it had a separate personality. Without the weight of the Avengers to bring him down, director James Gunn created a film that was surprising, compelling, and genuinely fun — and not in a cheap, look-at-that-big-explosion kind of way.

Chris Pratt is excellent as intergalactic cool-jerk Peter “Starlord” Quill — the perfect combination of invested heroism and detached sarcasm, a quality that’s welcome in a movie featuring a blue villain and planets called Morag and Xandar. (Pratt’s star power has been overstated since, but watching Guardians , you can at least understand why he broke out.) Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper round out the crew as Quill’s various extraterrestrial companions — Diesel literally plays a tree who can only say three words — and Guardians blossoms into an endlessly enjoyable origin story about a mismatched, ragtag group of heroes. The soundtrack’s pretty great, too. Nothing against Iron Man or Captain America , but Guardians of the Galaxy makes it hard to come back to Earth. — Andrew Gruttadaro

10. Avatar (2009)

It took all of five years for James Cameron’s story of Jake Sully and the Na’vi to become a punch line. Maybe less than that. How did this happen? How did the most successful non-sequel story in movie history become a landmark for jokes about febrile alien tails, Cameron’s notorious self-absorption, and Sam Worthington’s un-starriness? Cameron’s largesse made the movie a target, but its province is what made it forgettable —  Avatar was one of the great moviegoing events of the 21st century, a bombastic and painterly exertion of force. But it looked bad — cheap, even — on TVs. More so on computer and tablet screens. The digital imagery that Cameron employed to bring the blue-skinned Na’vi to life has also aged poorly in the intervening decade. But what is most lost about Avatar ’s initial, thunderous impact is not the film’s reach for a visceral grandeur or technological audacity — two of Cameron’s lifelong pursuits — but its intergalactic story of species at odds.

Avatar is a space movie in much the same way The Searchers is a Western. It captures a conflict between races, one militaristic and ceaseless in its quest for dominance, the other more spiritual but no less equipped for battle. And like The Searchers , John Ford’s complex, cockeyed summation of race and power in the American West, Avatar portrays its native people with a simplistic nobility and violent underbelly. Avatar is not quite the iconic vision of a world that has passed us by that The Searchers is. But it does show what could be in a fractured future — privatized military leading the way through the cosmos in search of valuable wares from vulnerable far-off lands. It’s not so much a parable as a straight warning. Careful what you go searching for in space — you just might find it.   —  Sean Fennessey

9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

At its best, Star Trek is less about the action than it is about problem-solving and Asking Big Questions — the reboot movies suck precisely because the franchise was handed over to the chuckleheads from Lost , who aggressively and resolutely do not understand this — and Wrath of Khan is all about aging, mortality, fatherhood, the limits of human agency, and not one but three different questions about scientific ethics. (Also, apropos of nothing, I always thought Merritt Butrick was really good as David Marcus.)

It’s one of the best examples of one of the best Star Trek movie traditions: Having the bad guy played by a big-name guest actor who swings from his (or her) heels. It’s also a high point for the Kirk–McCoy–Spock Freudian Trio, punctuated by Spock sacrificing his own life to save the ship — an act born on its face out of simple logic, but executed out of profound love and foreshadowed in Spock’s birthday gift of A Tale of Two Cities. It’s OK to cry. I won’t tell anyone.  —  Michael Baumann

8. Apollo 13 (1995)

Apollo 13 is the least existential space movie ever made, and that’s probably why it’s the most rewatchable one. It is a love letter to American ingenuity and a testament to the charms of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon being trapped in a flying thimble together. It also features one of the great exhale crescendos in blockbuster history. It’s easy to tell a story where everything that can go wrong does go wrong, but this is a movie where everything goes right. The quiet moments are tender (Kathleen Quinlan’s Marilyn Lovell listening to the radio as her husband goes around the dark side of the moon); the funny moments are hilarious (“I think old Swigert gave me the clap. Been pissin’ in my relief tube.”); and the scary moments are terrifying (“Houston, we have a problem.”).

Most space movies are about things that are out of our control and beyond our comprehension — whether it’s ideas (like the search for the meaning of life) or technology (like jumping to hyperspace) — but not Apollo 13 . Every button gets pushed, every dial gets turned, guys have to ballet dance around headphone jacks, and air filters need to be built out of tube socks and duct tape. It’s a practical, human movie about a time when humans looked at something as impractical as landing on the moon and attacked the problem practically. Work the problem, people. — Chris Ryan

7. 2 001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Space is glorious and space is terrifying; it follows that a great space movie should induce in its viewer both wonder and horror. With all due respect to Jack Torrance, I truly believe that 2001: A Space Odyssey is Stanley Kubrick’s scariest movie. There’s such an elegance and simplicity to its dread. Studios have wasted the equivalent of small nations’ GDPs trying to craft intricately creepy CGI villains — and they will never surpass a bone-chillingly indifferent red dot named HAL. Alfonso Cuarón spent $100 million trying to get a single shot as existentially panic-inducing as that silent moment when Frank realizes his line has been cut and he’s going to spend the rest of his short life hurtling through space. Filmmakers have been trying to top this movie for almost 50 years now, and no one (not even Christopher Nolan) has succeeded. Sure, Hollywood’s monkey-suit technology has come a long way since 1968, and none of the human performances in 2001 are particularly memorable (I will mail you a dollar if you can name the lead actor in this film without Googling), but these feel like small flaws when taken against the monolithic greatness of this film. Imagine making a space movie a year before the goddamn moon landing and it still looking fresh five decades later. Even 16 years after its once-futuristic-sounding namesake, to watch 2001 is to open the pod bay doors… of your mind .   —  Lindsay Zoladz

6. Aliens (1986)

Of all the installments in the Alien film franchise, this one holds up the best. If Alien is a horror film in space, Aliens would be a war thriller, also in space. The film’s writer and director, James Cameron, does a masterful job expanding upon what little we previously knew about Ellen Ripley, the Weyland-Yutani Corp, and the terrifying and murderous xenomorphs to tell a tense story about survival, empowerment, and corporate greed. Also, the answer to the question posed early in the film — “So who’s laying these eggs?” — is one of the best big reveals in film. Period.   — Zach Mack

5. The Right Stuff (1983)

This is one of my favorite movies ever in any genre. It pulls off the fine balancing act of recognizing the absurdity of the early Cold War — it’s hard not to laugh at the hypermasculinity and jingoism of the Space Race — while also embracing it. Is it ridiculous to look at test pilots as the last cowboys, as Sam Shepard literally rides his horse to Pancho’s Happy Bottom Riding Club? Sure, but those guys were also really cool. This film lives in the moment before liftoff, buoyed by one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever and incredible performances from top to bottom: Shepard’s gunslinger Chuck Yeager, Levon Helm’s resourceful Jack Ridley, Fred Ward’s aggro Gus Grissom, Ed Harris’s manic boy scout John Glenn, Dennis Quaid’s class clown Gordo Cooper, and Pamela Reed as his wife Trudy, whose struggle to “maintain an even strain” breaks your heart more and more each time you watch it. But the performance that characterizes the movie best is Donald Moffat’s outrageous LBJ . It’s broad, it’s preposterous, it’s hyperbolic, but it’s also a major historical figure going berserk over issues of colossal geopolitical importance. This movie is beautiful, hilarious, sad, dramatic, and hysterical.   —  Michael Baumann

4. Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983)

An anonymous member of The Ringer ’s staff counts Return of the Jedi as their favorite Star Wars movie, an opinion so misguided that I’m withholding their name to protect their reputation. Jedi is worse in almost every way than the two films that came before it. It’s a true tonal bridge between the original trilogy and the prequels, one that rejects the riveting darkness of The Empire Strikes Back in favor of cuddly Ewoks, clumsy retconning, superweapon recycling, and a virtually consequence-free climax. The too-long Tatooine sequence, bogged down by “ Lapti Nek ” (or way worse, “ Jedi Rocks ”), feels like it belongs to a different movie than the three-pronged climax, and Boba Fett’s sarlacc encounter was so lame that the expanded universe had to undo his death.

Yet to paraphrase Luke, there is still good in Jedi , including Luke’s entrance at Jabba’s palace, the speeder-bike chase, and everything in the throne-room scenes, one of which features maybe my favorite minute-or-so snippet on any Star Wars soundtrack. The movie is still incredibly quotable, from “You’re gonna die here, you know” to “The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.” Most of all, it’s just satisfying to spend more time with these characters, whose chemistry is intact even though Harrison Ford barely wanted to be back.

Jedi is clearly riding the coattails of its predecessors (and the Google-results inflation of its successors) to its elite placement on this list. But man, they’re amazing coattails.   —  Ben Lindbergh

3. Alien (1979)

It’s the silence in Alien that’s worse than anything. The way the music fades out as the alien egg cracks open, moments before the fleshy monstrosity latches onto Kane’s spacesuit. The bizarre tranquility of him resting in the medical ward while a human-incubated nightmare is strapped to his face in a mating ritual from hell. The suffocating stillness — punctuated only by the clinking of chains — just before the fully-grown alien makes its debut to devour Brett. Now 38 years old, Alien continues to horrify because of the quiet that orbits the loud, graphic moment at the heart of the film, when the titular beast erupts from Kane’s stomach. There’s dread of the unknown before the alien birth and fear that something more disturbing will happen afterward. The second shoe never drops, and Alien morphs into an action-thriller as Ripley scrambles to escape. But it’s those eerie, empty moments that make this one of the best space movies of all time. — Victor Luckerson

2. Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

This is the best Star Wars movie. It gave us, in the span of a few minutes, both the “I love you.” / “I know.” exchange and “I am your father.” It gave us the most dramatic lightsaber battle of any of the seven movies — after Darth Vader and Obi-Wan just sort of poked at each other in a hallway for a couple minutes at the end of A New Hope , Vader chases an increasingly terrified Luke across Cloud City, pummeling him with pipes and boxes, literally beating the arrogance and optimism out of our hero. That sense of “Oh wow, this really isn’t going to be that easy, and that’s horrifying,” pervades the story, as Luke, Leia, and Han suffer an onslaught of defeats and unexpected obstacles to rival the string of lucky breaks they’d skated by on in the last movie. That makes a two-hour movie with five or six distinct acts fly by.   —  Michael Baumann

1. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)

The one that started it all. George Lucas changed science fiction, and the movie industry in general, with the first Star Wars movie. Forty years later, Disney is making billions off the universe Lucas created. Lucas was a master synthesizer, liberally borrowing from sources as varied as Flash Gordon and Akira Kurosawa, but he owed his greatest debt to Joseph Campbell, the writer who popularized the idea of “the hero’s journey,” the archetypal story at the heart of mythological tales in every human society. The young man from humble beginnings receives a call to adventure then waffles on whether to leave home until he meets a mentor who sets him on his path, where he finds new allies who help him triumph over his ultimate fear. Once you set that story in space, it pretty much writes itself. Most of the movies inspired by A New Hope , including the prequels, copied the surface-level stuff — special effects, epic space battles, and witty banter from an attractive young cast — without understanding the underlying framework. Star Wars works because it speaks to a deep desire in the human heart; watching it without rooting for the main characters is like trying to keep your leg in place when someone taps your kneecap. The Star Wars universe continues to expand, but people will always watch and love this movie.  —  Jonathan Tjarks

Click here for the full ranking of 55 space movies.

In This Stream

• NASA Engineer Molly Bittner Explains the Science Behind Cassini and Why It Had to Crash Into Saturn
• The 25 Best Movies About Space, Ranked
• Kanye’s ‘Graduation’ Reached for the Stars

Next Up In Movies

• Trial Royale: Best Baseball Movie, Round 2—Minor Leagues
• All’s Fair in Love and Tennis
• ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer, ‘Shogun’ Finale, and ‘X-Men ’97’
• ‘Hardcore’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
• ‘Hit Man’ Was Made for Movie Theaters
• Which Bidder Is Best for Paramount?

Sign up for the The Ringer Newsletter

Thanks for signing up.

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Denver Ends the Lakers, Chet Vs. Paolo, Atlanta’s Penix Envy, and NFL Draft Family Etiquette With J. Kyle Mann and Van Lathan

Bill and J. Kyle Mann check in on all the NBA playoff series before Bill and Van Lathan go through the big news from the first round of the NFL draft

Giants Draft Nabers, Jets Pick Fashanu, and Knicks Drop Game 3

JJ is back to recap the first-round NFL draft picks and talk about the Knicks’ loss to the 76ers

Drake Maye Is a Patriot!

Brian also goes over the Celtics’ Game 2 loss to the Heat

In Caleb Williams, the Bears Could Have Their Own Aaron Rodgers

Chicago has been called a franchise where quarterbacks "go to die." But after selecting Williams, the Bears may finally have the player—and the infrastructure around him—to change that.

‘The Office’ Spinoff, ‘Sympathizer’ Episode 2, and ‘Top Chef’ Episode 6

Plus, Chris and Andy dig into news of Tina Fey and Steve Carell teaming up for a new Netflix comedy series

2024 Bowman Baseball and Prospects With Aram Leighton

Mike and Jesse discuss potential quarterback investments headed into the NFL draft, then are joined by Aram Leighton from Just Baseball to talk prospects and 2024 Bowman Baseball

• Tickets & Showtimes
• Trending on RT

(Photo by Warner Bros. Thumbnail: Jasin Boland for ©Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection)

150 Essential Sci-Fi Movies to Watch Now

There’s only one place where you can get clones, time travel, simulated realities, irradiated and irritated giant lizards, and space fights and beyond. (Maybe not all at once, but we can dream.) Anything’s possible in this creative nebula known as science fiction, and with its long and historic association with cinema, we present our choices of the greatest science-fiction movies ever: The 150 Essential Sci-Fi Movies!

As they do with horror, filmmakers use science fiction to reflect our aspirations, terrors, and issues of the times. Through genre lens, we can consider our impact on the environment ( Godzilla , WALL-E ), technology gone berserk ( The Terminator , Ex Machina ), identity ( Blade Runner , The Matrix ), and societal breakdowns ( Children of Men , A Clockwork Orange ). We might even check-in on the current state of the human condition ( Gattaca , Her ).

Or, maybe we just want to see giant ants wreak havoc across the neighborhood. There may not be a lot of subtext in a big monster movie like Them! , or even crowd-pleasing masterpieces like Star Wars or Back to the Future , but they speak to the one thing that attracts us to movies in the first place: escapism. Science-fiction movies are our tickets to planets far-away ( Star Trek , Avatar , Starship Troopers ), or a quick hop to a local joint in the solar system ( The Martian , Total Recall ). They take us just above the atmosphere ( Gravity ), deep down to the bottom of the ocean ( 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , The Abyss ), and into the human body ( Fantastic Voyage ). Limited only 2020by imagination, sci-fi inspires wonder, awe, terror, and hope for alternative mindsets and better futures.

Sci-fi spreads across subgenres, all represented here: the monster movie ( Cloverfield ), space opera ( Serenity ), cyberpunk ( Ghost in the Shell ), and post-apocalyptic ( Mad Max: Fury Road ) and more. Or it can fuse onto traditional genres like drama ( Donnie Darko , Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ), comedy ( Repo Man , Idiocracy ), and action ( Predator , Demoliton Man ). Wherever the destination, these movies — each with at least 20 reviews — were selected because of their unique, fun, and possibly even mind-blowing spins on reality.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) 60%

The Endless (2017) 92%

Timecrimes (2007) 90%

Ad Astra (2019) 83%

Westworld (1973) 84%

High Life (2018) 82%

Coherence (2013) 88%

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 80%

Midnight Special (2016) 83%

Wizards (1977) 62%

Annihilation (2018) 88%

Contact (1997) 68%

The Congress (2013) 72%

Flight of the Navigator (1986) 84%

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) 91%

Alita: Battle Angel (2019) 62%

Ready Player One (2018) 72%

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) 66%

Rollerball (1975) 67%

Silent Running (1972) 71%

War of the Worlds (2005) 76%

Metropolis (2001) 87%

Shin Godzilla (2016) 86%

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) 78%

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) 84%

The Fountain (2006) 53%

Logan's Run (1976) 58%

The Blob (1958) 68%

Scanners (1981) 68%

Things to Come (1936) 91%

Cube (1997) 63%

Strange Days (1995) 68%

Heavy Metal (1981) 66%

A Boy and His Dog (1975) 78%

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) 76%

The Day of the Triffids (1963) 78%

When Worlds Collide (1951) 81%

Sunshine (2007) 76%

Liquid Sky (1982) 93%

Dark Star (1974) 74%

Open Your Eyes (1997) 87%

Paprika (2006) 86%

Serenity (2005) 82%

Turbo Kid (2015) 91%

THX-1138 (1971) 86%

Attack the Block (2011) 91%

Upgrade (2018) 88%

Star Trek: First Contact (1996) 93%

The World's End (2013) 89%

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) 93%

The Host (2006) 93%

A Quiet Place (2018) 96%

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) 93%

Repo Man (1984) 98%

Starship Troopers (1997) 72%

The Fifth Element (1997) 71%

V for Vendetta (2006) 73%

Dredd (2012) 80%

The Brother From Another Planet (1984) 89%

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984) 66%

Dark City (1998) 76%

Under the Skin (2013) 84%

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) 79%

The Fly (1986) 93%

Cloverfield (2008) 78%

Men in Black (1997) 91%

Tron (1982) 73%

Bumblebee (2018) 90%

Independence Day (1996) 68%

Barbarella (1968) 75%

Donnie Darko (2001) 87%

Pacific Rim (2013) 72%

Idiocracy (2006) 71%

Fahrenheit 451 (1966) 81%

Demolition Man (1993) 63%

A Scanner Darkly (2006) 68%

Source Code (2011) 92%

The Abyss (1989) 89%

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 82%

Altered States (1980) 86%

Predestination (2014) 85%

They Live (1988) 86%

Seconds (1966) 79%

Soylent Green (1973) 70%

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) 91%

The Hunger Games (2012) 84%

Avatar (2009) 82%

Minority Report (2002) 89%

Alphaville (1965) 92%

Them! (1954) 93%

Videodrome (1983) 83%

Snowpiercer (2013) 94%

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) 98%

Predator (1987) 80%

Planet of the Apes (1968) 87%

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) 93%

Star Trek (2009) 94%

Escape From New York (1981) 88%

The War of the Worlds (1953) 89%

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) 88%

Galaxy Quest (1999) 90%

Fantastic Voyage (1966) 92%

Solaris (1972) 93%

Her (2013) 95%

The Iron Giant (1999) 96%

Fantastic Planet (1973) 91%

Total Recall (1990) 82%

Moon (2009) 90%

The Martian (2015) 91%

Gravity (2013) 96%

Interstellar (2014) 73%

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 92%

Looper (2012) 93%

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 90%

Arrival (2016) 94%

Ex Machina (2014) 92%

WALL-E (2008) 95%

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 99%

Godzilla (1954) 93%

Forbidden Planet (1956) 92%

12 Monkeys (1995) 88%

Jurassic Park (1993) 92%

Primer (2004) 73%

Stalker (1979) 100%

Gattaca (1997) 82%

Ghost in the Shell (1995) 95%

Brazil (1985) 98%

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) 87%

District 9 (2009) 90%

A Clockwork Orange (1971) 87%

RoboCop (1987) 92%

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 95%

Akira (1988) 91%

Children of Men (2006) 92%

The Terminator (1984) 100%

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) 91%

Aliens (1986) 98%

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 95%

The Thing (1982) 84%

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) 97%

Alien (1979) 93%

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 91%

Inception (2010) 87%

The Matrix (1999) 83%

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) 93%

Metropolis (1927) 97%

Blade Runner (1982) 89%

Back to the Future (1985) 93%

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 92%

Related news.

All A24 Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

52 Best Stop-Motion Animated Movies of All Time

All Denis Villeneuve Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

More All-Time Lists

All 96 Best Picture Winners, Ranked by Tomatometer

Golden Globes Best Picture Winners by Tomatometer

200 Best Horror Movies of All Time

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

Poll: Most Anticipated Movies of May 2024

April 25, 2024

Poll: Most Anticipated TV and Streaming Shows of May 2024

DC Animated Movies In Order: How to Watch 54 Original and Universe Films

April 23, 2024

The Best TV Seasons Certified Fresh at 100%

April 22, 2024

Top Headlines

• DC Animated Movies In Order: How to Watch 54 Original and Universe Films –
• The Best TV Seasons Certified Fresh at 100% –
• Best TV Shows of 2024: Best New Series to Watch Now –
• 25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming –
• 30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming –
• Box Office 2024: Top 10 Movies of the Year –

30 Most Underrated Space Movies You Need To Watch

Ever since the 1902 short film "A Trip To The Moon" saw a rocket smash into the face of the lunar surface, Hollywood has been enamored with stories set amidst the stars. While science fiction movies can encompass many different kinds of remarkable stories, from time travel tales to futuristic dystopian post-apocalypses, stories set in outer space hold a special fascination for the audience and are a touchstone of the genre. Whether they're grounded tales of astronauts seeking out intelligent life or fantastic alien battles between good and evil, some of the biggest films of all time have taken place far from Earth among the vast and endless reaches of the cosmos.

But for every "Star Wars," there's a forgotten, underrated space movie that was swallowed up by the bigger box office hit. For ever "Interstellar," there's another unheralded independent drama about an astronaut that deserves more attention. You've seen "Guardians Of The Galaxy" and "The Martian," and now it's time you take a look at some more movies you may have missed, overlooked because they weren't lighting up the box office charts, or buried in an avalanche of streaming titles. From a 1972 ecological sci-fi thriller to a 2021 Netflix original, here are underrated space movies that you need to watch.

1. Sunshine

The 2007 sci-fi thriller "Sunshine" was directed by Danny Boyle ( "28 Days Later" ) and features one of the best casts on this list. The story chronicles the crew of the starship Icarus II, who've departed a devastated Earth on a critical mission to reignite the sun, which is dying and has left the planet slowly withering away in increasing darkness. A previous mission to save the world had been tried and failed under mysterious circumstances, but when this new crew find the abandoned starship Icarus I along the way, they go aboard to salvage supplies. Looking to find out what went wrong the first time, they bring back a bigger mystery, and soon new problems begin to plague their own ship. It quickly becomes clear that someone is trying to sabotage their mission to save the sun — and doom Earth forever.

A haunting science fiction thriller with a heartbreaking climax, it takes a shocking turn midway through the film that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Largely overlooked on its release, it was  a flop at the box office in the middle of a crowded blockbuster summer , but eventually gained some attention after its home video release and later on streaming sites like Netflix. Cillian Murphy and Michelle Yeoh headlined the cast, while a pre-MCU Chris Evans and Benedict Wong appeared alongside Hiroyuki Sanada and Rose Byrne.

2. 2010: The Year We Make Contact

The 1984 sci-fi sequel "2010: The Year We Make Contact" has long lived in the shadow of its predecessor, the groundbreaking science fiction epic "2001: A Space Odyssey." This sequel, released 15 years after the original, and based on Arthur C. Clarke's sequel novel, "2010: Odyssey II," picks up nearly a decade after Dave Bowman's disastrous showdown with the artificially intelligent computer called HAL 9000. 

The film sees the launch of second expedition into space, this time a joint effort between American and Soviet space programs, to determine what happened aboard the Discovery before the ship's orbit decays and it collides with one of the planet's many moons. Finding both Discovery and the mysterious monolith that was at the center of its earlier mission, Discovery Two uncovers the truth behind HAL 9000's behavior, and gets closer to the secrets of the monoliths. Their mission is complicated by events back on Earth, where relations between the United States and the Soviet Union have begun to break down. 

Despite a stellar cast that includes Roy Scheider and Helen Mirren, the film can't quite live up to the 1969 classic that preceded — but if we're honest, few science fiction films do. On its own merits, though, "2010: The Year We Make Contact" is a less cerebral sequel that might even satisfy those who felt the first film was a bit too slow. In some respects, it could even be seen as more effective sci-fi mystery with a clearer message and a warning about our own future, in the truest tradition of the genre.

3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The sixth and final "Star Trek" film to feature the cast of "The Original Series," "The Undiscovered Country" brings Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the crew back to the bridge of the Enterprise for one last adventure. Ready for retirement, the destruction of a Klingon moon draws them back out into space, with Kirk reluctantly leading a diplomatic mission to escort the Klingon Chancellor to Earth. With their bitter rivals in crisis, there are calls for peace, and the Federation hopes to negotiate a once unthinkable alliance. But when the Chancellor Gorkon is assassinated and Kirk is blamed, he and McCoy are put on trial. 

The chancellor's daughter goes forward with the peace talks, but Spock — now in command of the Enterprise — believes her father's death was part of a bigger plot to sabotage the coming treaty. While "The Undiscovered Country" is recognized as one of the better "Trek" films, it's often overshadowed by "The Wrath Of Khan" and the more crowd-pleasing "Voyage Home." But the sixth film is more than just a space adventure, and it rarely gets the recognition it deserves as a first-rate political thriller that was intended as an allegory for the fall of the Berlin Wall . 

Impeccable direction, nail-biting suspense, and a chilling performance by actor Christopher Plummer — not to mention a climactic starship confrontation — help make it the franchise's most underrated film.

A terrifying psychological thriller, the 2009 film "Moon" is another movie that received more recognition after its original theatrical release, though it proved short-lived. Since that brief window when it was the talk of sci-fi circles, the movie has fallen back into the pack of underrated sci-fi classics, and deserves to be brought back out for another viewing. Essentially a one-man play, Sam Rockwell ("Iron Man 2") stars as engineer Sam Bell, an astronaut assigned to an extended solitary mission aboard a lunar-based mining installation. 

For three long years, Sam has had no company aboard the station but for a robotic assistant named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). But as his rotation on the moon draws to a close and he prepares to head home, he suddenly begins to lose his grip on his sanity. Seeing visions of a strange woman and a young girl, Sam is forced to question reality itself. Is what he seeing a hallucination or a nightmare, and what is his real mission? These are the questions that Sam and the audience must ponder, and the answers will shock you. Carried solely by Rockwell's powerful singular performance, "Moon" proves a story about a lonely man searching for his soul. A stunning debut for writer and director Duncan Jones, the filmmaker has struggled to live up to his opening masterpiece.

5. Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension

Before he had his career-defining turn as Alex Murphy in "Robocop," star Peter Weller took the title role in W.D. Richter's 1984 cult classic "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai in the 8th Dimension." As weird as you'd expect from the title, the eclectic title hero is a scientist/doctor/rock star/test pilot turned dimension-hopping superhero crimefighter. It all starts when Banzai and his scientist mentor Dr. Tohichi Hikita create a device that sends him and his jet-powered Ford F-350 briefly into another dimension. But while there, he draws the attention of alien overlords who are building an army and plan on attacking New Jersey.

Alongside his bandmates in the Hong Kong Cavaliers, Banzai has to save the Garden State from being overrun by warriors from another dimension. While the movie's plot is needlessly complicated, that's part of the zany, off-the-wall fun of it. Dismissed in its day for being too ridiculous even for the '80s, it proved well ahead of its time , where with more modern SFX it would fit right in today alongside colorful comic book comedies like "Guardians Of The Galaxy," "Thor: Ragnarok" or DC's "Peacemaker." Its all-star cast included Weller, Clancy Brown, Jeff Goldblum , Christopher Lloyd, Ellen Barkin, Carl Lumbly, and John Lithgow, too. If you can get past the dated visuals, "The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai In The 8th Dimension" delivers a raucously silly good time.

6. Screamers

Also starring Peter Weller, the 1995 film "Screamers" was based on a story by Philip K. Dick (whose others works were adapted into  "Blade Runner," "The Man In The High Castle," "Total Recall," and "Minority Report"), and was written by Dan O'Bannon (who wrote the original "Alien"). Appearing in a more serious action thriller this time around, Weller plays Commander Joseph Hendricksson, leader of a group of former laborers on a distant colony who are embroiled in a brutal war with the mining company. The mining union have fought back and created an army of robotic sentries called "screamers" to hunt and kill the mercenaries the company brought in to crack down on labor strikes.  

But when a company soldier arrives with an offer of peace — and is gunned down by a screamer before he can deliver it — Hendricksson must figure out if the message is true. Does the company really want to end the war? Meanwhile, screamers themselves seem to be growing minds of their own, and have gained a shocking new ability that adds a new dimension to the conflict. A creepy, action-packed thriller that not-so-coincidentally recalls the gritty tone of "Alien," "Screamers" deserves to be dusted off and watched again in the 21st century.

7. High Life

When Robert Pattinson was still struggling to be taken seriously as an actor post-"Twilight," he took a turn in a sci-fi horror film to show his chops in a more cerebral setting. With French filmmaker Claire Denis in the director's chair, the 2018 film "High Life" follows an astronaut named Monte. He is all alone on a journey through deep space aboard an otherwise empty starship, with only what appears to be his infant daughter as company. Told in a nonlinear fashion, the movie flips back and forth from the past and the present as we learn more about what brought him aboard, what caused the loss of the rest of the ship's crew, and where he is headed with a baby in tow.

As the film peels back the layer's of Monte's past, we discover not all is as it seems, and a larger tapestry is at play. An understated performance from Pattinson helps focus the film, which earned it good reviews on its release. Unfortunately, it came and went quickly from theaters. But with Pattinson ascending to Hollywood heavyweight in the aftermath of "The Batman," this is one film that deserves to be given new life, and should be appreciated as one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the decade.

8. Enemy Mine

A science fiction drama from 1985, Dennis Quaid ("Inner Space") and Louis Gossett Jr. ("Iron Eagle") starred in "Enemy Mine," a story of two men — one human, the other alien — who must overcome their biases and distrust of each other's peoples in order to survive on a desolate world in the far reaches of outer space. As the film opens, we find Earth at war with a deadly alien race of reptile-like humanoids called the Dracs some time in the late 21st century. The war has been devastating for both sides, and each has developed a violent intolerance of the other. Fighter pilot Will Davidge (Quaid) has an almost blind hatred for the Dracs, and during a brutal outer space battle, finds himself and an enemy soldier both crashed on a nearby planetoid.

While they at first try to kill one another, it becomes clear that to survive, they'll have to put aside their hatred and work together. As Davidge and the alien attempt to communicate, they learn about each other, and find that they are not so different after all. Using science fiction the way the genre intended, the film provides a social and moral message about looking past our differences to find common ground. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen ("Das Boot"), it's criminally overlooked, and one of the best forgotten sci-fi films of the '80s.

9. Pandorum

Speaking of Dennis Quaid, years after his '80s hayday he would star in "Pandorum," an independent horror movie released in 2009, set aboard a mysterious interstellar starship. Quaid co-stars with Ben Foster ( "X-Men: The Last Stand" ) as Peyton and Bower, a pair of astronauts who awaken from cryogenic stasis and find themselves aboard what seems to be a empty starship. They have no memory of who they are, why they are there, or what the purpose of the vessel might be. As they begin to explore the ship, they realize that they are not alone: they are being stalked by a bizarre and deadly alien creature. But the bloodthirsty beast may or may not be real, as they could be suffering from pandorum — a form of space psychosis — as a result of their extended time in stasis.

But the stakes are raised when they learn that their mission is nothing less than the preservation of the entire human race itself: The ship hauls the last vestiges of mankind on an voyage to a new world after the devastation of Earth. Though the film was barely seen when released in theaters, it garnered a cult following when it found a home on Netflix not long after. Newly discovered by horror and sci-fi enthusiasts who passed it around as a hidden streaming gem, it saw new life, but remains an underrated sci-fi "never-was."

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story

A "Star Wars" movie that's underrated? Look no further than the prequel film "Solo: A Star Wars Story." Savaged by its critics and called the spin-off nobody asked for, the film gives admittedly unnecessary backstory to  the lovable thief Han Solo, once played by Harrison Ford. 

Set some 15 years before the original "Star Wars," it finds the young wayward Han on the run from a criminal syndicate. Separated from the woman he loves, Han joins a group of smugglers led by a seasoned gangster named Tobias Beckett. Taken under the wing of a notorious scoundrel, Han becomes a crafty young hustler himself. But when a job goes wrong and Han finds himself on the wrong end of intergalactic kingpin Dryden Voss, he'll have to get help from a former Wookie slave and a charismatic rogue if he wants to stay alive and reunite with his lost love. 

Though it may not have been a story that needed to be told, and it's certainly not a perfect movie — bogged down by some bizarre attempts at political commentary — it's a high class, glossy spectacle of an adventure that deserves to be appreciated for its own unique charms. With top notch, awe-inspiring action, and some impressive performances from its cast — including star Alden Ehrenreich and renaissance man Donald Glover — it's definitely the most underrated "Star Wars" story, one that doesn't deserve the hate it often gets.

11. Silent Running

Science fiction of the 1970s before "Star Wars" was harder on the science, and in 1972 Douglas Trumball, VFX supervisor on the landmark "2001: A Space Odyssey" three years earlier, took the helm of one of the most under-appreciated hard science fiction films of the decade, "Silent Running." The film opens in a future where Earth has been devastated by environmental disaster and unable to maintain lush plant life. As a result, large space cruisers have been converted to carry massive bio-domes that contain the last remnants of the planet's florae and fauna. Aboard one such vessel is Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), a man who believes in their noble mission, and who is stunned when they are ordered to jettison the forests and return home.

Unwilling to go along with his orders, Lowell rebels and kills the rest of his crew, intent on saving the bio-domes from destruction. Now on the run from the authorities, it's up to him — and a trio of service robot assistants — to preserve the last remnants of Earth's once beautiful environment from annihilation. An outer space ecological adventure with a powerful environment message, it shows one man's sacrifice and conviction, who is willing to stand up and to do what's right, no matter the cost.

12. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Based on the sci-fi radio play-turned-novel series of the same name, "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" may have upset longtime fans of the books who preferred the faithful — if low budget — BBC TV series from the early 1980s. Released in 2005, this big budget Hollywood production deviated from the source material in places, but original creator Douglas Adams co-wrote the screenplay, making it tough to complain. 

Featuring a cast full of big names, some before they were stars, Martin Freeman ( "Sherlock" ) played bumbling everyman Arthur Dent, Zooey Deschanel ( "New Girl" ) was quirky space girl Tricia "Trillian" McMillan and Sam Rockwell ("Iron Man 2") was the President Of The Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox. Rapper Mos Def and actors Bill Nighy, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and Alan Rickman rounded out the all-star cast. Like the original, it introduced Dent as perpetually beleaguered man whose house is being bulldozed to make way for a highway when he learns aliens are about to blow up Earth for an interstellar bypass. Dent becomes an unwitting adventurer aboard a bizarre spaceship called the Heart Of Gold, alongside a depressed android called Marvin.

A strong adaptation — faithful in tone and spirit if not entirely in story — its very British sense of humor may have put off wider audiences, leaving it to languish in theaters, never receiving its promised sequels . But on its own, it's a big budget sci-fi laugher worthy of becoming a comedy classic.

13. Dark Star

The debut film from celebrated horror director John Carpenter ("Halloween"), it's long been overshadowed by his bigger and better films. Like "Screamers," the 1974 film "Dark Star" was written by Dan O'Bannon, but this one was before his breakout script "Alien" made him a name in Hollywood. Sure to evoke the look and feel of bigger films you've seen many times before, this forgotten cult classic predates them all. It became incredibly influential in the genre, with a style and tone that can still be felt in sci-fi film's today: its gritty, workman-like visual aesthetic, and grounded realism that made space men more like cynical, exhausted blue collar workers than dashing, brave heroic figures. 

Set aboard the exploratory vessel Dark Star, the worn-down crew has been in space for decades, searching for rogue planets that might cause trouble for Earth's interplanetary colonization efforts. Long since settled into their humdrum daily life aboard the broken down starship, their long journey has left Lieutenant Doolittle and his crew with not much to do but continually make repairs thanks to increasingly common maintenance problems. Their situation get worse, though, when the ship is hit by an electromagnetic storm that causes their artificially intelligent weapons to malfunction. Surprisingly sardonic and bitterly acerbic, "Dark Star" is a clever science fiction workplace adventure that may not be the best on this list, but deserves to be better remembered than it is.

14. Galaxy Quest

The third film on this list to include Sam Rockwell, "Galaxy Quest" was a loving homage and quasi-parody of the original "Star Trek" series. Instead of being about a futuristic starship and its crew though, it tells the story of a group of actors form a popular sci-fi television series. Said cast gets mistaken for their characters by a group of alien refugees attempting to escape from an army of insidious villains. Now, thanks to a case of mistaken identity, the cast of eccentric Hollywood thespians finds themselves battling real-life monsters from outer space, and they might just be the only hope of turning the tide of an interstellar struggle.

Often seen as merely a mockery of "Star Trek," the truth is that "Galaxy Quest" is that and so much more. A razor sharp comedy with one of the finest casts a '90s comedy could assemble, it starred Tim Allen as the William Shatner-esque hero (two years before he'd voice the heroic space man Buzz Lightyear ), Sigourney Weaver as his bombshell castmate and fictional first officer, plus Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub ("Monk"), Alan Rickman ("Harry Potter"), Justin Long ("Live Free Or Die Hard"), and Rainn Wilson in his pre-"The Office" days. The truth is, "Galaxy Quest" works as a hysterical sci-fi romp even if you don't get all the "Star Trek" jokes, and it deserves to be ranked among the best '90s comedies.

Though it was heavily marketed as a big budget sci-fi drama — with a big name cast that included Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal – the 2017 film "Life" came and went quickly, and was unfavorably compared to classics like "Alien." But come at it with different expectations — or, better yet, no expectations — and you'll find a compelling science fiction thriller all its own. The sci-fi horror film begins aboard an International Space Station, where a crew of astronauts has just received soil samples from Mars that may contain living organisms. But the crew is unprepared when the organism grow at an exponential rate, and start attacking and feeding off them.

But when the creature damages the station, causing its orbit to decay, it becomes a race against time to destroy it before it can reach Earth. A tense, action-packed horror movie set in space, early promotion included a cryptic first trailer , leading to speculation that it might somehow be tied to the "Spider-Man" franchise of all things . This confusion led to people misjudging it, and ultimately overlooking it when it turned out to be something else. A victim of lofty expectations, it was quietly buried after  disappointing somewhat at the box office, but in many ways is a better "Alien" sequel than anything produced since James Cameron's first sequel.

16. Final Voyage (Das letzte Land)

"Das letzte Land" ("Final Voyage") is a German science fiction drama from 2019 that's never really made its way stateside. Thanks to streaming, though, it's available for those interested in dark psychological sci-fi. If you can track it down, you're in for a treat — especially if you like your space movies slow, dreary, haunting, and enigmatic. At its heart, "The Final Voyage" is a mystery, beginning with an escaped prisoner who discovers an abandoned, run-down space vessel. Paired with one of the prison's former guards, he gets it up and running to escape the hellish planetoid.

But out in deep space, it becomes a ceaseless struggle to keep the craft up and running. Described by Rabbit Reviews  as "atmospheric and immersive," the film finds the two desperate explorers on a search for a safe harbor. Drawing inspiration from films like "Dark Star" and "Alien," this modern international sci-fi indie movie deserves a look. Though not a perfect movie, its use of practical effects and its sweeping cosmic vistas make it a visual treat, while its tone and story are a fresh take on the genre that still evoke the look and feel of older classics.

17. Solaris

Starring George Clooney, the 2002 sci-fi drama "Solaris" was based on a classic novel by legendary Polish author Stanislaw Lem. A remake of the previous adaptation, a 1972 Russian film of the same name, it was a passion project of co-producer James Cameron, and was ultimately written and directed by Stephen Soderbergh. The film tells the story of Dr. Chris Kelvin, a psychologist brought in by a corporation that runs a deep space orbital station above the planet Solaris. The crew onboard suffered a series of bizarre mental breakdowns and since disappeared. Kelvin is tasked with investigating and ultimately determining if the station's mission should continue.

But once there, Kelvin himself begins to succumb to the same strange phenomenon, including receiving visions of his long-dead wife. After learning that something similar had happened to the crew, Kelvin must figure out if the visions of their loved ones are real, and if they could in fact be some form of alien contact.

Fresh off their collaboration on the previous year's remake of "Ocean's Eleven," Soderbergh and Clooney made "Solaris" a prestigious, high profile project, but it failed to deliver at the box office . Though recognized by critics for its stirring drama and thought provoking ideas, "Solaris" unfortunately had to contend with the specter of the pioneering original version, which still holds up today. But this new version is more than a retread — it forges its own path, and is sure to impress fans of contemplative science fiction psycho-dramas.

18. Event Horizon

Director Paul W.S. Anderson may be known as a purveyor of schlock action movies — producing the "Resident Evil" series, "Alien Vs. Predator," and the first "Mortal Kombat" film — but in 1997, he made arguably his best work with the sci-fi horror movie "Event Horizon." Assembling a stellar cast that included Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, and Jason Isaacs, the film is about a starship called the Event Horizon that disappeared in deep space, and the crew of a second exploratory vessel sent to investigate it when it suddenly reappears a decade later. 

The mission is led by Miller (Fishburne), a military commander and pragmatist, and Weir (Neill), the inventor of the starship's power drive that supposedly folds space time, and who is obsessed with finding the truth. But as the crew begins looking for clues, they realize that the horror isn't over, and that the disaster that killed the crew of the Event Horizon may soon consume them too. Given Anderson's later catalog of disappointing flicks, it's easy to dismiss "Event Horizon," but with an strong cast and some clever concepts, it's a joyous guilty pleasure sure to satisfy anyone who loves science fiction, action, and horror.

19. Black Hole

After the success of "Star Wars," everyone was looking for the next big sci-fi blockbuster, and the Walt Disney Company was no exception . Nearly 35 years before they'd simply buy the whole enterprise, Disney tried their hand at their own outer space adventure, and the result was the 1979 adventure "Black Hole." Starring Maximillian Schell, Joseph Bottoms, Anthony Perkins, and Robert Forster, the movie follows the crew of the USS Palomino, on a deep space exploratory mission when they encounter an older starship, the USS Cygnus, thought lost 20 years before. 

Now orbiting a black hole, they find one man aboard: Dr. Reinhardt, one of Earth's most brilliant minds, who says he's the last man alive after the ship became damaged. Along with a crew of human-like robot drones he claims to have built himself, he has continued to study the titular black hole. But while exploring the Cygnus, the crew of the Palomino realizes that Reinhardt is hiding something, and there's more to his robot army than meets the eye. A surprisingly disturbing sci-fi adventure for a Disney picture, never became as well known as "Star Wars," nor did it ever become it spawn a franchise, but — thanks to its impressive special effects and intriguing story — it has since become a cult classic.

20. Zathura: A Space Adventure

The 2005 family film "Zathura: A Space Adventure" has been largely forgotten, but in retrospect, it's an important stepping stone on a number of Hollywood journeys. Directed by Jon Favreau just before "Iron Man," the film was also a quasi-sequel to "Jumanji," and there have been calls more recently to reincorporate it back into that franchise. The movie follows a pair of brothers who leave home alone and try to pass the time by playing space adventure board game called Zathura. But every move they make and every situation they encounter in the game comes to life, sending them on an incredible journey into space.

With the help of a heroic astronaut, the two brothers — and their older sister, who becomes trapped with them — must find a way to use the game to make their way back to Earth. A fun family adventure, its lack of success was blamed on poor promotions  that confused audiences. But with Favreau at the helm, and a cast that included a young Josh Hutcherson ("The Hunger Games") and Kristen Stewart before "Twilight," the first "Jumanji" sequel is an underrated outer space adventure.

International sci-fi films are easy to miss in the States, where some of the best gems receive little promotion and can disappear on sites like Netflix or Hulu, buried under mountains of bigger titles. One such gem that shouldn't be miss is the 2018 Swedish science fiction dystopian drama "Aniara" from co-directors Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja. Set in the not-too-distant future, the Earth has become nearly uninhabitable, devastated by climate change that has seen non-stop natural disasters and rising ocean levels. Humanity is colonizing Mars and has begun a mass migration, with massive vessels regularly ferrying large numbers of colonists to the Red Planet. 

One such vessel is the Aniara, a large cruise-liner equipped with a Mima — an artificially intelligent, virtual reality simulator — that provide immersive experiences for the migrants during their long journey. But when the ship is struck by space debris, it loses navigation and may no longer be able to reach Mars. As the journey is extended by years, and the Mima breaks down, the delicate balance of society aboard the star-liner breaks down. Chaos erupts. A wave of despair sweeps the ship, and as chances for rescue dwindle, all hope may rest with the Mimarobe, the Mima's engineer who has been trying to recreate the Mima's functions. A bleak, haunting drama in space, it's not for the faint of heart, but comes highly recommended if you can track it down. 

22. The Last Starfighter

Another attempt to capture the sci-fi adventure of "Star Wars," this time by Universal Studios, the 1986 film "The Last Starfighter" similarly a teenaged boy fulfill his dreams of going into outer space after he is recruited fight in an interstellar war. Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) is a high school kid on Earth who becomes the highest scoring player of an arcade game called The Last Starfighter, which he learns was secretly designed to find the best pilots in the cosmos. Brought into outer space and trained by an alien fighter named Grig (Dan O'Herlihy), Alex learns about the war between the Rylan Star League and the Ko-Dan Empire.

The Star League's home planet Rylos has successfully fended off an invasion, but the Ko-Dan's leader, a vicious tyrant named Xur, has a new weapon that can breach their defenses. Now Alex must find the courage to join the war and stop an invasion that threatens to engulf Earth, as well. Criminally under-seen, "The Last Starfighter" is a memorable sci-fi actioneer that any child of the '80s likely has fond memories of, even if it hasn't become a classic.

23. Europa Report

Another sci-fi movie about an exploratory mission that proves a disaster from almost the moment it leaves Earth's atmosphere, the 2013 indie drama "Europa Report" used a mix of found footage, fictionalized news reports, documentary interviews, and gonzo style filmmaking. The end result? A grounded, realistic look at what a real space mission to search for life among the stars might be like. It follow the crew of a privately funded space flight to Europa, a moon of Jupiter, to search for evidence of life. But even before the vessel arrives at its destination, they lose a crew member, who sacrifices himself to save their mission after pass through devastating solar storm.

When they finally get to Europa, they encounter more problems drilling through the moon's icy shell, with their first probe mysteriously lost. A series of unexplained occurrences rattle the group, before disaster strikes, and their entire mission is in jeopardy. Will they discover life on Europa, and if they do, will it be more than they bargained for? An intense and gripping tale of scientific discovery, its unique filmmaking style brought something fresh to the genre that made it worth the watch, even if the story itself wasn't anything groundbreaking.

24. Ad Astra

The thoughtful character drama "Ad Astra" was an ambitious and high profile project for star Brad Pitt, but was mostly seen as a disappointment . It wasn't a flashy sci-fi epic like "Interstellar" nor a dramatic survival story like "The Martian." Instead, "Ad Astra" was a thoughtful, introspective character drama about a family, faith, and legacy. Pitt stars as Roy McBride, commander of SpaceCom, whose father Clifford had manned a mission to Neptune years before, but had been lost somewhere in out there along the way. Now, with a series of unexplained power surges on Earth that are traced back to his father's last known location in deep space, Roy is sent on a mission to find his father and discover the cause of the phenomenon that threatens to destroy the world.

Set in a future world where humanity's obsession with technological progress has led to disaster, the film is sci-fi at its finest, taking a hard look at today's problems through the lens of tomorrow. Punctuated by impeccable performances from its all-star cast — which also includes Tommy Lee Jones, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland — "Ad Astra" does more than look great, it explores real issues both broadly profound and intensely personal. Seldom cited as one of Pitt's best, it deserves attention, and remains one of his strongest, most understated performances, despite the movie's lower profile.

Another lesser-seen international standout, the innovative Netflix original "Cargo" from 2019 comes courtesy of Indian writer and director Arati Kadav. A disturbing space-based tale, it explores the prospect of reincarnation and the afterlife — not to mention other-worldly deities — being discovered in the depths of outer space. It introduces us to scientist Prahastha (Vikrant Massey), who works for a company that runs post-death transition, where — in an orbital station — he prepares recently deceased people for a new life. His monotonous job is just fine as far as he's concerned, and he seems to enjoy his solitary duties. But his routine is disrupted when he's assigned a new assistant.

With the arrival of the young and beautiful Yuvishka (Shweta Tripathi), Prahastha finds his job and life becoming far more complicated. We also learn that Prahastha is something much more than a mere scientist. A compelling and unique blending of Hindu faith and high concept science fiction, "Cargo" impresses with a rare new take on a classic idea: the lone astronaut on a tedious, prolonged mission. Though there are some common themes and ideas at play, "Cargo" at least gives them a sardonic twist with a religious bent, making the film an innovative and imaginative offering that deserves the spotlight.

26. Treasure Planet

When someone mentions an excellent Disney sci-fi film, you probably think of Pixar's "WALL-E," but there's another that's almost entirely forgotten today: the 2002 outer space adventure "Treasure Planet." One of their rare forays into the genre, the film was a clever twist on Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island." It focuses on Jim Hawkins, who runs an inn on the planet Montressor. All his life, he has heard stories of intergalactic treasure hunter Nathaniel Flint and his search for the fabled "Treasure Planet." When a starship crash lands nearby, and its pilot leaves him with a mysterious star map, Hawkins discovers that Treasure Planet is no fable, and sets out to find the greatest prize in the galaxy.

A mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and steampunk before it was popular, "Treasure Planet" may just have been a little too ahead of its time. Full of fun visuals, likable heroes, and dastardly villains, it's everything you could want from a Disney animated feature, and it's a real shame it hasn't become a classic. As a good old pulp adventure in space, it succeeds, and deserves to be remembered alongside the best the animation giant has to offer.

27. Stowaway

With a flood of movies landing every month on any number of streaming sites, it's easy for some films to get lost in the crowd. One such movie that disappeared was "Stowaway," a 2021 Netflix original starring Anna Kendrick ("Pitch Perfect"), Daniel Dae-Kim ("Hawaii Five-O") and Toni Collette ("Knives Out"). Despite the cast, it came and went with little fanfare. It's a shame, because it's a first rate space movie about a mission to Mars whose crew runs into a complicated moral dilemma. 

Embarking on a multi-year journey to the Red Planet, three space-faring scientists are thrown for a loop when they discover an unintended stowaway aboard, trapped in the module before takeoff. He's also damaged the ship's CO 2 scrubber, making it impossible for the crew to survive. With an unintended companion and malfunctioning equipment that can't sustain so many passengers, the mission seems doomed, and the crew are forced to improvise. But with time running out, and mission control offering no solution, they decide one of them may have to die for the rest to survive. A surprising psychological thriller packed with compelling characters forced into impossible decisions, it's a tense personal drama in outer space that provides some of the best sci-fi suspense on this list.

28. Explorers

The 1985 film "Explorers" featured a surprisingly star-studded cast for a movie with child actors. The film starred Ethan Hawke ( "Moon Knight" ) and River Phoenix ("Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade") in their movie debuts, and also co-starred James Cromwell ("Babe") and Robert Picardo ( "Star Trek: Voyager" ). Directed by Joe Dante ("Gremlins"), with special effects by Industrial Light & Magic and a score by "Star Trek" composer Jerry Goldsmith, it has a classy pedigree in all facets of the production, yet is somehow hardly remembered.

A classic childhood adventure, the film centers on three friends — Ben, Wolfgang, and Darren — who are obsessed with outer space. When Ben receives a vision of a circuit board in a dream, he and his friends use it to build a small spacecraft in their backyard. Against all odds, the ship flies and takes them on a journey, where they meet a pair of aliens much like them: youngsters looking for adventure. Think of it as "The Sandlot" in space. Unfortunately, the movie was swallowed up in a busy summer that included "Back To The Future" and "Goonies," but if you love those movies, or the similar "Flight Of The Navigator," check out their lesser-seen cousin "Explorers."

29. Space Station 76

What "Austin Powers" did for '60s spy movies, the R-rated 2014 outer space comedy "Space Station 76" does for '70s sci-fi. A retro send-up that mocks classic science fiction films and tropes, including a couple from this list, the film stars Patrick Wilson ("Watchmen"), Liv Tyler ("The Incredible Hulk"), Matt Bomer ("Doom Patrol") and Jerry O'Connell ("Star Trek: Lower Decks"). Set aboard the Omega 76 space station, we meet Jessica Marlow (Tyler), the incoming first officer of the Omega 76 space station. She arrives at her new assignment and clashes with the oddball crew, each dealing with their own personal issues.

Captain Glenn Terry (Wilson) is forced to hide his sexuality in the repressed retro future, while Ted (Bomer) struggles with being a single father who wants nothing more than to get back together with his unstable ex-wife Misty (Marisa Coughlan). A delightful throwback that is as much a '70s comedy as it is an homage to the era, it boasts appropriately primitive VFX and is full of clever sight gags, incisive social commentary, and big laughs mined from the oddity of disco sci-fi. Whether you love that decade's best or just enjoy seeing someone poke fun at them, "Space Station 76" will leave you laughing all the way to Alpha Centauri and back.

The directorial debut of filmmaker William Eubank (whose further science fiction films "The Signal" and "Underwater" also come highly recommended), the curiously titled 2011 space drama "Love" once again tells a tale of loneliness and madness in space. It focuses on a singular astronaut, Lee Miller, who has been sent on a one-man mission to the previously abandoned International Space Station in the year 2039. After he arrives however, a massive global war breaks out on Earth, devastating the planet and leaving him all alone in orbit, possibly the last man alive.

As he deals with both a physical and existential crisis, Miller slowly begins to lose his grip on his sanity. But while trying to stay alive, he discovers a strange and antiquated journal aboard the station. Written during the Civil War by a Union captain, it recounts the soldier's fantastic journey to investigate a strange, unearthly object that had been reported during the conflict. Miller will soon discover that he and the Union captain have more in common than he ever could have imagined. Though "Love" explores common themes the genre has touched on before, the low-budget indie film embraces them with a certain spirituality that makes it unique, and should appeal to fans of more thought-provoking space-based science fiction.

• Movie Locations
• Sci-Fi Movies

The 15 Best Movies Set in Outer Space, Ranked

If you buy something using our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Outer space continues to be one of the most fascinating and engaging settings in cinema. There's still so much potential to explore in the endless expanse of stars and planets.

The thing is, while science has only managed to travel a relatively short distance in the grand scheme of the universe, movies have the ability to reach deep into the furthest reaches of the galaxy and even jump to other dimensions through wormholes.

Seriously, there have been LOTS of great movies set in outer space! Here are my picks for the best ones to watch, ranging from hard science fiction to fantastical epics that happen to take place in space.

15. Star Trek (2009)

Directed by J. J. Abrams

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi (2h 7m)

7.9 on IMDb — 94% on RT

If you're a hardcore Trekkie, you might demand that Star Trek be awarded first place—then again, you also couldn't deny that the movie remakes don't hold a candle to the original TV series.

Modernizing the 1960s franchise, the first Star Trek reboot film is still a must-watch, even if only to understand all the pop culture references that have arisen from its success.

Chris Pine takes the captain's chair of the USS Enterprise, alongside Zachary Quinto as his emotionless, humanoid alien buddy Spock.

14. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Directed by James Gunn

Starring Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper

Action, Adventure, Comedy (2h 1m)

8.0 on IMDb — 92% on RT

The MCU has cobbled together numerous forgettable, spectacle-focused films, but that doesn't mean they haven't produced several great ones along the way... like Guardians of the Galaxy .

Yet, despite being in the middle of production for the fourth installment, none of the Guardians of the Galaxy sequels can beat the OG.

Chris Pratt stunned viewers after shaping up to play the charming action hero Peter Quill, who leads a talking racoon and a sentient tree on a space-wide criminal mission to save the universe. It's like the plot to most Marvel films, but this time with a 1970s rock soundtrack.

13. Gravity (2013)

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris

Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller (1h 31m)

7.7 on IMDb — 96% on RT

Gravity does rely heavily on spectacle, but in a completely different (and more intentional) way than, say, Marvel films.

Director Alfonso Cuarón elegantly relays the grandeur and gravitas of deep space that stretches out for light-years, picking up Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Special Effects, and Best Film Editing along the way.

The sparseness of the crew—it's literally just Sandra Bullock and George Clooney—and the dialogue accentuate the vastness of the void in which Dr. Ryan Stone (played by Bullock) finds herself floating.

12. Moon (2009)

Directed by Duncan Jones

Starring Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi (1h 37m)

7.8 on IMDb — 90% on RT

A common thematic thread in space movies is how lonely space can be. Astronauts often find themselves isolated in their ships, reporting back to the voices of NASA—or perhaps no one at all. It might just be themselves and the odd talking machine.

In Moon , Kevin Spacey voices the AI robot named GERTY, who's the sole companion to Samuel Bell (played by Sam Rockwell) during his three-year lunar contract. But things take a turn when his doppelganger shows up in the most unlikely of places...

11. Apollo 13 (1995)

Directed by Ron Howard

Starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon

Adventure, Drama, History (2h 20m)

Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris comprise the most classic 90s Hollywood line-up, dramatizing the true story of a botched mission to land on the moon in 1970.

Apollo 13's small step for mankind was followed by two backwards steps when a dangerous on-board explosion forced the crew to slingshot past the moon and circle back to Earth.

Apollo 13 is a heroic, sturdy, all-American docudrama that gives you exactly what you're expecting: a splendid watch.

10. Sunshine (2007)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans

Sci-Fi, Thriller (1h 47m)

7.2 on IMDb — 76% on RT

A little less conventional than Apollo 13 is Sunshine , directed under the visceral and experimental style of Danny Boyle.

Boyle is known for many things, including his tendency to unite British and American cinema. In Sunshine , he casts Cillian Murphy, Benedict Wong, and Mark Strong alongside Chris Evans and Rose Byrne (who's actually Australian but tends to play American characters).

Unlike most space-bound films, Sunshine curveballs into the slasher genre towards the end, with visuals akin to a grungy 2001: A Space Odyssey . Oh, and the plot? Reigniting the dying sun.

9. High Life (2018)

Directed by Claire Denis

Starring Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André 3000

Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller (1h 53m)

5.8 on IMDb — 82% on RT

High Life is an artsier pick for niche audiences with its uncommon approach to the formulaic space genre.

After his Twilight days, Robert Pattinson developed a taste for the avant-garde, the indie, and the all-out weird, featuring in multiple A24 films including Good Time , The Lighthouse , Stars at Noon , and High Life .

High Life is very green for a film set on a spaceship, but like others on this list, it still successfully taps into a sense of claustrophobia.

Pattinson stars as one of several criminal crew members who serve their death sentence in a black hole. Directed by Claire Denis, High Life is equally hypnotic, erotic, and aesthetic.

8. The Martian (2015)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig

Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi (2h 24m)

8.0 on IMDb — 91% on RT

The Martian is a must-watch for everyone, even those who typically don't like science fiction. It's inspiring, uplifting, and thrilling.

Astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) is left stranded on Mars after a dust storm forces his team to suddenly evacuate the planet. On his own, Watney manages to survive off lab-grown potatoes while fending off cabin fever and loneliness.

Meanwhile, the people on Earth struggle to figure out a way to get him back home, and Watney must keep his sanity about him as he waits for the eventual rescue mission that may or may not come.

7. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Directed by George Lucas

Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Action, Adventure, Fantasy (2h 1m)

8.6 on IMDb — 93% on RT

Obviously, Star Wars was going to land a spot on this list. The infamous space opera has been saturating theaters since its first installment, Star Wars: A New Hope , was released in 1977.

Spin-offs, stand-alones, novels, and TV series eventually expanded George Lucas's fantasy epic into one of the biggest franchises in the world, deeply ingrained in pop culture like oxygen itself.

Despite so many films to choose from, I'm sticking with Star Wars: A New Hope . It's the one that started it all, starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher up against a totalitarian Galactic Empire.

6. Arrival (2016)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi (1h 56m)

Mainstream cinema has trouble seeing things in nuanced gray. Most stories are very much good versus evil, man versus nature, us versus them, etc. But not so when it comes to Denis Villeneuve!

In Arrival , Villeneuve doesn't present aliens as a straight-cut, invading "other" to be fought and defeated. Instead, these aliens are complex, sensitive, curious, and willing to cooperate with humanity.

Both philosophy and emotional depth trump the standard sci-fi conventions in Arrival , featuring Amy Adams as a linguist who's brought in by the military to try communicating with these aliens.

5. Solaris (1972)

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

Starring Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi (2h 47m)

Long before it was the trend, Solaris proved that science fiction cinema could be artistic, reflective, and meaningful.

This melancholic Soviet movie deals with the existential and the mystical, planting the seeds and blazing the trail for films like Andrei Tarkovsky's hailed Stalker , which would come out seven years later.

Based on the 1961 Polish novel by Stanisław Lem, Solaris depicts a planet that makes astronauts lose their minds upon landing. In response, a psychologist (played by Donatas Banionis) is sent over to investigate the phenomenon. Will he drop his own mind when he gets there?

4. Dune (2021)

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya

Action, Adventure, Drama (2h 35m)

8.0 on IMDb — 83% on RT

Now that Denis Villeneuve's second part to his film adaptation of Dune has released in theaters, Frank Herbert's 1965 book is flying off the shelves for the second time in the past few years.

The star-studded cast, high production values, and keen soundtrack and atmospherics are what set Villeneuve's Dune apart as living up to the greatness of the sci-fi novel about a feudal interstellar society.

If you're looking for an epic spacefaring tale with tons of worldbuilding, political intrigue, and fleshed-out characters, you need to see Dune .

3. Interstellar (2014)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain

Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi (2h 49m)

8.7 on IMDb — 73% on RT

Christopher Nolan is a director known for his wild, mind-bending storylines that demand careful attention to understand.

But, interestingly, it's not the multiple dimensions or meddling with time that makes Interstellar such an incredible film. Sure, the plot logic is beyond impressive, but it's the emotional impact that sings.

Specifically, it's the separation of world-saving astronaut Joseph Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey) from his young daughter Murph (played by Mackenzie Foy as a child and Jessica Chastain as an adult) that drives the emotional resonance that makes Interstellar hit so hard.

2. Alien (1979)

Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt

Horror, Sci-Fi (1h 57m)

8.5 on IMDb — 98% on RT

Alien is the only horror film on our list, but don't be turned off if you typically hate horror. It isn't scary by modern standards, and its hybrid genre of sci-fi and horror is what makes Alien such a classic.

Setting aside the iconic jump scare during the chestburster scene—which is one of the greatest moments in sci-fi cinema— Alien was one of the few 1970s films to have a female lead, with Sigourney Weaver playing the badass survivor of the alien-infected ship Nostromo.

Ask anyone to name three incredible films that take place in space and there's a good chance they'll name Alien . It's that seminal.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Starring Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester

Adventure, Sci-Fi (2h 29m)

8.3 on IMDb — 92% on RT

What's more outer-spacey than the Star Gate sequence from 2001: A Space Odyssey ? It may feel like the trancey ink lights swirl around for ages, but the famous scene is actually less than 10 minutes long.

Yet, after those minutes come to an end, the astronaut protagonist Dave Bowman (played by Keir Dullea) has aged nine years after being trapped with an evil AI called HAL while hurtling towards Jupiter.

The film's title hits the nail on the head. It really is an odyssey through space, directed by Stanley Kubrick, who was one of the few directors with the capability for such an ambitious project. To this day, it's widely considered the greatest space movie ever made—and I agree!

• More Science, Less Fiction
• Space Movies for People Who Aren't Space People
• Best Space Shows on Right Now
• The Best Alien Movies Ever Made
• Top Space Movies for Kids
• Greatest Space Battles on Film
• The Best Alien Invasion Movies
• Underrated Space Operas
• Wonderful Movies About the Moon
• Great Songs About Outer Space
• Behind the Scenes of 'Apollo 13'
• TV Shows Set in Outer Space
• Cool Airlocks in TV and Film
• Martians in Fiction, Ranked
• Sci-Fi Novels About Outer Space
• Spaceships You Want to Fly
• The Spaceships You Think You Could Live In
• The Greatest Space Opera Shows
• Life on Mars?
• The Best Space Westerns on TV

The Best Movies About Astronauts & Realistic Space Travel

Space travel movies can be fantastical, but the top films about the galaxy feature realistic stories about astronauts. The best astronaut movies spotlight characters confronting unknown elements in the outer reaches of space. This is a list o f the greatest realistic space movies including everything from Apollo 13 to Gravity to The Right Stuff .

What films will you find on this list of the best movies about astronauts? 2001: A Space Odyssey is known for its hyper-realistic depiction of space, so it's hard to believe that this Stanley Kubrick-directed film was released back in 1968. The dangers of relying on technology and encountering extraterrestrial life were among the themes of this classic movie. Contact is another one of the best realistic space movies  - though according to NASA, its fellow 1997 release Gattaca  is even more plausible .  Hidden Figures tells the real-life story of three African-American mathematicians who assisted NASA's space program. Other good movies featured on this list include Europa Report , Space Cowboys , and The Martian .

Do you have a favorite realistic space movie? Give the best films a vote up and please add any good movies that are missing. Then, check out our list of the best animated space movies .

• Dig Deeper... Things 'Apollo 13' Got Totally Wrong
• # 19 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 171 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Interstellar

Check out more shows and movies like Interstellar !

• # 67 of 253 on The 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
• # 544 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 25 of 162 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies

The Martian

• # 58 of 369 on The Best Movies Based On Books
• # 1 of 15 on 15 Mars Movies That Prove The Red Planet Is Even More Dangerous Than It Looks
• # 7 of 75 on 25+ Great Movies That Have A Ticking Clock

2001: A Space Odyssey

• # 104 of 253 on The 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
• # 703 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 26 of 162 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies

The Right Stuff

• # 177 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 53 of 240 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 13 of 72 on The 70+ Best Movies From 1983, Ranked

• # 21 of 22 on Movie Special Effects You Didn't Know Weren't CGI
• # 28 of 36 on The Best Fourth Of July Movies For Families
• # 16 of 31 on Movies That Make You Want To Swipe Right On Historical Figures

• # 145 of 253 on The 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
• # 59 of 66 on Movies You Wish You Could Still Watch for the First Time
• # 40 of 53 on 50+ Great Movies That Blur the Lines Between Horror and Drama

• # 600 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 27 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 122 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The 1990s

• # 107 of 174 on The Best Science Fiction Action Movies
• # 9 of 18 on 18 Movies With 'Happy Endings' That Are Actually Unspeakably Tragic
• # 1 of 13 on The Dumbest Heroic Sacrifices In Movie History

Hidden Figures

• # 13 of 240 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
• # 3 of 89 on The Greatest African American Biopics
• # 51 of 468 on The Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked

Space Cowboys

• # 28 of 45 on The Best Movies Starring Clint Eastwood
• # 13 of 35 on The Best Movies About Change Vs. Tradition
• # 9 of 18 on 18 Outer Space Movies That Even Non-Space Nerds Can Love

Event Horizon

• Dig Deeper... The Production Of 'Event Horizon' Was Its Own Level Of Hell
• And Deeper... ‘Event Horizon’ Is A Terrifying Horror Movie From The ‘90s That Deserves Another Chance
• # 37 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens

• # 396 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 128 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 47 of 92 on The Best Movies Of 1984, Ranked

• Dig Deeper... Why Sunshine Is The Greatest Space Movie Ever Made
• # 56 of 139 on The Best Movies Of 2007
• # 5 of 16 on The Most Underrated Sci-Fi Horror Movies Of The 2000s

Europa Report

• # 4 of 12 on The Best Space Movies Streaming on Hulu
• # 23 of 60 on The Scariest Movies Set In Space, Ranked
• # 8 of 14 on Pretty Good Horror Movies Set In Outer Space

• Dig Deeper... 12 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From ‘Armageddon’
• # 28 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 100 of 772 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Mission To Mars

• # 91 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 3 of 15 on 15 Mars Movies That Prove The Red Planet Is Even More Dangerous Than It Looks
• # 41 of 91 on The Best Movies About Being Stranded

• # 17 of 20 on The Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies Of The 2010s
• # 52 of 53 on The Best Father-Son Movies Ever Made
• # 15 of 16 on 16 Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies Overshadowed By Movies Released At The Same Time

Silent Running

• # 102 of 162 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies
• # 309 of 675 on The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
• # 16 of 19 on If Someone Tells You They've Seen These Sci-Fi Movies, They're Probably Lying To You

• # 163 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 174 of 199 on The Best Movies Of The '70s, Ranked
• # 75 of 425 on The Greatest Movies in World Cinema History

The Astronaut's wife

The Astronaut Farmer

• # 14 of 16 on 16 Underrated Bruce Willis Performances That Remind Us Why We Love Him
• # 16 of 18 on Great Underdog Movies That Have Nothing To Do With Sports
• # 48 of 53 on The Best Space Adventure Films

The Last Days On Mars

Approaching The Unknown

• Entertainment
• The Space Page
• Watchworthy

Exploring the many ways space, space travels, and extraterrestrial life are depicted in film, TV, literature, anime, comics, and technology.

• Copy from this list
• Report this list

TOP 100 Space Films

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Alec Guinness

Votes: 1,449,170 | Gross: $322.74M

2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Billy Dee Williams

Votes: 1,379,288 | Gross: $290.48M

3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.

Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Billy Dee Williams

Votes: 1,121,096 | Gross: $309.13M

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.

Director: Gareth Edwards | Stars: Felicity Jones , Diego Luna , Alan Tudyk , Donnie Yen

Votes: 686,248 | Gross: $532.18M

5. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Three years into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi pursues a new threat, while Anakin Skywalker is lured by Chancellor Palpatine into a sinister plot to rule the galaxy.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Hayden Christensen , Natalie Portman , Ewan McGregor , Samuel L. Jackson

Votes: 845,128 | Gross: $380.26M

6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi

After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea , Gary Lockwood , William Sylvester , Daniel Richter

Votes: 719,228 | Gross: $56.95M

7. The Martian (2015)

PG-13 | 144 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Matt Damon , Jessica Chastain , Kristen Wiig , Kate Mara

Votes: 924,836 | Gross: $228.43M

8. Starship Troopers (1997)

R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Humans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.

Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Casper Van Dien , Denise Richards , Dina Meyer , Jake Busey

Votes: 321,012 | Gross: $54.81M

9. Aliens (1986)

R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver , Michael Biehn , Carrie Henn , Paul Reiser

Votes: 762,760 | Gross: $85.16M

10. Alien (1979)

R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright

Votes: 950,065 | Gross: $78.90M

11. Contact (1997)

PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster , Matthew McConaughey , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt

Votes: 293,025 | Gross: $100.92M

12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt , Chukwudi Iwuji , Bradley Cooper , Pom Klementieff

Votes: 380,124 | Gross: $359.00M

13. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.

Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt , Vin Diesel , Bradley Cooper , Zoe Saldana

Votes: 1,272,931 | Gross: $333.18M

14. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord's encounter with his father, the ambitious celestial being Ego.

Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt , Zoe Saldana , Dave Bautista , Vin Diesel

Votes: 759,291 | Gross: $389.81M

15. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

G | 143 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.

Director: Robert Wise | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 96,590 | Gross: $82.26M

16. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

PG | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.

Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 129,186 | Gross: $78.91M

17. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

PG | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.

Director: Leonard Nimoy | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 91,460 | Gross: $109.71M

18. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

PG | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy.

Director: William Shatner | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 64,187 | Gross: $52.21M

19. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace.

Votes: 80,887 | Gross: $74.89M

20. Star Trek: Generations (1994)

PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery

With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.

Director: David Carson | Stars: Patrick Stewart , William Shatner , Malcolm McDowell , Jonathan Frakes

Votes: 87,019 | Gross: $75.67M

21. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.

Director: Jonathan Frakes | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton

Votes: 132,030 | Gross: $92.00M

22. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

PG | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

When the crew of the Enterprise learn of a Federation conspiracy against the inhabitants of a unique planet, Captain Picard begins an open rebellion.

Votes: 79,442 | Gross: $70.12M

23. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.

Director: Stuart Baird | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton

Votes: 83,909 | Gross: $43.25M

24. Dune: Part Two (2024)

PG-13 | 166 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Timothée Chalamet , Zendaya , Rebecca Ferguson , Javier Bardem

Votes: 367,960

25. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.

Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Karl Urban , Zoe Saldana

Votes: 258,442 | Gross: $158.85M

26. Prometheus (I) (2012)

R | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Noomi Rapace , Logan Marshall-Green , Michael Fassbender , Charlize Theron

Votes: 644,005 | Gross: $126.48M

27. Dune (2021)

PG-13 | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy's most valuable asset while its heir becomes troubled by visions of a dark future.

Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Timothée Chalamet , Rebecca Ferguson , Zendaya , Oscar Isaac

Votes: 853,281 | Gross: $108.33M

28. WALL·E (2008)

G | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Ben Burtt , Elissa Knight , Jeff Garlin , Fred Willard

Votes: 1,200,039 | Gross: $223.81M

29. Gravity (2013)

PG-13 | 91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Sandra Bullock , George Clooney , Ed Harris , Orto Ignatiussen

Votes: 863,047 | Gross: $274.09M

30. Interstellar (2014)

PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Matthew McConaughey , Anne Hathaway , Jessica Chastain , Mackenzie Foy

Votes: 2,098,447 | Gross: $188.02M

31. Moon (2009)

R | 97 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.

Director: Duncan Jones | Stars: Sam Rockwell , Kevin Spacey , Dominique McElligott , Rosie Shaw

Votes: 376,637 | Gross: $5.01M

32. Galaxy Quest (1999)

PG | 102 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.

Director: Dean Parisot | Stars: Tim Allen , Sigourney Weaver , Alan Rickman , Tony Shalhoub

Votes: 178,091 | Gross: $71.58M

33. Avatar (2009)

PG-13 | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington , Zoe Saldana , Sigourney Weaver , Michelle Rodriguez

Votes: 1,386,070 | Gross: $760.51M

34. 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

PG | 116 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A joint USA-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn exactly what happened to the "Discovery" and its H.A.L. 9000 computer.

Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Roy Scheider , John Lithgow , Helen Mirren , Bob Balaban

Votes: 57,208 | Gross: $40.20M

35. Independence Day (1996)

PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.

Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Will Smith , Bill Pullman , Jeff Goldblum , Mary McDonnell

Votes: 605,450 | Gross: $306.17M

36. Total Recall (1990)

R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?

Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Sharon Stone , Michael Ironside , Rachel Ticotin

Votes: 354,429 | Gross: $119.39M

37. The Fifth Element (1997)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Bruce Willis , Milla Jovovich , Gary Oldman , Ian Holm

Votes: 505,988 | Gross: $63.54M

38. Forbidden Planet (1956)

G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi

A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.

Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon , Anne Francis , Leslie Nielsen , Warren Stevens

Votes: 53,173 | Gross: $3.00M

39. Star Trek (2009)

PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Simon Pegg , Leonard Nimoy

Votes: 620,175 | Gross: $257.73M

40. Serenity (2005)

PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture telepath River.

Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Nathan Fillion , Gina Torres , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Alan Tudyk

Votes: 305,625 | Gross: $25.51M

41. Solaris (1972)

PG | 167 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk , Donatas Banionis , Jüri Järvet , Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy

Votes: 98,217

42. Arrival (II) (2016)

PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.

Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Amy Adams , Jeremy Renner , Forest Whitaker , Michael Stuhlbarg

Votes: 770,590 | Gross: $100.55M

43. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.

Votes: 86,148 | Gross: $76.47M

44. The Thing (1982)

R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell , Wilford Brimley , Keith David , Richard Masur

Votes: 466,423 | Gross: $13.78M

45. Gattaca (1997)

PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Ethan Hawke , Uma Thurman , Jude Law , Gore Vidal

Votes: 323,120 | Gross: $12.34M

46. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

During an adventure in the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebel Alliance.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Alden Ehrenreich , Woody Harrelson , Emilia Clarke , Donald Glover

Votes: 379,039 | Gross: $213.77M

47. The Abyss (1989)

PG-13 | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery

A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Ed Harris , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Michael Biehn , Leo Burmester

Votes: 193,163 | Gross: $54.46M

48. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Hayden Christensen , Natalie Portman , Ewan McGregor , Christopher Lee

Votes: 758,690 | Gross: $310.68M

49. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Dane DeHaan , Cara Delevingne , Clive Owen , Rihanna

Votes: 196,825 | Gross: $41.19M

50. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

PG | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their original glory.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Ewan McGregor , Liam Neeson , Natalie Portman , Jake Lloyd

Votes: 856,181 | Gross: $474.54M

51. War of the Worlds (2005)

An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Tim Robbins , Miranda Otto

Votes: 475,071 | Gross: $234.28M

52. Dune (1984)

PG-13 | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.

Director: David Lynch | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan , Virginia Madsen , Francesca Annis , Leonardo Cimino

Votes: 179,275 | Gross: $30.93M

53. Space Battleship Yamato (2010)

TV-14 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

In 2199, the crew of the space battleship Yamato embark on a dangerous journey to the planet Iskandar to acquire a device that will rejuvenate the war-ravaged Earth.

Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Takuya Kimura , Meisa Kuroki , Toshirô Yanagiba , Naoto Ogata

Votes: 6,381

54. Harlock: Space Pirate (2013)

Not Rated | 115 min | Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Mankind is dying. Only one man can do anything about it, Space Captain Harlock, but the Gaia Coalition will stop at nothing to end him.

Director: Shinji Aramaki | Stars: Yû Aoi , Jessica Boone , Ayano Fukuda , Arata Furuta

Votes: 12,881

55. Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)

R | 89 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi

A black op has gone terribly wrong. Now, Captain Carmen Ibanez and a hardcore trooper famed as Major Henry "Hero" Varro must lead a team of battle-weary troopers to find the missing ship and discover what went wrong.

Directors: Shinji Aramaki , Steven Foster | Stars: Luci Christian , David Matranga , Justin Doran , David Wald

Votes: 11,918

56. Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)

R | 88 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi

Federation trooper, Johnny Rico's ordered to work with a group of new recruits on a satellite station on Mars, where giant bugs have decided to target their next attack.

Directors: Shinji Aramaki , Masaru Matsumoto | Stars: Casper Van Dien , Dina Meyer , DeRay Davis , Justin Doran

Votes: 6,416

57. Bumblebee (I) (2018)

PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. On the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, Charlie Watson discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

Director: Travis Knight | Stars: Hailee Steinfeld , Jorge Lendeborg Jr. , John Cena , Jason Drucker

Votes: 188,416 | Gross: $127.20M

58. The Thing (I) (2011)

R | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. | Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Joel Edgerton , Ulrich Thomsen , Eric Christian Olsen

Votes: 145,504 | Gross: $16.93M

59. Predator (1987)

R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror

A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Carl Weathers , Kevin Peter Hall , Elpidia Carrillo

Votes: 454,642 | Gross: $59.74M

60. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi

A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas , Drew Barrymore , Peter Coyote , Dee Wallace

Votes: 437,372 | Gross: $435.11M

61. Predator 2 (1990)

R | 108 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

The Predator returns to Earth, this time to stake a claim on the war-torn streets of a dystopian Los Angeles.

Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Danny Glover , Gary Busey , Kevin Peter Hall , Rubén Blades

Votes: 182,481 | Gross: $30.67M

62. District 9 (2009)

R | 112 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Violence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.

Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Sharlto Copley , David James , Jason Cope , Vanessa Haywood

Votes: 716,656 | Gross: $115.65M

63. Alien vs. Predator (2004)

PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Horror

During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realize that only one species can win.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Sanaa Lathan , Lance Henriksen , Raoul Bova , Ewen Bremner

Votes: 212,170 | Gross: $80.28M

64. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007 Video Game)

T | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Charles Bishop Weyland, a wealthy industrialist, is organizing a scientific expedition bound for Antarctica, which aims to explore a pyramid at approximately 600 meters below the ice.

Star: Nick D. Brewer

65. Outlander (2008)

R | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

During the reign of the Vikings, Kainan, a man from a far-off world, crash lands on Earth, bringing with him an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Though both man and monster are seeking revenge for violence committed against them, Kainan leads the alliance to kill the Moorwen by fusing his advanced technology with the Viking's Iron Age weaponry.

Director: Howard McCain | Stars: Jim Caviezel , Sophia Myles , Ron Perlman , Jack Huston

Votes: 78,692 | Gross: $0.16M

66. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

PG | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Director: Garth Jennings | Stars: Martin Freeman , Yasiin Bey , Sam Rockwell , Zooey Deschanel

Votes: 208,341 | Gross: $51.09M

67. Sphere (1998)

PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.

Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman , Sharon Stone , Samuel L. Jackson , Peter Coyote

Votes: 112,494 | Gross: $37.02M

68. Sunshine (2007)

R | 107 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller

A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy , Rose Byrne , Chris Evans , Cliff Curtis

Votes: 267,348 | Gross: $3.68M

69. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

PG | 138 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss , François Truffaut , Teri Garr , Melinda Dillon

Votes: 216,803 | Gross: $132.09M

70. Alien: Resurrection (1997)

R | 109 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

Two centuries after her death, a powerful human/alien hybrid clone of Ellen Ripley aids a crew of space pirates in stopping the aliens from reaching Earth.

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Sigourney Weaver , Winona Ryder , Dominique Pinon , Ron Perlman

Votes: 263,324 | Gross: $47.75M

71. Lost in Space (1998)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Family

The Robinson family was going into space to fight for a chance for humanity. Now they are fighting to live long enough to find a way home.

Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Gary Oldman , William Hurt , Matt LeBlanc , Mimi Rogers

Votes: 74,855 | Gross: $69.12M

72. Event Horizon (1997)

R | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A rescue crew is tasked with investigating the mysterious reappearance of a spaceship that had been lost for seven years.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Laurence Fishburne , Sam Neill , Kathleen Quinlan , Joely Richardson

Votes: 197,100 | Gross: $26.67M

73. Lockout (2012)

PG-13 | 95 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the President's daughter from an outer-space prison taken over by violent inmates.

Directors: James Mather , Steve Saint Leger | Stars: Guy Pearce , Maggie Grace , Peter Stormare , Vincent Regan

Votes: 100,933 | Gross: $14.33M

74. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)

PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

On a distant planet inhabited by mutants, two bounty-hunters race to rescue three Earth female captives from the clutches of an evil mutant warlord.

Director: Lamont Johnson | Stars: Peter Strauss , Molly Ringwald , Ernie Hudson , Andrea Marcovicci

Votes: 6,619 | Gross: $16.48M

75. Transformers (2007)

PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

An ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, comes to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager.

Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Shia LaBeouf , Megan Fox , Josh Duhamel , Tyrese Gibson

Votes: 674,633 | Gross: $319.25M

76. Deep Impact (1998)

PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

A comet is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth. As doomsday nears, the human race prepares for the worst.

Director: Mimi Leder | Stars: Robert Duvall , Téa Leoni , Elijah Wood , Morgan Freeman

Votes: 190,319 | Gross: $140.46M

77. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

PG-13 | 106 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms.

Directors: Hironobu Sakaguchi , Motonori Sakakibara | Stars: Alec Baldwin , Steve Buscemi , Ming-Na Wen , Ving Rhames

Votes: 84,068 | Gross: $32.13M

78. Flash Gordon (1980)

PG | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth.

Director: Mike Hodges | Stars: Sam J. Jones , Melody Anderson , Max von Sydow , Topol

Votes: 61,509

79. Flight of the Navigator (1986)

PG | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

In 1978, a boy travels eight years into the future and has an adventure with an intelligent, wisecracking alien ship.

Director: Randal Kleiser | Stars: Joey Cramer , Paul Reubens , Cliff De Young , Veronica Cartwright

Votes: 51,681 | Gross: $18.56M

80. Returner (2002)

R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A young woman from the future forces a local gunman to help her stop an impending alien invasion which will wipe out the human race.

Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Takeshi Kaneshiro , Anne Suzuki , Gorô Kishitani , Kirin Kiki

Votes: 11,595 | Gross: $0.07M

81. Alien³ (1992)

R | 114 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

Returning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Sigourney Weaver , Charles S. Dutton , Charles Dance , Paul McGann

Votes: 319,312 | Gross: $55.47M

82. Critters (1986)

PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

A group of small but vicious alien creatures called Crites escape from an alien prison transport vessel and land near a small farm town on earth, pursued by two shape-shifting bounty hunters.

Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Dee Wallace , M. Emmet Walsh , Billy Green Bush , Scott Grimes

Votes: 39,299 | Gross: $13.17M

83. Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)

Eggs of the small but voracious alien creatures called Crites are left behind on earth and, after hatching, set their appetites on the small farm town of Grover's Bend.

Director: Mick Garris | Stars: Scott Grimes , Liane Curtis , Terrence Mann , Don Keith Opper

Votes: 16,846 | Gross: $3.81M

84. Critters 3 (1991)

The tiny fur ball aliens that will eat anything or anyone set their sights on a Los Angeles apartment tower.

Director: Kristine Peterson | Stars: John Calvin , Aimee Brooks , Christian Cousins , Joseph Cousins

Votes: 13,225

85. Critters 4 (1992)

PG-13 | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

After being cryogenically frozen and waking up on a space station in the near future, the Critters aim to have the unwitting crew for lunch.

Director: Rupert Harvey | Stars: Don Keith Opper , Terrence Mann , Paul Whitthorne , Anders Hove

Votes: 8,302

86. Ad Astra (2019)

PG-13 | 123 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery

Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

Director: James Gray | Stars: Brad Pitt , Tommy Lee Jones , Ruth Negga , Donald Sutherland

Votes: 260,396 | Gross: $50.19M

87. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana , Benedict Cumberbatch

Votes: 497,024 | Gross: $228.78M

88. Jupiter Ascending (2015)

A young woman discovers her destiny as an heiress of intergalactic nobility and must fight to protect the inhabitants of Earth from an ancient and destructive industry.

Directors: Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Channing Tatum , Mila Kunis , Eddie Redmayne , Sean Bean

Votes: 194,508 | Gross: $47.39M

89. Supernova (I) (2000)

PG-13 | 90 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A deep space rescue and recovery spaceship with a crew of 6 receives a distress call from a mining operation 3432 light years away. A rescue operation via dimension jump is made. Bad idea.

Directors: Walter Hill , Francis Ford Coppola , Jack Sholder | Stars: James Spader , Peter Facinelli , Robin Tunney , Angela Bassett

Votes: 19,402 | Gross: $14.22M

90. Skyline (2010)

PG-13 | 92 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

Directors: Colin Strause , Greg Strause | Stars: Eric Balfour , Donald Faison , Scottie Thompson , Brittany Daniel

Votes: 92,167 | Gross: $21.37M

91. Screamers (1995)

R | 108 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A military commander stationed off planet during an interplanetary war travels through the devastated landscape to negotiate a peace treaty, but discovers that the primitive robots they built to kill enemy combatants have gained sentience.

Director: Christian Duguay | Stars: Peter Weller , Roy Dupuis , Jennifer Rubin , Andy Lauer

Votes: 29,438 | Gross: $5.78M

92. Solar Crisis (1990)

PG-13 | 112 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller

A huge solar flare is predicted to fry the Earth. Astronauts must fly toward the sun to drop a talking bomb at the right time for the flare to be aimed elsewhere.

Directors: Richard C. Sarafian , Arthur Marks | Stars: Tim Matheson , Charlton Heston , Peter Boyle , Annabel Schofield

Votes: 2,073

93. Moon 44 (1990)

R | 98 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

An unconventional corporate agent is given the task of shaping a group of violent criminals and technical wizards into a helicopter defense force assigned to protect a mining station on a remote moon.

Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Michael Paré , Lisa Eichhorn , Dean Devlin , Brian Thompson

Votes: 5,725

94. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

As a new threat to the galaxy rises, Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper, must join Han Solo and Chewbacca to search for the one hope of restoring peace.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Domhnall Gleeson

Votes: 973,519 | Gross: $936.66M

95. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rey develops her abilities with the help of Luke Skywalker, as the Resistance prepares for battle against the First Order.

Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher

Votes: 671,777 | Gross: $620.18M

96. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again in the conclusion of the Skywalker saga.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Adam Driver

Votes: 493,153 | Gross: $515.20M

97. Space Sweepers (2021)

TV-MA | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Set in the year 2092 and follows the crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy that's known to be a weapon of mass destruction, they get involved in a risky business deal.

Director: Sung-hee Jo | Stars: Song Joong-ki , Kim Tae-ri , Jin Seon-kyu , Yoo Hae-jin

Votes: 28,690

98. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

PG-13 | 192 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington , Zoe Saldana , Sigourney Weaver , Stephen Lang

Votes: 493,971 | Gross: $659.68M

99. The Wandering Earth (2019)

TV-MA | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

With the sun dying out, a group of brave astronauts set out to find new planet for the whole human race.

Director: Frant Gwo | Stars: Jing Wu , Chuxiao Qu , Guangjie Li , Man-Tat Ng

Votes: 36,320 | Gross: $5.88M

100. Alien: Covenant (2017)

R | 122 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Michael Fassbender , Katherine Waterston , Billy Crudup , Danny McBride

Votes: 303,840 | Gross: $74.26M

List Activity

Tell your friends, other lists by turanic.

Recently Viewed

The 12 Best Space Movies You Can Watch On Netflix Right Now

If Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that humanity is destined to venture among the stars. Whether as an act of exploration or defense against global disaster, interstellar travel remains the great fantasy of both big-budget blockbusters and inexpensive science fiction films alike. So, where better to start your space travel movie marathon than Netflix, especially since the streaming giant has made our solar system — and the stars beyond — the basis of several of its original features? 

Whether your ideal space movie is a family-friendly starship adventure or a rocket trip straight to the outer layers of Hell, you can probably find something on this list to satisfy your mood on any movie night. But be warned: the crews in these movies may be small, but the body counts are disproportionately high. In space, the odds of survival are despairingly low.

Indian science fiction film Cargo finds the joy in living — and in dying

The best way to describe "Cargo," the debut feature from Indian filmmaker Arati Kadav, is "Pushing Daisies" on a spaceship. Prahastha, a demon astronaut who helps process humans for reincarnation, has spent a century alone on his spacecraft, speaking only with his handlers back on Earth. When he is assigned a new demonic assistant near the end of his campaign, Prahastha is forced to reintegrate himself into society. He must also address the loneliness that bubbles just beneath his unflappable exterior. Think a workplace comedy with a heavy layer of fantasy, and you're right there.

This premise might've ended up too cute by half in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, but Kadav quickly proves herself a masterful hand at comedy. We never tire of watching Prahastha and Yvishka process new souls — as well as the charming cutaways depicting the moments leading up to the new arrivals' deaths — but, thankfully, Kadav keeps coming back to the demons' individual growth. Space is a lonely place, and even friendly demons are not meant to spend this much time away from their loved ones.

When to Watch : You need a little brightness in your space movies, and are okay with having a movie's theme song — in this case, "Forget Me Not" by Megha Ramaswamy — stuck in your head for days.

Doom: Annihilation is an earnest attempt at recreating a blockbuster video game franchise

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who prefer Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2005 "Doom" and those who prefer Tony Giglio's 2019 "Doom: Annihilation." The former has a reputation as one of the all-time biggest video game movie disappointments, wasting a cast that included Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, and Dwayne Johnson, the ultimate space marine. By contrast, Giglio's adaptation's limited budget may be obvious, but the movie also comes with lower expectations, delivering for audiences who prefer flawed passion projects over middling studio fare.

All of the pieces necessary for a "Doom" adaptation are in place: soldiers, monsters, and the dark void of space. In its best moments, "Doom: Annihilation" recalls some of Neil Marshall's best work , with inventive creature designs that will remind you of films like "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent." And when Giglio goes for broke in the final minutes, dumping his main character onto a planetary hellscape that puts her in direct contact with the monsters of "Doom," we get a glimpse of what someone with real vision could bring to this franchise. 

When to Watch: You have a fridge full of beer and a Friday night to kill, and you're ready to make some questionable movie-watching decisions in the name of curiosity.

Thanks to Melanie Laurent, Oxygen is claustrophobic science fiction at its finest

French director Alexandra Aja made his name on gory horror fare like "High Tension," "The Hills Have Eyes," and "Crawl," but he doesn't need blood to tell a thrilling story. Nowhere is this more evident than in 2021's "Oxygen," a claustrophobic horror film starring Mélanie Laurent ("Inglourious Basterds") about an amnesiac trapped in a cryogenic pod that is quickly losing air.

"Oxygen" may not offer many surprises — once the puzzle pieces start coming together, it only takes a small leap of the imagination to see the film's ultimate destination — but that's part of the movie's appeal. The real intrigue comes in watching how Aja and Laurent build a cohesive story out of only a few elements, and in enjoying the craft of a simple concept executed to perfection. Laurent's performance and Aja's direction make it look deceptively easy to build narrative momentum in a set devoid of physical space. Even in 2021, there's nothing quite as satisfying as a simple idea done right.

When to Watch: You are curious to know how a simple writing prompt — "woman trapped in a box" — can succeed as 101 thrilling minutes of science fiction.

Prospect is a science fiction standout in desperate need of rediscovery

If you prefer your space movies with more of a lived-in feel, then you should consider Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl's "Prospect". The film stars Sophie Thatcher and Pedro Pascal as a pair of prospectors stuck on an alien planet. After a gunfight leaves each person without their crew, the two must learn to work together to secure off-world passage or risk being stranded when the orbiting transport heads home.

For most people, seeing Pedro Pascal do his best Han Solo impersonation is enough of a sales pitch. But once you dive into the worldbuilding proper, the film's production design makes "Prospect" singularly memorable. "Prospect" is the perfect example of retrofuturism on the big screen, a mode of science fiction that takes inspiration from the '50s' dated visions of what the future might look like. What seemed revolutionary then is cheekily archaic now. Thanks to production designer Matt Acosta, however, "Prospect" offers its audience a uniquely low-fi future, one that will stay on your mind long after the credits roll (or the next Netflix auto-play feature starts).

When to Watch: You are working on your Pedro Pascal backlog and are in the mood for a science fiction romp that would feel at home in the "Star Wars" universe.

Skylines proves that, against all odds, the Skyline franchise just keeps getting better

Sometimes, noteworthy franchises come from the most peculiar places. "Skyline," a 2010 film from special effects gurus The Brothers Strause, might have been a modest success, but no one could've expected that it would spawn two sequels that, incredibly, push the franchise into new and exciting directions. Surprise Netflix hit "Beyond Skyline" added action stars Frank Grillo and Iko Uwais to the series and brought an intergalactic war to the mix. 2020's "Skylines" upends the formula again, maintaining continuity with the previous two films but skipping a few years into the future, riffing more heavily on James Cameron's "Aliens" than established alien invasion tropes.

If anything, it seems like franchise co-creator Liam O'Donnell has started to use the "Skylines" films as his private sandbox, making his directorial debut with the second installment and ramping up the action in the third. And with a scrappy cast — star Lindsey Morgan is a smart piece of casting — and a knack for production design that keeps these movies punching above their weight class, the Skyline films promise to keep the good times coming for years to come.

When to Watch: You are in the mood for something action-packed and aren't afraid to spend a few minutes on Wikipedia getting up to speed on the previous films.

Space Sweepers is the South Korean answer to Star Wars

Have filmmakers forgotten that space can be funny? Many science fiction films use the crushing void of space to play up existential dread of what it means to be human, but sometimes, you just want a movie with talking robots and thrilling starship chases. South Korean filmmaker Jo Sung-hee isn't afraid to get silly, peppering "Space Sweepers" with quips and slapstick comedy, and giving his godlike Steve Jobs analogue a few fart jokes.

Equal parts "Star Wars" and "Elysium," "Space Sweepers" follows a group of destitute freelancers tasked with cleaning up the debris that orbits our dying planet. When they stumble across a young robot with a bounty on her head, their get-rich-quick scheme gets them stuck in the middle of a battle between a group of rebellious climate activists and a government that's building a new utopia for the super-rich on Mars. Goofy and more than a little broad at times, "Space Sweepers" is a grand space opera for fans of all ages. It's also an excellent introduction to international cinema for people who might be reluctant to watch a subtitled feature.

When to Watch: You want something filled with heart that the entire family can enjoy, and you absolutely, positively cannot watch "Star Wars" one more time.

Stowaway is the epitome of science fiction for grown-ups

In most space movies, humankind's trips to the stars are cautionary tales. Every once in a while, though, science fiction comes with a dash of humanism, telling stories about people coming together to solve impossible problems through collaboration and ingenuity. These days, the world may be too cynical for a film like "Apollo 13," but the success of Joe Penna's "Stowaway" shows we still have an appetite for uplifting space stories.

In that way, this 2021 feature is something of a throwback: a film centered on a deadly space catastrophe without any of the infighting or backstabbing we often see in similar movies. Anchored by a standout cast, including a much-deserved leading role for Daniel Dae Kim, "Stowaway" is more interested in humankind's tenacity than its failures. Sure, the science might be a little suspect at times, but Penna and his cast create a group of survivors you want to root for — especially during one of the most anxiety-inducing spacewalks you'll ever see on film.

When to Watch: It's been a few years since you watched "Gravity," and you've deluded yourself into thinking that you don't stress cry during space dramas anymore.

The Cloverfield Paradox is so much more than just its Super Bowl release date

Most of the time, it's hard to identify cult classics when they first arrive, but every now and then, the future seems obvious. Such is the case with "The Cloverfield Paradox," a movie that might have generated a more positive fandom if not for Netflix's gimmicky launch strategy.

"The Cloverfield Paradox" will always be remembered as the film dumped on Netflix as part of a wild Super Bowl LII promotional campaign . But given the film's talented cast and outrageous premise — a series of fusion particle tests accidentally knock an international space station into a parallel universe — there is also plenty of time for the next generation of horror and science fiction fans to rediscover Julius Onah's bizarre little movie. By accident or intent, "The Cloverfield Paradox" operates entirely on its own goofy wavelength; give it a few years, and those scenes with sentient arms and oddball quantum physics will feel right at home within the broader "Cloverfield" cinematic universe .

When to Watch: To recreate the authentic experience, you can only watch "The Cloverfield Paradox" immediately following a major sporting event.

The Midnight Sky finds grace in humanity's final hours

In the hands of anyone else, "The Midnight Sky" might be tossed aside as an expensive mess. In the hands of star director (and star-director) George Clooney, "The Midnight Sky" is, well, still a mess, but one that refuses to be forgotten. When an ecological disaster wipes out humanity, a dying scientist races against time to warn an interstellar survey team not to return home from their mission. Meanwhile, the crew of the ship must survive an increasingly dangerous route back to Earth in order to have a chance to learn the truth.

Not everything in "The Midnight Sky" lands, but when it works it's an effective elegy for both humankind and the planet we have thus far failed to protect, and as a director, Clooney manages to tap into some of our biggest existential fears . In addition, "The Midnight Sky" finds a tiny shred of hope as it honors both those the characters lost and those who go on, adding a welcome note of optimism to an otherwise heavy feature.

When to Watch : You want a space movie with some Oscar vibes ("The Midnight Sky" was nominated for Best Visual Effects, and was projected to be competitive in several categories, although that didn't exactly pan out).

The Wandering Earth is Chinese blockbuster filmmaking at its finest

In the future, the sun has begun to expand. So, the world's governments come together to build giant rockets inside the Earth's crust in order to fly the planet to another solar system. Still with us? Then you might be the target audience for Frant Gwo's "The Wandering Earth," a 2019 Chinese blockbuster that thrives by building a series of escalating disasters for humanity to escape. Light on plot but long on spectacle, "The Wandering Earth" feels like a love letter to Hollywood of the '90s , when producers like Jerry Bruckheimer ushered in an era of big-screen splendor that would set the standard for event movies for years to come.

If you've developed a healthy skepticism of second-tier Chinese blockbusters and worry that the visual effects in "The Wandering Earth" won't carry the monumental story, you have nothing to fear. Even on his best day, Michael Bay would need to work hard to top something like this. If you are the sort of person who likes to bring up that "Armageddon" is in the Criterion Collection, then you would do well to seek "The Wandering Earth" out immediately, ideally on the biggest screen available to you.

When to Watch: Your life has taken on a little too much stress, and you need to retreat to the organized chaos that only a big-budget space spectacle can offer.

Total Recall is a timeless treatise on corporate greed and chest people

At this point, what is there to say about Paul Verhoeven's science fiction masterpiece that hasn't already been said? With "Total Recall," "RoboCop," and "Starship Troopers" on his filmography, Verhoeven's reputation as one of our great sci-fi satirists is forever secure. Besides, you know the broad points by now: memory wipes, armed revolution, and more Arnold Schwarzenegger one-liners than any single film can hope to contain. Even those with only a passing knowledge of "Total Recall" could probably pick Kuato out of a lineup, thanks to three decades' worth of pop culture references and loving spoofs.

Unsurprisingly, time has been kind to "Total Recall" — maybe a little  too kind. With water futures now being actively traded on Wall Street, it seems like Verhoeven's only mistake was to pretend that the conservation of natural resources would be overtly evil instead of just blandly capitalist. At any rate, "Total Recall" remains a highlight in a career of highlights for both its star and its director. And the 2012 remake (which, sadly, isn't on Netflix) has its moments too, if we're being perfectly honest with each other.

When to Watch : You are ready to get your ass to Mars.

Zathura is the kid-friendly science fiction you've been looking for

From the original film to its two surprisingly successful video game-inspired sequels, no franchise continues to surprise as much as "Jumanji." And although "Zathura" is more overtly a children's movie than its predecessor — Robin Williams had a habit of aging up his projects — it comes packing a pretty heartfelt message of brotherly love. We never split the party, no matter how frustrating its members might be.

Those who appreciate director Jon Favreau's place as the next Robert Zemeckis — they're both directors with an eye for family entertainment and an appetite for technology — will find a lot of value in "Zathura." In terms of Favreau's career, the film serves as the pivot point between "Elf" and "Iron Man," and similarities to both movies can be seen throughout. For everyone else, the film is a solid entry in the loosely-defined "Jumanji" universe, with admirable pre-fame roles performances from both Josh Hutcherson and Kirsten Stewart. Just shrug off some of the weird reveals regarding Dax Shepard's character (you know the ones).

When to Watch: You need something for the entire family but still want a little bit of space adventure on your Thursday evening.

The Best Outer Space Movies of The 2000s, Ranked

Outer space has been an artistic muse for filmmakers for decades. Take a look at the best outer space movies of the 2000s, ranked.

One of the best elements of a well-told story is a vibrant, emotional setting, and there is possibly no greater canvas of the imagination than outer space. Humanity’s capacity for space exploration in the last century has bloomed alongside a deep interest for the great void above in all the realms of art. The mystery of space has captured the attention of filmmakers as well, whose medium lends itself well to depicting the wonder of the endless black expanse.

Updated August 2, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great science fiction films from the 2000s.

CGI technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few decades, and movies like Gravity or Interstellar are examples of this. But there was a period of time when the technological ability to showcase space had not quite caught up to the spiritual hunger to do so. Still, filmmakers persevered to tell stories set in space, and the limitations presented by the technology of the time only fueled their drive to get creative. Here are the best outer space movies of the 2000s, ranked.

15 The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

The Chronicles of Riddick follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Pitch Black (2000) , persisting in the tale of Richard B. Riddick, a role reprised by Vin Diesel. The sequel portrays Riddick, now a fugitive, caught in the crossfire of two conflicting forces in the cosmos. The audience is taken on a ride by director David Twohy, where Riddick must face an aggressive empire known as the Necromongers.

This sequel not only extends the universe unveiled in Pitch Black but also amalgamates an intriguing fusion of the science fiction, action, and horror genres, firmly staking its claim in the dominion of 2000s space cinema. Its extensive world-building, paired with a stellar performance from Diesel , marks it as a remarkable contender among its peers.

14 Mission to Mars (2000)

Centered around a rescue operation to Mars following an enigmatic catastrophe encountered by a manned Mars expedition, Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars sees Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, and Don Cheadle portraying astronauts embarking on a dangerous mission, which eventually reveals a breathtaking secret about the Red Planet.

Related: 10 Movies Where Humans Colonize Other Planets

De Palma's film presents audiences with a mesmerizingly vivid representation of Mars. The director deftly combines CGI and practical effects to fabricate a persuasive image of space exploration and Martian landscapes . The riveting narrative that weaves together elements of drama, mystery, and science fiction testifies to the diverse themes captured and encapsulated in outer space cinema during the 2000s.

13 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Helmed by George Lucas, the film signifies the grand finale of the prequel trilogy. Anakin Skywalker's metamorphosis into Darth Vader and the collapse of the Jedi Order form the crux of the storyline. Engulfing the viewers in a potent cocktail of political powerplay and personal ruin, the film unveils a sorrowful narrative trajectory integral to the overarching epic of Star Wars.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 's visual effects are genuinely trailblazing, illustrating an alien galaxy of immense intricacy and magnificence. Beyond its breathtaking aesthetics, the narrative compellingly unravels, tying up the loose ends of Anakin's plunge into the abyss of darkness. Its gravitas in storytelling and cinematic triumphs cement it as a vital landmark in the 2000s space-themed cinema.

12 Pitch Black (2000)

Pitch Black introduces the character of Richard Riddick (Vin Diesel), a criminal who is aboard a spaceship for prison transport. The ship is attacked and crashes on a planet, where Riddick and the other survivors are attacked by alien creatures. In exchange for his freedom, Riddick helps the survivors escape the planet. It has strong visuals and tense action sequences, grounded by Diesel’s performance, and was an underestimated hit that launched the Riddick franchise.

11 Solaris (2002)

Solaris stars George Clooney as Chris, a doctor who travels to a space station near the planet Solaris. While there, he finds most of the station’s crew has died, and that he and the surviving crew are seeing artificial replicas of their dead loved ones. Chris is haunted by his own wife, and the responsibility he feels toward her death, which allows for deep character exploration and insights into the distinction between humans and artificial beings. It’s a deep and emotional movie set against the backdrop of a mysterious planet.

10 Space Cowboys (2000)

The somewhat cliché plot of Space Cowboys' adventure story is enhanced by charismatic performances from Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones. A team of astronauts is sent to prevent a Soviet satellite from crashing down to Earth, and the difficulties presented by the mission threaten to overwhelm them.

For a movie from 2000, the special effects were quite impressive to audiences at the time. Ironically, the story is more of a down-to-earth approach, adhering to the known realities and dangers of space travel, making this film more of a drama with sci-fi elements than a science fiction film.

9 Treasure Planet (2002)

Leave it to the world of animation to present outer space in the most vivid, wild, and fantastical light. Treasure Planet follows Jim Hawkins, a disaffected young man whisked away on a grand adventure to find the Treasure Planet, an infamous spaceship captained by pirates. The film’s vision of outer space is brought to life with a steampunk aesthetic and new animation techniques revolutionary for its time. This is one of the few films that paints outer space as a magical realm, and the imagination of the creators is as boundless as the art they’ve created.

8 Zathura (2005)

Similar to Jumanji , Zathura features a board game that comes to life. This one takes brothers Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo) into outer space, where their house floats through the galaxy and is prey to a group of lizard-like aliens. The brothers must survive the game – and its challenges, like meteor showers – to get back home. The effects are largely practical and still look great today, while the humor, genuine sibling relationship, and story details make this a suspenseful and fun watch.

7 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

With Garth Jennings at its helm, the 2005 space odyssey, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , featuring Martin Freeman and Zooey Deschanel, is a comedic voyage across the cosmos. Drawing its plot from Douglas Adams' renowned book, the narrative revolves around Arthur Dent, an unfortunate Englishman who Ford Prefect, a scribe for "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," saves from Earth's annihilation.

Cult status envelopes the film, as a multitude of aficionados relish its arid English humor and zany comedy. The film distinguishes itself from its space movie peers with its unique narrative style, a vibrant fusion of surreal and fanciful elements. Acclaim followed the film from audiences, commending its novel and amusing interpretation of interstellar exploration. It stands as a testament to the genre's versatility, reminding audiences that outer space films can be as humorous as they are awe-inspiring.

6 Serenity (2005)

Serenity is the movie follow-up to Joss Whedon’s short-lived television series Firefly . The movie follows the adventures of the crew and two uniquely powerful new characters who face the threat of the Reavers, a cannibalistic faction that pursues them across space.

With a snappy wit and enticing characters, Serenity is a tightly told adventure story set in space with Joss Whedon's signature blend of action and comedy, with a bit of political satire thrown into the mix as well. The moral dilemmas feel surprisingly intimate for a space-adventure film, and are handled with the right care to make for some impactful moments without the film deviating into the territory of melodrama.

5 Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams foregoes some of the more political and philosophical themes of previous Star Trek works to create something more akin to an extended action-adventure thrill ride. Diehard fans of Star Trek lamented the loss of those themes, which had characterized the franchise for decades, but found a lot to love in the wits of a director who knows how to engage and entertain an audience.

Despite a safe, low-risk plot, Star Trek brought the franchise back to mainstream audiences after a long time , and made peace with older fans by setting the film's continuity in an alternate reality to preserve the events of the original films.

4 Avatar (2009)

Avatar created one of the biggest cultural moments of the last few decades, even if its story does not hold up to the standards of certain audiences and critics. James Cameron's film has been compared to Star Wars for its scope, and for the technological progress represented by the film. Taking place on the fictional moon of Pandora, Avatar follows the journey of a former marine who befriends an indigenous alien population and joins them in resisting the imperial control exerted by the humans in the story.

Some of Avatar' s underlying themes have drawn differing judgments from critics. Adam Cohen praised the anti-imperialist subtext, comparing the metaphor to other major world conflicts involving imperialism; while others criticized the way the movie represented colonization, a theme that continued in 2022's sequel. As one of the highest-grossing movies of all time , it's natural that reception has been divided - but what's undeniable is how impressive the movie's visuals remain.

3 Moon (2009)

This entry on the list occupies a particular kind of existential, humanist science fiction in the same vein as Andrei Tarkovsky. Sam Bell, the lone caretaker of a mining facility on the moon, begins experiencing strange hallucinations and becomes suspicious of the circumstances of his employment on the moon.

Related: The 10 Most Thrilling Space Movies of All Time, Ranked

Fans of all backgrounds will find something to appreciate in Moon , between intense scenes of action, terse dramatic exchanges, and gorgeous visuals. Sam Rockwell, playing the protagonist , brings a very personal, subtle touch to the role that enhances the film's dire, introspective mood.

2 Sunshine (2007)

Sunshine follows the crew of the Icarus II, on a mission to reignite the dying sun and bring sunlight back to earth. The drama unfolds carefully and horrifyingly as crew members make careful decisions that begin to degrade the collective sanity of the group. Many science fiction films emulate the pattern of deep space wearing on the human psyche, but Sunshine stands out thanks to fantastic performances from its cast, and Danny Boyle's talent for discovering and portraying raw , harsh emotion. The action scenes and overall production value also contributed to its success, making for a gripping 100 minutes that remain memorable weeks later.

1 WALL-E (2008)

Brimming with the optimism that audiences expect from a Disney-Pixar film, what’s most surprising about Wall-E is the depth of despair that it plumbs to create that joy. The film builds on the ever more tangible fear of environmental ruin, putting us in the eyes of a trash compactor robot that comes to observe and experience a version of humanity crippled by its own worst qualities. Watching Wall-E is a strangely wistful experience, one that reminds audiences of how simultaneously beautiful and perverse our actions as a species can be. The film drew enormous critical acclaim, and critic Richard Corliss even called it one of the best films of the decade.